It is human nature to enjoy being appreciated. Something as simple as "hey, good job today" from the boss or "thank you honey for doing the dishes" goes a long way.

When dealing in the world of commerce, the same is true. It is the little things that help great companies stick out above all the rest. The little touches as discrete as confirmation calls can tell your client that you are eagerly anticipating their upcoming meeting and prepared to take care of their needs. It also shows a level of professionalism which many times in today's world is over looked and underrated.

There is no formula lining out how to make your client's experience feel appreciated. Every service and product calls for different protocol. If you deal with high end services, buying lunch during the negotiation process is fine, but how about a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant so they can take their significant other on a date in the middle of a big project? Is there a show coming up that you can get tickets for that they would enjoy?

For smaller projects and products, showing your appreciation should be appropriately proportionate. Many times a simple thank you card is more than enough; especially if you hand write a note and/or sign each one.

It is all about adding that personal touch. Whatever you decide to use to show your appreciation for your clients' patronage, remember that it is an added value that most of your competition is neglecting. I little goes a long way and the more personal it is, the more impact it will have.

 

Small business is most susceptible to peaks and valleys in sales volume. When times are good, they are really good. But what of the times it seems all the clients have moved out of town? Well, there is still money to be made. The key is to adopt your approach to take into account a change in people's attitudes. This three part series touches on ways to overcome the distressed times.

Target your competition
People are always spending money. Sometime the masses may have an overall draw down, but people still spend money everyday. The trick is  to search out these spenders. One way to find them is to take a look at your competition.

Put your competitors under a magnifying glass and study their strategies. How do they compare to you? Are there things you do better now? Are there things you can work on and do better than them? Once you have created your competitive advantage, put a spot light on it in your marketing collateral and broadcast it to the world.

Keep your pricing steady
Slashing all of your pricing during slow times in an effort to attract new customers can actually hurt your bottom line. It's a better idea to target a selected few items and focus a campaign around a special. Chose products that lead into the purchase of other products to create larger sales in the end.

Sustaining your pricing structure shows clients and competition that things are all well within your company. It also shows that there has been no compromise in quality. Focus on added value points and outstanding customer service to help keep your company in the fore front of their mind.

You may have noticed the new look of Buzzbizz Studios over the last month. It continues with a new look to our on-line services site. Within the site, you will find all of the services a business would need to make their on-line presence functional and effective. We are offering special pricing on hosting, domain registration, interent advertising and search engine optimization services for the  months of July and August. Take a peek at www.bbshosting.biz .

We are also launching a new internet marketing service that allows you to market to your local area. The technology utilized produces geo-targeted viewing of your ads. This saves you money by only paying to advertise to specific areas. Choose areas as small as Sitka or Nome or as wide as Alaska for one flat rate. Call the studio today and see how you can advertise on nearly 200 websites for as low as $99 per month. It is truly amazing and is taking internet advertising to the next level.