Jan Norman, columnist for the Orange County Register has interviewed thousands of business owners over the last two decades to find out how they wow customers. She shared some of her findings in the March/April 2010 issue of Self-Employed, and it was a great read.

When you think about your favorite store or vendor, you can probably pinpoint something they do that makes them special in your opinion and why you choose to do business with them again and again. What is it that makes your customers think and say “Wow!”?

Think hard, the answer is important, says Norman, and I agree—the Wow Factor is what creates customer loyalty, generates referrals and word-of-mouth advertising and building your brand recognition. After all, we all like to be surprised in a good way.

This article gives some quick tips on identifying your “Wow Factor”, examples of how other small businesses wow their clients, how to create a Wow Factor and how to make it pay off.

Your Wow Factor may not even be in your product or service, sometimes it's how you do things. Most times creating that intangible thing that sets you apart doesn't cost much, just a little time, thought and persistent execution.

For ideas on creating your own Wow Factor, read the full Jan Norman article here.

In the January/February issue of Self-Employed magazine, Jan Norman of the OC Register provided great insight in how to use good nuts and bolts business basics in new and different ways to help small businesses succeed and compete in today's market. The article covers planning, financing, customer service, technology and of course, our favorite, marketing.

Featured was Internet marketing, a high-tech twist on old-fashioned ways of keeping in touch with customers and we must agree. E-Based marketing allows you to target just the segment of the market you desire and then track your results. There are some great examples of how various firms have incorporated email marketing into their strategy and how it has helped them build sales and marketing momentum. Just by taking a basic communication approach and handling it a slightly different way, firms small and large can benefit from the power of the Internet and e-based dialogues with their customers and prospects.

Read the full article at: http://www.nase.org/knowledgecenter/selfemployed/selfemployedcurrent/10-01-06/Back_To_Basics.aspx

A recent study by Exhibitor Magazine has revealed some very interesting facts about how social media is impacting face-to-face marketing. 8,000 participants were involved and one-third indicated they have used Social Media as an exhibit-marketing tool. 90% of those using it noted that their efforts in this medium helped them achieve their trade-show objectives and met or exceeded expectations.

There is no doubt that social media is not just a fad and is quickly becoming the way we will plant the seeds to grow and nurture new business relationships. The survey provides lots of interesting information about what forms of social media are being used and how and what businesses find have been the most effective.

Most people surveyed are spending at least 1-5 hours a week dedicated to social media and see it as having potential as an important part of the overall marketing strategy and promotional mix.If you're looking for some basic information or ideas on how you can incorporate social media into your marketing strategy, this article provides excellent, easy to understand facts and figures to help businesses of all kinds determine how and where they should "dip their toes" into the social media pond.

Read the full article and see the survey results at:

http://www.exhibitoronline.com/exhibitormagazine/jan10/social-studies-media-sites-marketing.asp

Here's some quick ideas for tapping into the power of the press and getting some free publicity for your company.

Case Studies or Project Stories

Chances are you just helped a client with a project, or provided them with a service that assisted their organization in achieving a goal or made worklife better or more productive. Perhaps it was just a helping hand when they needed to resolve an issue that there wasn't a specific technology, product or service available and you provided insight or a workaround.

These situations can make really great feature stories or how to articles that print and online publishers are hungry for. Good, real-world useful information and problem solving examples that others can use or refer to are really appreciated by editors who often get bombarded with press and news releases that are sometimes a little heavy on the commerical or advertorial side.

When you have a successful outcome with a client, ask them if they would be willing to be interviewed for the creation of an article about their company, the project and the what, when, where and why about it. You will get to mention your company and the item/service that was used by your client of course, but make it clear to your client that you're not looking for an endorsement, just simply a run down of what happened, the problem, solution and results. When you finish developing your story, provide it to your client for review and approval prior to sending it to any publication and let your customer know that you will be doing this at the very beginning. This goes a long way in getting clients to participate in the process freely and provides that extra level of comfort that they won't be misquoted or misrepresented.

If you aren't a strong writer, consider outsourcing this task to a freelance reporter or journalist that works within your industry. Working with someone familiar with your industry and terminology will help in crafting an article that stands a better chance of being accepted for publication since it will present your information in a format that is specifically geared to your target audience and the type of information that is most useful and beneficial to them (note: editors really appreciate this!).

In some cases, you might even get your story written at no cost to you by the publication you are targeting if you can supply one of their staff writers with a story lead, a brief synopsis and help them make contact with your customer. They will have an exclusive on the piece in this case but if it is an important, prominent publication in your industry, it is well worth it.

And, when you get published, ask about reprints and obtaining an electronic version of the story for posting on your website. Don't be afraid to brag about the fact that you were featured in the press, pass your reprints out, tell as many people as you can.

PR is a side of marketing that takes a little effort but not much money to initiate and can help get you long-term positive visibility and recognition. So, put your thinking caps on and let me know when I can read all about you and your customers in the news.

As we reflect back on 2009 and start revving up the engines to take on the new decade with gusto, there's never been a better time to look at your marketing strategy and plan.

Chart Your Marketing Course

If you don't have a plan, the start of a new year is an excellent time to chart your course. It takes a little work but can be a very rewarding experience and will help you focus on what's important and keep on track to meet your goals. If you've never developed a plan, not to worry, it doesn't need to be the size of the great American novel. You can keep it very simple. It is just important to get your goals out of your head and organized into one paper document.

Start with the basics—make a list of your goals and then develop some ideas of how you'd like to achieve them. Set up a timeline (be realisitic when it comes to the workload) and what you will accomplish, how and by when. If you are going to delegate tasks, list who will be responsible and what their deadline for completing those tasks will be. Also make sure to budget an appropriate amount to properly execute each marketing initiative or promotion and create a method for tracking how each of your strategies is working (ROI - return on investment): inquiries generated, leads converted to sales, sales amount generated, time investment from inception/inquiry to sale.

If you already had a plan in place for 2009, before setting up your 2010 “Marketing Resolutions” and Marketing Plan, reflect carefully on the prior year and use it as a guide or benchmark for developing a well tuned strategy going forward. A lot can be learned from the not too distant past to help make the near future much brighter.

Here are a quick tips for reviewing and updating your plan:

• What initiatives did you implement?
• What strategies worked the best?
• Which were the most cost effective?
• What marketing initiatives/campaigns created the best response and what do you think created the reaction?
• What successful initiatives can you repeat or recreate?
• Did an increase in marketing expenditures result in an increase in sales and if so, what was the ratio?

Make note of what didn't quite work as well as you had hoped and make adjustments to your plans for the coming year accordingly. With the rapid shift in how we are receiving our information these days, it isn't unusual to find that the traditional forms of media that always seemed to work well in the past aren't performing like they once did so don't hesitate in eliminating the duds and focusing your investments on more of the top performers. i.e. we have a client who after careful examination is making a shift in 2010 to more web based marketing initiatives vs. traditional print because that's where their client base is looking for information now and they are also streamlining tradeshow participation, looking at alternative methods for meetings such as webinars which proved an excellent investment during the prior year.

Other items to consider:

• Was your follow through inconsistent?
• Did you begin a campaign and cut it off mid-stream due to budget constraints or other issues?
• Were there leads or prospects that weren't nurtured as well as they could have been?
• Did marketing get put on the back burner so you could devote your time to doing other things?

If you answered yes to any of these, you may want to consider incorporating some outside help into your marketing plans to manage or implement your marketing initiatives going forward.

If you feel like you may need assistance developing a plan or reviewing an existing strategy objectively, there are free consulting resources available for small business sponsored by the government. The Women's Business Development Centers sponsored by the SBA (WBCD)  in conjunction with local universities is just one such option. The centers offer a wide variety of free services to help businesses succeed at whatever stage they are in their life cycle. Don't be fooled by the name, they work with men too. It's your tax dollars at work so don't be shy about taking advantage of these great resources for your organization.

So, good luck to all in 2010 and creating a clear path for a prosperous future. Happy marketing trails!

Although one might not think to list it in the marketing tool box, customer service is one of the most critical and valuable elements of your overall marketing strategy - or should be. You can do a great job at advertising and promoting your product and service to get the client in the door, but it's the experience with you or your staff that will ultimately win the business and keep it or lose you a customer forever.

I recently had one of the best and one of the worst customer service/interaction experiences of my life.

Let's talk about the positive one first...

My mother (who is turning 86 very soon) is slowing down a bit and shopping for clothing can often be a challenge as it is tiring, so she avoids the experience as much as possible. She finally reached "critical mass" and putting off a shopping trip could no longer be delayed. We decided to go on this adventure together during my visit to see her at the beginning of December. We've both always had good luck at Talbots (we're both very petite) and although Talbots may be considered by some as a bit "pricey", the quality is always excellent and in the long run, a better economic value than other so-called bargain brands.

So, we set off on a mission to get Mom a new wardrobe at the Brinton Lakes, Pennsylvania branch of Talbots. We were greeted by a sales associate by the name of Laurel. What happened next was something I wish I could have caught on video tape to use as a training/example course on how customer service should be done. Laurel took the time to listen to why we were there, what we were trying to accomplish, my mother's style, fabric and color preferences, basically all of the details, very carefully. She then got to work, going to the racks, bringing items to us to view that met our previously discussed criteria. I point this out because it became quickly obvious that Laurel had taken the time to really know her product line and was able to present solutions that fit our needs instead of wasting time showing items that would never be considered.

Never once did she push, she just gave assistance, making suggestions and offering options, she was attentive without being overbearing. Laurel was friendly, ready with a smile and made us feel that we were important and the reason why she was there that day. In other words, we were "the BOSS", not her company or manager. Because of this attitude, at the end of the day, we wound up purchasing many, many more items than we had originally planned on and walked out completely thrilled with our successful shopping experience. Not one to give compliments about sales people very often, on our ride home, my mother commented that the experience we had that day was one of the best she had ever had and that she would definitely go back to that particular store again and if possible, go when Laurel would be on duty to help her.

Laurel is the perfect example of how by listening to the customer and following through with solutions that benefit them vs. the company, a company can create an environment that breeds loyalty, bigger sales volume and of course referral business, even with expensive pricing and a lean economy. I say this because later that day, my mother made it a point to share her wonderful experience at Talbots and working with Laurel with all of her friends at the retirement community where she lives. Endorsements like these go a long way and have bigger promotion power than any advertising form I know.

Now, onto the really bad customer service experience...

US Airways or should I say US ScareWays...

December 7, 2009, Flight 2570, Charlotte NC (CLT) to Birmingham AL (BHM) - CRJ-700 regional jet, equipped with Mary, the flight attendant from @#$%^, complete with a nasty, dictator attitude that could get even the most patient and tolerant of people bothered. In fact, her treatment of me was pointedly noticed by several other passengers who made comments about it to me. Here's the scenario:

As a business traveler, I am on regional jets all the time and as such, I purposely purchase rolling laptop cases that will fit easily under the seat in front of me on small computer jet seats as I do not ever check (even gate check) my laptop case. Without my laptop and data files, I pretty much wouldn't have a business. As I approached the steps to the aircraft, Mary tersely informed me that I could not bring my "roller board" suitcase on board the flight. Here's how the "conversation" went from there:

Me: Ma'am this is not a rollerboard suitcase but simply a vertical style wheeled laptop briefcase.  I fly on regional jets with this bag with no issues as it fits under the seat in front of me, I've never been asked to check it before.

Mary:  I don't care, you can't bring it on, you need a check gate check tag and have to check it. We don't allow any bags with wheels on regional jets.

Me: Ma'am, that's very strange to learn as I fly regional jets almost exclusively, in fact I just got off 3 flights in the last 5 days on this same style aircraft and the attendants never had an issue with me or this bag.

Mary: Well then those attendants weren't doing their jobs properly. (stated in a very know-it-all, everyone else but me is stupid tone)

My first thought to this response was 'I guess every attendant on the last 50 flights or so I've taken on regional jets all don't know how to do their job properly accordingly to the all omnipotent Mary'. It was becoming painfully obvious  I was not going to get anywhere with this rude attendant, and that she could care less, so I decided I'd have to go to plan B.

Me: Ma'am, I cannot check the items in this briefcase safely, they are valuable electronics and I will have to empty the contents of this bag and bring everything on board, do you have anything I can use to put them in?

Mary: That's fine.

She obviously chose to ignore my request for help by offering me a plastic bag or other such item for my belongings and  then backed away from the door opening, all the while, watching me as I struggled to empty the contents of my briefcase: laptop, Kindle reading device, portable hard drive, cell phone and files I had to work on during the flight onto the tarmac and then, find a way to gather all these loose items up in my arms and make my way with the empty bag to the gate bag check attendant, then up the steep stairs of the aircraft without the ability to grab hold of the railings. For those of you who have never met me, I'm 4'10" and about 100 lbs, my frame isn't very big to hold lots of fragile items and make it up a steep set of stairs, all while carrying another small carry on bag with personal belongings. I did manage to make it, however, at the top of the last step I lost my footing slightly and when I stepped up and regained balance my one foot stomped loudly on the floor, which I believe Mary interpretted as my having a "temper tantrum". Never once as she watched me struggle with my arms full did she offer any help. It would have been a simple matter for her to give me one of the airline plastic trash bags to use to hold all of my loose items or at least offer a hand up but nothing was forth coming.

To add insult to injury, as I turned from the doorway and headed down the aisle to my seat, she loudly announced to her co-worker "That one has a real attitude because I wouldn't let her bring her bag on board. That ONE, THAT ONE! - am I a thing or a person, I think to myself. She said this loud enough so that I could clearly hear it as well as the first 5 rows of passengers on the plane.

I took a deep breath, got myself settled into my seat, resigned that at least I had all my items safely on board and that luckily this was a short flight and I wouldn't have to endure her rudeness very long. But then it happened, 3 other male passengers boarded the plane after me, all carrying wheeled laptop bags. Two of these passengers bags were even larger in dimension than what I was going to bring on board.

One of these lucky passengers, was seated directly across from me. His bag was bigger than mine and fit directly under the set in front of him, just as mine would have. He passed right by Mary and no issues, just like the other 2 gentleman. I looked at his bag and the other 2 passengers as they went by—I was dumbstruck and then became livid. There was obviously a double standard or singling out going on here.

The very nice passenger who was seated across from me, had witnessed the exchange and was symapathic, not really understanding why this attendant had done what she did. I was about to say something to her, making mention of why he was allowed to bring his bag on but not me, but he cautioned me not to say anything until we were well up in the air, noting that she was probably just mean enough to have me thrown off the plane if I dared question her authority. I agreed and kept my mouth shut but we did "laugh" later about how my face turned red and you could see the veins popping in my neck and forehead when I saw him come on board with that wheeled bag.

At the end of the flight, I thought about saying something upon leaving the aircraft, pointing out my fellow passenger as a comparison but decided I wouldn't bring myself down to her level, recognizing that she wouldn't care anyway and customer satisfaction and comfort were obviously not important to her. In fact, as a customer, I felt like I was just a bothersome gnat to this individual.

To some of you, this may seem like a very petty thing to get bothered about but this isn't so much about the inconvenience of having to check the bag as to why and how it was handled. This experience was a valuable and excellent example of how customer service should not be done (this would have made a great training 'how not to' video). Mary failed to recognize some very important facts when deciding to deliver her astoundingly awful customer service:

1. I fly because of my business
2. My business relies on the use of valuable electronics like laptops (which 99% of business travelers have with them when they travel) and that these tools of our trade have to be protected
3. Without our tools, we have no business
4. Without business, we have no reason to travel to see clients
5. Without a reason to travel, we don't need airlines or airline attendants
6. Without me, the customer, you don't have a job

When someone asks Mary,‘ who's the boss?’, I venture to guess, she'll give her supervisor's name and not the right answer for companies that want to survive in a competitive environment. The right answer to the question of “Who's The Boss?” is The Customer.

I hope someone at US Airways reads this post and sets up some customer service training for all those staff members who interact with their customers so that others won't have an experience that will create the opinion that I now have about this airline which is, US Airways SUCKS! Yes, it is harsh but that's my honest feeling. I have many choices of airlines for my travel needs and I have vowed to myself that I will NEVER, EVER, give one more penny of my travel business to US Airways, even if they are the last airline left, I'd rather drive or take a bus or train than take the chance of being subjected to another round of rudeness.

So, the lessons here are that both of these experiences are etched in my memory, for better or worse and for the long term. Word also travels fasts - just as my mother was quick to share her positive experience with her friends, so too, am I quick to share my positive and negative experiences with as many people as will listen in this very public format as well as directly with all my friends and relatives (and we all know that people love to share a good, "bad experience" story that they've heard.) So, next time you or your staff interact with a customer, don't forget that your customer service could make you or break you and most importantly, who the real boss will always be.

Here's to creating only positive customer service experience memories with your organization each and every day!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

In these still uncertain times, I was pondering over a very poignant statement one of my client made in an email to me wishing me a happy Thanksgiving holiday: “A Blessed Thanksgiving, For all that we have and all that we do not have.”

I think most of us long for something material we don't have from time to time but when I read this, my own desires and thankfulness for material things all became insignificant.  After reading this simple wish and blessing it hit home that although I am thankful for the many material things that surround my family, the things I'm most grateful for this year are not of the tangible nature.

We have had a remarkable year, thanks to our many faithful clients and their generous referrals and for that I am more grateful than you can imagine. We got an opportunity to meet lots of new and interesting people in 2009 too, some who have become very good friends and strong business alliances.We got to work on some really fun projects and be creative to our hearts desire. Our granddaughter encouraged and helped us set up a Twitter account and a Facebook page and showed us how easy it was to tweet and post and how much fun this could be. This list of intangible things goes on and on.

But what we do not have has become even more important on the gratitude scale. Things like health issues, loss of a home or job, hunger or intense stress. Just like the positive things, this list can go on and on as well.

So, thank you family, friends, clients, colleagues, Facebook Fans, Twitter Followers and Linked In Connections for all you do. I wish you the same good wish as I received for this season of giving thanks: Many Blessings and Gratitude for What We Have and All That We Don't.

A cutting edge that is...

Here's neat idea for making your CD or DVD presentation stand out from the crowd. This is especially key if you're going to be handing out disks at tradeshows or other events along with the multitude of other companies who'll be doing it as well. Make sure your disk stands out from the stack and gets played—make it "cutting edge".

WhiteWave Foods, Inc. a natural foods  company created their CD in the shape of a flower and then imprinted the face with a full color image of a flower. This disk was handed  out at the Natural Products Expo (which I attended) and had a fact sheet, press release, product images, technical info and a small video presentation. The interesting shape was small—fitting into a pocket but it's unusual shape and fun design made it brilliant and a keeper presentation. Of all the materials and disks I brought home from the show, this one is the only one I hung onto as a great sample of marketing innovation.

Got a cool idea for a CD shape or imprint? I'd love to hear from you.

Duet Banner Stand

Some new portable display options have just become available that offer twice the fun for less cost. Typically a double sided banner stand requires double the fabric and graphic housing canisters/cylinders which means more weight. The new Duet double-sided banner stand from Skyline offers double exposure on one stand.

This new design lets you print different images and each side of the single sheet of banner fabric. It comes in two sizes and with only one panel to deal with, this makes set up much quicker.

If you're interested in this or another type of exhibit solution for your next tradeshow event, click here for more info

For small companies, you, the business owner are your brand, whether you like that idea or not. Your personal style and persona can often drive how your business is perceived and the type of clients you will attract. As we all get more connected via social media, word of mouth and other forms of personal marketing, business building is being driven more by the company "personality" than the product itself in some cases.

We're hearing lots of stories from vendors and customers alike that they are choosing who they want to do business with more on what the company or individual owner stands for, a personal story (the company history or why they started their company) than simply the product or service that company delivers.

For myself, I've lost a lot of faith in the big corporations, their structure of profit at all costs and lack of interest in the personal side of business. These days, our firm is purposely looking for solutions from smaller firms where I might actually get to interface with someone who started the company or is a stakeholder in that firm and has passion for what they are doing. Relationship marketing, even if it is just online is fast becoming a major way we're finding new vendors and customers.

Take A Personal Branding / Style Checkup Quiz:

• What's your style? (we not talking about fashion, although dressing for the occasion appropriately can be helpful)
• How do you want to be perceived and remembered? Are you being perceived the way you want?
• Do you have an interesting  or inspiring story? (most people do if they think about it) How many people know about it?
• Does your company and existing branding identity/imagery match up with who you are and what you stand for? Does it clearly communicate what you offer?
• Are you attracting the type of clients you want?

If you're unsure of the answers to any of these questions or the answers are not coming back as positively as you'd like, it might be a good time to visit your branding, both company and personal for a "facelift".

One way to get started is to make a list of your "A-Type" customers, you know the 20% of your client base who give you 80% of your key business. You'll probably notice a common thread or threads that drove them to you and swayed their purchasing decision to your firm. If those qualities that brought those ideal customers to you are not as apparent and consistently visible or understandable, you might want to think about making that information more transparent and easily accessible to prospects.

In some cases you might need to redesign your logo or brochure or website. However, just changing one thing won't be the magic silver bullet to bring a string of new A-Type clients rushing through your front door. Branding is a lot of little important elements that when strung together provide tools for your target audience to recognize you and establish a perception about what you stand for and who you are. It all has to match up in order for people to accurately "get you" and know if you are a "good match" for them and can give them the desired vendor-client relationship.

In the words of Tom Peters on FastCompany.com, December 2007 - "big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the age of the individual, you have to be your own brand...Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."