9 Customer Service Skills that Enhance Your Return Rate

Businesses can differentiate themselves from their competitors through having strong customer service. When products and services are similar then it is the treatment of customers that will make a big difference. Customer service is a statement about how much companies care about the satisfaction of their patrons and can leave a long-term impact on their impressions.

1.) Greet customers quickly 

2.) Stay positive and friendly

3.) Treat each customer as an individual

4.) Learn to say "no" without saying "no"

5.) When your business makes a mistake recover quickly

6.) Check back with customer often

7.) Remember names 

8.) Customize service when possible

9.) Follow up on ideas

How Emotions Influence Your Income and Expenses

Keeping your expenses low and your income high has much to do with our way of thinking and our personal habits that is fueled by deeper feelings of inadequacy. If you are having a hard time controlling your spending you should delve deep into your needs and explore why these things are occurring. Don't allow your income and expenses get out o whack because you failed to understand yourself.

There are a few triggers such as inadequacy, fear, and the positive feelings that push people to buy more than they should. These emotions have deep seated needs that may drive you to make impulse purchases even when you know they are not helpful.

Most of our actions and activities are subconscious and form the backbone of our personality and decisions. The very way in which we view the world is based on our subconscious processes and how we interpret information.

If your subconscious is saying you need approval from others or that you are afraid of inadequacy you might buy products you don't need. Typically, people start to look for brand products that help them fell like they have greater purchasing power and therefore more skill or worth than others.

If you have tried to control your expenses by budgeting, looking for sales, and forcing yourself to go without but still seem to fall back into the same spendthrift habits then you will need to go deep into your personal issues. Improving income and controlling expenses requires you to face your emotional demons and what drives you to make poor spending choices.

Personal Standards of Professionalism

Standards of professionalism is a personal choice based on experience and understanding of its benefits. Professionalism gives the perception that you can be trusted and will be consistent in your offerings. To the future customer your value rises as there is a belief that you will follow through on implied and stated contracts.

To be a professional means that you provide high quality service every time and know when you have reached your limits. If you cannot provide this quality service then you state that specifically to give the customer options and raise your trust level. Providing options and referrals is a solid practice.

Professionals are also fair to all of their clients. They are not trying to penny pinch or manipulate others to make more money. They offer a solid service for a reasonable price. They seek to create a positive impression and solid brand image.

Professionals are also capable of keeping up with the skills needed to service their clients. They typically have the certifications and license to support their qualifications.

Professionalism is a personal choice where one decides the type of business they want and how to achieve it. They work to create long-term positive results and are consistent in their approach. .

Being professional has advantages for you and your business. As the reputation and quality of your service rises you will also find that you can draw more customers through word-of-mouth marketing, create higher percentages of return customers, as well as increase overall value of your business. Maintain your focus on your long-term goals and think about how each action and choice leads or detracts from that goal.

Marketing Your Small Business

Marketing a small business can be tricky when you don't have a marketing department or a person to guide you through the process. Small business and large businesses share some similarities but ultimately revolve around scale and market. Large businesses must reach a larger audience in order to keep their operations going while small businesses must reach the "right" audience.

Small business will use different tools such as their local newspaper, door-to-door, passing out cards, social media (i.e. Facebook), and window advertising.

Much of the success of a small business, depending on the nature of that business, will rely on social connections.

Being involved in your local community and attending the business events will help in familiarizing people with your product/services.

The key point about advertising is that it is exposure of your core value. Wherever that is possible and whenever that can happen is important. For small businesses without much of a budget much of it will rely on their capacity to make an impact without much cost.

The success of a small business doesn't only rest on an initial sale but making sure that the sales continue over and over. In a small community this is more possible but it requires positive customer and personalized experience that larger businesses will have a hard time recreating.

Revitalizing Small Towns Through Niche Strategies

Small towns across America are dying as companies pack up and leave for foreign locations taking viable jobs with them. Common complaints from local residents are that young people move away, there is no money to be made here, and amenities are lacking. Rethinking our economic strategies may help in creating a more vibrant economic restructuring of rural areas.

Without a doubt many of these towns are beautiful and offer charm for people who want to get out of the crowded cities. The problem is they don't offer solid employment and are many times too far to commute for busy professionals.

The Internet may offer some advantages in the future to create virtual jobs and help employ people in areas that offer a slower and more family oriented environment. However, this may be a few decades off and many of these towns will continue to decline.

Current approaches should focus on recreating small town cottage industries in niche markets that lead to greater overall growth. While it would be difficult for many of these towns to compete with large manufacturing centers they can create greater focus on a few products that have high market appeal.

For example, a town could focus on creating bicycles that are unique to the location and sold to a wider market. That could be something that isn't well served n the market like bikes for disabled people or bikes for long-distant travel.

Before a town can find their niche industry they will need help in understanding the world market and the many different demographics in that market. When a under-served need is found, even if it is a small market, small towns can focus on building the capacity to fulfill that need.

While niche markets can be subject to market swings which can lead to greater or lesser growth they do offer opportunities to create skill sets that can be used in other industries. Revitalizing small towns takes effort and fore-site. Policy makers should consider the merits of helping local entrepreneurs find products and services that are likely to succeed and employ local workers. Teaching them how to make it happen can go along way.