The Customer Is Always Right… Actually NOT Always.

As business owners, we have all dealt with situations were the customer is not always right. I recently came across a funny article, ‘Friday Fail: Customers Who Wont Pay,”which highlights a few real life examples of when the customer was definitely wrong!

Please feel free to share your own story of when a customer was completely wrong. How did you deal with the situation?

Facebook Timeline A Great Marketing Tool For Small Businesses

Since the Lincoln Court Shopping Center has its own Facebook page, I try to stay on top of the latest Facebook news and trends. I recently came across an article on Forbes.com entitled, “How to Turn Your Facebook Timeline into Content Marketing Gold,” which provides excellent insight into how the new Timeline can be a great marketing tool for businesses. I cant wait to implement some of the suggestions on Lincoln Court’s Facebook Page.

 

Leadership Traits That Help Small Business Owners Thrive

Ever wonder what personality characteristics make a good small business owner, especially given these uncertain economic times? Recently, I came across an article entitled, “12 Leadership Traits You Need to Thrive in Tough Times,” which provides insight into what personality traits are needed to be a successful business owner.

New Year’s Resolutions For Your Business

For most of us, when we think of New Year’s Resolutions, we think of personal resolutions such as eating healthy, losing weight, giving up smoking, etc. However, how often do we create resolutions for the way we do business? I recently came across an article, “Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Business Success,” which provides 10 ideas to help you increase your business’ success in 2012; as well as provide ways for you to balance work/life in order to enjoy your success.

Holiday Party Networking 101

With the holidays among us, I’m sure your calendar is quickly filling up with holiday parties. Dont miss these golden opportunities to network with potential business colleagues. I recently came across an article in Entreprenuer.com that provides “Networking Strategies for the Holidays“. I hope these networking tips make this year’s holiday parties both fun and productive!

Holiday Social Media Tips

The holiday season is finally here! Can you believe Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away!?!? Now is the time to implement your holiday social media plan. I came across a great article by Wildfire Social Media Marketing entitled “10 Tips for a Sharp Facebook Messaging Strategy for the Holidays,” which gives great ideas and insight on how to create a successful holiday social media marketing campaign.

Facebook’s New “Talk About This” Feature

I’m sure by now you have noticed the new feature Facebook has recently rolled out called “talk about this”. The “talk about this” feature is a metric of active fans sharing and discussing content from your page. Moving forward, this might become the easiest and most accurate way to understand the real value of Facebook business pages.
I recently came across an article entitled “Louisville Slugger Lifts Facebook Chatter by 834%” which illustrates how one company creatively used the “talk about this” feature to increase its brand’s Facebook “Likes” by 143% in just one day! Now is the time to put on your thinking caps and come up with ways to increase your Facebook page’s “talk about this” by getting your fans talking about you and your brand!

A Customer Service Reality Check

Thanks to social media outlets, your business is now at the mercy of public opinion. With the stroke of a few keys, thousands of potential customers are able to read comments both good and bad about your business. With that being said, superior customer service is now more important than ever! I recently came across an interesting article, “Only You Can Prevent Cringe-Worthy Customer Service,” which outlines a list of customer service “must dos”. Is customer service at the top of your business’ to do list?

THE REVOLUTION OF THE RETAIL INDUSTRY

I recently came across an interesting article entitled,”Retailing Revolution: Category Killers on the Brink,” which discusses the rapid changes occurring in the retail industry due to both the lack of customer spending as a result of the economy as well as the impact e-commerce has had on the way customers shop.

What are your predictions for the retail industry’s future?

How To Be A Great Ring Leader

Having a successful business usually isn’t a one man show. It takes the joint efforts of a great team to help ensure business runs smoothly. I recently came across an article entitled, 10 Secrets of Successful Leaders, which highlights essential qualities entrepreneurs need in order to better lead their employees. You as the entrepreneur have the vision for your business, it’s up to you to efficiently guide your staff to make your vision a reality.