As small business owners, we all have a love/hate relationship with our clients. Obviously, we love when clients are paying money for our services, which (ultimately) pays for everything that we enjoy in life: food, shelter, transportation, vacations, and that new 85” 4K ultra-high-def TV. But we hate it when some of those same clients turn into vile-spewing demons, bent …
Am I Invisible?
Many industries suffer from invisibility. People working jobs that are very important, without anyone really knowing what it is that they do or what service they’re providing. And like H.G. Wells tells us in his science fiction novel, it’s tough to be invisible. Ever wonder what it is an actuary does? How about a sonographer? And what about an industrial …
Above and beyond
As professional business owners, we all have some standard that we operate by; some set of guidelines that we put out there so that our clients know what it is they’re actually getting when they hire us. Typically, these principles are provided to our clients in one form or another, either printed out in some sort of list or outlined …
The Value of Providing Value
While I’m certainly not an attorney, it’s fairly easy for the average person to learn almost everything they need to know about the law from a small amount of quality internet research. While doing a bit of investigation to see if there were any ways that I could improve my current home inspection contract, I came across a site where …
Your Permanent Record
If you’re of a certain age (i.e.: old like me), you probably remember being a kid and getting “corrected” for doing something wrong. Back in those days, correction probably involved some hard object finding its way onto your backside, often in a swift and repeated manner! But regardless of whether or not your correction involved borderline child abuse, you were …
Some (of the) People. Dealing with Unhappy Clients
There’s an old saying that applies to customer satisfaction in your business. Is says that if you make an honest effort, you can please about 90% of your customers. Of the remaining 10% of your customers, it will take twice as much effort to please half of them. Of the remaining 5% of your customers, it will take twice as much effort …
3 Simple Principles to Growing Your Business
Running your own business ranks up there as one of the most challenging things most people will ever do in their lifetime. It’s unfortunate, but the majority of those small businesses will end in failure. In the U.S., only about 25% of small business startups make it past their two-year anniversary. While the odds are stacked against new business owners, …
Wiggle Room
Give the people what they want. It’s an often-repeated business mantra. It seems like a simple-enough way to run a successful business. Find out what your client is looking for and give it to them. You would think that every businessperson already knows that this is the key to running a business. But you’d be wrong. Just by doing this …
Turning Them Around. Making Sure Your Clients Sing Your Praises
One of the most difficult things about running a business is dealing with clients. An often-heard complaint is that “this would be a great job if it wasn’t for all of these damn clients!” And yes, I know that our customers are the whole reason that we are in business, but (sometimes) dealing with them can cause a business owner …
7 Things That Can Influence Your Business Success
In my position as an educator, I often find myself speaking with people about the home inspection business. Whether its inspectors that are brand new to the industry or individuals who are interested in becoming an inspector, the questions they ask are usually quite similar, and the answers apply to all types of new businesses. How hard is it to …
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