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Your most valuable asset- you business reputation

by Eric Menzies

Your business's reputation is the most potent aspect regarding the long term success of any and all of your marketing efforts. You recreate your reputation every day with every customer your business meets. Really you have not one business reputation, but many reputations that are given birth in the minds of people who deal with you during your business activities. You must realize that it is vital to remember that you have a reputation with those who have no experience with your business but have heard about you from others.

There is a famous song by Joan Jett from days past called 'Bad Reputation.' Joan was a famous musician of her time, but she also had a talent for marketing. She postured herself as the bad girl of rock, and the song 'Bad Reputation' was wildly popular. In the ever rebellious world of alternative rock, a woman reveling in her bad reputation was quite popular. She probably fibbed a little when singing 'I don't give a damn about my bad reputation' as she likely cared much about her bad reputation, it was her marketing strength! She harnessed that reputation to achieve lasting fame.

Unluckily for most of us, a unacceptable reputation does not prove to be a useful marketing goal to develop our business. The few contradictions to this rule other than musicians might be trial lawyers, repo men, or bail bondsmen who make it a point to be recognized for their dangerous air and fearsome reputation. For everyone else it just doesn't work that way.

You have to be aware that all of your actions, and everything your employees do, for your business gives shape to your reputation. No Mulligans exist in business. You can strive to make things right that might have contributed negatively to your business reputation. Really, repairing problems properly can help your reputation. However, you can't change the memory of the events that caused someone to take a low view of your company.

Every interaction you have with people you encounter in your business has one of three results related to your reputation. Two of these results are not good, the other one is terrific!

The first one is an experience you have with a client, or potential client, in that while you don't fail horribly, but you also don't stand out from the next company. This may not seem like the most harmful result, but it isn't far from it. You've succeeded in being only, at best, standard in the customer's opinion. The customer will probably forget you, but if they do remember they'll consider you as someone who was average last time.

The next outcome is when you, or your employee, has committed a big enough error to make sure the customer is really mad at you. It can get no worse for your business. In addition to estranging a customer, you have made certain you have also lost anyone who listens to that customer when they talk about you. There is no way to calculate the full damage that will occur. If you as a business owner know allowed this to transpire, then you certainly deserve the impact it has upon your business. But many times the business owner knows nothing of what has occurred if one of the employees caused the problem, or not in their own interactions with the customer. You can't assume that disgruntled people will take the time to announce what occurred. In most cases they just never set foot again in your business and you have no way to remedy it. If you discover the problem, but don't correct it, then again you deserve the negative reputation it creates. However, if you take the opportunity to go correct the situation, you will have used a wonderful chance in business - to demonstrate to a customer that you want their loyalty and will always do your best to show interest.

The third outcome is what all business owners should seek in every interaction with people. You strive to make the customers, and potential customers, believe that besides supplying top-class goods or services, you care deeply about how goods or services satisfy a customer's need. It is about establishing a trusting relationship with your patrons so that they know you will always focus on filling their needs. When you achieve this goal you are sure you've formed a loyal customer who's value surpasses any purchase they make.

Aiding in the creation such loyal customers is the focus of the services we provide. Hopefully if you are interested in growing your business based upon this approach you will think about employing our services.

Visit BizRave Inc. for articles and resources about customer relationship based markerting to grow the business of your dreams.

Published May 31st, 2007

Filed in Business, Home Business, Internet

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