Lost, But Making Good Time

I’ve had a lot of trouble writing this week. With a newborn baby in the house, sleep is at a premium. So while I’ve actually written three posts since Monday, I haven’t published one of them. Why? Because I couldn’t deliver anything that stood a chance of at least meeting your expectations. So I chose [...]

Beyond Customer Service

The myth: social media makes it easier to establish meaningful, long-lasting relationships with customers. The reality: it could, but it usually doesn’t. When companies connect with customers online, it becomes possible to fundamentally shift how they deliver customer service. That’s good, but it’s not enough. A business needs to encourage customers to share more than [...]

Loyalty Isn’t a Program

I went into the bookstore of a major chain the other day. As I was checking out, the clerk asked, “Are you a member of our loyalty rewards program?” “No…” I smiled, wondering if she would persist. “Would you like to become one?” “Not really.” Then, of course, I got curious. “How many people say [...]

Improve Your Follow-Up

Most businesses look at follow-up as something that’s easy. Wait until someone shows interest in your product, then call or email in an effort to push the sales cycle along. But that’s a call about you, not them. There is another kind of follow-up that seems hard, but really isn’t. And since it takes place [...]