Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Shep Hyken @Hyken. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, professional speaker and New York Times bestselling author who […]
How Can You Avoid Customer Service Mistakes in Your Small Business?
Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Yaniv Masjedi, @nextiva. Yaniv is a serial entrepreneur and vice president of marketing at Nextiva a leading provider of cloud-based, […]
Do’s and Don’ts of Automating Customer Service for Your Small Business
Guest Article The purpose of automating your customer service is to relieve overly heavy workloads on your employers while improving the experience for your customers. It’s a symbiotic relationship, a win-win, and it can help give small businesses the boost they need to thrive. However, it’s also easy to let automation completely take over and […]
First 5 Things You Must Never Forget in Business
This blog post is an excerpt from my forthcoming book Be Your Own Boss! How to Quit Your Job and Start Your Own Business in 12 Months or Less! The book is scheduled to be released in February 2010 by Adams Media. What can this book do for you? Be Your Own Boss! is organized […]
Newsflash–Nobody Cares About Your Business!
This may seem harsh, but if you do not take the time to build and maintain relationships with your customers your direct mail, emails, brochures, and that voicemail you left at 4pm on Friday is all headed for file zero or the delete button. All your customers care about is WIIFM or What’s in it […]
How a Social CRM System Can Help You Achieve More Sales in Your Small Business
Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Brent Leary @BrentLeary. Brent is Co-founder and Partner of CRM Essentials LLC, a CRM consulting and advisory firm focused on small and […]
SmallBizLady’s 10 Rules for Managing Tough Customers
Let’s face it; the goal of any business owner is to get repeat business. That is the only way to create a sustainable business. Sometimes dealing with customers can be to toughest part of running a small business. Customers can become difficult to work with for a number of reasons, but you have to have […]
SmallBizLady’s Reading List Part I
In business, reading is fundamental. It is crucial to help you grow your expertise as a business leader. One of my favorite things to do is read books about small business best practices, social media and leadership. Here’s a list of best books that I think will have a major impact on your business strategy […]
Is Everybody Your Boss?
The good thing about being an entrepreneur is that you get to be your own boss. The bad thing about being an entrepreneur is that every client is your boss. When you have a job, you generally have one boss, in business every client is your boss. You are not working for a raise; you […]
Social Media Customer Service: Don’t Fake It
In recent years, social media has effectively taken everything that we know about customer service, and turned it upside-down. Online, there is no place for your company to hide. If you leave your customers unsatisfied, you are pretty much guaranteed to see a rant or rave about it on a social media network somewhere. Consumers […]