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Category: Calgary Business Owners

Which Key Elements Are Present in Every Small Business Success Story

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by Kent Boehm

People at a party talking to eachotherIt is the dream of most entrepreneurs to hear that their business has become the “next big thing” in the eyes of its customers. For most business owners, this is the single driving force behind everything that they do. All of the long work weeks, sleepless nights, stress-filled days, and agonizing decision-making are to make their dream become reality.

Unfortunately, reality does not typically work like that. In order to have your very own small business success story, one must put in a lot of effort, time, hard work, and dedication. However, you need to do so much more than that. A common element in small business success stories is that the owners did more than just put in long workweeks. There are key elements which play a very important role in helping one achieve their very own success story, and you would be doing yourself a disservice by disregarding them. Continue reading “Which Key Elements Are Present in Every Small Business Success Story”

Fostering a Positive Business Image and Culture

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by Kent Boehm

Humor at the meetingHow you conduct yourself in the business world has real-world ramifications on how potential customers perceive you. Large corporations collectively spend billions of dollars curating an image that encourages people to spend their hard-earned money on what they’re selling. With the emergence of social media over the past twenty years, even local and independent businesses take advantage of the exposure they get. While you can put out slick ads and videos to raise awareness of your brand, ultimately the way you conduct yourself and the values you embrace will be the deciding factor for many people. Continue reading “Fostering a Positive Business Image and Culture”

Ten Keys to Customer Loyalty

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by Kent Boehm

Young couple agree to the dealThe goal when creating a customer is to give your customers an unexpectedly positive experience that keeps you and your product at the top of their mind.

Your goal is to have frequent interactions with the customer, so when the time arrives for them to purchase your product again, they will think about you and your business first.

By doing this you start to add value to them that your competitors aren’t doing. This value is often the point of difference that sets you apart and stops your competitors moving in on your key customers. Continue reading “Ten Keys to Customer Loyalty”

Your Most Precious Resource is Time – Use it Well

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by Kent Boehm

Most precious resource

If you ask a business owner what their most precious resource is, they’ll usually give one of a few answers. Money is the most common, while others say their employees, community, or family. What is less stated is the one resource that can never be replenished or gained back – time. Once you waste your time with something, you can never get it back again. Some busier business owners understand this, but newer ones haven’t yet learned how to utilize their time effectively.

Business owners that don’t have enough time to do things usually have the same problems: they don’t delegate tasks well, they don’t prioritize tasks, and/or they aren’t well-organized in their day-to-day life. These issues are as simple to fix as they are common; most of the time, you only need to make a slight change in how you accomplish or go about completing certain tasks in order to squeeze more productivity in the time that you use. Continue reading “Your Most Precious Resource is Time – Use it Well”

How to Delegate Effectively

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by Kent Boehm

How to Delegate

How to delegate effectively means understanding that delegating tasks and authority is a defining aspect of being a boss, yet personal experience has likely shown you that it’s a skill that many managers lack. Whether it’s a lack of delegation, too much delegation, micromanaging, or putting the wrong people in the wrong places, a failure to properly assign tasks to people can result in a dysfunctional workplace. As the boss of your own workplace, you’ll be responsible for deciding who goes where and who does what. Much of your workplace’s productivity and morale will depend on your ability to not just lead but lead well. Continue reading “How to Delegate Effectively”

11 Ways to Strengthen Concentration

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by Kent Boehm

The ability to focus is a skill – it is not innate. Why do we sometimes have such trouble concentrating?  Distractions as well as the mind and our attitude have a huge impact on our mental stamina to complete a task.
Concentration is the key to economic results
Here are 11 ways to strengthen concentration, even under difficult circumstances: Continue reading “11 Ways to Strengthen Concentration”

Creating Above and Beyond Customer Experiences

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by Kent Boehm

Customer Service is a sector that should be a priority for improvement and investment. Adequate is not enough anymore and to create a memorable experience a business needs to go “above and beyond” in their method of service. The 2015 Global State of Multichannel Customer Service Report states that 60% of customers have higher expectations for customer service than the year before. Exceeding expectations for your customers can start by practicing the following:

Have a Conversation

A conversational approach creates a much more memorable experience than a transactional approach.  Starting a conversation can build a relationship and make waiting times go by faster. Reaching out to your customers and ask them about their day, recent family adventures or even their pets. Learning as much about a person can help you help them in the future.

Watch Your Competition

Keeping tabs on your competition, their strategies and their processes is a great way to provide a custom service experience on your side. What can you do to make their visit different from other businesses? By going above and beyond with your service it can show just how “average” the competition is. Continue reading “Creating Above and Beyond Customer Experiences”

What Does It Mean to Be Customer Centered?

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by Kent Boehm

What Does It Mean to Be Customer Centered?

Did you know that some of the most successful companies in the world run a customer centred approach? A recent article was published highlighting the top ten companies rated by J.D. Power.  They range from automotive, to finance to insurance; but they all have one main similarity, and that is that they are customer centered. A customer focus is one of the main factors in business success. So what does it actually mean to be customer centered, and how do you know businesses are following through in the process?

A Customer-Centered Business:

Listens to Their Customers

They get to know their customers, understand their needs and then act on it. TD Bank is a great example of this.  One of the reasons they have landed the first in overall customer satisfaction on J.D. Power’s annual Canadian Retail Banking Satisfaction study for the last 10 years is that they listen to their customers. They have launched marketing campaigns such as #TDThanksYou which gave away big ticket items to customers, to simply ensure that systems like their online banking system, are in tune with what customers are asking for. They listened and they delivered. Continue reading “What Does It Mean to Be Customer Centered?”

Customer Service on Twitter

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by Kent Boehm

Did you know that you can use Twitter to connect with your customers and provide customer service? With over 99% of brands on Twitter having a reason to stand out is key. A customer service strategy that uses Twitter as a customer service portal is a great way of connecting with your customers and catching inquiries on the spot.

Some brands even have a customer support system already in place on Twitter. Companies such as Nike have a support handle which is a separate account, just for customer inquiries. Any tweet to this account is handled by the customer support team and responses are seen quickly. Not only does this make things easier for Nike, but the account also has over 465K tweets. Continue reading “Customer Service on Twitter”

Hiring an Excellent Customer Service Team

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by Kent Boehm

Great customer service in Calgary is essential for a business’s reputation and company image. One poor customer service experience can turn people away indefinitely from your business, whereas excellent customer service is often remembered above and beyond any other aspect of the company.

It’s all about people and that starts with hiring the right ones! If you have a great customer service team you can run your day to day business knowing that your customers will be taken care of properly without affecting your bottom line. It is not always an easy job and can put employees in difficult situations. Some of the skills and characteristics to look for when interviewing a customer service candidate would be: Continue reading “Hiring an Excellent Customer Service Team”

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