Use Your Web Site To Handle Routine Tasks

More and more businesses are finding that the Internet can be used to reduce costs and free up employees' time to work on other activities. The primary way that many small businesses are using the Internet it to direct customers to their Web sites for information they used to mail out. Estimates put the cost of processing, handling and mailing informational packets at $7.00 per packet. Not only are businesses using the Internet to save these costs, they free up the time of the employees who were processing these requests. Another example of the way the Internet is being used to free up time is automatically sending the information entered on your web site’s registration forms (e.g., requesting more information, asking for a quote, subscribing to your newsletter, etc.) into your CRM system for subsequent processing. This removes the need to manually re-enter all the data, which takes up valuable time and is prone to entry errors. Yet another example is the display of product pricing and availability information. Many customers and prospective customers call in for this information - taking employees away from other tasks. By putting this information on the Internet, customers/prospects can simply check the Web site for the information. Obviously the next step is ordering and many businesses are putting this function online as well. Look at the various ways that the Internet can potentially save time and money for your organization. You might be surprised at what you will find.

Good Luck & Good Selling!
Russ

Not All Customers Are Good Ones

Customers should be valued and catered to. They are the lifeblood of any business. But many businesses have a customer or two that simply are more trouble than they are worth. These are the customers that beat you up constantly for lower prices, they demand more than is reasonable and they generally make you and your employees' lives miserable. In many cases, these customers are costing the company more than they are bringing it. A judgment call needs to be made in terms of whether a customer of this nature is important enough to the overall goals of the business to continue to have a relationship with. In some cases, it is justifiable for the business to terminate its relationship with a customer. While not common or recommended for most customers, the few that are truly too much trouble and too costly to deal with might need to be asked to buy elsewhere in a very tactful and professional manner. But think through any such decision completely and carefully before making it. Some relatively new customers that are difficult and not profitable grow into very profitable ones. And in some cases the customer simply needs to have someone work closer with them to develop a better understanding of pricing and service issues.

Good Luck & Good Selling!
Russ