Mom's Advice for Business
The baker's dozen

By Tony Ford, MBA, EVP, Marketing

1. Always play nice - Be fair, considerate, honest and forthright in your dealings. Short term gains created by cheating someone are always small when compared with lucrative long-term relationships built on trust.

2. Giving is better than receiving - Give your customers something useful for free, be it a free estimate, review, instructions, soil test or brake inspection. Give your potential customers something that is truly valuable and not just a sales pitch. This will set you apart from the competition.

3. If everyone else jumped off a bridge - Stop doing what all of the competition is doing. Everyone claims their prices are the lowest, everyone claims their service is the best. Customers recognize this as just more marketing puffery. If you are going to claim to be the best, prove it and live it. Do something that sets you apart from the crowd.

4. Do your part - Get involved in the community. Your business should sponsor teams, offer service to non-profits, support local groups and you should speak (not sell) on topics of your expertise for free and often. People do business with those they respect regardless of price or promotion. This will recession-proof your business.

5. If you can't say anything nice - Don't bad mouth the competition in ads or in-person. You can have a little fun or make a case that your product is better, but treat everyone fairly. Stay above the mud-slinging and personal attacks. Customers recognize the dirty tricks quickly and it tarnishes your reputation.

6. Think before you speak - What really sets your business apart? What can you offer that isn't out there now? What is the best way to get that message to people who can really benefit from your business? Sit down and think this out first, then create a marketing campaign to clearly state this message.

7. Mind your manners - Teach your employees to greet customers (by name if possible). Thank everyone for doing business with you; send a thank you note or a small free gift as thanks to new customers and faithful patrons. Treat everyone, even troublesome customers, with respect, dignity and fairness. Manners still matter; customers really appreciate being treated like something more than a transaction.

8. Do your homework - Become an expert in your field; study the industry, your competitors and especially your customers. Ask your customers what they want and LISTEN to them. Use this expertise to give your customers and the public important information and advice for free. Write articles and columns for the newspaper. Use your advertising to educate. Teach everyone how to get the best product for the money and what to look for when choosing a vendor. Everyone wants to work with (and buy from) an expert.

9. Do the right thing - Mistakes will happen. Don't just make it right, make their day. By going beyond expectations in handling problems you can turn a problem into a testimonial. Fixing a problem fast and with better than expected results is often better than never having the problem at all. If a customer can count on you when the chips are down and problems arise, they know they can do business with you when everything goes as planned.

10. Smile and the world smiles with you - Keeping a positive attitude in your business dealings attracts more business. No one wants to work with the person who is complaining and being negative. Customers love positive and upbeat businesses. Customers love generosity, humor and sincerity. It seems small, but the way you act in everyday business and the way your employees behave will dramatically affect your success.

11. Eat your vegetables - There are many things in business that just have to be done. Filing, taxes, legal work, inventory and a myriad of other mundane but necessary tasks all require your attention. These things have to be done in order to create that effortless experience for your customer. Don't shirk them or the smooth operation and polite generosity you have created will start to crumble. These behind-the-scenes tasks are really about taking care of your customer indirectly. Pursue their completion with the same zeal you would when helping a customer and the result will be spectacular.

12. Share - Mentor young employees and new businesses. Offer to help other business in your community learn these techniques, share vendor contacts, marketing plans, and good ideas with everyone (even your competitors once and awhile). Your fellow business men and women will become your biggest advocates. Everyone wants to pay back a favor that really helped them out of a jam.

13. Remember what's important - Spend time with your family and friends. Share the joys of your community. No one puts "I wish I spent more time working" on his gravestone. Plan for time to be with the ones you love. It's just as important as business success.

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