The Business Pod's Blog

In business, every contact with your customer is an opportunity for expanding and growing the relationship. A phone call is nice but sending a business greeting card means that effort and consideration was put into the relationship. A greeting card can be sent as a reminder for an event, upcoming meeting or simply a thank you note. With the highly competitive market that we have today, having a good rapport with your customers is a way of getting ahead of the competition.      There are a lot of reasons why businesses send greeting cards. You may want to attract new customers, enhance a current business relationship or show appreciation to those who have faithfully supported your business during the year. It is essential though to carefully design the card as a well-meant card can actually offend the recipient when it is not done properly. Choosing a poor design can also mean a lot of things to the people you want to impress. The recipient can take it as a sign that the business

When you think of creating a new brand, it’s easy to think about advertising managers sitting around a conference room tossing around ideas with caffeine fueled creativity. However, often the most powerful branding comes from adding a little “fun” to your brand experience. Driven by the Burger King mentality, today’s customers want to do business their way on their time. They want to make their own choices. As business people, it’s our job to make sure then when customers are ready to make their choice, our product or service is their top choice. Below are five secrets to put some spark and imagination into your brand and create an unforgettable brand experience. Secret #1: Tell Your Company’s Unique Brand Story Television shows have long been a part of our culture. When viewers watch television shows, they see stories about characters that we relate to. Remember the Brady Bunch theme song? It tells the story of a lovely lady... well, you know how it goes. Now imagine harne

How do you define good customer service?  Does that simply mean the satisfactory marketing and sale of a product or service to a customer, or does it mean something else? Is providing good customer service, good enough?  In these days of below average customer service, you may think providing good service will set you apart from the pack. Well, I am here to tell you that nothing less than exemplary service will help you succeed.  By incorporating the “wow” factor into every successful sale, you will achieve greater profits and better customer satisfaction. To achieve the “wow” factor, you must be honest, knowledgeable, friendly, professional and deliver on your promises. Do not over promise, but do not under promise either.  In addition, you must be able to provide a high level of service to everyone who comes in contact with your business. If you do, you’ll also get more referrals from your satisfied clients. “Wow” everyone who comes into contact with you and your busine

If you want to get paid what you're worth here are eight ways to sell value - not price : 1. Be Unique. If there is nothing that differentiates you from your competition you become common. Webster defines the word common as, "ordinary or not special" and the only way buyers select one common service over another is price. Take stock of your skills, experience and knowledge. Are you a specialist in some area? Are you an expert in certain facets of your business? These and other differentiators can make you unique and valuable to a select group of clients. 2. Choose Your Clients Carefully: Don't ever let your clients choose you or you will be at their mercy. If a deal is going to close successfully, the true professional should be in control, not the client. To begin controlling your business, write down the attributes of the people you want as clients and then go out and get them with targeted marketing. I hope the first item on your list of attributes is th