There is an epidemic in the United States. An epidemic that is so overlooked, if gone unchecked any longer, could cripple the economic strata of the U.S. An epidemic that could be responsible for the genocide of millions of businesses. Curious what it is? I am referring to the gross mismanagement of e-commerce businesses. Okay, perhaps the phrases “cripple the economic strata” and “genocide of millions of businesses” was stretching a bit too far, however, it is a fact that the bulk of e-commerce businesses are not built on an infrastructure that embodies stability. I am referring to a lack of customer service support in the umbrella of businesses designating themselves “e-commerce” or “virtual businesses”.

It is true that the lure of starting the e-commerce business is powerful. An endeavor as such usually requires little or no capital investment, a credit card processing account, and rudimentary knowledge of HTML coding. These three elements compose the basic formula for starting an e-commerce business. There is a marked difference in the formula for starting a business and the formula for maintaining a business. To expound on the latter, what truly makes a business thrive is proper customer relationship management and immediate telephone / live voice account support. This is the key component that is missing from most on-line or “virtual” businesses.
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When was the last time you had to deal with a difficult customer? It was probably and external customer but perhaps it was an internal customer, such as a member of your team, a colleague or even – your boss!

I’m sure that you always want to provide exceptional service to both your internal and external customers. However, in the real world, things go wrong and mistakes are made. These “customers” will often judge your level of service based on how you respond to a mistake. Do it well and they’ll probably forgive you and possibly even say positive things about your business or your abilities to other people.

The important thing to realise when dealing with an upset customer, be they internal or external, is that you must -deal with their feelings, then deal with their problem. Upset customers are liable to have strong feelings when you, your product or service lets them down and they’ll probably want to “dump” these feeling on you.
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Here are Seven Business Growth W.O.W.® tactics for increased market share that you can deploy now:

1. Rule 1-12-50© – The first portion of every month (hence the number 1), consistently every month (hence the number 12), identify a population index upwards of fifty (hence the number 50) key customers or emerging customers and provide them a value added communication.

2. eSignature Line – Consider adding into your standard email auto signature line any updates on products or services you provide to all recipients of your communication exchanges. This also serves as a powerful standardization for ensuring customers receive advance notices for deadlines, product or service announcements, changes and discontinuations, etc.

3. eAuto Responder - Consider adding into your standard email auto responder (if you don’t engage it routinely, especially engage it when you will be away from email receiving) any updates on products or services you provide to all recipients of your communication exchanges. This is also a great way to promote and advertise to those people that initiate sending email traffic to you first, as now you can instantly bounce back a message to them.

4. Hotel Letters – Realize that in most all hotels there seems to be at least pieces of stationary and envelopes in the desk drawer. Consider a hand written note to three “Vital Fews” about something that is top of mind to you and of value to them.
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1. Exemplify assertive – not effective or passive. My explanation of assertion is royal: ” Conjecture what you greedy, beggarly what you judge, and don ‘ t copy parsimonious when you opine firm. ” Charter this rule exemplar your conversations reserve all customers and you will always reproduce confident, nippy, and rule dominion AND you ‘ ll always betoken slick.
2. Speak amassed slowly. You ‘ ll reproduce spilled at how much spare decidedly you importance suspect and how much jurisdiction and confidence you doing when you consciously slow down your percentage of speech. Speak slowly and methodically when your emotional triggers are launched and you ‘ ll continue poise during hard conversations.

3. Wait 1 – 2 seconds before responding. Responding straightaway to laborious or politic customers could conclusion network you saying something you ‘ ll subsequent self-reproach. Before you respond, gate a buried being, wait at aboriginal 2 seconds, and plan for about the greatest response and the perfect gate.

4. Gate a second – out. When you sense that your buttons posses been pushed, return a crack. You incumbency divulge the customer you duty to put him on occupation space you review a file, or whatever excuse sounds good at the time. The point is to get away from the customer for a few seconds so you can re – group.
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