Business Beware Blog: Giving Your Business a Voice

Freelancers Dealing with Problem Clients

We have had numerous wed designers/freelancers start signing up for Business Beware. For some reason people take advantage of these freelancers and their work. Imagine that?

Is Business Beware something a freelancer or web designer can use?

Absolutely. You need to get paid for the work you do no matter what that work is and you deserve just as much respect as any business owner. Use the “beware letter”to help you try and collect from those customers who won’t pay and/or warn other businesses about those CustoMonsters that are just flat out rude.

If you know of a fellow web developer that is dealing with a problem customer let them know that we are here for them and that we said to fire their bad customers.

Here’s a recent testimonial from a web developer:

“I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and work with everyone on projects they need done but I quickly learned this just can’t happen. I found Business Beware and put about 5 to 10 people on there that are just too ridiculous to work with so others could be aware of them. This is a great service and tool for freelancers out there so take advantage of it.”  -Justin B. Cleveland, OH

A Vehicle to Promote. A Journey to Inspire.

You know there are some amazing people out there doing remarkable things where it makes you just go “wow.” We stumbled across these guys the other day – Million Dollar Road Trip (thanks to our friend Jason with iwearyourshirt) and can’t help but spread the word about them.

What is Million Dollar Road Trip?

The Million Dollar Road Trip (MDRT) is a cross-media marketing business promoting, celebrating and inspiring the American entrepreneurial spirit today. Read more about them here.

 Why advertise on MDRT’s airstream?

MDRT will attend sporting events, music festivals, conferences, college campuses, street parties, and more. We will be in every contiguous state and 50 cities. Over 4 million people will see the Airstream this year – your ad will be on it! Read more about why you should advertise with them here.

We already signed up with them and put our logo on there and here’s how excited the guys were when we jumped on board (they literally jumped):

This is not only an awesome thing that they’re doing but they are supporting small businesses everywhere and for that we love them. You can tell they have a passion for what they’re doing and believe in it so wouldn’t you want someone like that to back your business and logo? We think so.

Visit their site. Follow them on Twitter. Catch up with them on Facebook.

Retail Stores Fed Up With CustoMonsters

In honor of the upcoming holidays (even though it doesn’t even feel like it here in FL as we sweat all day, everyday) we thought this was appropriate to use when we stumbled across it. Here’s what was written (too good not to share):

Dear Customer,

You are not always right. And we do make fun of how stupid you are as soon as you leave.

Sincerely, Everyone who works retail.

This is so true. It’s just the reality that if you act up as a customer and always expect to be right you’re going to get made fun of or get the “A” price as we call it in the service industry. What’s also mind boggling is that the holidays are suppose to be a time for giving, being merry and spreading Christmas cheer but the holidays seem to bring out the CustoMonster in people. The customer is not always right, even people in retail know that.

If you have a CustoMonster walk into your store or business you know what to do…fire them.

Here is the link to the article

Sometimes Good Customers Just Have a Bad Day

The Customer is Not Always Right.

You know how we feel about this and what our website stands for. The customer is not always right because nobody is always right honestly. Take care of your good customers and fire the bad ones, it’s that simple.

Bad Customers (aka CustoMonsters)

There are a lot of bad customers out there that try and take advantage of business owners. You know exactly these types of customers we’re talking about too. These rude customers are the ones that cause you headaches, cost you money and take time away from your good customers. Two words – FIRE THEM.

Good customers having a bad day.

Have you ever had a customer that you’ve known and always known to be a great customer but seemed to be a little more on the rude side that day? There is a huge difference in a bad customer and a good customer having a bad day. Like we always say here at Business Beware – you never know what’s going on in someones life or what their day has been like so don’t always jump to conclusions that they’re a bad customer. Of course, it’s not right for someone to take out their bad day on you as the employee or business owner but just always remember that something else could be causing them to be in a bad mood.

Here is an example of exactly what we’re talking about. This movie most of you know…Father of the Bride with Steve Martin. In this movie he is a great father/worker and husband from what is portrayed. During the movie he gets stressed out about his daughter getting married, letting go and all the things that come with a wedding. Needless to say he is stressed out when he goes into the grocery store trying to purchase hot dog buns.

So here’s a down to earth and nice guy that has had a rough few weeks and takes it out on the store employee. But notice at the end (when he’s in jail) where he realizes that was his breaking point and that he was in the wrong.

Bad days happen to everyone.

Everyone has bad days so when you come across a customer that is being rude remember there may be something behind them reacting like they are. But if they are a consistent pain to deal with every time you see or deal with them then that my friend is a bad customer that needs to be fired.

Changing the Small Business World One CustoMonster at a Time

Yes, we are changing and shaking up the small business world. Customers have always dominated the outlets where they had a voice and could rant about businesses and rate them etc. but we decided to put our foot down and raise the roof. Small business owners are so tired of dealing with customers that want things for free, are impatient, rude, penny pincher’s and just flat out mean. If you’re going to be a bad customer don’t expect to get a deal because you’re only going to get the “A Price.”

We’re changing the game for small business owners and that’s the way we uh huh, uh huh like it.

Here is a recent testimonial from a business owner that became a member of Business Beware just a few short weeks ago:

“A friend of mine told me about your site and at first I thought it was like others I had seen where they plaster complaints and create derogatory comments about customers. But from first glance at your site and reading it over I knew it was different. One thing that I love about it is that it was created by a small business owner who knows exactly what the rest of us go through day in and out. I immediately signed up for the site after reading more and more. I had a customer who had not paid for me for quite some time and I decided to try out the beware letter you provide. The letter was sent out to my customer and about 2 weeks later I got a phone call from them saying they were sorry for not communicating with me and were bringing me a check the following Monday. There were months I never heard back from this customer but once they received the letter it made them get back in touch with me and I could not believe it. I was already a fan after first glance of the site but now I am a true believer and will use this site for any future situations with my problem or nonpaying customers. Thank you for providing this amazing tool for us that are just trying to make a living doing what we love.”
-Josh H., Atlanta, GA

We are not here to convince you to use our site. It’s a free tool for you to use, it works and it can save you from a splitting headache with your CustoMonsters. Also, if you like what we do we are willing to bet that you will enjoy our show too. For more information on how to watch or listen to the show visit our official site.

Have a testimonial you want to send in? We love hearing from you so don’t be shy send us an email at info-at-businessbeware-dot-biz

Irrigation Tips & Tricks

Robert spoke at the Southwest FL Park and Rec conference about irrigation tips and tricks. This is part 1 of the of the video series we are providing to everyone. Stay tuned for part 2 to come your way soon.

For any questions about irrigation feel free to contact Robert via email: Robert-at-businessbeware-dot-biz

3 Months Free Accounting Services

Our friends and partners over at Under30CEO has a great offering going on that is good for the next 48hrs, until Oct. 28th, 9:30am EST. They have 3 months free on the premium package of “Less Accounting”, a $72 value, and are selling it for only $5. Less Accounting is a web based platform that does everything from invoicing to expense tracking to integrating with your bank account. As they say they are simply trying to make accounting suck less! Another great thing is that once you purchase the discount your code has no expiration date. Even if your business won’t be ready for a few months you will still be able to use the service for free!

If you want to purchase it or learn more check out the information on their site http://bit.ly/aquNgE

This is a great tool for your small business so take advantage of it!

5 Ways To Get Personal About Your Business

So we were chatting with some fellow business owners the other day and the subject came up about how a business could really let others know about them or “get personal” shall we say with those who want to learn more about them. We all know social media is a great tool for others to find you or look up information about your business and what you do etc. So we thought of a few things you could share with others via your blog or website so they can get to know you.

1. Share your company’s history or story

2. Introduce your staff

3. Give people a video tour of your building or work area

4. Describe your company culture

5. Share about the local vendors you trust

There are lots of ways you can get personal about your business and even feel free to share things that happen with you as a business owner – the ups and downs of being a small business owner, your biggest challenges, share company stories and anything you feel that can relate to other small business owners or even customers.

Oh and a reminder – don’t forget to check out #SmallBizTechTour and the dates you can attend this glorious event. We would love to see you in ATL, if you’re there stop by and say hello.

Best Thing You Can Do For a Bad Customer is…Click.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for a bad customer or while you’re “pre-qualifying” them over the phone is to just hang up on them. If they don’t get the picture then hang up again. It’s common sense people seriously. Why spend all that time trying to please that customer that you know is not going to be a walk in the park while all you’re really doing is taking time away from your good customers?

Good customers can pick up on these things and they are not idiots. So if they see you spending your time on them it may make them change their mind and go elsewhere (happens all the time). Value your good customers but fire your bad ones and just get it over with.

Watch this quick video about how to just say…click. (snippet from the show this week)

Also don’t forget to check out the show: Bad Customers Get the “AP” Price

Email Marketing for Contractors: Holiday Marketing Idea

Do you find yourself with more downtime then usual over the holiday season?  Why not use that time to try out a different marketing idea this holiday; email marketing.

You don’t need a fancy email system or even a server to send mailers. You just need some time, your email account and a list of contacts both of past and future clients.

(Don’t have a list of contacts? Time to start! Create an excel spreadsheet with all of your clients and potential clients. Include their name, phone number, email address, address (or location of project), project status, work completed or requested.  Do this for all clients, even those you didn’t get the job from.  Include other details to help you remember them such as likes or dislikes they had, if you have before or after photos, and other details that will help you remember and connect with them. This will demonstrate to them that you never forget a face and you focus on service, not the sale).

The objective of emailing your contact list this holiday season is twofold. One is to touch base with past clients, ensure they are satisfied, and remind them of your services. The other is to sell yourself to potential clients (not your services). Please do not copy all the email addresses you have into a single email and send it off with a simple “Happy Holidays!” That will get no results.  As a service provider, you need to continue to provide a service for your clients. Stay personalized and focused on who they are and the job you completed or they wanted completed.

For your past clients you want to mention who you are and send best wishes for the holiday of your choice.  Then personalize further based on the project and the experience you share with them.  If you haven’t already so, send photos of their project.  Ask them how satisfied they are with the work.  If you get a response back, you now have a written referral to put on your website and other promotional material!  Make sure to conclude that you are ready to assist if they should encounter any issues or anything else they may need this New Year.

When mailing to potential clients, chances are they do not remember who you are.  Therefore be sure to note when you last spoke to them and what the project was about as well as details about yourself and your business.  Ask them if they ever did get the job completed and if it was to their satisfaction. If possible, send them a link to samples of your related work from other clients. Remind them that you are there for them in the upcoming year.

Need to add something more?  Don’t offer them a discount or push a promotion; instead offer them content (e.g. an article, that ideally YOU have written) about the best care or maintenance tips for floors or cabinets or piping… etc.  Think about what else you can offer for free that will make you stand out and will add cheer to their lives. Remember service is the name of your game.

If you can be creative and different from your competition as well as personalized; you will ensure that your company is in their minds (and in-boxes) and will build loyalty (as well as referrals). Make sure to include links to your website and social media pages after your “signature”.   Good luck with your email marketing strategy!

Article written by: 

Mary Baker – Marketing Manager at ConstructionDeal.com

ConstructionDeal.com – the advertising portal connecting contractors with homeowners in real time and the only site with contact guarantee.