Tag Archives: customers

Are Your Customers and Clients Controlling You?

The other day I wrote about how we cannot control what our customers and clients do—no matter how much we might want to or how much energy we put into sales and customer service. There is a flip side of this coin, however, in that we might be letting our customers and clients control us! Do your customers and/or clients have more influence over your life and your home business than you would like? There is no denying that customer service is incredibly important in any sort of business. Even if you have a small consulting business with only a … Continue reading →

Dealing with a Skeptical Client or Customer

There is always going to be one or two people who are just plain skeptical. It does not matter how open and friendly you try to be, they are going to be curious and concerned—wondering what your motivations are, whether or not the products actually work, wanting to know if you are going to follow through on promises and assuming that you will not. Some of us find skeptical individuals to be tough to work with… Chances are, the skeptical client or customer has been burnt before by unsavory business practices or he or she is someone who is either … Continue reading →

Finding People Who are Easy to Work With

We tend to talk about those customers and clients who are challenging and difficult to work with in our businesses here in the Home Business blog, but I thought it might be a little more fun, and a nice change of pace, to talk about how to find and keep those customers, clients, colleagues, and vendors who are EASY to work with. They are out there, and I think every business deserves a few people who are pleasant joys to work with–instead of only those who make things difficult! What is “easy” to work with for you? Is it people … Continue reading →

Expanding Your Market? Is it a Good “Fit”?

Recently I was working with a client who wanted to expand their existing market and reach out to what they saw as “compatible” markets. Other fields and areas of interest that they thought would be in the same “general interest area” as their existing market base. One of the things we needed to examine and consider was whether or not those new individuals were really a good and compatible fit with the existing ones? It may seem like a no-brainer—you might be thinking if our customers all like X, and there are other people over there who like Y and … Continue reading →

Do You Want People to Think You Are Professional or Approachable?

As owners of small, home-based businesses we have plenty of choices to make about just exactly what sort of business operation we want to have, and we can influence and shape our business reputation as well. One of the choices we can make is whether or not we want to put forward a professional face, or we want to be more homey and approachable (or we can even try to do a little bit of both)… There are definitely benefits to both approaches—some customers and clients are really looking for a polished, professional business, while others may want something a … Continue reading →

It Costs Less to Keep Existing Customers

I often write about networking and expanding one’s business market, but I also think it is important to stress that it actually costs LESS in terms of business expenses to keep existing customers than it does to find, cultivate and create new ones. This is the reason we need to make sure that we work on retention as well as networking for new prospects. A huge chunk of my work background is in nonprofit management and fund development. I learned over my many years of helping nonprofit organizations raise and find money that it is much more difficult to create … Continue reading →

“You’ve Got to Try This Product!”

Have you ever been at a party or chatting with some friends and the topic of some new product or business comes up and it seems everyone has tried it but you? Can you remember that feeling of being just a bit left out and wondering what all the fuss was about? Chances are, you probably went out and tried it for yourself (or ate at that new restaurant or saw that movie)–this is one of the most successful marketing techniques ever: word of mouth and peer pressure. Often, that whole snowball “you’ve just got to see this movie!” happens … Continue reading →

Coping with Moody Customers

While we would like to think that business transactions can be accomplished calmly between consulting adults–we also know that isn’t always the case. People, being people, bring their emotions and general moodiness to the table whether they are customers, clients, colleagues, or vendors. As a small business owner, you may find yourself challenged by needing to be able to cope with some unpleasant and moody customers… Rule number one for coping with moody customers–don’t take it on. Do not let yourself get sucked into the drama of someone else’s moods. This doesn’t mean that you cannot be compassionate and sympathetic. … Continue reading →

Do You Need a New Product or Service…Or Just New Customers?

It can be tempting when things start to slow down in your business to think that your customers or market is losing interest in your product or service. In our attempt to keep our business efforts growing, we might be tempted to abandon our product or try to keep adding products and services to what we offer. However, it might not be new products that we need, but simply to expand our marketing of prospects and reach new customers. If you have taken the time to create a mission for your business and already have a marketing plan, you may … Continue reading →

Just Because Customers Aren’t Making a Fuss, Doesn’t Mean They Don’t Need Your Attention

They say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease and that can definitely be the case when it comes to your customers. When you stop to think about it, you might find that you are spending the bulk of your attention on those customers who complaint and are “high maintenance” and some of your better customers may be going unnoticed and uncultivated. Those quiet, easy-going customers still need some attention too! It can be so easy to take our best customers and clients for granted. We get used to their easy-going ways, how they always place their orders or pay … Continue reading →