let's talk business

Marketing Means Business 0451 184 599 Email: dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Web: www.marketingmeansbusiness.net.au 1

NAB NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS SUMMIT

24 25 JULY IN BRISBANE

All interested parties are invited to

become involved in the 2013 NAB

National Small Business Summit in

Brisbane on Wednesday, 24 and

Thursday 25 July 2013.

This will be the 11th NAB Small

Business Summit and will be

attended by luminaries such as the

Federal Minister for Small Business,

The Hon Gary Gray MP, and the

Shadow Federal Minister for Small

Business, The Hon Bruce Billson

MP.

Also speaking will be the 2012

COSBOA Small Business

Champion Ondina Gregoric, who

will outline the secret of her success

and the importance of giving back to

the sector.

Small business owners employ over

4.5 million people and are a major

part of the economy, as well as

contributing members of our local

communities. Small business people

provide our society with the

capability to innovate and to deal

with adversity much more quickly

than big business.

The Council of Small Business of

Australia, COSBOA, welcomed this

important focus on small business,

Lets Talk Business MARKETING MEANS BUSINESS - Solutions for Small Business

Issue 04 May 2013

which highlighted the evident fact

that small business is too big to

ignore.

Talking about the campaign

#2big2ignore Peter Strong, Executive

Director for COSBOA commented,

The reality is that small business has

been ignored for two decades and the

more campaigns that focus on us, as

people, the better it is for our

economy and communities.

We fully support this and any

campaign to emphasise people in

small businesses.

This is recognition indeed of the

need for leaders of industry bodies,

senior politicians and bureaucrats to

attend the NAB National Small

Business Summit.

In the lead up to the election, this is

one of the final opportunities for all

parties to highlight their policies for

small businesses, make changes and

influence the votes of 2.5 million

small business owners in Australia,

stated Mr Strong.

A key focus of the Summit is to look

at how small business and big

business are different, yet how they

The Facts Are Evident: Small Business is too big to ignore

Talking about the campaign #2big2ignore Peter Strong, Executive Director for COSBOA commented:

The reality is that small business has been ignored for two decades and the more campaigns that focus on us, as people, the better it is for our economy and communities. We fully support this and any campaign to emphasise people in small businesses.

can work together in unison, learning

from the unique challenges faced by

each to better move forward in the

changing climate.

We would like to take this

opportunity to invite key supporters

of small business to attend the NAB

National Small Business Summit

which will address a number of key

areas including policy, partnerships

and people, extended Mr Strong.

The NAB National Small Business

Summit will be held on 24-25 July

2013 at the Brisbane Convention &

Exhibition Centre with registrations

open from mid-April.

For more information about the

Summit visit:

www.nationalsmallbusinesssummit.co

m.au

Marketing Means Business 0451 184 599 Email: dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Web: www.marketingmeansbusiness.net.au 2

Your Customer can be Your Lifeline or Your Executioner

Dennis Chiron MarketingMeans Business

0451 184 599 dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au

Skype: dennis.chiron2

PROFILE OF AN

UNHAPPY CUSTOMER

There are some facts on unhappy

customers that both you and your

staff should be aware of.

Think about yourself and your

business. If you fit some of these

profiles it should also confirm to

you that others feel the same.

Did you know that:

That the average business

never hears from 96% of its

unhappy customers.

That for every complaint

received, a business will have

26 others that are unreported,

six of which are serious.

That those non-complaint

customers do complain to

nine or ten other people.

That customers whose

complaints are effectively

resolved will tell an average

of five other people.

Everyone knows the benefits of a

satisfied customer, but few

business owners stop to consider

the potential value of the not-so-

happy.

In an article in My Business

Tom Dickerson explains how you

can use unhappy customers to

better your business http://

Keep Your

Custom-

Sixty eight percent of

customers who leave do so

because they feel

unappreciated, unimportant,

and taken for granted.

www.mybusiness.com.au/experts/how-

unhappy-customers-can-improve-your-

business

Unfortunately, unhappy customers are

an inevitable consequence of doing

business and you will run into them no

matter how committed you are to

seeing them all happy.

There will be times when that customer

is justified in being upset while there

will be others where the situation was

entirely out of your control. Strategies

do exist where you can diffuse a

situation and help a customer feel better

and perhaps even turn them into a

repeat buyer.

In the beginning, every business owner

is certain that they must retain every

single customer they can but this is not

an excuse to allow the business to

become the proverbial doormat for

customers to kick around when they

feel like it.

Sooner or later you're going to have to

deal with an upset customer. A product

breaks, their goods dont arrive when

promised, an employee has a bad day,

these things happen! The question is,

how are you going to deal with your

unhappy customer, especially

considering that these days it's very

easy to vent ones spleen using social

media.

Almost with one foul swoop, a

frustrated customer, through Facebook

or Twitter, can literally destroy your

business.

Everyone claims they give excellent

customer service. While that might

be true for some, it is far from true

for others.

If every company gives excellent

service, there would be no need for

customer complaints lines,

consumer watch dogs, or even

companies liquidating.

Customers care about how theyre

treated. With the recent rise of social

media, consumers are able to voice

their dissent or support

immediately to the masses.

Businesses have to manage

relationships with their customers

more carefully than ever, whether

online or offline.

People will buy from you for many

reasons, but the experience they

have determines whether they come

back or not. So from the beginning

you need to focus on helping the

customer, because thats what builds

repeat business.

Marketing Means Business 0451 184 599 Email: dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Web: www.marketingmeansbusiness.net.au 3

COMPLAINTS ARE A GREAT

WAY FOR YOU TO IMPROVE

YOUR BUSINESS Dennis Chiron

MarketingMeans Business 0451 184 599

dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Skype: dennis.chiron2

It is estimated that only 1.5% of all

customers will try to take advantage of

a company through exaggerated claims.

So, chances are, your customers

complaint is legitimate and realistic.

A customers complaint is usually a

clear message on how you can improve

your services or products. If you are

able to identify and meet customer

wants and needs, you will undoubtedly

improve your business performance

and increase your customer base.

A satisfied customer usually means

repeat business. In most cases, the

information that you can obtain through

a customers complaint is impossible to

get through any other means. You are

being presented with a real opportunity

to prove your commitment to your

customer by addressing these

concerns, even when the complaint

may seem minor or trivial.

Complaints that customers bring

directly to you are the most efficient

and least costly way of obtaining

information and under-standing

customer expectations.

When a customer has a genuine

complaint, thank them for raising the

matter with you. Treat them with

genuine empathy, courtesy, patience,

honesty and fairness.

Try to respond to the complaint

quickly. Tell the customer how you

will handle it and when to expect a

response.

Speak to the customer in person. Do

not rely on written complaints or

records of conversations.

When choosing your approach for

communicating with a customer,

think about how you would