Get help, advice and information on all your Business issues. http://advice-and.info/Business/customers.htm Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:35:27 GMT en It's official: we decide as a result of emotion, not reason. Grip your customers by the emotions, as it were, and you're 50 there. How do I know this? From watching "Horizon" on the BBC. In their programme "How To Make Better Decisions" the Horizon team made a number of experiments with the purpose of finding out why we do the things we do. The two experiments that made me sit up and start to make notes were to do with brain electricity and post-decision rationalisation. This is what they did for the first one: Volunteers were hooked up to machines measuring their brain activity, then asked to make simple yes or no decisions. Without exception, every volunteer brain showed increased amygdala (sounds like a Star Wars character) response at the moment decisions were made. The amygdala is thought to be the part of the brain that governs emotions. In a much smaller number of cases, some volunteers also displayed frontal lobe activity at the moment of decision. Frontal lobes are thought t o be responsible for human reason and logic - the bits that make humans smarter than apes, you could say. In other words, we make decisions based on what we feel, not what we think. Isn't that a useful fact to know? Here's how they measured post-decision rationalisation: Volunteers were shown sets of cards showing two similar-looking faces at a time and asked to say which face they found more attractive. After they chose, they were passed, face-down, the card they thought they'd chosen. In fact, the card they received was the one they'd just rejected. They'd been tricked. The testers had switched cards on them. They then flipped the card over to look at the face and were asked to describe exactly why they'd chosen that face. Remember, this was the face they hadn't chosen. In every single case, the volunteers not only failed to notice the switch, they all managed to come up with rationalisations as to why they'd chosen that face - the face they hadn't originally chosen! "I thought he http://advice-and.info/Business/91047_Influence_Your_Customers_Get_Emotional.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:53:13 GMT Research by Moneysupermarket shows that pre-payment energy customers could be losing out on as much as 769m worth of savings. This is because the average pre-payment tariff is 150 more expensive for gas and electricity than the best value rate. A spokesperson for Moneysupermarket said: Pre-payment customers should not be punished for using this type of meter. It is painfully ironic that they pay a hefty price and are charged 17 more on average than those who pay by monthly Direct Debit. In the Budget this year the Government put forward proposals to treat pre-payment customers fairly. It is high time these promises are put into action. Energy providers should look to reduce prices for pre-payment customers, remove back charges completely and pledge to shield them from further anticipated price hikes this year. Following the price hikes this year, an estimated half a million more households have plunged into fuel poverty and without action from energy providers and the Government, it is likely that more could slip into this situation. For vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay for their energy bills I advise them to speak to their supplier who may be able to offer special social tariffs or give information on swapping to a credit meter, or advice on other discounts. http://advice-and.info/Business/89748_Pre-payment_Customers_Losing_Out_On_Energy_Savings.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:34:23 GMT One of the best ways to achieve continued success in your small business is to retain the ability maintain your customer base. One of the best ways to do that is through staying in touch with your customers. Postcard marketing provides a quick and easy way for businesses to drop short notes to their customers just as a way to show appreciation for business. It doesnt take very much time and postcard printing is both easy and inexpensive to accomplish. You can have a message already prepared and address the postcard to your prospective customers or you can simply use print some type of sales agenda and write the note yourself. If you have a program for printing greeting cards you can make use of that by remembering your customers on their birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and other holidays. Taking the time to stay in touch with your customers through postcard marketing or printing greeting cards shows them that you value their business. Although it doesnt seem like much to anyone standing on the sidelines, it is actually a very important step toward keeping that customer especially if the other sales representatives with whom he or she deals do not take that extra step. You can also find online postcards through many of the free greeting card sites that you can use instead of investing in postcard printing. http://advice-and.info/Business/86871_Reach_Out_And_Keep_In_Touch_With_Your_Customers.html Fri, 23 May 2008 02:43:28 GMT "What is it that you expect from a store when you first walk in? What kind of service are you expecting to get and what kind of product do you expect to walk away with? Okay, now what kind of service do you hope to get? You might even ask yourself how often this thought even crosses your mind, because I think most people dont consider it even though it can make a big impact. http://advice-and.info/Business/86582_Are_You_Treating_Your_Customers_Right.html Sun, 18 May 2008 01:07:20 GMT Have you ever lost touch with an old friend? At first, you talk to each other regularly, through email or on the phone. After a while, the phone calls stop, and the emails become less regular. A few months later, and even the emails come to a halt. Eventually, you stop thinking about that old friend. You did not keep in touch, so the friendship suffered. The story is much the same in business. If you do not keep in touch with your customers, you will lose them. Eventually, they will forget about you, and move on to another company. You have to keep in constant contact with your market audience, just like they were friends of yours. In fact, what better friend does your business have than your customers? http://advice-and.info/Business/86140_Keep_In_Touch_With_Your_Customers.html Wed, 07 May 2008 03:29:06 GMT A friend of mine recently went on a job interview. After many years in one industry he decided it was time for a change. He spent somewhere between six to eight months obtaining education in a new field that really excited him. Once his education was complete it was time to start hitting the pavement looking for a job. Days and even weeks went by but finally he found something that was really what he wanted do. Sure he had to start at an entry level position, which he knew going in, but in the long run the new career path would not only pay off financially, but as he said, you cant put a price tag on happiness. http://advice-and.info/Business/85937_Use_The_Follow_Up_Process_To_Earn_More_Customers.html Thu, 01 May 2008 19:08:56 GMT Go Global is an innovative, cutting edge third party logistics 3PL provider specializing in US import export consulting, customs brokerage services, freight forwarding, supply chain design, and custom logistics solutions. As a licensed U.S. Customs broker, Go Global owns the shipment management systems, online marketplace, and clears goods with U.S. Customs electronically through the Automated Broker Interface (ABI). Many services are provided in house while other services are provided through partnerships with transportation, warehousing, and distribution companies, limiting our costs allowing us to pass on low-cost, high quality solutions to our customers. The Go Global MarketplaceOnce of the biggest advantages to our customers is the free, global exposure they get by listing their goods in the Go Global Marketplace. This online system allows our customers to generate new business and manage shipments online. The marketplace allows foreign suppliers and manufacturers to list their goods and services for sale and allows businesses to submit a request for quote or create a bidding war to find the lowest price for their goods. The system will handle international trade deals from start to finish and will provide complete supply chain visibility along the way. http://advice-and.info/Business/85846_The_Go_Global_Marketplace_-_Empowering_Customers_To_Generate_New_Business_And_Manage_Shipments.html Wed, 07 May 2008 13:22:54 GMT "There are many, many different components that go into your companys advertising campaign. You probably run ads in newspapers, perhaps even in consumer magazines. If you have a relatively large advertising budget, you might record radio ads or, if you are really fortunate, television ads. You probably also send out literature to past customers or prospective customers. All of these components work together towards one goal: getting more customers and, thus, increasing sales. However, there is one thing just one overriding secret that permeates all of these things: giving your customers a positive experience when they walk in the door. If a customer feels like he has had a good experience in your store, he will almost certainly come back. If he perceives his experience as negative, he almost certainly will not come back. So, to cultivate customer loyalty, you absolutely must provide a positive experience for your customers. http://advice-and.info/Business/85828_Cultivating_Loyal_Customers_For_Your_Business.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:33:24 GMT "No matter how small your business is, you probably have a few customers that you know you can rely on. They regularly buy your product or use your service. They have given you positive feedback a number of times. You know you have made a connection with them by their actions. Use these customers to your advantage. If it feels like your advertising efforts are not being effective, it may be because you are not targeting the right people. You should be targeting people who are just like those reliable customers that you have. You know they like your product or service, so people like them probably will, too. http://advice-and.info/Business/84917_Getting_To_Know_Your_Customers.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:53:37 GMT When companies are trying to get their online businesses growing, many are learning that turning to affiliates can improve their online presence. Since the introduction of the newspaper in the 19th century, companies have communicated with potential customers with advertising, but in a global economy, it takes global advertising to reach them all. When you are open to this idea and know how to make the most of it you may see your business success increase. Many websites have found they can increase their advertising without increasing their advertising budget by offering other websites a commission on sales that they send to the online store. There is no cost to the company until the ad produces, as opposed to traditional advertising in which the company pays for the ad without any guarantee they will see a return on their investment. As the print and broadcast media continues to consolidate there are fewer companies with which to deal, resulting in higher prices and less competition for advertising dollar. http://advice-and.info/Business/83167_Advertisers_Target_Customers_With_Affiliates.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:03:34 GMT