I read STEVE SLAUNWHITE blog a couple of days ago what to say when a customer or client says “your work sucks” and I decided that it was worth sharing it with you and adding some of my own advice.

So what do you do when a client or customer expresses a serious dissatisfaction with your work? Ideally, you want them to feel reassured that a prompt revision or rectification — by you, of course — will make it all better.

It’s, however, difficult when you have done exactly what the client or customer wanted, they have agreed during the project that was what they wanted and then they have changed their mind about the finished project or outcome! That’s a slightly different issue but I would advise you to complete the same process.  If you are smart you will have obtained the clients or customers acceptance during the various stages of the project which puts you in a better position when you advise them of the costs to meet their new requirements because that’s what they are.  You need to stand firm which I know it not always easy when you are trying to maintain good customer relationships but your business shouldn’t have to bear the costs for the customers change of mind.  The only difference is that you need to present the customer with the costs of attaining

Here is a 6-step strategy that works well.

Read the rest of this entry »

What’s expensive is you’re losing out on thousands or tens of thousands of pounds every month by not being at the leading edge of business, marketing, commercial and sales mastery.

Why because you’re failing to make the most of your profits; firstly, by not attracting the right type and number of customer i.e. the profitable ones who keep coming back for more of what you sell and secondly, you’re not retaining the ones you’ve got who you have invested and paid for and you failed to exploit them to the full.

Growing a successful business has absolutely nothing to with luck. It’s much more to do with understanding your customer’s needs, fulfilling them with the product and services they want at the price they are prepared to pay and when and where they want to buy them from.

Get these sales and marketing elements right and you will have a successful business.  Leaving it “lady luck” or don’t plan is gambling and you can lose more that your shirt if the “form’s” not right.  To be honest those that bet professional study form before parting with their money, they plan and they know when to back off.  They certainly don’t ever believe in luck.

Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve got through the recession, you have seen an improvement in orders and enquiries over the past 6 months, now make sure your business doesn’t become a victim of government spending cuts.

It’s vital you evaluated your customers, and their customers, to understand if any are vulnerable to the Government deficit reduction plans aka spending cuts?   To make sure that you don’t have any nasty surprises.

You should re-focus your sales and marketing efforts away from vulnerable customers and industry sectors by:

Read the rest of this entry »

If you are hoping to be boost your profits from the World Cup you should be aware of breaking copyrights laws.  There’s a long list of things that will potentially get you into trouble. Phases “South Africa 2010″, “Fifa World Cup” and even images of the the trophy itself our protected under intellectual property laws.

The FSB has said that UK firms should be wary of exploiting registered slogans and images.

Fifa is rigorously stamping down and applying the law to protect the interests of their sponsors who have paid considerable sums of money for the advertising rights for their products and services before, during and after the World Cup.

You have been warned!