The appearance of your blog and your business say much about you. First impressions are important. Whether it’s a shop in your home or web site or blog, do they give the impression you want customers to perceive?
The old adage, “You only have one time to make a first impression,” still holds true. Even in these days when much business is done online and customers don’t physically see you when doing business with you, there are still ways that you give an impression.
*Your blog and/or web site don’t have to be flashy, but should give the impression …read more

If you’re in business, you need customers or clients…those are your lifeline to existence.  In several posts, I’ve discussed getting and keeping customers.  The comments I’ve received often expand upon the information and give additional hints.
For instance, in response to my post, Taking Care of Your Home Business Customers, Yvonne Russell of Grow Your Writing Business, related an anecdote about a hairdresser she knows.  The woman told Yvonne that her “trade skyrocketed  just by sending out a personalized note every five weeks that the next haircut was due.”  She found her customers appreciated the reminder.  She had asked if they …read more

In a previous post, Home Business Promotion Involves “Repeats,” I mentioned the importance of developing promotional practices to encourage your customers to return.  Yvonne Russell, of Grow Your Own Business, pointed out in her comment, “There is quite a bit of research on the fact that it costs a lot more in dollars and time to get a new client, as compared with doing ongoing business with existing customers/clients.”
So often business owners seem to think once they have a customer, that person automatically will return…unless you sell one-of-a-kind items that don’t lend themselves to repeats.  However, you will want a pleased customer …read more

“We’re having a smiling contest,” a student explained to me, when I was substitute teaching in a fifth grade. (Teaching is something I do in addition to our home businesses.)
I’d noticed the two girls smiling all morning, a lovely grin on their faces. No matter what anyone said to them or what lessons they had to do, they responded with a smile.
The more I thought about their contest, the more I thought we could apply this to a home business, or any business for that matter, especially when it’s one where we meet our customers fact to face. …read more

“Focusing on the little details is where the key to successful business and brands lies,” mentions Ron Elizondo, in his b5media Brand Curve blog post, “Marketing the small things…”
Ron is talking about any business, but this applies to home businesses, too.  He emphasizes “the need to offer superb service in order to create and maintain customer loyalty.”
So to do this, you need to focus on those aspects of production and service that often seen negligible but mean so much.  Ron uses examples of various businesses and the little things they can do that make an impression on the customer.
Take a …read more

Matt Keegan, of The Article Writer, commented on my previous post about listening to your home business customers and made a very good point.  He mentioned the importance of maintaining “a strong line of communication” with one’s customers through e-mail or phone conversations. 
However, this part of Matt’s comment really makes a point, I think: Working from home is great, but it is easy to slack off on the customer satisfaction part of the equation if you do not remain vigilant.
This made me wonder….are we too inclined, especially if our business is basically an Internet based one, where our customers aren’t in front of …read more