Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.

That’s a quote by Bill Gates. Learning how to deal with unhappy customers is a critical component of running a successful business.

Today Liz Krause is going to show you various ways to deal with unhappy customers and situations that you will most likely face when running your own business.

Unhappy customers are still customers

Unhappy customers express their feelings because they still want to be a customer. They just want you to fix their problem. Here are some ideas on how to resolve issues with your customers.

Talk to them directly on the phone

Resolving an issue can be as simple as sorting out any misunderstandings with a customer directly over the phone. This approach is more personal than communicating via email and the customer appreciates it.

Offer a refund

If keeping a customer means offering a refund or exchange, it’s worth it. Providing additional customer services such as paying for shipping can go a long way towards building a better customer relationship.

Know when to let them go

Sometimes the only way to make a customer happy is to lose them as a customer. This is particularly true with services when your client wants out of a contract.  Getting out of a contract typically requires a termination fee, however in sticky situations it can be better for both parties to negotiate a reduced price or agree on no penalty at all.

No matter what outcome you choose, always be patient and treat them with respect.

Respond Logically, Not Emotionally

Customers don’t appreciate how much time you put into your business. So when they complain about one of your products, it’s easy to become defensive and overreact. Here are a few tips to overcome the temptation to react emotionally.

Be logical and practical

Your goal is to solve whatever problem your customer has. If they don’t like the way you designed something – fix it. If they think you’re painting job is slopping – fix it. If something you shipped to them is damaged or doesn’t work, offer a refund or ship them a new one.

Focus on the solution, not the emotions and your customer will be happy to work with you again.

It’s business, not personal

One of the biggest downfalls I have seen in the business world (and in my own business) is when people in a company take things personally. Usually when a customer has a complaint it is not about you – it’s about the product.

Look at the problem logically and ask yourself what is the real issue at hand? What is the root of the problem and how do I fix it so it doesn’t happen again? Find a solution that is a win-win for both parties.

Address issues in a timely manner

Unhappy customers usually just want to vent to anyone and everyone they can – on and offline.   That means you need to fix this problem before it spreads.

A good example is the Netflix debacle that when they raised their prices without any explanation or effort to soften the blow.  Customers were enraged, not about the price increase, but by the way they were treated.  Instead of trying to smooth things over, Netflix defiantly charged ahead which caused many of their customers to cancel their subscriptions.

Had Netflix seriously considered the posts, comments, tweets, and other online feedback by customers, maybe they could have avoided the financial mess they are now in.

What to do when it is too late?

I can’t speak for Netflix, but in my previous business we had a customer who made some bad assumptions about our service and posted his frustration on a forum.  When we saw the post, instead of firing back a public retort, we talked to the customer privately. In the end the customer apologized and felt bad he used the forum to vent instead of coming to us directly.

Then we asked if he’d mind deleting the post, which he did and within 24 hours it was removed.

Working in business means dealing with customers – happy and not so happy.  In the end, finding a win-win solution will benefit both your customers.

What if Your Customer is Angry?

See how I dealt with a hilarious email from a very angry customer:
How to Deal with Angry Customers >>

Photo by: J.G. Park

Trade show exhibiting is like setting up a lemonade stand where all of your potential customers are already gathered.

If you’ve never exhibited at a trade show, you are missing out on a unique opportunity to showcase your business in a way that allows your customers to personally experience your product or service.

Today Bev Gray, CEO of Exhibit Edge, is going to show you why, how, and where you can get started with trade show exhibiting.

Trade Shows Promote Your Business

What better way to create a buzz about your business than a creative display at a local event? Develop an inventive and unique way to represent your company or the solution you offer and then follow it up afterwards throughout your social media channels.

By meeting your customers face-to-face, you are able to qualify viable leads. You can better understand your market, their needs, and how your offering can best appeal to those already showing an interest. This is also your chance to collect contact information from those leads and use it to follow up and continue those relationships.

If you have chosen to exhibit at a trade show, so have some of your competitors. This is the perfect opportunity to scope them out! By conducting competition comparison on their trade show exhibits and strategies, you can better understand what you need to do to stand out above them. You can see their promotions, their latest news, and how attendees are responding to their exhibit. Learn from this research and take the lead in your market!

If you are selling a product, you can shorten the buying process by implementing a Point of Purchase into your exhibit. Check out JuniorBiz’s article “9 Magnetic Offline Strategies that Attract New Customers” to see when a POP can be a valuable strategy for your business. While you have your potential customers excited about your product, make the sale right then to avoid giving your competitors a chance to steal them away!

Perhaps the most important advantage to exhibiting is the ability to distribute samples or showcase your services. As we focused on before, the best way to have your company become your customers’ favorite is to let them experience you. Be sure you make a notable first impression and give them something useful to take home to remember you.

So, you’re convinced you need to exhibit — now what?

How Much do Trade Shows Cost?

Costs for the actual trade show or event vary greatly and can range from $75 to $4,000. These costs depend on the appeal and focus of the event. For example, local Chamber of Commerce shows will be significantly cheaper than an industry-wide B2B event. If these costs seem high to you, consider volunteering or bartering to help lower the expenses.

Your exhibit costs will depend on your desired materials and scope. They range from $0 (if you are creative) to $3,000 (if you want it “over the top”). Your local exhibit company, such as our team at Exhibit Edge, can help you create a display within your budget that you can be proud of!

Where can I Find a Trade Show in my Area?

Stay current on local events going on in your community and check out the websites below. Remember to stay open-minded and come up with creative avenues to showcase your business!

The Trade Show Calendar

Trade Show News Network

Conventions.net

Are you thinking about exhibiting at a trade show?  Or, have you recently exhibited? If so, please share your thoughts and experience in the comments below. We’ll be around to provide answers to any questions you have.

Image by ZachStern

Are you an entrepreneur? Have you ever been invited to a conference, university or church to share the secrets of your success?

Did you scratch your head and say, “dang, but I’ve never spoken before! How am I going to do this?”

Twenty-one-year old professional speaker Pedro De Abreu shares the secrets of crafting and delivering a perfect speech that will have people talking about it and you long after you are gone.

1. Be Yourself

Do you remember back in middle school when you approached an old friend and told him that you liked a certain girl in your class? What was the first thing he told you about how to approach her?

He probably told you to be yourself. The sad truth is that we more often than not reject this and see it as a lazy advice. Quite the contrary.

Audiences can see from far away whether you are authentic or not, whether you are trying to emulate someone else or whether you are being yourself with them. The magic that happens when you are yourself is that your audience will become more open, and, in turn, be themselves with you and love you for respecting them enough and not being fake.

Have you ever heard a speech where the speaker was clearly trying to emulate someone, even faking his or her voice afraid to show his or her real self? Whoever was on that stage looked pathetic. It’s not worth it. Audiences will love you and respect you if you are honest with yourself.

Remember, they don’t care about what you have to say, but they care about whether you believe what you have to say. The way to believe in your message is to be authentic.

2. Understand your Audience

You wouldn’t go to the beach in jeans, would you?

There are a few universal principles that every audience will be able to relate to. Study your audience thoroughly. In doing so, ask yourself these questions:

• What do they like?
• What do they dislike?
• What are some issues that we both face on a daily basis?
• What kinds of solutions could I offer them?
• What kind of value do I bring to the table?
• What are their fears and how can I help them?

If you answer those questions and adapt them into your speech, your audience will listen to you and support your all throughout your delivery.

3. Involve the Audience

A speech is a two-way dialogue with the people who are listening to you. And what kills the dialogue? You kill the audience involvement when you start reading a manuscript. Why? Because you start focusing on the piece of paper more than you focus on your audience.

A simple solution I like for not using a manuscript and speaking more freely is to do what Abraham Lincoln used to do in his closing arguments: he had a small piece of paper with bullet of points which reminded him of the stories he had to tell and points to convey.

4. Dress Well

Dress twice as much as your audience does. This shows respect towards yourself and towards them. Not only that, but you will feel good about yourself and have a better delivery. After all, they are listening to you because they want to be like you.

5. Tell Stories

Out of these seven points – after “being yourself” – this is by far the most important one. You can be a database of numbers and vomit them in your audience or you can be entertaining and memorable.

People are entertained by stories. That’s why we go to the movies. Tell memorable stories with passion and enthusiasm. After you tell a story, you emphasize a point you want them to remember.

For example, say you are speaking on leadership, instead of telling them that “the second point of leadership is…” tell them about a time when you took a leadership initiative and about its outcome. Then you tell your point and how it affects them.

You will be amazed at how powerful story-telling can be. Five years after you’ve given your speech, no one will remember your name, but they will remember how you made them feel through a story you told them.

6. Think of Yourself as Valuable

The most important dialogue you have is the dialogue that takes place in between your ears. It’s also that internal dialogue that will determine how far or how short you will go in life. It’s the same for a speech.

If you ask yourself, “who am I to give them a speech?” you will certainly be doomed to fail.

If, instead, despite of your qualifications, tell yourself, “Who am I not to give them a speech?” you will achieve all the success you’ve ever wanted.

Think about this, if God considered you valuable enough to give you the struggles you’ve had, then you should consider yourself valuable enough to pass your knowledge along to others.

7. Get in Front of the Mirror.

Practice, practice, practice. Most people think that they can just get in front of an audience and wow them at no cost.

Great speakers make it look too easy. The secret here is that it is all too simple, but for it to be easy you must practice your speech until you’re exhausted.

After you’ve practiced it enough times, you’ll create what actors call “the illusion of the first time,” which is the impression you get from trained actors that they are doing something for the first time. After they have practiced a script for so long, they become natural at delivering it, creating the illusion that they were somehow born to do what they do.

The truth is, like everything else, it takes time.

In the words of philosopher Baltasar Gracian, “the crutch of Time can do more than the steely club of Hercules. What is done immediately is undone just as fast, but what must last an eternity takes that long to do.”

It won’t take you an eternity, but a few hours that will seem like it.

Pedro’s Next Post: 7 Mighty Leadership Characteristics for Entrepreneurs

Pedro De Abreu in Action!

From Nick Tart: I’ve only dabbled in speaking and it’s something I’d like to do more of. I’ve talked to a number of professional speakers in the last couple of years. Like Pedro said, there’s a lot more work that goes into it than the audience realizes. Here’s a taste of Pedro’s talk:

To book Pedro De Abreu for your event, click here.

Photo by: marcusrg.

Pre-WordPress, JuniorBiz was hacked three times. After it was hacked, the number one keyword associated with my site was ‘Viagra’.

Since I transitioned to WordPress and started using some of these other tools, my site hasn’t been hacked once.

Today, Matthew Denos from Weight Loss Triumph is going to share the tools that he uses as a budding blogger. They will make your blogging life easier, more effective and reduce those painful “why won’t this work right” headaches.

1. WordPress

Of all the blogging platforms out there, many of which are really nice, I adore WordPress. You have to spend a few dollars a month to host it. But if you want a monetized blog, the options available are staggering. Nothing compares to the flexibility of the WordPress blog, and the platform itself is FREE. How can you beat that?

Next: How to Properly Publish a WordPress Blog Post

2. HTML Code Editor

Unless you are a geek in every sense of the word, and can write strings of code in your sleep, get yourself an HTML code editor. It will save you hours of hair pulling frustration as you try to find that one little missing < or /. HTML is the invention of the 20th century. It revolutionized how we communicate, and as "old school" as it is, it remains the key to the kingdom…but it also severs a lot of heads along the way.

3. Google Analytics

The big “G” can be a big pain sometimes, but when it comes right down to it, they offer so much to the blogging entrepreneur. Analytics lets you accurately track your blog’s performance—or even several blogs at a time, and gives you access to track everything from hits to clickthroughs. Analytics will tell you how long a visitor stayed on your page, where they came from, and what sales techniques are working for you.

4. Google

Yeah, okay, the main “G” in the big “G” network, but try as others may, they can’t compete with the incredible research function that the Google search engine provides.

5. YouTube

If ever an invention spoke to the minds of the “X” generation, it is YouTube. One of the most important elements in creating blog diversity and interest is pictures, and “moving pictures” are even better. Not only can you incorporate other peoples concepts into your blog topics, but you can create videos for your subject matter.

A great additional perk to the embedding YouTube videos on your blog, is that those videos can also gain traffic through the YouTube site itself. You can link back to yourself, or add your affiliate link to your video description right on the YouTube page for even more hits.

6. Discussion Forums

Not a blog, but a great way to promote your blog. When I sign up for a forum that is related to my topic (weight loss), I almost always feature links to my blog, and to my pages on Medifast coupons and Diet To Go discounts. It’s a great way to kill two birds with one stone.

7. PaintNET

It’s not Photoshop, but it’s a really good picture editor and paint program that is FREE. There are a few things that Photoshop does better, and a few others that Photoshop does that PaintNet doesn’t do at all, but considering that Photoshop costs about $700.00, PaintNET is a great deal.

By the way, for anyone using either Window’s OS Vista or 7, for minor picture adjustments such as cropping, resizing color adjustment and such, the Microsoft Picture Manager is fast, easy and comes with the program.

8. Downloads.cnet.com

I don’t think I could live without this delightful platform. When I need a program for ANYTHING, that’s where I go. Some are free, some are cheap, and some are the most expensive out there. You’ll find reviews from the Downloads site itself, as well as others who have downloaded and used the software.

9. Twitter and Facebook

Two birds of the same feather that are great ways to get the word out about your blog. Not only can you share recent posts by linking to them in your status’ on both platforms, but you can encourage readers of your posts to click on a Twitter or Facebook icon and share your links with their friends as well!

And finally the big number 10 is… WordPress’s (did I mention I love WordPress?)

10. AllinoneSEOpack

The plug in that lets you control every option for how your site is indexed in search engines. It’s an Internet marketer’s must have.

Editor’s note: If you use Thesis, the ability to control SEO details is built-in.

Those are my top ten must have blogging tools. What business tools do you find useful, and what tools can you not live without?

Need more convincing that blogging is a good way to get traffic? Every Blog Post Earns an Extra 1,320 Visits Per Year

Delusional people love the idea of working from home. So much so that they google “work from home” 2.2 million times every month.

Once they start working from home, they’ll realize that it’s one of the worst parts about being an entrepreneur.

Today, Alex Papa from Business Opportunities Expo is going to pinpoint five pitfalls of working from home and how you can avoid them.

1. Where’s My Secretary?

The euphoria of being your own boss dissipates when you realize that you are also your own secretary, receptionist, publicist, marketer, human resources director, accountant, etc.

When you work for a corporation, all these things are handled for you. It’s more overwhelming than you could have imagined, and your dream of spending more time with your friends dissipates with your entrepreneurial euphoria.

Solution – Outsource small tasks or hire a virtual assistant.

2. Free Time is Nonexistent

As you become more successful, you will have to work even harder, putting in more hours, getting less sleep, spending less time with the family, and spending more time worrying about your business decisions.

Your time is spent in front of the PC, opting for a sandwich at noon and a hurried, litany-laden dinner at night. Then it’s back to the office for more calls and emails.

The next morning, you are back at the computer by seven and the cycle begins again. This is not what you thought it would be.

Solution – Set and acknowledge a quitting time. There will always be more you can do. Don’t postpone your life.

3. Work and Home are Inseparable

When you work at an office, you shut down everything at five and go home to a totally different environment.

Now, your work is at home. Even if you just have a laptop in the family room, you will be checking your emails, calling clients or freelancers, and writing blog posts.

Your mind doesn’t shut down either; it’s always mulling over what you did or didn’t do today, and what you have to do tomorrow.

Solution – Get up in the morning, eat breakfast, take a shower, and get dressed for “work” before you get on your computer. Then put change into your pajamas when you’re done.

4. Your Parents don’t Respect your Work

Have your parents ever told you to “get a real job”?

They come home from work and have no idea how hard you’ve been working. Since you’ve been home all day, they assume you’ve just been watching TV and playing Call of Duty. When in reality, you’ve been working just as hard as your parents and will continue to work well past their bedtime.

Solution – Explain what you do all day to your parents.

5. Home Distractions Cause Daily Failures

Your home is designed to be distracting. It’s meant to be a place where you can relax and occupy your time with fun activities.

Trying to work at home is like trying to make an important phone call at a concert. Every time you lose your focus, it could take 20 minutes before you gain it back again.

Solution – Establish a dedicated workspace.

On the flip side…

Three of the world’s top 25 brands started in a garage.

It can be done. If you know what to expect, what NOT to do and how to avoid the pitfalls of running a home based business, you’re more likely to be successful.

Which Three Big Name Brands Started in a Garage?

Take a guess at which companies that you see everyday started in a garage:
How World’s Top 25 Brands Got Started >>

Photo by slworking2