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December 13th, 2007

Thursday Thirteen - 13 Tips for Easing Customers’ Stress

So often your customers are rushed and stressed this time of year as they finish their shopping, attend school holiday programs, do extra baking, wrap up year-end reports at work and often deal with stormy weather.

How can you make them smile and feel less stressed when they shop with you or visit your online store?

1. Smile of course.  Often a smile will bring one in return.

2.  Put smiley faces or cheery design on e-mail correspondence with them.

3. Tuck little cards, no larger than a business card, into their packages with an uplifting saying.  This works for online shipping and items at a walk-in store.

4.  Gift wrap packages for little or no extra charge.

5.  Have a coffee or tea pot ready with a refreshing drink.  (As long as this meets with health codes in your area.)

6.  Have a bowl where customers can place their name or business card for a drawing…weekly or daily until Christmas…for some small item.

7.  Feature a drawing on your blog, if you have one for your business, where you pull names for cheery comments left.

8.  Play background music in your shop.  It might be soft or lively, interspersed with Christmas music.  Or, depending on your beliefs and those of your customers, you might play simply relaxing music.

9.  Perhaps you’ll have music on your web site.

10.  Provide a box of toys for children to play with while Mom shops.

11. Smile when answering the phone and use a cheery voice.  The smile comes across as you talk, I’ve been told.

12.  Wear clothes that make you feel cheery when you’re greeting customers…and when you’re conducting your  online business. 

13,  Again….keep a SMILE on your face, in your voice…and in your fingers while tapping on your computer keyboard. 

(c)Mary Emma Allen

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 6 comments

April 29th, 2007

Home Biz Notes Blogger Included as “Expert” on Just Ask

The question posed by a reader at Grow Your Writing Business impelled me to write a post in answer her query and for Yvonne Russell to seek answers, too.   Yvonne has set up a “Just Ask” feature at Grow Your Writing Business and asked me to be one of her “experts” in answering questions.

I consider this an honor and hope I can be of help to her readers and mine in answering questions about operating a business at or from home, as well as work one can do at home for another business.   In today’s world, with jobs being uncertain at traditional businesses, more people are seeking work at or from home and establishing their own businesses. 

(I know because, some years ago, I was let go from my position as a PR person and newsletter editor for a corporation when the manager who hired me retired.) 

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 2 comments