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A Smart Business Builds Loyal Customer Relationships With Loving Customer Service

A great friend of mine, Jim Gilbert, owner of Jim Gilbert’s Wheels and Deals, is known all throughout Atlantic Canada as “Canada’s Huggable Car Dealer”. Jim and his staff really do have a love affair with their customers. Stop by his outlet anytime and it’s not uncommon at all to see hugs being given out.

Over the years, Jim has created a brand as being Canada’s Huggable Car Dealer. It’s what he and his company are known for. They not only talk about it in their print, radio and television advertising, they actually live it each and every day. (more…)

Business Owners – Your business will benefit from time spent on the sales floor and in your office

I recently spoke to a group of independent toy store owners at the NETS (Neighbourhood Toys Stores of Canada) annual conference in Toronto. During the Q&A part of the presentation, one of the attendees asked about my guideline for time spent working in the office and on your business, versus the amount of time spent working on the floor and in your business.

The best way to answer that is that there really is no set rule that you should be striving for. You don’t need to strive for a 50:50 ratio of time spent in the office to on the floor. In order to run and grow a business property, you need time in both areas, and it can really fluctuate, depending on the season, time of week, etc.

It should be the goal of any business owner to have staffing, systems and processes in place so that they can be (almost) completely independent from having to work on the floor. I suggest that your goal should be to have it so that you actually never really have to work the floor. You should do it regularly to stay connected to your customers, your community and your front line staff. However, you should always have the freedom to walk away from the floor at any time you feel it’s beneficial for you to step back, and work on your business instead of being forced to be on the floor working in your business. (more…)

How Loyalty Programs Reward Your Customers and Your Successful Business

On a recent visit to Toronto, I stopped by The Scooter Girl, an independent toy retailer in downtown Toronto to pick up a gift for my daughter. I inquired about their loyalty program which they advertised prominently, and its effectiveness on customers. I spoke to the store manager and she was excited by the popularity of the program. She informed me that most of their customers were on the program and were actively collecting points.

Their loyalty program was relatively standard, but effective. For the Scooter Girl, once you are in their system, for every dollar you spend, you collect a point. Once you collect 250 points, you can redeem the points for 20 Scooter Girl Dollars. This was of course advertised using a clever round shaped chalk board type of sign behind their checkouts. Very personable. (more…)

Obama thinks big for small business

President unveils tax-credit program designed to kick-start hiring to the tune of $33 billion (U.S.). Appearing today at Chesapeake Machine Co., in Baltimore, Mr. Obama put in a pitch for legislation he is seeking from U.S. Congress to provide tax breaks for small businesses that hire additional workers.

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5 Important Web Video Lessons for Small Business Owners

There are 25 billion videos watched each month in the US alone. That’s billion, with a “B.” So it should be no surprise that web video offers an important opportunity for small businesses to connect with a wider audience. For small business owners, online video represents a chance to reach thousands or potentially millions of people using a relatively simple and inexpensive format. All it takes is a video camera and a little time, and your message could very quickly be spread to a large number of new customers.

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New entrepreneurs may lack marketing skills

The number of entrepreneurs and self-employed Canadians rose steadily in the past year as people became their own bosses following layoffs, but now those risk-takers are realizing they may not always have the marketing skills to make their ventures successful.

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