Why not send each of your clients an email and ask them to keep it handy for easy contact information. (If your clients don’t use email, give them the same information in a hard copy.)

In that email give them instructions on how to reach you by phone, cell phone, text messaging, and email. Give them a link to their listing on your site, too.

Then tell them your policy and your business hours.

Let them know that you turn your phone off during the dinner hour or after a certain time of night. And don’t give excuses or reasons – just state your business hours. (Do you know of any other business that has to make excuses why they close the doors and go home at night?)

Tell them that you don’t answer calls while you’re with a client or on another call, but will return their call within X amount of time. (Of course, then you do have to do it.)

If you set your own appointments and have left them a message, ask listing clients to leave a message verifying appointment times – so you don’t have to call back.

Then, if there is such a person, give them an alternate person to call if they need immediate help.

It seems to me that many communication difficulties could be avoided if your clients knew exactly what to expect – and what NOT to expect.

Now that blogger may or may not care if people respond and post comments. But I see the same thing happening when I try to purchase something on line. And…you guessed it… by the time I get to the 3rd or 4th screen I’ve decided I really didn’t need whatever it was.

Are YOU setting up that kind of roadblocks?

It was for a specialty food item that had to be shipped on dry ice, so they only ship on Mondays. That was fine, because the man assured me that it would arrive on Thursday.

The fact that he told me the order would be here on Thursday was the deciding factor in spending way more than I personally think this item was worth. It was a special birthday treat for a dear friend who will turn 83 tomorrow. (Thursday)

Today I realized I hadn’t gotten a shipment notification, so I called the company. The man who answered said “Oh, you were next on my list to call.”

It seems they had a problem…

An employee left the box of dry ice open and it all evaporated, so they were out and unable to ship the product on Monday as scheduled.

This is Wednesday – it was late afternoon when I called. Certainly they knew on Monday that they weren’t sending the shipment. Why didn’t they let me know immediately?

Had they called me on Monday I would have had time to find the item elsewhere or to dream up some other special treat. I would have been disappointed, but I wouldn’t have been angry.

I wouldn’t have made the decision that I will never order from them again.

But they didn’t. My bet is that if I hadn’t called, I would not yet know that the shipment isn’t going to arrive. On Friday, when the angry calls started to come in, I’ll bet they’d have all gone to voice mail.

Whatever their reason, they didn’t want to tell me the bad news. And that cost them my business – now and in the future.

After discussing the situation with my husband tonight, tomorrow I’m going to call and cancel the order entirely. Obviously, we have to go shopping and come up with a “Plan B” sometime before the party tomorrow evening.

I expect I wasn’t the only one – the man said there were a dozen or so orders that didn’t go out. (As if it was going to make me feel better to know I wasn’t alone in my frustration.)

There is a customer service lesson in this: If there’s a problem, call your customer immediately.

They might be upset, they might be disappointed, but they won’t be angry with you for stringing them along, letting them believe all was well when it wasn’t well at all.

Do you remember when a 3# can of coffee was filled to the brim – so when the can opener cut into the top the delicious aroma of coffee grounds wafted up to give your nose a treat?

Did you notice when that 3 pound can was no longer full to the brim – and instead of holding 48 ounces of coffee, it held 46 ounces? Did you notice again when it went to 44 ounces, or 42 ounces?

Then did you notice when the can got a bit shorter?

Have you noticed that the “big can” of coffee now holds only 26 ounces? And that yes, it costs a bit more than the 3 pound can used to cost.

Of course coffee isn’t the only product that is being offered in smaller and smaller containers while the price rises. Mayonnaise is another one. The jar looks the same, but that big bump in the bottom means a couple less ounces inside. What still appears to be a quart is now only 30 ounces.

I could understand and even accept seeing the prices go up. We all know that it costs more to produce goods and get them to market when fuel prices keep rising. But why try to hide the fact by offering a little less and a little less while trying to pretend that nothing has changed?

Why not come right out and say “We need to charge more now” – and then do it? At least consumers wouldn’t feel like the manufacturers think we’re fools who can’t tell the difference between 48 ounces of  coffee and 26 ounces. At least we wouldn’t feel like they were deliberately trying to deceive us.

What does this have to do with your business?

As independent marketers, we need to do just the opposite of what these major corporations are doing – which is giving us less for our money than we’ve come to expect.

If we want our independent businesses to thrive, we need to give a little more service than customers expect.

This week I visited a store where every employee was on their toes, watching the customers and offering assistance any time someone appeared to be searching for something. They were busy doing other things, but with one eye on service at all times.

What a refreshing contrast to the “big box”  stores where getting help almost means tackling an employee as they hurry past with their head down – avoiding a chance at eye contact.

What you can do to give a little extra depends upon the products or services you sell. But my bet is that if you think about it, you can find a way to give an extra bit of service that will come as a welcome surprise to your customers.

If people are going to talk about you and your business – and they will – wouldn’t you rather they told friends and family how you surprised them with more, instead of with less?

I do this often, because he placed my kitchen can lights where they shine on the back of my head rather than my counter tops. But when I really steam is when I have to change a light bulb.

The can lights weren’t cheap – they were supposed to be “top of the line,” in fact. But getting them loose to change a light bulb is a major production, and it makes a big mess.

And every time I have to do it, I’m reminded of the corners he cut to save what probably didn’t amount to $50 on a several thousand dollar electrical job. You see, these can lights have an inside sleeve, and that sleeve is held in place by 4 metal clips. Or, it is supposed to be held by 4 metal clips.

Our electrician saved time and money by installing only 2 clips per light. And that means the two clips aren’t supported as they should be, and they fall out. Today, as I used electrical tape to hold my fixture together because the clips are long gone, I thought about the few dollars he saved and what it cost him.

If anyone asks me about electricians – which they do, because my husband is a retired home builder – I tell them to steer clear of the one we used. How many $8,000 jobs has he lost because he saved perhaps an hour of labor by not installing all 4 clips on those can lights?

And how many other jobs has he lost because he no doubt has cut the same corners in other people’s homes? We talk about people who serve us well, but by the laws of human nature, we talk even more about the ones who have “done us wrong.”

I have the same feeling about the man who built my kitchen cabinets. They looked fine, but after we lived here a few short months, some of the cabinet doors were loose. Upon inspection, I found that where a hinge called for 2 screws, he had used but one. I had to go to the hardware store, buy the screws, and install them myself.

How many dollars did he save by leaving 2 screws out of each cabinet door in my kitchen? And how much did that kind of corner-cutting cost him in terms of good will and future business? You know what I say when people ask me about cabinet builders.

And of course these two men aren’t the only ones. We see examples all the time of places where someone cut corners in spots they thought the customer wouldn’t notice – or at least wouldn’t notice until they’d been paid.

Business people should be looking for ways to give just a bit extra – to leave a lasting impression of good will with every customer.

Finding ways to give not quite what was promised leaves its own lasting impression – and it is one that can eventually destroy a business.

If this has happened to you – chime in and tell your story. Or, if you’ve found great ways to give just a little extra to your customers, tell us about it!

This establishment is located in a high-traffic spot and it has large windows. Anyone driving by can see when there are customers seated at the tables. I glance over there every time I go by, and the only time I see anyone dining is when I make a grocery run on Saturday. So I’d have to conclude that they aren’t doing all that well.

So what happened?

Was it the economy combined with their high prices? Was it the poor service and the small portions? Was it the proprietor’s arrogant attitude toward customers?

Or was it because he did no marketing?

I stopped in to see him the first week they were open, to offer my services in helping him create a marketing plan. He told me that they wouldn’t need marketing. Word of mouth would be all the advertising he’d need.

Well… he’s gotten plenty of that, but I don’t think he’d like it if he heard it.

I’m not going to pretend that marketing would have saved this business. In a small town there are only so many new customers to be had, and when the word gets out to “Stay away from that place,” it’s pretty hard to overcome.

So if those who go don’t go back and those who haven’t gone hear why others won’t go back …

But darn… had he done some marketing, and had he provided friendly service and reasonable portions of good food… we might have a nice place to go out to dinner.

Darn it anyway.

A few days ago my oven started acting strange. I have a gas range and sometimes it would come on and sometimes not. I’d have to turn it on and off a few times to get it going.

Finally, last night it refused altogether, so today we took it apart so my husband could see what was wrong.

After laying on the floor with a flashlight and a screwdriver for a while, and testing everything my husband could think of, we determined that the igniter was burned out.

So… armed with the make and model, I headed for the phone to look for the part.

Since it’s a GE Range, I decided to go straight to the GE Parts Distributor. That seemed like the logical thing to do.

Well… A machine answered. Did I want to check on an existing order, did I want to order new products, did I want to hear all about their new products, and finally did I want to order parts. Yes, press 4.

That brought me back to the same menu again.

Already my brain is starting to think “grrr…”

But I pressed 4 again – and got a new recording. This one wanted to tell me all about some wonderful new frequent buyer program that would …

I don’t know “would what,” because I hung up.

Next I called a generic parts supply house. And I got a live person. And she transferred me straight to the right department. And he knew exactly what I was talking about.

Even better, when he came back on line he offered me 2 choices. I could have a “genuine” GE part, or choose a generic igniter for half the cost. Then he told me that repair people always use the generic – it’s the same part and just as reliable.

Then he promised it would go out UPS today.

So… in spite of my irritation, I’m sure glad that the GE place made it difficult for me to buy from them. They saved me about $50 by not offering good service.

And I made a note in the phone book that will cause me to call the same store the next time I need any kind of appliance parts.

I’m sure you’ve had this same kind of experience in the past, but do you stop and look at your own business occasionally to see if you’re making it easy for your customers?

It’s good to check now and then – especially if you have employees answering your phones.

I just read an email about making your own facial scrub, and it sounded interesting so I went to the website and found the recipe… so far so good.

In that recipe was an ingredient that I probably won’t be able to find locally, so I was glad to see a link to go purchase it on line.  And that’s as far as I got.

I followed the link, but it led only to the home page of the website. So… I looked around and tried to decide which category of products might offer this particular ingredient.

No luck there, but hey! There’s a search box!

No luck there either. I spent about 10 minutes searching that site and left without finding the product.

Could I have found it if I’d been more persistent? Perhaps, but as a customer I shouldn’t have to be persistent.

Determined and persistent are qualities we might demand of ourselves in our pursuit to succeed, but they aren’t qualities we should require of customers in order to buy from us!

So, even though it is easier to just add a link to your website’s home page, don’t take the easy route.

After you’ve gone to the trouble to “sell” your product, make it easy to buy. Take that extra minute or two to give visitors the link to the page where they can purchase.

The Internet is not like a physical store

Bricks and mortar stores can sometimes get away with making their customers search. In fact, they count on visitors seeing other items and buying more as they wander through the store in search of a sale item.

But it won’t work on line.

In fact, I was exhibiting unusual behavior when I spent so much time searching… most visitors will be gone within seconds if they can’t easily locate what they’re after.

Why then, don’t all sales people follow up with clients? Why don’t they put it in their schedules and make sure it gets done regularly?

Real estate agents who have good training always keep their past client’s contact information and follow-up with them in order to get referrals and future business.

Why don’t all sales people do the same?

In the past ten years I think I’ve heard of only one. My neighbor gets a birthday card each year from a car salesman from whom he purchased a truck a few years ago.

I’ll give that car salesman points for doing that much, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder why they don’t all do it. I also wonder why the dealerships themselves don’t sponsor some kind of event for past clients each year when the new models come in.

Every person on earth likes to feel special, and automatically has a friendly feeling toward anyone who gives them that feeling. Thus, inviting a past client to an exclusive event would be a way to strengthen any relationship that was built while purchasing the last vehicle. Of course it would also be a way to entice that past buyer into becoming a present buyer. Most people do buy several vehicles over a lifetime.

But real estate and car sales people aren’t the only ones who could benefit from follow up.

Think of furniture sales – don’t most people buy more than one couch, or chair, or coffee table during their lives? And don’t they buy additional pieces? The store might put a past client on a list to receive flyers in the mail, but so far I’ve never heard of a sales person writing a note that says “Dear Mrs. Jones, We’ve just gotten in some beautiful end tables in a pattern that would compliment the coffee table you bought last year. If you’re interested, I’ve been given permission to offer you 20% on your choice.”

And what if, instead of a sales pitch, customers who bought significant items were sent a newsletter every couple of months? It could show the new styles, the new colors for the coming season, and maybe include some decorating tips.

Even a person who sells party-plan merchandise could probably add revenue by sending a personal note now and then – along with a flyer showing the newest products.

Right now I can’t think of any sales person that wouldn’t increase his or her business by staying in touch with past customers.

Can you?

The reason this came to mind today was because I was vacuuming. I remembered the vacuum cleaner salesman who came to the house last year and left angry because I didn’t purchase. I had told him ahead of time that I was not in the market for a new vacuum cleaner right then, but he pleaded with me to allow him to show it – saying that he’d be paid for coming out.

While he was slamming the parts back into the box before he left I asked him about his marketing and whether he had a system for following up with people who didn’t buy on the first visit.

He told me no. He said that it was a waste of time.

I guess it was, for him. His attitude was such that I would never buy from him – even now, when I’m seriously thinking about a new vacuum cleaner.

***The ideal length for a web page***
According to web expert Gerry McGovern, the ideal length for a page of web copy on a regular web site (not a landing page) is 300 words. He says 50% of visitors will read a 300-word page to the end, while only 5% will scan 1,000 words.

Headlines should be 4 to 8 words, sentences 15 to 20 words, and paragraphs 40 to 70 words. Hyperlinks should be in the right-hand column, not embedded within the body copy.

Reason: links in the body copy distract readers, making it difficult for them to read the paragraph.

Source: IntelBuilder

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From Marte:  Part of this advice is in contrast to some I’ve read about search engine optimization.That information said links in the body copy leading to other pages on your site lead to better optimization. So perhaps this is another battle between pleasing the reader, or pleasing the search engines.

My advice: Pay attention to what you do when reading, and decide. Do links distract you, or not?

Of course you’ve seen me harp about breaking up the copy – I just got another message this morning that I couldn’t (wouldn’t) stumble through… must have been 100 lines of copy with no breaks.

And there’s just no excuse for it. Adding a line between paragraphs only takes a flick of the finger on the enter button!

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***3 ways to build credibility***
Here are 3 things you can give – or give up – to others to build credibility with them:

1-Material wealth.
For instance, giving a customer a full refund – even when you don’t legally have to.

2-Time and energy.
Giving clients guidance, assistance, or advice when you are not “on the clock” or charging them for it.

3-Opportunity.
Example: the consultant who turns down a lucrative offer from a big potential client because it represents a conflict of interest with a smaller, less lucrative existing client.

Source: Wanek, Tom, “Currencies That Buy Credibility” (WA Press, 2009).

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From Marte: I sure agree with the first two, but I’m not sure about the third, because who would know? The client you turned down, who is cross at you for it?

I’ve turned down projects that went against my moral standards, but I didn’t send out a notice about it when I did.

At any rate, these two items are brought to you courtesy of Bob Bly Direct Response Letter. To sign up for Bob’s letter, visit www.bly.com.