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Tag: customer

  • The Top 5 Multi Level Marketing Companies

    The Top 5 Multi Level Marketing Companies

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    Multi level marketing companies are companies that rely on a different sort of method for advertising their products; basically, it is wherein an independent representative or spokesperson refers other potential buyers to the company they represent. This is done through e-mail and other online means. The MLM advertising tactic has been increasing in popularity over the years, and today, it has produced numerous companies that rely on that strategy in order to make sales. This article will cover the best and most well-known multi level marketing companies that people frequently search for in various search-oriented websites.

    Herbalife is the single most popular among the multi level marketing companies. It is a company dedicated to nutrition, helping individuals by selling a myriad of vitamins, all manufactured by Herbalife itself. The variety of pills offereed range from ones that can assist in weight management to stress management vitamins. The company has its significant share of success stories that have played in a role in getting Herbalife to where it is today.

    Another popular, well-respected MLM company is Mary Kay. With the popular slogan “enriching women’s lives”, it has taken the world by storm and offers a wide range of beauty products. It even provides consultation services to women who wish to improve their appearances. Aside from skin care products, Mary Kay also offers makeup, perfume and spa and body treatments. Boys won’t feel left out; it is also not just all about women, for the company also has a division dedicated to men’s beauty products, too. Its reputaton has made it one of the most formidable multi level marketing companies around.

    The third most renowned multi level marketing company focuses specifically on multilevel marketing. As the self-confessed “gloal leader in multilevel marketing”, it provides numerous business opportunities and unique products of its own. It sells its items worldwide, and enables regular people to start their own Amway business and become an Amway business owner. The items it sells ranges from vitamins to skin care products, to water purifiers, exemplifying the wide scopes of the company itself. Amway is on a different level compared to other multi level marketing companies.

    Arbonne International is another beauty-oriented company that, unlike others, is available to the entire world. With creams that help prevent skin aging, assist in weight loss and improve skin care, no wonder Arbonne products are widely used. It is a company with the customer’s best interests (and looks) at heart, and will not cease in trying to make the world a more beautiful place.

    The fifth but not least popular of all multi level marketing companies is Pampered Chef, which makes online sales of kitchen tools. Everyone needs food, and what better way to make excellent food than with the best equipment? Pampered Chef certainly has this in mind, because it offers kitchenware, bakeware, cookware and more. Gift certificates are also available, and all products can easily be ordered online! MLM companies like Pampered Chef are living proof that multi level marketing can help send a company straight to the top.

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    Source by Michael Goudelock

    Views: 1

  • The Real Reason Why Small Businesses Can’t Get Approved for a Loan

    The Real Reason Why Small Businesses Can’t Get Approved for a Loan

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    Oh no, not again. Yes, that’s right, I’m not going to go there… at least not for today. There’s no shortage of excuses and reasons why small businesses can’t get approved for business loans. It never fails to amaze me the coverage this topic gets especially when the national economy goes into recession or when major political races are at stake. Yes, I agree that small business growth and success is the economic back bone of the US and also, that more than 60% of the US workforce are employed by small businesses. But where I get off the group think is when it comes to the lack of financing for a small business with a business loan. In this article, let’s explore the REAL REASON that small business don’t qualify for loans and the truth may even surprise you.

    It’s Deeper Than Statistics

    I love numbers and even better, I love reading financial statements and the notes. The love for numbers did not become a passion for me in the world of small business lending until I came to understand that the financial statements tell the story of a business. Similar to the story behind the financial statements, there’s a story behind the statistics stating that small business owners can’t get approved for loans especially if they’re of a certain ethnic group, gender, and / or industry. I’m not completely washing away the reality that there’s a shred of discrimination in our world… hey, we live in a broken society with broken people. However, a large part of this thinking (small business owners can’t get a loan because of skin color, gender, etc) is just simply untrue. I’ve been on both sides of the fence so to speak in the world of small business lending. I’ve worked for a big bank, and I’ve worked for a not for profit community development financial institution and it’s always the same. The number one reason why small business can’t (and don’t) get approved for loans is due to the considerably large operating risk that exists in these businesses.

    Operating Risk: It All Starts with You

    What does operating risk mean? Well, here’s a question to bring some clarity. What speaks more to sustainability: a business that’s been operating for at least one year or a business that’s still in the owner(s) mind? I’d go with the first option. Operating risk means that you have and continue to execute on your business plan(s) and that the business is cash flow positive (i.e. returning a sustainable profit margin to cover costs and make you money). Here’s the sad truth: not many small businesses get to this point. Most if any, within two years are still trying to figure things out. OK, granted, there are levels to this particularly when you observe the diversity of businesses. However, I’m speaking to the ones that endeavor to obtain a business loan.

    In closing, I offer a couple of ways to minimize your operating risk and increase your chances of getting approved for a loan. (1) Grow tough skin and learn to survive. The game of business is one of survival. Most days, things will not go your way and you just have to stay the course, be adaptable, and stay true to the business mission. (2) Never forget the 3 P’s – Production, Processes, and Personnel. Become efficient in the production of what you offer for sale, create and put in place processes to enhance production efficiency and ultimately the customer experience, and finally, hire, train, and invest in people who share your vision for the business.

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    Source by Pierre Pinkerton

    Views: 1

  • Successfully Resolve Customer Service Problems to Retain Customer Loyalty

    Successfully Resolve Customer Service Problems to Retain Customer Loyalty

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    It seems that as our technology improves, the business/customer relationship is declining. With online technical and sales support, the personal side of customer relations is not as prevalent. There is no longer any loyalty to a business and its products and services. This trend can cause a significant decrease in sales. One way to counteract this trend is to resolve customer service problems successfully and efficiently in order to retain customer loyalty.

    The following list outlines simple but effective methods of successfully resolving customer service problems:

    Create a Customer Complaint Department: The best way to deal with customer complaints effectively and efficiently is to have experts who are able to manage irate customers with their problems

    Be Polite and Courteous: If a customer walks into a business or calls, it is important that the customer service representative takes the time to show that they care and are willing to listen and help. Empathize with the customer’s problem. An angry customer will calm down if they feel they are valued and respected. Be positive.

    Record the Problem: Writing the complaint down and the actions that will be taken helps avoid any misunderstandings. It also shows the customer that the matter is important to the business.

    Provide Solutions or Methods of Resolving the Problem: Don’t list business policies and practices. This will only infuriate the customer. Work with the customer to come up with a solution that will satisfy the customer. If possible, don’t pass the problem off to another representative or transfer the call to someone else. If you do, make sure the new representative has all of the pertinent information so the customer does not have to repeat himself.

    Empathize, Don’t Apologize: A direct apology will assign blame to the company. It is better to empathize using such phrases as: ‘I am sorry you have had such a difficult time with our product.’ It will show that you care about the customer’s situation. Try to understand the customer’s feelings and point of view. Understanding will go a long way in satisfying the customer.

    Keep Your Promises: Make sure that you don’t make promises that you can’t keep. It will reflect badly on the company and make you look incompetent. The customer will also appreciate reliable service.

    Produce Positive Results: Always follow through with your plan to resolve the problem. Bad or poor quality service will cause you to lose customers. The key to maintaining customers is to always follow through with your promise.

    Offer loyalty Incentives: If the problem cannot be adequately resolved, offer a customer an incentive so they will continue being a loyal customer. This can include giving them a replacement product or service along with a gift or discount on their next purchase. Everyone loves free things. It will make the customer feel appreciated.

    Think of customer complaints as lessons for improving customer care. The solution to great customer service is being able to identify the type of customer you are dealing with. To reap the rewards of customer loyalty, the customer needs to be put first when there is a problem. Showing the customer you care and are willing to resolve the problem efficiently and effectively will go a long way in retaining customer loyalty. Customer loyalty cannot be established immediately, but the investment is well worth it. A happy and satisfied customer is essential to achieving a successful and long term business.

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    Source by Amy Nutt

    Views: 1

  • 4 Little Understood Tricks to Ending Up Being a Successful Affiliate Online Marketer

    4 Little Understood Tricks to Ending Up Being a Successful Affiliate Online Marketer

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    Affiliate marketing company has actually gotten a great deal of buzz in current times due to advances in web innovations and upswing of social networks channels like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and so on

    Some affiliate online marketers particularly novices battle to make successfully due to the fact that they do not completely comprehend the service.

    WHAT REALLY IS AFFILIATE MARKETING?

    Affiliate Marketing is the procedure of making online commissions by promoting product or services. Your commissions are made each time you get a lead (Possible client) or offer items online.The fascinating element of affiliate marketing service is that you can make a lots of cash with a little financial investment.

    You can begin the company without items or services of your own, work from house and make passive earnings even while sleeping if you have an efficient system in location.

    HOW DOES AFFILIATE MARKETING WORK

    Register under the affiliate program of credible business that have important services and products.

    Get your custom-made affiliate tracking link for each item you choose to promote online.

    Select the ideal traffic source to utilize in promoting the item.

    Select the specific niche items to concentrate on.

    Pick the marketing method to utilize I.e Blogging, video or social networks marketing.

    4 MAJOR WINNING STRATEGIES TO BOOST YOUR REVENUES ONLINE

    Concentrate on a single specific niche at a time

    This allows you to quickly encourage your consumers to purchase your items. This will enable you to find out and obtain brand-new selling techniques that will increase your sales and increase your revenues.

    Select traffic sources

    It is suggested to concentrate on 2 traffic sources at a time. I will advise concentrating on one online search engine and one social networks traffic at a time. This allows you to appropriately track and enhance projects released on each platform consequently optimizing your revenues per product.The trick of incredibly affiliates is their capability to concentrate on a traffic source, screening and tracking projects efficiently.

    Test marketing technique to utilize

    You can never ever understand if either blogging, social networks or video marketing will be most rewarding till you evaluate marketing techniques such as:

    Track the data/results received from each of the approaches then you concentrate on the technique that produces the best earnings.

    Video marketing; You can make a video explaining the functions of the item then you publish it on YouTube for individuals to view.

    Blogging: You can compose a post utilizing well research study keywords for SEO. This attracts your customers to your blog site and triggers them to decide.

    Social Network Marketing: This is the commonest and the simplest approach particularly for novices. Facebook is a great platform since it has great deals of groups/forums where you can discover individuals who have an interest in your services and product. You can quickly send them a pal demand and pitch your items to them.

    Select the traffic type

    Paid traffic includes utilizing Pay per click or Pay per view marketing on online search engine and social networks platforms. This technique is much faster, related to increased conversion and earnings due to the fact that it enables you to target your customers particularly based upon interests and other functions.

    The traffic type can either be totally free or paid traffic.

    Complimentary traffic includes SEO, social networks groups, and short article marketing. The downside of this technique is that it does not permit you to target your customer based upon their interests and demographics.

    Learn more about how to become a successful affiliate marketer.

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    Source by Juan C Ruiz

    Views: 0

  • 3 Ways Web Design Works to Help Your Business Grow

    3 Ways Web Design Works to Help Your Business Grow

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    As you know, web design and development affects your business and audience. It is the first thing they see concerning your business, so it ought to make a good impression. Below are three important aspects of web design:

    1. Makes the first impression

    Like I said, your website is the first thing a potential client sees before knowing your services and how your business works. Those first few seconds are essential in your business because they determines if a potential client would become a client or not. And, it also determines your bounce rate. Would the client leave the site almost immediately? Or would they stay and check your services out?

    An unappealing website or – God forbid – an outdated one would make your audience immediately bounce. This is because first impression matters. What they see first – your branding and website – matters a lot on your business. So you should always keep yourself and your business up to date on the latest technological trends and developments.

    2. Helps your SEO

    A great web design is beyond how great it looks or how easy it is to navigate. Although these two are important on their own, a great web design should also be SEO-friendly.

    A great way to stay on top of your game among your competition is SEO. Let SEO be integrated into your website design from scratch on a long-term basis, and watch as your website improves its rankings in search engines like Google or Bing.

    If you don’t know how to integrate SEO into your website, do not leave it for a latter period. Instead, get a professional web developer who knows what he/she is doing.

    3. Builds up the character for your company

    How your website looks and feels to your audience is how they perceive the customer service to be. For example, when you enter a company for the first time, several things happens. You get recognised as a potential client, and immediately get attended to by the receptionist. The receptionist further directs you to either the waiting room or the person in charge directly.

    If you get transferred to the waiting room, you would be given certain refreshments – like coffee or tea – depending on your preference. And when you finally meet the person who would handle your request, the manner at which he/she treats you, their character, is what makes you stay or leave.

    The same thing goes for websites. Your website tells a potential client how the character of the company is. So you have to ask yourself, is your website user-friendly? Natural? Welcoming? Easy to navigate through? And most importantly, is it SEO-friendly, so that more clients can find your business?

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    Source by Karina Popa

    Views: 0

  • Dealing With Customer Complaints – B.L.A.S.T

    Dealing With Customer Complaints – B.L.A.S.T

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    In a restaurant, not so far away, in the not so distant future, a telephone rings, a customer complains… and the battle begins!

    Handling customer complaints doesn’t have to always be a battle, with the right tools and responses you can use complaints to your advantage; to help you build your business. B.L.A.S.T is a great tool that is used by companies such as Yum! (Parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, A&W, and Long John Silvers). Training their employees in the basics of handling customer complaints. The acronym stands for:

    Believe

    Listen

    Apologize

    Satisfy

    Thank

    How does your company deal with customer complaints? The easiest way to find out is to pick up the phone and play the role of the complaining customer. What happened? If you were an irritated customer, would you return? Using the B.L.A.S.T guidelines, allows you to create a standardized method for dealing with your complainers and turning them into loyal customers.

    Believe

    This is the cornerstone of handling a customer complaint. Yes, the customer may be lying and be incorrect about their situation. It is important to understand that your customer believes that your establishment has wronged them.

    Listen

    Stop and listen to your customer’s complaint. I’m not certain whether it’s natural instinct or just plain stubbornness. As soon as a customer starts to complain, we start to think of how we will respond to the accusation before we are done listening, and too often the case, already have the response ready to fight back. Take a second, relax, and listen. On occasion a complaining customer will be rude, angry, and use vulgar language, stay the course and remain calm and level headed.

    When the customer is done venting; in a calm, non-judgmental tone, repeat their problem. An example I used in my KFC for a mispacked order:

    “What I hear you saying is that, you came in ordered and paid for 10 Pieces of chicken and when you got home, you only received 8, is that correct?”

    By repeating the problem at hand, you’ve demonstrated your ability to the customer that you heard and understood their problem.

    Listen and clarify. Never defend or justify. The customer doesn’t care if you were shorthanded or if you’re having a bad day, they only care that they get taken care of. No excuses, just solutions.

    Apologize

    Always apologize even if you did nothing wrong. From your customers’ perspective, they have a legitimate complaint, and they expect an apology. It could be as simple as “I’m sorry we’ve inconvenienced you.” or “I’m sorry I know how frustrating it is to buy dinner for my family, only not to have everything there when I get home” A sincere apology will usually diffuse a lot of frustration that the customer has. There is an exception to this rule though, if a customer calls with a critical complaint, such as food poisoning, don’t apologize, it may be construed as an acceptance of guilt, instead refer to your company’s procedures for such events.

    Satisfy

    Make it right. Ask the customer “What can I do to make this right for you”? Be the judge of what is fair of course, but allow them the opportunity to feel empowered over the situation. Many times they may ask for the problem be taken care of on their next visit or maybe that you talk to the person who made the mistake and correct them. We used a great system of sending out a personalized postcard apologizing for the mistake, it was a couple of handwritten sentences (yes, many times with spelling mistakes from my team members), but it was personal and always well received. We always gave them the unexpected as well, maybe a free dessert or an extra side dish just to show that we cared about them.

    Thank

    At the beginning, at the end, in the middle; it doesn’t matter, thank the customer for calling and complaining.

    Why? With the simple act of complaining, your customer is telling you “I care about your business and your success”. They are giving you the opportunity to fix the problem and invite them back so they can give you more of their money. Puts a different spin on it doesn’t it? Thank them for giving you that second chance, for letting you know that something in your restaurant didn’t work like it normally does, for giving you the chance to make it right, and for the opportunity not to damage your reputation!

    Reputation? I had to throw that one in. You work hard, day in day out, trying the best to make your business the best, and yet one unhappy customer can take it away from you. A happy customer will tell two or three friends about a good experience, but an unhappy customer will tell at least ten friends about their experience and it always multiplies through word of mouth. Case in point, when I moved cross country to my new hometown, I was at a Chamber of Commerce event and being the new person in the group, I introduced myself and what we did. No sooner than five minutes passed did I get a list of 10 restaurants in my area that in their opinion were in “need of my services”. Only one person gave me a good restaurant. I didn’t ask, I was told. To this day I still haven’t been to those restaurants as a customer, why do I want to give them my hard earned money, when they made my new friends unhappy? It may not be a rational thought, but it is human nature.

    Will some people take advantage of your kindness? Of course, a rule of thumb I used in my restaurant was:

    First time shame on me,

    Second time shame on me, but I’m watching you,

    Third time… Shame on you and I will make the decision on how I will deal with you as a customer.

    Keep track of who calls to complain, names, phone numbers for follow up, addresses for your postcards. Using a binder and tracking your complaints, you will be able to detect and deter those that would take advantage of your new complaint procedures.

    Adding B.L.A.S.T to your expanding toolbox of customer service tools will help you in dealing with customer complaints and turn them around so they can tell their friends what great service you have!

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    Source by Albert Barneto

    Views: 0

  • Premium Email Marketing Tools For Business

    Premium Email Marketing Tools For Business

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    Email marketing is one of the ways to boost your business. Social media has become a platform for promoting trade, and email marketing help in that. Email marketing can be used to improve your services and app. "Email marketing is using the specific tools to send your advertising emails to a group of people." Its one of the easiest ways to make money. Marketers can send a targeted message to the intended group. Data regarding customer needs, products are, and then emails are sent to the specific customers. By email, the business can promote their services, offers and what new they have to offer. Transactional email, Direct email, Mobile email are the ways by which email marketing is done.

    This is the cost-effective way, and it is cheaper as compared to others. Target customers are easy to reach within no time and as they are aware of the new things what business has to offer for them. Subscribers get the latest news and offer from the advertiser.

    INSIGHTS ON THE TOOLS

    There are various tools which help in marketing and making business an edge in the market.

    Let's take a view at some of them

    CAMPAIGN MONITOR is a template builder tool, and it assures that email can be read easily on mobile, so that customer or client miss no email. Like Google, Yahoo or any other email platform its uses the same interface so that the things don't get complex. You can upload HTML template and can format and edit when in need. Autoresponder can set only, and data segmentation ensures, that the email gets deliver only to the intended clients. Basic and Unlimited are the two packages which this tool offer.

    VERTICAL RESPONSE helps to connect email campaigns to social sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook. It helps to communicate with a large number of audience. With the help of email building wizard, you can build your advertising drive and by freeform HTML customize it to make your list for company. You can use only text no images, and other statistics are required. Up to 4,000 emails can be sent per month.

    BENCHMARK key feature is that it offers multiple templates for greetings, promotions and many other events. You can use HTML AND CSS to give it a personalized look. With the built-in spam filter, you can check for objectionable material in your templates. They even have a community where you can provide your views and design. Packages are there and start with 600 emails and increases further.

    CAMPAIGNER tool has a lot to offer. It has more than 500 templates which are categorized as industry types and need. Contact management tool is one of the efficient features which it provides, where you can import your contact from the list. Un-subscribed email is automatically removed. In a way, this tool simplifies everything and give more than marketing. You can give a try with the free 30-day trial offer.

    MIL CHIMP allows you to take surveys and send it to people to know the opinion of them. Use of survey techniques in social media makes the most out of your advertising techniques. You have the option to customize your list and know who has received the mail or not and will also come to understand that which campaign has received the maximum clicks. It offers the free subscription for 2000 subscribers.

    GET RESPONSE This tool lets you efficiently maintain your contact list. You can edit your contact list. This tool track and lets you know who have subscribed, unsubscribed and clicked on links. It also gives you a report in pie and chart form and informs you about the mail it got delivered or not. Different packages are offered depending on the need.

    LEAD PAGES helps you to create interactive landing pages for your sites where you have a choice to choose from 50 templates. They are in sync with best email providers. Business can make a mark within no time. Various packages are there for customers. Lead pages can efficiently transform your business quickly.

    MAD MIMI Saves your time; you can clone your previous ad campaigns and make the changes according to your need. Old drives can be used in a way and if delete you can undo it also. The detailing features provide you with the information about the number of emails opened, shared, and how many people clicked on the link. By integrating with Google Analytics, it provides the statistics and clicks targeting.

    CONSTANT CONTACT Offers you several templates and lets you customize your own. It gives you the detailed report regarding the links and emails. Share on social media like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn can boost your business and gives your site the heavy traffic.

    TOUT APP is the best regarding functionality and features. It has a large variety of templates to choose from. Integration with CRM gives you the details of every email, how they are proceeding. It provides the transparency, and produce reports on which emails have been clicked, deleted, attachment seen or not. In short, it gives the detailing of each activity going on. This helps you to track your business and changes can be made accordingly as it keeps you aware of every situation.

    Email marketing is one of the efficient marketing techniques to promote your services. Effective marketing can give you the higher sales for the business. In this competitive era, the company should be at the prominent methods to attract the audience and make a profit. Sending manual emails to a group of people is a complex task, and it is time-consuming. To save your time and get the desired result email marketing can help you to reach the heights. For any business to succeed the market should be analyzed considering the loss also. It's not necessary that by adopting email marketing, you will always get the positive result.

    By proper study and the knowledge of audience can make your business flourish in the market. So opt for this services and let your business boom in the market.

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    Source by Anjali Shukla

    Views: 0

  • Top 6 Ways to Get An Angry Customer To Back Down

    Top 6 Ways to Get An Angry Customer To Back Down

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    1. Apologize. An apology makes the angry customer feel heard and understood. It diffuses and anger and allows you to begin to re-establish trust. Not only that, but pilot studies have found that the mere act of apologizing has reduced lawsuits, settlement, and defense costs. You need to apologize to customers regardless of fault. Certainly, the apology needs to be carefully worded. Here’s an example of a sincere, yet careful apology:

    “Please accept my sincere and unreserved apology for any inconvenience this may have caused you.”

    2. Kill Them Softly With Diplomacy. This simple phrase has never failed me: “Clearly, we’ve upset you and I want you to know that getting to the bottom of this is just as important to me as it is to you.” When you say this, anger begins to dissipate. You’ve addressed the anger directly and non defensively and you haven’t been pulled into the drama of the attack.

    3. Go into Computer Mode. To use Computer Mode you take on the formalities of a computer. You speak generally, without emotion, and you don’t take the bait your angry or difficult customer is throwing you. Your words, tone, and attitude are completely impersonal and neutral – (Think of the automated response system you speak to when you call your wireless phone company or bank.)

    This “computer mode” response deflects, diffuses, and disarms angry customers because you don’t add fuel to the fire by giving your difficult customer what they want -an emotional reaction. When you don’t take the bait, the difficult customer is forced to stop dead in their tracks. And that means you regain control (and confidence).

    The Computer Mode Approach In Action

    Let’s say your customer says:

    “You don’t give a d*** about customers. Once you get a customer locked into a contract, the service aspect is over.”

    While it may be tempting to fuel the fire with an equally hostile response such as “What’s your problem, creep?”

    Don’t take the bait. If you do take the bait, the situation will only escalate and nothing productive or positive will result. A computer mode response might look like this:

    “I’m sure there are some people who think we don’t care about servicing customers.”

    “People get irritated when they don’t immediately get the help they need.”

    “It’s very annoying to experience a delay in service response.”

    “Nothing is more distressing than feeling like you’re being passed around when all you want is help.”

    And then you stop -like a locked up computer.

    No matter how uncomfortable the verbal abuse is or how ridiculous it becomes, continue to respond without emotion. This tactic works because it is neutral, doesn’t take the bait, and because it is unexpected. The difficult customer wants to throw you off, make you lose control, and to get you to respond emotionally. When you fail to do each of these things, you actually regain control.

    Go into “computer mode” the next time you’re faced with verbal abuse from an irate or unreasonable customer, and I promise you, you’ll quickly regain control —and you’ll have fun with the process.

    4. Give this question a shot: “Have I done something personally to upset you?… I’d like to be a part of the solution.” Of course, you know you haven’t done anything to upset the customer. You ask this question to force the angry customer to think about his behavior. Often, the mere asking of this question is enough to get the ballistic customer to begin to shift from the right brain to the left brain, where he can begin to listen and rationalize.

    5. Show empathy – Empathy can be a powerful tool used to disarm an angry customer and show that you genuinely care about the inconvenience the customer has experienced. Expressing empathy is also good for YOU, as it helps you truly begin to see the problem from the customer’s perspective/and this perspective will help keep you from losing your cool when your customer gets hot. By letting customers know that you understand why they are upset, you build a bridge of rapport between you and them.

    Here are some phrases that express empathy:

    o “That must have been very frustrating for you.”

    o “I realize the wait you encountered was an inconvenience.”

    o “If I were in your shoes, I’m sure I’d feel just as you do.”

    o “It must have been very frustrating for you have waited five days for your order and for that I am sorry.”

    6. And finally, here’s a tip that works like magic. …. Show appreciation for the difficult person’s feedback. After your difficult customer has ranted and raved, you can regain control of the conversation by interjecting—not interrupting, but interjecting to thank them for taking the time to give you feedback. You can say something like:

    Thanks for being so honest.

    Thanks for taking the time to let us know how you feel.

    We appreciate customers who let us know when things aren’t right.

    Thanks for caring so much.

    The reason this tip works so effectively is because the last thing your irate or unreasonable customer expects is for you to respond with kindness and gratitude. It’s a shock factor and many times you’ll find that your customer is stunned silent and this is exactly what you want. When the customer is stunned into silence, you get in the driver’s seat and steer the conversation in the direction you want it to go.

    When you do these things you’ll find that being on the receiving end of verbal abuse doesn’t have to be threatening or intimidating. You can come across as confident, composed and strong…and most importantly, you’ll regain control of the conversation.

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    Source by Myra Golden

    Views: 0

  • Successful Entrepreneurship – Cracking the Code

    Successful Entrepreneurship – Cracking the Code

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    We've heard stories of penniless immigrants who came to Canada with nothing but a dream, but within a single generation accumulate a lot of wealth. How do they do it?

    This is a mystery to the typical person who graduates with a post-secondary education and goes on to work in the labor force as an employee (ie, most people!). This is because our educational system specifically trains its students to become employees rather than entrepreneurs.

    So when we hear about these rags to riches stories, we ask ourselves – "how did they do it?" As someone who grew up in an entrepreneurial household, here is my take on Cracking the Code to Successful Entrepreneurship:

    1. In most cases, one will never become truly financially independent working as an employee. Whether you are an entry-level bookkeeper or the CEO of a large organization, you can be unexpectedly fired at a whim by whoever you report to. You are therefore susceptible to financial catastrophe.

    2. Therefore, the only way to achieve financial independence is to build and maintain a successful business.

    3. There is a "magic formula" that will allow to evaluate a businesses' odds of success:

    [( Sale price of product – Variable cost of product) x Units sold] – Fixed Overhead Costs = Profit

    This formula will be very familiar to accountants – it's called the Contribution Margin Ratio.

    Let's demonstrate this formula using a Bubble Tea business. Wonder why there are so many Bubble Tea shops in Toronto? Because they make a heck of a lot of money with little risk:

    Price per bubble tea drink – $ 4.00

    Cost to make per drink (water, powder, sugar) – $ 0.50

    Drink sales per month assuming 100 sold per day – 3,000

    Monthly rent for shop – $ 3,000

    · Assume no labor costs – in the early years, the owners will work the shop themselves

    · [($ 4.00 – $ 0.50) x 3,000] = $ 10,500 in sales

    · Profit after paying rent: $ 10,500 – $ 3,000 = $ 7,500

    Once you apply this formula to the multinational soft drink companies to analyze their beverage businesses, you can begin to understand why soft-drinks companies have grown from humble beginnings to global companies they are today.

    You can also use this formula to evaluate almost any small business you might be thinking of getting into: restaurant, nail salon, hair salon. You should quickly realize that it's best to choose businesses with a high profit margin (ie, high selling price for produce / service and low cost of supplying the product / service) and high customer traffic (ie, units sold, people serviced).

    Seeing the Future – Cash Flow Projection

    You want to know if you'll be making a profit before going any further. If you skip this step, your chances of failing increase significantly.

    Investigate your costs to start up and run your business. The most common are:

    · Rent – how much will it cost to rent at the location where you want to set up?

    · Wages and payroll tax – will you need employees or can your run the business yourself? How much do you need to pay yourself to meet your personal living costs?

    · Advertising costs – what types of advertising will you use – TV, radio, internet – and what is their cost versus their potential return on investment?

    · Cost of inventory or raw materials – will these be imported? If yes, you'll need to factor in the impact of exchange rates on your profitability.

    · Purchase of equipment – general office equipment like a phone system, computers and IT network, and furniture, as well as specialized equipment for your specific line of business like restaurant equipment (if you're opening up a restaurant).

    · Business liability insurance – to protect yourself from liability if someone is inadvertently harmed by your product or service, or if someone is injured on your premises.

    · Pricing – how much will you be able to sell your product or service so that's it's competitive with others in your line of business

    Once you've figured out your monthly costs (ie, your overhead) and pricing, you're now in the position to determine how many unit sales you need to make to breakeven – remember the Contribution Margin Ratio that we looked at. Use a spreadsheet to build a cash-flow projection model.

    Protecting Yourself – Creditor Proofing

    If things don't work out for your business you could be financially ruined. Therefore, consider the following techniques to protect your personal assets from your business creditors.

    1. Incorporate the business. This will provide you with a level of creditor protection – most of a corporation's obligations are limited to its assets so this structure can provide protection for personal assets. This structure also has income tax benefits, which will not be discussed here.

    2. Always pay statutory debt on time, specifically:

    · Payroll source deductions;

    · Federal and provincial sales tax collected; and

    · Employee wages and vacation payable.

    Corporate directors can be personally responsible for these debts, notwithstanding that the business is incorporated. In many incorporated small businesses, the shareholder (ie, the business owner) and director are the same person.

    3. If you can, avoid giving personal guarantees of your corporation's business obligations (eg, landlord, suppliers) unless it is absolutely necessary.

    You will need a financial expert on your team to deal with the issues raised in this article. Therefore, I would strongly advise that you contact a CPA who can help you further.

    For all you aspiring entrepreneurs out there, I hope that I've helped take out some of the "mystery" behind successful entrepreneurship. Use this tool wisely and never stop dreaming!

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    Source by Victor Fong

    Views: 0

  • How Transparent Do You Need To Be When Promoting Affiliate Products?

    How Transparent Do You Need To Be When Promoting Affiliate Products?

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    If you promote affiliate products, this means that you promote someone else’s products and they give you a commission for each sale. There are many rules and regulations you must follow in order to practice affiliate marketing properly. The truth is, the more transparent you are, the better.

    One thing to remember is that being transparent in business is beneficial to everyone. Letting people know that your link to that helpful product is an affiliate product promotes trust. Giving the link without telling may not seem like a problem, but some people do get upset about that and feel as if they were lied to.By law you are required to:

    Provide Contact Information

    You cannot hide behind your computer and not be who you really are in today’s online world, and you shouldn’t want to. You’re there to serve your audience and customers and they need to get in contact with you. Provide easy to find contact information in as many ways as you can afford.

    Provide On-Page Disclosure

    Every visitor that comes to your page should have the opportunity to read that you earn money via affiliate links and product promotion. That means that on any page you sell a product, you should include the disclosure. You can find a plugin to help with this, or use shortcode if you use WordPress.

    A Policy Page

    Create a whole page devoted to explaining all your policies so that any website visitors can look at that page to find out the nature of your business. You should address all partnerships, how things are fulfilled, communication, and so forth. For example, your customers should know that if they buy something from a link, they should seek customer service for that product with the place they purchased from – but that you still want to know if they have more problems.

    Other Useful Data

    The fact is, any data you can provide makes you more transparent. It also makes your audience’s experience feel safer and makes them more comfortable. For example, include testimonials, recommendations, short reports and so forth about the products you are recommending. Anything you think will help build trust and make you more transparent to your audience you should do.

    But, even if it was not a matter of law, transparency really builds that know, like, and trust factor that everyone wants so badly. When you tell people that you are making money promoting something, it does not take away from the fact that you’re selling something that solves their problem.

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    Source by Jon Allo

    Views: 0