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6 Signs A Business Cares About Their Customers

When a business treats its customers as more than a transaction, that business sets itself up for long term success.

When it comes to retailers and vendors, customers today have different options to work with. Since everything from home supplies to clothing can be purchased online, businesses have to compete with rivals around the world to maintain their customer base and to grow their revenue.

So how can you stand out from the competition when offering your services or products to customers? Below are six signs that show your customers that you care:

The provision of friendly and easy to access customer care

Customers expect to have a straightforward and seamless customer care service. According to statistics, 83% of online customers need support to make a purchase and 71% of customers expect to have help online within the first 5 minutes.

Companies that are looking to have more meaningful and long-term relationships with their clients know that they should have multiple channels of communicating with their customers. It can be through phone calls, social media channels, live chat, self-service/FAQs, or even email. Companies that take time to care for their customers always provide contact details and any other information a customer may need. Your company has to make sure that all its customer care agents are working well and responding to customer requests on time.

The pro-activeness of striving to know your customers better

Customers today have more demands compared to a decade ago. Most of the customers expect to talk to a customer representative who knows all about the company products, the service history, and the company’s contact details as soon as the customer contacts them.

Companies like User IQ know that understanding the customer is an essential step to the success of a business. Without this kind of knowledge, it is hard to provide the correct details on marketing, pricing, or any other business detail. Since the business landscape is changing, and social media and other resources are allowing companies to make more personalized connections with their customers, companies are going the extra mile to ensure that they are meeting the expectations of their customers.

Companies creating an obsession with excellence in customer service

In a report by Carlo Johnson, it was stated that 89% of customers stopped working with companies that offered poor customer service, while 40% are confident that they will stop working with a company that provides poor service. This is a point that no company should ignore.

In our current times, there are increasing options, high product availability, and competition in prices. The competition in business has evolved, and a potential sale may hinge on exceptional customer services. Companies that stand out realize the importance of great customer service to keep their customers excited about working with the brand.

Living in the shoe of the customer

Looking at the company in the shoes of a customer is all about being able to see a situation from one perspective, understanding how a customer feels at each stage, and providing tailored solutions that are engineered for a particular situation.

This skill also enables employees to communicate more efficiently with customers and take care of the emotional well-being of customer interaction. Companies that take customer success and customer care seriously recognize the importance of emotional connection and they ensure that their staff is listening to both non-verbal and verbal cues from the customer to customize solutions for them.

Going the extra mile

Most companies offer training to their staff to make sure that everyone follows the basic procedures of customer success. Although there are transparent procedures and policies for everyone to apply, it is crucial to ensure the employees are empowered and encouraged to make their own decisions.

There is great worth in empowering your company staff to go the extra mile to satisfy the needs of your customer. In this kind of framework, employees are not tied to scripted scenarios, they are encouraged to use their personality to offer the best services to their customers.

Rewarding customers who are loyal

Companies who are focused solely on attracting new customers often overlook the value of their existing customers. Customers who are consistent with a particular brand tend to complain about the massive discounts and offers brands make to acquire new customers when those deals are not extended to loyal customers as well. The lack of long-term relationships can bring harm to your business. In research by The Grass Roots Group, approximately 49% of customers prefer switching loyalties if special offers are offered to new customers only. But for those businesses that reward customer loyalty, they retain their customers at a much higher rate in the long run.

 

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5 Tips for Anyone Looking To File a Personal Injury Claim

A personal injury lawsuit ensues when the accident victim decides to sue the party responsible for their negligence or intended injury. According to Legal Match, the claims of personal injury can stem from defective products, automobile accidents or slips and fall among other accidents. The claim compensation usually covers pain and suffering, loss of income, property damage and medical expenses.

Although nobody wants to be injured in an accident, mishaps do happen when we least expect. When you or a loved one is injured in an accident, you need to file a personal injury claim as soon as possible to get the compensation that you deserve and get back to normal life. According to Ties Education Magazine here are 5 tips for filing a personal injury:

1. Go for a medical checkup immediately after an accident – after an incident has happened, the first thing you need to do is go for a medical checkup. The doctor will document your condition and follow through with treatment. This process will help strengthen your case for a claim. The law requires that the injured party do everything in their power to mitigate loses so it doesn’t lead to more serious injuries or damages.

2. File a police report – filing a police report is among the very first things you need to do after an accident. The report should include the names and contact information of the persons involved in the accident and a detailed description of the incident, including the injuries and damages sustained. Insurance companies, attorneys and the court systems will all need the report for incident verification.

3. Keep records and receipts and of all expenses incurred – record keeping is essential in lodging a successful claim. All receipts and record of expenses, from bills of damaged property and insurance records to medical bills should be put together. Do not forget a record of lost wages indicating the total lost earnings and reasons for staying out of work. Lastly, you need to have a statement giving an accurate account of the incident. Be sure to include the date and time of the accident as well as photos of accident scene.

4. Tread cautiously when dealing with the insurance company – if you are involved in a motor accident, you need to be wary of insurance companies to avoid a lengthy legal process. To ensure your interests are taken care of at all times, hire a competent personal injury attorney to fight on your behalf. You can start by instructing your attorney to draft a letter of claim. According to the law, the defendant is issued several days to acknowledge receipt of the letter of claim before investigations on the matter can commence.

5. Read and understand all documentation before signing – when filing a personal injury claim, a lot of paperwork will come your way. Before signing anything, read between the lines and make sure you understand the implications of each and every document. A personal injury lawyer will help you file the claim and avoid the tricks used by defense attorneys to weaken your case. The filing must be done within the stipulated time frame, which varies from state to state as defined by the statute of limitations.

Florida personal injury attorney

Injuries sustained in an accident can lead to serious repercussions, from personal injury and property damage to wrongful death. Tampa personal injury attorney is fully committed to working on your behalf to ensure the best possible results. Tampa personal injury attorney serves a wider practice area, including automobile related accidents, felony criminal defense, insurance dispute, wrongful death and product liability. The lead attorneys Kinney, Fernandez and Boire have between them 50 years of experience helping clients get the claim they deserve and a return to normal life. You can get in touch today by calling a Tampa injury attorney or visit the law firm website.

 

4 Reasons Why You Need a Lawyer When Buying or Selling a Business
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4 Reasons Why You Need a Lawyer When Buying or Selling a Business

Selling or buying a business is one of the most complex endeavors when it comes to the world of entrepreneurship. The never-ending labyrinth of contracts, negotiations, and last-minute changes make it nearly impossible to complete a sale under all the predetermined conditions. Luckily, the vast majority of difficulties can be avoided if one has a qualified lawyer working for them.

1. Preliminary Negotiations

First, every business that is on the market will have to attract a serious buyer. That includes any individual that has a clear intention and the necessary funds to engage in such a purchase. Once the two parties have connected, the preliminary negotiations will begin. This is where the seller discloses what price that they have in mind and the buyer determines if that offer is in the neighborhood of their financial capabilities. So, how can a lawyer help with something that appears seamless? Well, a lawyer has access to many tools that will help with the valuation of the business. Also, if one is to work with seasoned companies like Lawyers of Distinction, per se, they will obtain a professional that has aided dozens of clients in similar situations. Thus, they will be able to recognize any outrageous offers that do not properly reflect the business in question.

2. Legally-Binding Offers

At some point, the preliminary negotiations that have no legal implications will have to evolve into legally-binding contracts. As seen in a popular Supreme Court of Virginia case from 1954, Lucy v. Zehmer, even a signed napkin with the terms of sale is enforceable in court. Although businessmen have no lack of expertise when it comes to management, investments, and finances, they may come short in the area of applicable laws and court-set precedents on contracts. This is one of the most important things that a skillful lawyer can be helpful with. A party that is buying something and has an attorney will avoid making offers that were expressed as jokes. Similarly, sellers absent legal representation could severely undervalue the business and be unable to recoup the true market price after a simple handshake. Thus, a lawyer that has worked with other clients in these situations will know what to look for in order to avoid any malicious intent.

3. Contracts Can Become a Nightmare

When a person decides to draft a contract, there are thousands of minor details that have to be addressed. The most important factor is usually something called “consideration”. In legal waters, it represents anything that a party will receive in return for their payment. Thus, someone receiving a $1,000 for the new iPhone can say that the consideration is the phone itself. Importantly, however, the consideration does not have to be money-based as one can quantify it in services performed or other assets used in exchange. For instance, one party decides to give away a laptop in return for someone doing their taxes. The consideration here would be the laptop and the accounting services performed. So, what happens when a business is being sold with many outstanding liabilities and someone is trying to buy it with stocks or long-term assets? In simple terms, it turns into a contractual nightmare. The easiest way to fix the issue is to look for attorneys that possess credentials like Lawyers of Distinction. These professionals will know everything from simple contract phrasing and signature positions to complicated provisions that have to be separately stated and signed.

4. After-the-Sale Issues

Even when a party has gone through the transaction and established a legally-binding relationship with the seller, their endeavor is still far from over. On the contrary, most court cases arise as a post-sale dispute given birth by undisclosed information. For example, someone finds it unnecessary to mention all the creditors that have claims to the assets of the business due to overdue payments. As a result, there could be foreclosures and repositions after the new owner takes charge of the business. Although that is a fairly simple matter that will lead most courts to give a verdict in favor of the innocent buyer, these proceedings take months. One way to gain protection from such twisted yet common dealings is to hire a lawyer who will follow up on every contract sentence, claim, and everything that might have been left out. Owners often sell companies that are undergoing heavy litigation for malpractices. Usually, a lawyer will find such information a lot faster than an unfamiliar buyer that may not even know where to look. The outcome? One will be able to rely on a Bar-certified professional to guard them against scams.

Finally, an attorney will provide both the seller and the buyer with a peace of mind as they will be assured that everything is within the boundaries of applicable laws.

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Recommended Ways To Fund Small Businesses

As a startup or small business, access to funding is a major barrier that stands between the business and success. It can prove challenging to obtain funding if the business has not made any strides yet, and this is also the reason you need to think about ways to access funding other than pursuing traditional funding options that could otherwise prove too costly to go with, apart from the fact that you might be rejected many times. Here are alternative lending options that small businesses will find effective and easy to go with.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding was made popular by several sites including Indiegogo and Kickstarter, and many small businesses have benefitted through this form of raising capital. Basically, crowdfunding is a process where a business requests funds or small investments from friends, relatives, or strangers who help it access funds to implement important ideas. The benefit of this form of funding is that it is like getting funds through goodwill and you will not need to worry about piling up of interest. Obviously, a small business that is not stable yet will find this way of funding ideal and easier to go with.

Micro-financing

If your business is not able to access funding through a traditional bank, then going for micro-financing could look better. Micro-financing is where a business offers financial services to people of low income, and you could lose your business as belonging to this category to access funding from micro-financing institutions. The biggest incentive towards this form of funding is that the interest rate is impressive and you are allowed an ample repayment period, which is something you will not easily accessible if you choose to borrow from a traditional bank.

Merchant cash advance

If your business is already operational and would like to boost production or spur growth, you could finance different projects through merchant cash advance. This is a system where you sell a portion of the future sales to a company or a customer who accepts the agreement. You simply exchange a portion of working capital with a lumpsum. Of course, there are benefits and risks that come with this method of financing and this is why you need to conduct more research to understand how to go about it to prevent scenarios where you take more than your business can repay, thereby risking losing more equity.

Venture capital

Venture capitals are not new and they have been great avenues for start-ups to finance their ideas. What venture capitals do is that they review the kind of business you have then come up with an assessment of future returns. If the returns prove to fall on the positive side, the venture capital then invests in the idea by offering capital and advice where necessary.

The focus of investors like Christopher Ligori & Associates who partner with small businesses through this arrangement is to make profits, and they will do what is required to get the business to succeed, so it is also a perfect opportunity to get expert support on matters like marketing and product design.

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Everyone Needs A Mentor Like Todd Polke

Tod Polke MentorComing from a business point of view, everyone needs a mentor. It’s true that no one person let alone one business has ever been truly successful on their own. Everyone you can think of, from Thomas Edison to Einstein to Newton, Bill Gates to Steve Jobs. All these brilliant minds had a team of people and someone to guide them.

Todd Polke is considered a business guru and expert mentor for those who want to leave a lasting impact on the world today in hopes of making a better tomorrow. The work that Todd Polke does is said to be powerful in the lives of all those he works with. This isn’t just talk, the results speak, too! With a hundreds of people and entire organizations under Mr. Polke’s wing, his failure rate is only 2% which is truly incredible.

The goal of a mentor is to help as many people as possible and be as productive as he can be. Rather than investing hours of his time into one person or one company every day, Todd Polke set up a YouTube channel so he can give expert advice and guidance for free to as many people who dare to listen. This is what a mentor who knows how to manage his time looks like.

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How to Create an Efficient System of Support for Business

boldleads-review-business-realFew businesses are able to enjoy a tremendous amount of success without having a strong system of support in place, although the type of support system can vary by a significant margin across differing industries. Determining the ideal typeof support system to put in place is a critical component in any strategy for long-term business viability, which is why business leaders must be entirely committed to analyzing the approach that is best suited to their company’s specific goals.

Businesses operating in the real estate industry are already quite aware of available systems of support, as a company like BoldLeads reviews the impact and efficacy of its wide-ranging practices to ensure that its clients are benefiting to the greatest degree possible as a result of utilizing the support system the company has put in place for real estate agents. Forleaders in industries other than real estate, it should be well understood that developing a network of support such as the one available to real estate agents through BoldLeads is a critical step to ensuring the long-term viability and success of their company

Ralph Slaske – The Man Behind the House
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Ralph Slaske – The Man Behind the House

Starting out as an engineer, after building his own home, Ralph Slaske decided to leave the corporate world behind to break ground on his own home building business. Since its founding in 2005, Slaske Building Company has brought expertise and insight that is second to none.
As a member of Home Builders Association of Greater Toledo as well as The National Association of Homebuilders he has also become the only Graduate Master Builder in Northwest Ohio.
Mr. Slaske believes that customer satisfaction is the primary goal when designing each custom home home, his attention to detail and quality have earned him the Single Family Home of the Year from the Toledo Homebuilders Association.

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Career Tips From Randi Glazer

Randi Glazer’s new book is a must-read for anyone contemplating a career in the underwriting industry. As an underwriter, Randi Glazer evaluated applications, determined the risk to the company and set customer’s premiums. It was a job that was constantly at odds with the sales department; therefore, her book has some interesting anecdotes.

Her book is also a good read for anyone who wants a glimpse into the inter-office conflict that is prevalent in industries where one department’s goal conflicts with another department’s goal. Randi Glazer’s experience as a female career professional is also highly informative; there are many aspects of a career, such as office politics and fitting into an organization’s culture that are not taught in college.

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America Needs Small Businesses Like Slaske Builders

Business is the heart of any nation and as business grows, that nation grows with it. Take America for example. The lifeline of America is the small business, but with major corporations such Wal-Mart, small business is doomed. What does that mean for America?  Small businesses are absolutely crucial for building up the strength of the economy even if they don’t take in as much business and earn nearly as much revenue as a major corporation. What small businesses also do, is provide jobs opportunities. Slaske Builders is a great example of this and the way they build not only homes, but also the local economy and function  as the foundation for some of the largest corporations.

How exactly do small businesses improve the economy? Why should you give a local grocery store your business rather than going to Wal-Mart for your needs? Small businesses give strength to local economies by bringing the possibility to build and do more with the community. In a nutshell, without the small business as the foundation for everything to build on, America would collapse eventually because small businesses give support to other businesses and add balance.

Supplying employment opportunities are another way small businesses also help encourage growth of the economy. You wouldn’t go work for a major corporation at 17 would you? It happens, yes, but it is highly unlikely and very rare. Small business are the best place for you to start and get your introduction to the world by joining the workforce. The small business is also where you learn your first important life lessons to prepare you for big world and possibly working for that corporation. If there is a large business in the neighborhood, it can also reap the benefits of surrounding small businesses.

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Jody Rookstool Offers Unique Insight Into Creating Additional Revenue Streams

Maximizing the potential revenue of a business is obviously a paramount concern, and the best leaders understand the importance of investigating every possible way to enhance existing revenue streams while also looking into ways to create new ones. According to Jody Rookstool, there are many businesses that are missing out on some very simply means for enhancing profitability. As the author of a travel book on Texas, Rookstool has intimate knowledge of some of the more interesting techniques employed by companies in the Lone Star State, though she has acknowledged that perhaps not all of these techniques are the kind that can be implemented on a widespread basis.

According to Rookstool, many Texas attractions are able to remain successful by embracing strategies that set them apart as unique and memorable. In many cases, businesses have commissioned temporary art installations that became so popular they remained a permanent fixture. While a financial institution would not likely benefit from the levity inherent in such a project, there are plenty of businesses in other industries that could enhance profits by welcoming an artist to create something weird and unique to draw the interest of visitors.

There is often little risk involved in such an endeavor, as it is fairly easy to find an up-and-coming artist who is more than happy to create something in exchange for nothing more than a large space in which the piece can be displayed. If the installation does not have the intended effect, it can be just as easily removed, with the only risk being the potential impact on the company’s reputation. Organizations that are interested in cultivating a fun and daring reputation among its clientele could certainly benefit from taking a chance on an art installation.