Hello? Is this my insurance company? Is anyone there?
Today we welcome Bella Katz, founder of Behar Katz – Marketing & Communications, to the Small Business Owner blog. Unfortunately Bella’s home was recently burgled and her experience reminded her how not to deal with clients. Naomi
One of the beauties of being a small business owner and a massive advantage we have over our larger competitors, is [...]
No Longer a Fan
My confidence in local manufacturing, retail and enterprise is shattered.
Last month I made a conscious decision to:
Buy an Australian-made product, not an import.
Pay for high quality, instead of going el cheapo.
Deal with a sole trader, rather than a corporation.
What a FOOL!
Fan Dancer
I needed a ceiling fan for my small, airless bedroom. I’m a light [...]
Making Amends
How should we say sorry?
There was trouble with Skype the other week.
So much that they sent a sorry email.
I was impressed to see it included a voucher for free talk time.
Until I redeemed it and saw how much.
My excitement turned to dismay and my positive view of Skype took a hit.
So, how should we [...]
Hitting the Books
The money AND the books!
Every now and then I hit a paragon of customer communication.
This one comes from Clouston & Hall Booksellers, who deal in remaindered books.
It hits so many of my buttons, I had to table it for you:
Read it & Leap
Dear Customer,
In the past two years something has happened. Our records show [...]
Bank You Very Much!
And now, a GOOD news banking story!
Given our last two banking discussions (Impersonal Banking and Out There) I didn’t expect good fiscal news any time soon.
Happily, I was wrong.
Enter Bankwest. (I recommend you do.)
A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to The Forum
My dad asked me to help him transfer some business from one [...]
Fair’s fare?
Today we welcome back Sonia Cuff, owner of a Computer Troubleshooters franchise based in sunny Queensland. Sonia is passionate about helping small business owners around the world with the right technology advice and support. Today Sonia shares an experience with customer credits. Maybe you have some insights to share. Naomi
In March of this year I [...]
Is Time Money?
Here’s an old chestnut I hope we can crack:
Can you charge clients for travelling time?
I’ve had bags of trouble with this issue.
My hairdresser has an elegant answer. I’d like to see if you’ve a better one.
Fly Buys
When I started freelancing, I had a weekly two-day gig at a client’s site.
I figured driving to this was [...]
Happy Ending
Winners are grinners!
[Click here for Part 1 of this gripping saga.]
On Sunday, my new-car quest finally met success.
And yielded more interesting lessons to boot (nyuk nyuk).
Here, then, is a jovial bookend to last week’s dismal missive.
Cold Call
I was pondering whether roller blading could work for me when the phone rang.
It was [...]
Auto Destruct
I tried to find a brick wall.
This was the best I could do.
Every so often, the real world slaps you so hard, you lose the breath to cry out.
Enter new car salesmen.
New for Old
The ‘new’, I learnt this week, applies only to cars – not salesmen.
In the decade since [...]
A Cut Above
It’s great to meet people who lead their field.
You spot them by their ideas.
If your business suffers customers who show up late (or not at all) you may like this story.
I never know where my next blog post will come from: smart ideas reside in the most unusual places.
So I was delighted when [...]
