Starting a Bakery: Success in the Niche Food Business

We often hear of small businesses deathly scared when big boys – particularly Wal-mart – come to town. And they have every reason to be: big businesses have deeper pockets, offer wider goods selection, and have tighter relationships with suppliers that allow them to give deep discounted prices.
So it is very refreshing to see a [...]

Starting a Business and Finding Potential Customers

There’s a question on Yahoo Answers from a man starting a web development business and he was asking how can he market his new business within his locality. So far, he’s thinking of creating a flyer and giving the flyer door to door in his neighborhood. He was also thinking of inserting the flyers in [...]

8 Factors to Get Customers to Recommend Your Store

The loyalty marketing consultant and magazine publisher Colloquy has created a Retail Loyalty Index to answer a key question: To which retailers do consumers profess their deepest loyalty, and why. The Index is based on a survey of 3,000 U.S. consumers in six demographic segments: Affluent household heads, Young Adults, Seniors, Women, Hispanics and a [...]

How Can a Small Business Provide Excellent Customer Service

In this economically challenging times, excellent customer service becomes even more important for home-based and small businesses. Excellent customer service can help you retain the customers you need to keep your business afloat, or with a lot of good luck and great strategy, even thriving.

But how do you know if you are providing the kind [...]

10 Tips to Marketing Your Service Business

Whether you run a lawncare or tutoring or cleaning business, here are some ideas on how to get customers for your service business:
1. Many service businesses advertise in local ad magazines and coupon services such as ValPak. Study your competitors’ ads particularly their offers and come-ons for first time customers. Offer free services that would [...]

How to Provide Excellent Service

According to Bob Livingston, author of the book “How Do You Do … What Do You Do,” excellent service is
“… all about finding ways to make the other person you are serving feel good about your product or service, your company and themselves because they feel good about dealing with you.”
He offers what he calls [...]

How to Engage Online Customers

You often hear of the advice that you need to “engage your customers.” Engaged customers are more loyal, and more likely to recommend you to others.

But how exactly do you “engage the customer,” especially online where you don’t get a chance to personally talk to the customer and present your products unlike traditional retailing?

Get out [...]