At a recent lunch, I saw a sign as I walked into the restaurant: Please note: To better serve you, Gloria’s Restaurant does not take reservations or call aheads, thank you. How does no reservations or call aheads better serve the customer? What if the customer doesn't want to wait a long … [Read more...]

I got a postcard in the mail from our phone provider. Its rather cryptic wording let me know that they'd be sharing my contact information with other members in their "company family." If I wanted to not receive communications from them, I'd have to take steps to opt-out. I tried to go to … [Read more...]

This is the sign you see at the Santiago, Chile airport when you pass through customs. "Wherever you are coming from--If you declare, everything is clarified." I'm not sure what "everything is clarified" even means and it surely doesn't convey the severity of not declaring any food items … [Read more...]

There is a word that can break through the noise and distractions of the world and reach your customer. The most important word to a customer is that person's name. From the time we are little, we are trained to respond to our name. It is so powerful that even if we have a common name (like … [Read more...]

This year I used Turbotax for my business taxes. Towards the end of the process, I encountered a very awkward step. 1. I had to print out a form. 2. Sign the form. 3. Scan the form back in. 4. Attach the form to my return. For being a piece of software, these steps seemed incredibly … [Read more...]

People that have expressed an interest in you in the past may no longer care about you nor want to hear from you. This may be sad, but it is still true. What should you do with these prospective customers? Talk to them. I recently got an email from TripAdvisor.com where I has signed up … [Read more...]

The science fiction movie 2010 had the subtitle "The Year We Make Contact". This new year, 2010, needs to be the year your business makes contact with your customers. Step 1: Observe Your Customers One of the most eye opening experiences you can have is to observe your customers using your … [Read more...]

I've got some bad news for you: you're not perfect. You, your employees, and your business will make mistakes that directly impact your customers. When you make a mistake, you may be tempted to hide it, ignore it, or even deny it. Don't run from your mistake. You need to be proactive in … [Read more...]

At the point of sale, customers need to be told how to make the first step. If left alone or uninformed, customers may walk away even when they were ready to buy. Last week I had to get our car's alignment fixed. As I was waiting in the lobby, I observed several customers enter the shop and … [Read more...]

Have you ever seen miscommunication cause inefficiencies in your business, problems with orders, and even more disastrous results? My employer hosts an annual conference, and in order to save confusion at the conference center, has employees register online and pick up our badges at the office … [Read more...]