The following are other ideas which can help with subscriptions:

1)  Connect your blog or social network site to your profile. By adding a link to each of your social media profiles to your Twitter profile, and vice versa, you are making sure everyone you know is able to reach you in all the places they have accounts as well.

2)  Ask others to recommend your profile. A blog reader could recommend your social networking page, or other members of your social network could recommend your blog. Word of mouth can go a long way, especially in the world of social networking. Although you may not get every person who hears of you on your Twitter page, you can easily raise the number with a few referrals from friends.

3)  Purchase banner ads which in turn can be linked to your profile. This way, when your website banner ads are clicked on, the link is automatically established to your Twitter page. This will prevent anyone having to search far and wide in order to find you.

4)  Use usernames and avatars which match either your business or other social networking sites. When you sign up for your Twitter account, use the same name you have on other social network sites. If this name isn’t available, try to use something as similar as possible. You can use the same avatar as well. Anyone who is familiar with you from another site will notice when you send out a tweet.

5)  Avoid spamming your Twitter. If you constantly drop in silly and unproductive comments several times a day, people won’t take you seriously for long. Make sure you are adding something of value when you post. While it’s fine to post your own URL, joining into conversations will show people you are approachable.

6)  Asking questions will show people you are not only looking for input, but you don’t consider yourself a guru either. Who knows - this may result in not only receiving an answer to your question, but with reciprocal following as well.

7)  Be careful when posting URLs in Twitter. If the link is too long, it will be shortened with tinyurl. If this happens, it becomes impossible to see the source link to figure out what the page is before clicking through. Before you post any links, it’s recommended you write a short description or the title of the page.

8)  Follow people from within your personal niche. Not only will you be able to understand what they are talking about, but you may be able to bounce some ideas off them when you get stuck. Having similar concerns and experiences means they are more likely to follow you as well.

9)  The difference between bios and backgrounds is easy. Bios on Twitter are short and to the point, unlike an About Me page found on most blogs. People will get to know you from how and what you tweet, not from a novel written in your bio section.

10)  If at first you don’t succeed, try again. The most experienced in the internet world make mistakes sometimes. It’s part of life. If you find you have made a mistake in one of your tweets, fix it. If you find you have chosen the wrong person to follow, stop following them.

Take the time to work out the kinks on your Twitter page, and you will see how quickly everything else will fall into place.

The winner is Regina Baker! Congratulations Regina! You’ll need to contact me within 3 business days to smallbusinessbranding @ gmail.com We have more giveaway’s coming so be sure to keep an eye out for them.

Kelly contacted me recently to do a cool giveaway for CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 Valued at $429.00 USD. It was super easy for me to agree to host a giveaway here at the blog.

So here are some details about CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4.

1) You get 10,0000 high quality clipart images

2) 1000 high resolution digital images

3) 80 professionally designed templates

4) Over 1000 OpenType and international fonts including 75 Windows Glyph List 4 fonts and 10 single line engraving fonts

5) Over 2 hours of training videos

Basically you can create very professional results with this product for your creative projects. I see also that you can tag your files which is pretty cool.

To Enter

1) Post a comment on why you’d love to have this

2) Contest ends and Winner will be announced Monday June 29th, 2009

3) Winner must pay for shipping costs

4) We will email the winner on Monday, prize must be claimed within 3 days or we will choose another winner

Also, for those who don’t win, you can download a free trial here.

Long distance customers take on a different dynamic, but customers within a few hours drive are worth having face time with. Companies like the investment company Edward Jones, does not allow it’s advisors to use email with their customers. They do allow personal, voice and snail mail contact only. This effort is rewarded repeatedly. Here are some other things that I do to make “face time” work for me:

Coffee chat: When a person contacts me to see how we might work together, I typically suggest we meet over coffee. This way I can size them up better and try to understand their motivation. I’ve struck up some terrific business relationships this way.

Networking meet-ups: You can use these events to spruce up your sales skills and put a face to a name. It gives you a chance to help someone on the spot.

In-person presentations: I like to present proposals in person. This shows that I want their business enough to get off my butt and shake some hands. I don’t want our relationship to be entirely virtual. Show you’re a real business.

Ignore email: Purposely visit customers. Showing up to chat WILL get you more business. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken something in personally that I could have just as easily emailed only to get other projects given to me on my way out the door. Seeing you reminds them of other ways that you can help.

“I’m in the area” opportunities: Sometimes, when “I’m in the area” I call to see whether I can pop in to say howdie. These friendly requests always brings a smile and some great conversation.

New service meetings: Recently, I emailed a number of old files and offered to bring them a coffee and discuss what I’m offering these days that might be of help to them. I hand a hand full take me up on it, and this effort resurrected some old business.

The point here is not to rely on convenience to grow your business. It’s not about you - it’s about them.

If you say you’re a doctor, a lawyer, or an accountant, people have a good idea of what you do and what you know, even if they know nothing else about you; however, “consultant” is a much more ambiguous term.

Consultants could be experts in science, marketing, business, or pretty much anything.  All a consultant is is someone you pay for advice.  It’s hard for one person or one company to understand everything, so if they need information on a specific thing they don’t know, they hire an expert.  The best part is that companies will pay for your expertise - a lot.

The advice you get paid for could be practically anything.  Generally businesses are looking for solutions to their problems.  It may be that they need to cut costs, or consolidate their workforce, or that they need to know how to market a product better.  The possibilities are practically endless.

Not all consulting is the same.  Like many other industries nowadays, consulting can be done through a firm, or on your own as an independent agent.  While working for yourself gives you more freedom to take the projects you want and set your own time schedule and work environment, it also means you’ll have a less steady pay check and will have to take more responsibility in the running of the business.

Another challenge facing most people who run their own business is motivation to get work done.  Without a rigid schedule and a boss checking your progress, many people find it more difficult to finish projects.

The first step in choosing an area to consult in is figuring out what you know and like.  Remember, you have to be an expert.  There may be a lot of money in consulting in a specific field, but if you know nothing about it and have no interest in learning, you’ll probably be a terrible consultant and make very little money.  Plus, if you’re consulting in a field you like, you’ll be more motivated to get work done and have higher productivity. 

While you can be a consultant in almost any area, some choices are better than others.  You need to find a market you’re not only good in, but also one that has people looking for consultants.  You also probably don’t want to go into a field that already has many consultants looking for work.

A good way to get started is to look at ads of people looking for consultants.  You can also do more intensive research at the library to find general fields that people need consultants in.  Once you find one or more areas that suit you, research them further until you find the perfect fit.  Remember that many people won’t hire you unless you already have proven results, so it’s best to stick to an area you’ve already worked in.

Just remember that starting your own business, or even changing career fields, is not an easy venture.  It takes a lot of time and planning.  It will also probably take a while for your business to succeed, so don’t give up.

So I figured, I’d share some ways to increase and grow our self motivation.

While self-motivation is a simple concept, we all know that it’s one of the hardest things to attain.  Despite purely good intentions, most of us are better at slacking off than getting motivated.  But, no matter what your attention span it is possible for you to motivate yourself and reach your goals; you just need to follow a few simple steps.

Know what you’re doing

A to-do list is nice to have to help you get things done, but it doesn’t do much to help you stay motivated.  Before you can make your to-do list, you need to set goals and priorities.  They may be short term like “finish this project to attain more work” or more general like “increase workload to attain promotion”.  If you give yourself a goal or vision to work for, you’re going to be more motivated to finish things than if you’re simply completing tasks.

Stay positive

A positive attitude can go a long way.  People have probably told you this over and over, but you’re still not inclined to believe it.  Take a little extra time each day to remind yourself of your accomplishments.  It is also a good idea to try to surround yourself with positive and encouraging people.  If you don’t have any at work, find positive and encouraging statements from successful people and post them around your office.

Set mini-goals

Finishing a project can be a daunting task.  If it’s a large amount of work, you’re likely to look at it, get overwhelmed, and give up or put it off before you even get started.  An easier way to accomplish a project is to break it up into smaller tasks.  This way you’ll be looking at a bunch of small goals instead of one great big one.  While it’s the same amount of work, it helps to keep you from getting overwhelmed.  Plus, each time you accomplish one of your tasks, you’ll feel successful and motivated to keep trekking on through the rest.

Reward yourself

To help keep yourself going, set up rewards for each task you complete.  They don’t have to be anything big; they could be going to see a movie over the weekend or spending 15 minutes on the phone with a friend you haven’t talked to in a while.  It’s just something positive to help encourage you.  You can also set small rewards for your mini goals and have a large reward for when you finish a large project.

Have a backup

While we may have the best of intentions, most of us really aren’t that good at sticking with our self-motivating methods.  If this seems like you, you may be in need of some backup.  This is a friend, co-worker, or associate - anyone who is dependable and trustworthy.  Let them know what your goals are (and even your rewards) and set up a plan for them to check up on you.

It could be as simple as giving you a call to see how much you’ve gotten done, or maybe have them be the keeper of some reward and administer it when you reach your goal.  This way, if your resolution wavers, you’ll have someone else there to help out.

I love reading about technology transfer like this and reminds me there’s always some way to use technology from another industry in our own business.

It also reminds me, in order to stand the test of time, that our products need to be constantly improved and very often, new technology can help with that. Maybe it’s a new or better way of delivering your product. Maybe it’s a better more efficient way of fulfilling your orders or creating/manufacturing the product. Maybe it’s a better way of managing your resources and maybe it’s a new way of reaching your target audience.

Or like in Cub Cadet’s case, maybe someone has the technical knowledge to help you design a better product or product delivery method. All you need is a consultation. That’s a big part of what we do at TechBasedMarketing by the way

You don’t have to be a propeller head and be able to do it all on yourself, you only need to be aware of the technological advancements available and with a little creativity and help, you can improve your product with a little tech transfer too.

What can you do to be a Winner Brand?

• Build your expert profile In order for your brand to shine
You have to be taken for the expert that you are. You have to boldly declare your expertise in your discipline. You’re going to have to go against your Mom’s advice and brag speaking engagements, feature writing, pod and video
casts. Find as many portals to get your professional opinion into the hearts and minds of your target audience.

• Be a conduit for the positive
Make it a personal goal to bring positive energy to all you meet. When you see a friend in a glum mood, find the positive and bring them out of their shadow. Point out that opportunity is everywhere if they are willing to recognize and embrace it. Make the statement - “Every cloud has a silver lining” your inspiration for engagement.

• Give of yourself
Volunteer to groups or organizations that you have a personal interest in. Mentor to young minds at the university level. Show that money isn’t your only motivation. Show that your meaning of success includes helping others. It is a way of giving back to your community, and exposing your Winner Brand to all you meet.

• Show your passion
People love to see that you are truly inspired by what you do. Passion is contagious. It is the foundation of strong relationships. Passion has a way of taking them along for the ride. Because you have passion, you have an absolute belief in yourself. That confidence feeds your expert profile builds a loyal following.

• Become a resource
Share your contacts with others. Over the years, you have come to know many great suppliers of goods and services. Sharing this knowledge will really help those you meet making their jobs easier.

• Give valuable referrals
Keep your eye out for opportunities for friends, colleagues, and customers. Giving referrals brightens your brand. As they say - “It is better to give than to receive.”

• Blog your way to greatness
I can’t think of a better way to build your expert profile than blogging. A number of the above initiatives can be achieved through blogging. It is a great way to showcase yourself. Leaving positive comments on other blogs and guest writing are all key elements in successful blogging. It does you NO GOOD to stay silent. Share your opinion profusely. Leaving comments lures readers back to you - guaranteed.

Being a Winner Brand is your best opportunity to draw business to you. It drives away those dark clouds and allows you to recognize and embrace opportunities.

For me, I simply include the mailbox folder in Mozy and I also make sure it’s included when I do backups to the network drive. But some of you may want something more direct. These three tools may help.

Mailstore - quite impressive. Backup from any POP or IMAP accounts. Free personal use version available, commercial versions start at $22.90

Windows Mail Backup - they have different versions for Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Incredimail and more.

Outlook Personal Backup Add-in - From Microsoft, available free. Works for Outlook 2007, 2003 and 2002

Some want to make millions overnight while others want to start a legitimate home based business. Still others want to just find a voice by blogging.

The massive size of the web has made it a playground for the newbies and the experienced alike but with millions of people making up your potential audience, how do you differentiate your website from all the others?

No matter what your purpose is for having a website, you want it to look appealing and welcoming. The visitor needs a reason to stay to read what you have to offer otherwise they are just one more hit in your stats, never to be found again.

One way to get your website published quickly is to use a DIY web page builder or templates. Choose a design, add your copy, and hit the publish button.

You’re officially a webmaster!

But if you do not have an eye for design your page layout might confuse your reader about where they should look first. Or the graphics included in the templates might look unprofessional and not really convey your message to your readers very well.

Confusing a reader should not ever be part of your plan and if you are online to make money, customers need to be assured of your professionalism prior to buying from you. Using a below standard web page builder might just turn away people instead of bringing them closer to making a sale.

I always recommend using web design software to all my coaching students and others who are new to the online world. This one program has helped me grow my business immensely and has certainly paid for itself multiple times over during the years.

This is the king of DIY web builders. Every design and copy element on the page is within your control but the developers have already paid professional web designers to create the hundreds of templates available to use.

The actual layouts are very professional and pleasing to the eye, which will help navigate your reader through your site while also establishing you as an expert in your market.

Xsite Pro is a one-time investment but now business owners are not stuck using a sub par program getting sub par results. Xsite Pro gives you the professional website that you want – and need – to be successful online.

Is it time to take a review of your own website? What does it say about you?

It’s also a great time for newness and improvements in other areas as well. I’m going to be taking advantage of spring myself and get started on some interesting business improvements of my own. Have you ever noticed how even business changes happen during specific seasons? That is precisely what is happening with me right now. Spring hit and with it so did the ideas and changes which really needed to happen.

So what this means is things are going to be pretty busy around here for myself as well as my staff. I’m getting really excited about some super changes in the works. Spring has sprung all over the place here and just about everyone is as thrilled as I am!

My staff members are currently in the process of shaping together an entirely new aspect to the business. Those of you who are readers over at Small Business Branding haven’t been forgotten either. I have a little something up my sleeve to help you out with this as well.

It’s going to be a very welcome relief for me indeed, considering I’m drowning in my own email inbox at the
moment. I’ll be quite happy to find my way out of the inbox and into more organized systems. This will definitely permit me to spend more time on the things that matter, and less time digging out from the bottom of a pile of email messages.

Maybe it could be time for you to consider some ‘spring cleaning’ of your own inbox. Who knows what you may find once you dig yourself out.

How many assistants do you really need? This will vary from business owner to business owner. It is your decision to determine which areas of your business need the most help from another person or professional. Take into consideration not only the amount of money you’ll need, but also how much time you have to devote to certain areas of your business. The more time you have the less likely you are to need multiple assistants.

Most likely you will want to hire assistants in the areas of your business you feel weakest or just don’t have the time to complete. For instance, if you are not good with or don’t like numbers seek the help of a bookkeeper of certified public accountant. Another important area that you may need help in is legal matters. For those who have businesses where it’s essential that you be protected, hiring an attorney is important.

Your needs may not even be as technical as those things. If you find yourself struggling with the amount of time it takes to answer emails, consider hiring a virtual assistant to handle this task. Have a hectic schedule that you don’t have time to plan or can’t seem to keep up with? Hire someone to help out with scheduling appointments and other various clerical tasks.

In some cases you might need assistance in all of these areas and then some. Only you can truly determine your ultimate needs. Whatever the case, don’t be afraid to seek out help. Once you have found others who can efficiently help your business function and grow, you’ll be glad you planned ahead. You’ll soon start to see the results of having a hand in your business and be glad you took the steps necessary to enlist that help.

Here’s the thing, you really are an expert in your field, but here’s the rub - YOU don’t believe it. If you don’t believe in yourself , don’t expect customers to believe in you either. You have plenty of sales-worthy knowledge and a waiting audience. Roll up your sleeves and jump in. Failing isn’t the problem, refusing to get back up is.

You’ve got a wild idea, but nobody’s going to buy it.

Isn’t it better to try your idea and fail KNOWING they don’t like it, rather than presuming to know they don’t like it and never really finding out?

The timing isn’t right.

That’s the same as giving me a dozen reasons why you CAN’T do something rather than reasons why you CAN.

Branding is expensive.

Ignoring your brand is the real money pit. Placing ad after ad saying nothing special or countering a competitor makes you a follower. The competitor is actually defining your brand and you’re throwing money at defending yourself rather than leading with a strong positioning strategy, which gives your customer a compelling reason to buy from you.

I tried re-branding: I got me a new logo and tag line and guess what? Nothing changed!

What did you expect to happen? Your brand is your REPUTATION not your logo. All you did was spend some cash putting a new face on an old problem. If somebody tells you that re-branding is changing your logo - RUN as fast as you can - they have no idea what branding is!

As much fun as this post was to write, the honest truth is that all of us have to pay very close attention to our brands, how we sell ourselves and be open to new opportunities. Stop blaming the economy, stop blaming yourself and stop blaming finances. If you try and win - great! If you fail - so what? Keep moving, keep learning. You can’t reach your goal by standing still and that I can guarantee you.

I’ve been very blessed this last while, I was able to stand by my daughter’s side through her bone marrow replacement. I can tell you it’s something else to be able to grab the laptop and stay inside the isolation room with her all the while. The beauty of the internet!

We’ve been back home for a month but it hasn’t been easy, thankfully she’s completely healed now, cancer free! and we’re just waiting on her appointments coming up for radiation. Not easy for a 16 year old kid.

You may think since I was stuck in a hospital for months on end that I probably didn’t get alot accomplished while I was in there. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Actually, I’ve developed some very great relationships and partners in the last while and I’m looking forward to sharing with you things I’ve been working on.

One thing that I’ve been following along is Darren Rowse’s 30 Days to a Better blog. It’s free to follow along and each day I’ve been taking his challenge and copying it into a Google Doc. I’m not doing the challenge every day like some, but I will get to each day as I go along and have some spare time. It’s a great challenge, and the first day I’ll be implementing is to follow another successful blog.

Not to copy what they’re doing, but to see what “works” in the industry. What keeps people coming back, participating, and commenting. I’ll take away the things that I like and implement those.

You can join Darren’s challenge Here.

If you haven’t seen his challenge yet, it’s located here. Also, I’m a member over at Yaro’s new program Membership Site Mastermind program, I always love to follow his work and what he’s up to these days.

If you’re looking to grow a recurring income on the internet, starting membership sites is certainly the way to go.

>> You can download Yaro’s free report here.

That’s it from me today, Have a GREAT day!

Tip #1 Keep it simple. Think about the Nike swish or the golden arches. Those two visuals represent huge conglomerations and yet they evoke a personal experience, emotion, or thought. Logos do not have to be complicated to be effective and too much going on will detract from the effect and power of your visual.

Tip #2 Place your logo consistently and continuously. Use your logo in all of your marketing materials from advertisements to emails it’s how people will begin to associate and identify with you.

However not all images are logo images. If you’re selling products then it pays to display those products in photos. You aren’t likely to buy a product without seeing it and your prospects aren’t either. However, simply placing a photo of your products on your website or in your catalog may not inspire a purchase. Sometimes you need to finesse it a little bit.

Tip #3 When displaying products, make sure they’re prominent in your photo and use good lighting. That means there are no other items in the picture distracting the eye and no shadows obscuring the image. If you’re selling clothing, sometimes it helps to have it worn by a model so people can see how the item fits a real person rather than a two dimensional photo. An attractive model also taps into your customers desire to also be attractive and can actually influence a purchase.

Tip #4 Show people enjoying your products. Hot tubs are a great example of this strategy. Instead of showing an empty hot tub, show it with an attractive couple holding hands or show it full of smiling people – depending on your market.

Tip #5 Show people using your products. Yes, a great set of colorful kitchen bowls may sell quite well with a photo of them sitting on a black marble table however what if someone is using those bowls or serving dip to a friend at a cocktail party or mixing a cake with a cute child? Your audience and prospects are an important part of your graphics and your decisions and should represent their hopes, dreams and desires.

Images can tell a story, they can highlight the benefits and features of a product without saying a word. They can brand a company, evoke emotions and inspire purchases. Take the time to create a strategy with your visuals, logos, catalog images and website graphics, and reap the rewards.

Photo courtesy of Sage Media

Wouldn’t you love to understand how you could make your brand more powerful? If you could find a way to make your brand a leader, you’d be interested right? What if I told you that strategically positioning your brand with a compelling offer, REMOVES you from commodity hell - wouldn’t that intrigue you? The answers to all these questions are no-brainers.

The fact that you should draw comfort in, is that most - I’ll say that again - MOST businesses, communities, and people (brands) completely ignore their brands. This short-sightedness is your ace in the hole. Even if you were to tweak your brand a little bit, you’d be miles ahead of the other person.

I recently gave a lecture to a packed house (and more on the waiting list) to the Center for Business, Advancement, and Research in Windsor Ontario. It was a one half hour discussion on “Branding Yourself Online.” I was very well received. So much so, that a line following the event formed in front of me and took 1-1/2 hours to clear. But, the simple truth is, MOST of these well-meaning entrepreneurs will do absolutely nothing about their lack lustre, follow the leader brands.

Take place branding - how many communities in your area could use a boost in their economic development portfolios? How many would love to be considered first choice for convention business? (more no-brainer questions). BUT, most would rather ignore their brands and turn direct their priority to changing logos and tag lines. Instead of analysis of why their brands are attracting negative attention and fixing the problem, city fathers again and again opt for short-term, same old, same old strategies creating the perception of doing something. The fact will remain that when the audience reacts negatively to your community brand, it’s too late. The same holds true in business branding. In both cases, it becomes a commodity issue. You have to buy their business. You’ll have no staying power. Their business moves from price to price. No powerful relationship to retain them.

If you want to stand out and play a different game, you might want to get in on Texas Brand’em and leave 52 Pick-up to the amateurs.

Here’s your winning hand, in a game of Texas Brand’em:

CARD ONE: Establish you brand values and personality, as the foundation of your brand.
CARD TWO: Establish your brand message. What is it you do that your customers value the most.
CARD THREE: Have a positioning strategy that compels your audience. Establishes you as a leader not a follower.
CARD FOUR: Make sure that your brand image is consistent with your values and personality and is consistent across all materials.
CARD FIVE: Live the brand, it has to be authentic. Build relationships with integrity.

Business is a high stakes game. Picking up the hand above ends the temptation to bluff your opponent. They’ll have no option other than folding.

I recently received this comment inside my WP Dashboard and realized that I’ve never addressed the “rules” here at SBB. I thought I’d take a moment to share with you a recent comment I have received…

I am new to the blog commenting realm. I have always read blogs to find useful information but have recently started leaving comments to build up my linking campiaign. I only leave quality comments on the topic of the blog and I believe what I add to the discussion is useful. However, I have noticed that most of my comments never show up. I wish someone would go into detail about what spamming a blog is. Maybe, I am doing something wrong. I think knowing the rules could be benificial to a lot of people.

Now I’m no expert on blog spam BUT… I do have a sense of what I will and won’t allow here on my blog. I personally find it difficult to approve comments that seem well thought out, but then have no name in place. It’s instead the name of their business or worse yet a keyword to direct traffic over to their blog.

I have no problems with people getting exposure from commenting here but I don’t personally like it when there is no name in place. I prefer to get to know who the readers are here at SBB and would like the opportunity to build a relationship with all readers.

What do you think? Do you approve comments that are not from an actual name?

The following are some tips for a better outsourcing experience:

Communicate! With outsourcing, communication is the key. Without proper communication between the business owner and the assistant, things can take a turn for the worse and quickly. You will want to make sure from the beginning that your helper understands what is expected of them, what your agreement is and how you will go about communicating, paying them and evaluating their work. A good assistant will know to ask questions should they need clarification on a project, but you can also facilitate the process. Proper communication can make life easier for both of you.

Sign an agreement. This can truly make or break the relationship. Treat your outsourcing agreements properly as a business agreement that needs to be handled in a business manner. You will want to draw up a written agreement that the both of you are satisfied with and make sure that you have a signed and dated copy to keep for your records. This will save you a lot of pain in the future if the business deal, tasks or payment arrangements are ever in question.

Be explicit with instructions and deadlines. More often than not it pays to be specific. When you give very specific instructions and set specific deadlines there are fewer questions and concerns for both parties. Even if you think something is a “given” still specify to avoid misunderstandings for the both of you.

Let go! That’s right, once you’ve given a task away to an assistant do not try to hold on and control that job. That’s why you hired someone to handle it for you, so you wouldn’t have to worry about it any longer and so you could free up your mind and your time to handle other things. So, don’t try to control all the details of the situation once you’ve passed it on.

Take time to evaluate. Take the time to review the working relationship between you and your assistant. Every so often (at minimum once a year), evaluate the work being performed and how it is helping your business. Make sure you are spending your time and money wisely. Make adjustments as necessary.

Photo Credit Courtesy Of Eco Photography

Over the long weekend I have gone over my site www.GetContentResults.com with a fine tooth comb. I’ve looked at every single page, and finally created a shopping cart to serve my clients better.

In a business world which is getting more competitive each and every day, there’s one thing which will keep your customers coming back again and again – a valuable customer experience. Your customer experience begins and ends with spectacular customer service.

What Is Customer Service?

It’s being there for your customer from the moment they meet you, whether it is online, on the phone or they walk through the front door of your establishment. It’s being there to prevent any potential problems and it’s being there to resolve any issues that come up. Finally, customer service is about being proactive and engaging your current customers so they always feel valuable and appreciated.

For many businesses, and you’re sure to have had this experience as a customer, customer service is an afterthought. It’s when the problem solvers step in and attempt to appease you. While this is certainly part of customer service if this is your approach you’re going to spend a whole lot of time solving problems.

Spectacular customer service means being in communication with your customers to make sure they’re happy, to find out what they need and want and to meet those needs with innovative products and services.

How To Provide Spectacular Customer Service

Be transparent and available 24/7. This doesn’t mean you have to answer the phone at all hours but it does mean providing all the information possible for your customers to have easy access to. An FAQ page, a Contact Page you can hire a customer service company to answer phones, address problems, and even have a presence on your website in a pop up customer service chat screen. I even created a support ticket system for Small Business Branding here as well.

However as mentioned earlier customer service is about more than answering questions and solving problems. It’s about creating strategies to solve problems before they occur, to embrace your customers’ needs and wants before they know what they are and solve them.

This can be accomplished with regular communication, surveys and polls, special offers for your loyal customers only and regular tracking and analytics. Data is a valuable asset to providing an ideal customer experience.

For me, the one I use most of these is communication. I love to hear what clients are saying and what their needs are right from them. I love to get on the phone and chat with clients but for the most part, just watching closely with the questions they ask works best for me.

Think about your last shopping experience at your favorite store. Chances are your satisfaction with the outing was influenced by the sales representatives you encountered but also by the layout of the store – how easy it was to find things – and how easy it was to check out. Online or off these little experiences add up to a spectacular customer service experience.

The happier and more satisfied your customers are the more they’ll come back and the more they’ll talk about you to your friends. It means a bigger and better business and more profits. Focus on your customer experience and you’ll be building the kind of success which lasts.