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10 Ways To Work Through A Business Slowdown
In running any kind of business, it's inevitable that sometimes business will slow down. This might occur due to an upcoming holiday, seasonal variations, or uncontrollable circumstances. As a small-business owner, you have a choice in terms of...
A Stupid question.
This is a stupid question but it has to be asked. Does your sales letter create as many sales as you would like? What proportion of them respond to your advert? What is just as important, how many of those that responded actually purchased your...
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff with your Credit Policy
Do you know how many customers you have that are past due right now? How many bad checks are sitting on your desk that you don't know what to do with? How many dunning letters do you send out a month?
How would you like to answer those questions...
Managers, Got a Grip on Your PR?
What are you trying to do with your business, non-profit or association public relations program? Get a little publicity for a service or product? Or, perhaps, you’re doing what you really should do, persuade your key external stakeholders to...
Turn your Business’ New Year Resolutions in PR Revolutions
As eyes look forward to a new business year, many small business owners and entrepreneurs are hoping that this upcoming year will be the one that catapults them into success. But according to Shannon Cherry, APR, businesses often overlook a key...
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Hit The Jackpot With Customer Complaints
Copyright 2005 Cutts Group, llc
Our most powerful instinct is to avoid customer complaints, but they may be the best thing that happens to your business. Here’s why...
Marketing research shows that only 1 out 50 unhappy customers take the time to complain... to you. They are likely to let 11 of their friends in on the fact that they are unhappy, but don’t feel comfortable letting you know. What happens to the 49 unhappy customers who don’t complain? Besides griping to 11 friends and family members, they’ll just change products or places of business.
Complaining Customers Are A Bonus
Let’s forget about the fact that complaining customers aren’t always polite or fun to deal with. What’s really happening when they let you know that you didn’t meet their expectations?
1. They are giving you the opportunity to fix the problem and keep them as customers.
2. Let you in on problems that may have turned 49 other customers away.
Encourage Complaints
Yeah, I know... I dread them too, but they are tools for growing your business. How easy is it for your customers to let you know they are dissatisfied with your product or service? Make it easy by...
1. Offering a toll-free complaint hotline.
2. Make customer satisfaction surveys available.
3. Send follow up postcards after the purchase.
4. Make a
place on your Website for customer complaints.
The Unhappy Customer's Options
An unhappy customer can do one of four things:
1. Keep silent
2. File a lawsuit or report you to an government agency
3. Give you bad word-of-mouth advertising
4. Complain to you
Remember that your customers and clients know your businesses strengths and weaknesses much better than you do! They have first-hand experience to make their judgment from. When a customer takes the time to let you know what you need to improve you truly owe them a thank you! And don’t forget... an unhappy customer that you turn into a happy customer becomes a loyal, life-long customer. Yeah, customer complaints pay off in the long run.
Who is Allyn Cutts, and why should you care?
Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic, providing measurable marketing solutions that drive huge results for small-to mid-size business clients. Allyn works personally with clients to design and deliver off-line and on-line direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://www.AllynCutts.com and you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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