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I’ve had some amazing results using the techniques I am about to describe for getting good customer service. I had a power toothbrush manufacturer give me a new unit because it was losing its ability to hold a charge three times in a row just before the two-year warranty ended. I had a computer manufacturer replace a recently purchased computer because I was unhappy with its performance two times! The last computer they sent me had twice the capabilities in almost every category. And I had an automobile manufacture replace an air conditioner that stopped working in a vehicle that was out warranty by more than a year.

I’ve been using these techniques to get good customer service for years. The key to executing these strategies with customer service representatives is that you must do them with sincerity. You must find the motivation and good-heartedness within so that you can express yourself with authenticity.

These techniques work with all different types of customer service representatives, but those with the most authority and best training have the greatest ability to do you the most good. I categorize customer service representatives like this. Customer service representatives with the greatest to the least amount of authority and training are those at the manufacturer, followed by managers at retail stores, followed by clerks you’d find at a customer service desk of a department store.

Here are the 8 keys for getting good customer service.

1. Greet Them in a Friendly & Respectful Manner

If you consider what customer service representatives deal with on a daily basis it’s easy to see how being friendly and respectful is a crucial first step in getting good customer service.

Many people who call customer service have the mistaken notion that the only way they are going to get something done is to be angry, forceful, and demanding. This is a big mistake. Imagine how the customer service representative feels at the other end of the phone. The customer service representative must be nice and many customers take advantage of this.

Consider how the customer service representative can respond and get back at you for making their job miserable. They can give you the bare minimum from the array of possible solutions that they are authorized to provide and the least amount of their time to identify them.

If you greet them in a friendly and respectful manner, amazing things can happen. Here’s how you should greet them. Customer service representatives usually give their name when they answer the phone. Write it down so that you can use it in your conversation and record it in your notes at the end. Greet them by saying something like this in a pleasant, uplifting, and sincere tone, “Hi Robin! How are you doing today?” If you get a warm response from them, continue. Your chances of getting good customer service from this person are excellent. If their response is cold, come up with an excuse to end the call. You will not get good customer service from this person.

If the conversation starts poorly, the rest of it will continue the same way. This can happen for any number of reasons including the possibility that they are having a bad day, your personalities don’t match, or they just have a bad attitude. I’ve never had a call that started poorly end on a positive note. If you get the same representative when you call back, wait a few hours or days before trying again.

The other half of the strategy for getting good customer service involves you. If you’re having a bad day, you’re in a rush, or you’re angry or frustrated with the product you are calling about, call some other time.

You’ll know it when you connect with a customer service representative that you gel with. The stronger the rapport that you establish at the beginning, the better the results you will get in the end. And often the outcome can be far beyond your expectations. I’ve been amazed countless times.

2. Talk Positively About Their Product

Here’s another area where you must put yourself in the place of the customer service representative. The person that you are speaking with has chosen to work for the company that manufactures or sells the product that you are calling about. In many cases, this assignment is an entry-level position. Some companies place their management trainees into this job so that they can learn about the business from the frontlines. Everyone wants to be proud of where s/he works. You can imagine how a customer service representative will feel if they get a caller who angrily rips apart the company and product that they represent.

There was a positive reason why you chose to buy a particular product. Before you call, revisit those reasons and take your attention away from the frustration the problem has caused. Then express these reasons to the customer service representative. Whatever you come up with, you must communicate it with sincerity. Here’s an example of what I mean. Tell the customer service representative, “I bought your LX model and I love it. In fact, this is the third time I’ve purchased one of your products and I’ve always been extremely happy with them. But this time I am having a problem that I am hoping you can solve.”

Telling them how you appreciate their product and explaining your history provides a customer service representative with the information they need to classify you as a valued customer. The criteria for this classification may come from company and department policy, but the customer service representative interprets and applies it. Therefore, you need to convince and encourage your representative.

Being classified as a valued customer empowers, and possibly inspires, the customer service representative to provide you with options only available to this select group. In order words, companies and customer service representatives want to hold on to customers who are loyal and speak well of them. After all, isn’t this the number one reason for providing good customer service?

A written policy for classifying valued customers may or may not exist, but I can assure you that it does in practice at every company.

3. Determine a Solution in Advance

If you have a solution on how the problem might be solved in advance, you can guide the conversation with the customer service representative toward that outcome. If you don’t have a clue on how the problem might get fixed before you call, the result may not match your expectations. Figure out what you want to accomplish before the call even if you have to do some research. This is particularly important when you are calling about an expensive item.

Decide ahead of time what you want to accomplish. Don’t leave it to the customer service representative to decide for you. If you are calling the manufacturer, you might need to call or visit a few of their local retail stores to determine their parameters. Retail store personal might also provide you with some insights on what is needed and what is possible when dealing with the manufacturer. This is valuable information that you can use to get what you want in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of effort.

It’s important that you clearly state the problem and then subtly and respectfully lead them toward the solution that you want without actually saying it. By not saying it right away, you avoid the possibility of them thinking that you are trying to take advantage of them.

The best strategy is to clearly present the problem and allow them to present possible solutions. If they don’t offer the one that you want or the one that you know they sometimes provide based on your research, start asking questions. For example, say to them, “What other possibilities are there?” or “It is my understanding that you sometimes offer X or Y.” or “This has nothing to do with your performance because you’ve been great, but are there any options beyond the range of your authority that I might consider?” The last one is tricky. Your objective is to get them on your side before you ask them to speak with their supervisor. You do this by being respectful and asking, in effect, for their permission to speak with a person with greater authority. You might say, “Would you mind if I spoke to the person (supervisor/boss) that you mentioned?” That way they won’t feel slighted or become defensive. If you were to make them feel that they were performing poorly, they would not support your position when they present the matter to their supervisor before transferring the call.

Remember that a company’s goal is to provide good customer service. Your objective is to help them do it in a way that fixes the problem to your satisfaction.

4. Ask What Can Be Done to Correct the Problem

Here’s a slightly different approach. After you have established a rapport, explained the problem, and guided them toward your desired outcome, simply ask them, “What can be done to correct the problem.” After you have asked them this question, do not talk. Wait for them to speak first! This is very important. There’s an old saying about successful sales and negotiation techniques that goes something like this, “Who ever speaks first loses.”

Your objective is to find out about all the possible options that exist for solving your problem. If they don’t present any that satisfy you, ask them, “What other options are available” or “Are there any options beyond the range of your authority that I might consider?” and “What are they?”

When you are speaking about options beyond their authority, you are leading them toward a conversation with their supervisor. But before you let them transfer the call, learn as much as you can about all the options that are available. When you speak to their supervisor, use the same strategies I described for talking with representatives. If the representative you were speaking to provided good customer service, be sure to mention this to the supervisor. After all, the supervisor probably hired and trained them.

Keep probing them for the solution you want by repeatedly asking them, “What can be done to correct the problem?” Do this with patience and respect and you will get good customer service and be satisfied with the result.

5. Show Your Appreciation

With each attempt to find a solution to your problem, express your appreciation and praise them for their efforts. Everybody likes being appreciated; it makes them want to do more. This is probably more true of customer service representatives since they spend most of their time listening to people complain and criticize.

Since it may take several steps involving days or weeks to solve the problem, it’s important to constantly show your appreciation and not assume that the issue will be fixed with just one or two calls. So don’t burn your bridges.

If a customer service representative does an extraordinary job, take the time to tell them and even offer to send an email to their boss. Again, only do this if you sincerely feel this way and intend to follow through.

By expressing your appreciation to your representative, you have a much better chance of receiving good customer service.

6. Make Notes

After you’ve ended the call, make notes about your conversation that include this information: date(s) contacted, customer service representative’s name, description of the problem, description of the solution, and agreed timetable.

This information gives you the ability to respond with authority and it lets them know that you are keeping records. These records also strengthen your position should you need to pursue the matter further or take it up the chain of command.

7. Follow Up

Mark your calendar on the date stated to you that the problem would be solved. If it’s not solved by that date follow up with your customer service representative. I would recommend that you add a couple of extra days to allow for any clichés so that you don’t waste your time or theirs when you call.

The strategy for follow up is the same as it was at the beginning — be polite and respectful. You’ll need to add one more crucial ingredient that can lead to success if you can hold on to it: Patience! If you can hold on to your patience, the customer service representative will likely recognize this and reward you by giving much more than you expected.

8. Consider Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Customer satisfaction surveys have become an important part of measuring business success for most companies. To encourage employees to provide good customer service, the scores they receive are sometimes tied directly to their salary. If they get an overall rating that’s less than near perfect their paycheck is reduced.

Although this method of incentive has produced a higher level of customer service, I question the ethics of doing this when it can affect a large portion of a person’s salary. This is especially true when certain measurements of the survey are outside the control of the employee.

With this in mind, I would encourage you to give the person you’ve been working with, or their supervisor, the opportunity to solve the problem rather than venting your anger in the survey.

This is particularly important for business establishments that you visit regularly like an automobile dealership. They have ways of figuring out which customer gave them a bad score. And if they determine it’s you, they’ll still treat you in a courteous manner but you’ll never know how they may return the favor.

Give representatives and managers every opportunity to solve the problem before you complete a survey. If you’re still unsuccessful after you’ve patiently tried every way possible to get the problem solved, then perhaps it’s time to submitted a low scoring survey. The company may actually benefit by getting this feedback if they are that incompetent at providing good customer service and solving your problem.

I’ve been amazed at what I’ve been able to get done with customer service representatives over the years using the strategies I’ve presented. I think my rate of success is about 90 percent! No kidding.

The money you save in not having to replace or repair products is more than worth the time you spend. And in some cases, if you’re really in the zone using the techniques I’ve described, you’ll end up with more than what you originally paid for the product or service.

So as I have pointed out, good customer service isn’t necessarily something that is given automatically, it’s something that you create! Companies spend a great deal of money training their representatives to provide good customer service. I am surprised that some of them don’t spend a portion of their budget on training their customers, through subtle methods, on how to “get” good customer service.

You are now one of the few who knows the secrets to getting good customer service. Give them try.

Brad Paul
http://www.guruhabits.com/

Copyright Brad Paul

To see the original article with graphics and links, click: http://www.guruhabits.com/good-customer-service.html

Brad Paul is the founder of Guru Habits.com, which provides FREE self improvement and lifestyle enhancement resources.

Brad left home at 15, lived in a boy’s home, graduated college with honors, headed a marketing group responsible for $400 million in annual sales, wrote 3 books, and now works on projects that improve people’s lives.

Author: Brad Paul
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
US Dollar credit card

I’ve had some amazing results using the techniques I am about to describe for getting good customer service. I had a power toothbrush manufacturer give me a new unit because it was losing its ability to hold a charge three times in a row just before the two-year warranty ended. I had a computer manufacturer replace a recently purchased computer because I was unhappy with its performance two times! The last computer they sent me had twice the capabilities in almost every category. And I had an automobile manufacture replace an air conditioner that stopped working in a vehicle that was out warranty by more than a year.

I’ve been using these techniques to get good customer service for years. The key to executing these strategies with customer service representatives is that you must do them with sincerity. You must find the motivation and good-heartedness within so that you can express yourself with authenticity.

These techniques work with all different types of customer service representatives, but those with the most authority and best training have the greatest ability to do you the most good. I categorize customer service representatives like this. Customer service representatives with the greatest to the least amount of authority and training are those at the manufacturer, followed by managers at retail stores, followed by clerks you’d find at a customer service desk of a department store.

Here are the 8 keys for getting good customer service.

1. Greet Them in a Friendly & Respectful Manner

If you consider what customer service representatives deal with on a daily basis it’s easy to see how being friendly and respectful is a crucial first step in getting good customer service.

Many people who call customer service have the mistaken notion that the only way they are going to get something done is to be angry, forceful, and demanding. This is a big mistake. Imagine how the customer service representative feels at the other end of the phone. The customer service representative must be nice and many customers take advantage of this.

Consider how the customer service representative can respond and get back at you for making their job miserable. They can give you the bare minimum from the array of possible solutions that they are authorized to provide and the least amount of their time to identify them.

If you greet them in a friendly and respectful manner, amazing things can happen. Here’s how you should greet them. Customer service representatives usually give their name when they answer the phone. Write it down so that you can use it in your conversation and record it in your notes at the end. Greet them by saying something like this in a pleasant, uplifting, and sincere tone, “Hi Robin! How are you doing today?” If you get a warm response from them, continue. Your chances of getting good customer service from this person are excellent. If their response is cold, come up with an excuse to end the call. You will not get good customer service from this person.

If the conversation starts poorly, the rest of it will continue the same way. This can happen for any number of reasons including the possibility that they are having a bad day, your personalities don’t match, or they just have a bad attitude. I’ve never had a call that started poorly end on a positive note. If you get the same representative when you call back, wait a few hours or days before trying again.

The other half of the strategy for getting good customer service involves you. If you’re having a bad day, you’re in a rush, or you’re angry or frustrated with the product you are calling about, call some other time.

You’ll know it when you connect with a customer service representative that you gel with. The stronger the rapport that you establish at the beginning, the better the results you will get in the end. And often the outcome can be far beyond your expectations. I’ve been amazed countless times.

2. Talk Positively About Their Product

Here’s another area where you must put yourself in the place of the customer service representative. The person that you are speaking with has chosen to work for the company that manufactures or sells the product that you are calling about. In many cases, this assignment is an entry-level position. Some companies place their management trainees into this job so that they can learn about the business from the frontlines. Everyone wants to be proud of where s/he works. You can imagine how a customer service representative will feel if they get a caller who angrily rips apart the company and product that they represent.

There was a positive reason why you chose to buy a particular product. Before you call, revisit those reasons and take your attention away from the frustration the problem has caused. Then express these reasons to the customer service representative. Whatever you come up with, you must communicate it with sincerity. Here’s an example of what I mean. Tell the customer service representative, “I bought your LX model and I love it. In fact, this is the third time I’ve purchased one of your products and I’ve always been extremely happy with them. But this time I am having a problem that I am hoping you can solve.”

Telling them how you appreciate their product and explaining your history provides a customer service representative with the information they need to classify you as a valued customer. The criteria for this classification may come from company and department policy, but the customer service representative interprets and applies it. Therefore, you need to convince and encourage your representative.

Being classified as a valued customer empowers, and possibly inspires, the customer service representative to provide you with options only available to this select group. In order words, companies and customer service representatives want to hold on to customers who are loyal and speak well of them. After all, isn’t this the number one reason for providing good customer service?

A written policy for classifying valued customers may or may not exist, but I can assure you that it does in practice at every company.

3. Determine a Solution in Advance

If you have a solution on how the problem might be solved in advance, you can guide the conversation with the customer service representative toward that outcome. If you don’t have a clue on how the problem might get fixed before you call, the result may not match your expectations. Figure out what you want to accomplish before the call even if you have to do some research. This is particularly important when you are calling about an expensive item.

Decide ahead of time what you want to accomplish. Don’t leave it to the customer service representative to decide for you. If you are calling the manufacturer, you might need to call or visit a few of their local retail stores to determine their parameters. Retail store personal might also provide you with some insights on what is needed and what is possible when dealing with the manufacturer. This is valuable information that you can use to get what you want in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of effort.

It’s important that you clearly state the problem and then subtly and respectfully lead them toward the solution that you want without actually saying it. By not saying it right away, you avoid the possibility of them thinking that you are trying to take advantage of them.

The best strategy is to clearly present the problem and allow them to present possible solutions. If they don’t offer the one that you want or the one that you know they sometimes provide based on your research, start asking questions. For example, say to them, “What other possibilities are there?” or “It is my understanding that you sometimes offer X or Y.” or “This has nothing to do with your performance because you’ve been great, but are there any options beyond the range of your authority that I might consider?” The last one is tricky. Your objective is to get them on your side before you ask them to speak with their supervisor. You do this by being respectful and asking, in effect, for their permission to speak with a person with greater authority. You might say, “Would you mind if I spoke to the person (supervisor/boss) that you mentioned?” That way they won’t feel slighted or become defensive. If you were to make them feel that they were performing poorly, they would not support your position when they present the matter to their supervisor before transferring the call.

Remember that a company’s goal is to provide good customer service. Your objective is to help them do it in a way that fixes the problem to your satisfaction.

4. Ask What Can Be Done to Correct the Problem

Here’s a slightly different approach. After you have established a rapport, explained the problem, and guided them toward your desired outcome, simply ask them, “What can be done to correct the problem.” After you have asked them this question, do not talk. Wait for them to speak first! This is very important. There’s an old saying about successful sales and negotiation techniques that goes something like this, “Who ever speaks first loses.”

Your objective is to find out about all the possible options that exist for solving your problem. If they don’t present any that satisfy you, ask them, “What other options are available” or “Are there any options beyond the range of your authority that I might consider?” and “What are they?”

When you are speaking about options beyond their authority, you are leading them toward a conversation with their supervisor. But before you let them transfer the call, learn as much as you can about all the options that are available. When you speak to their supervisor, use the same strategies I described for talking with representatives. If the representative you were speaking to provided good customer service, be sure to mention this to the supervisor. After all, the supervisor probably hired and trained them.

Keep probing them for the solution you want by repeatedly asking them, “What can be done to correct the problem?” Do this with patience and respect and you will get good customer service and be satisfied with the result.

5. Show Your Appreciation

With each attempt to find a solution to your problem, express your appreciation and praise them for their efforts. Everybody likes being appreciated; it makes them want to do more. This is probably more true of customer service representatives since they spend most of their time listening to people complain and criticize.

Since it may take several steps involving days or weeks to solve the problem, it’s important to constantly show your appreciation and not assume that the issue will be fixed with just one or two calls. So don’t burn your bridges.

If a customer service representative does an extraordinary job, take the time to tell them and even offer to send an email to their boss. Again, only do this if you sincerely feel this way and intend to follow through.

By expressing your appreciation to your representative, you have a much better chance of receiving good customer service.

6. Make Notes

After you’ve ended the call, make notes about your conversation that include this information: date(s) contacted, customer service representative’s name, description of the problem, description of the solution, and agreed timetable.

This information gives you the ability to respond with authority and it lets them know that you are keeping records. These records also strengthen your position should you need to pursue the matter further or take it up the chain of command.

7. Follow Up

Mark your calendar on the date stated to you that the problem would be solved. If it’s not solved by that date follow up with your customer service representative. I would recommend that you add a couple of extra days to allow for any clichés so that you don’t waste your time or theirs when you call.

The strategy for follow up is the same as it was at the beginning — be polite and respectful. You’ll need to add one more crucial ingredient that can lead to success if you can hold on to it: Patience! If you can hold on to your patience, the customer service representative will likely recognize this and reward you by giving much more than you expected.

8. Consider Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Customer satisfaction surveys have become an important part of measuring business success for most companies. To encourage employees to provide good customer service, the scores they receive are sometimes tied directly to their salary. If they get an overall rating that’s less than near perfect their paycheck is reduced.

Although this method of incentive has produced a higher level of customer service, I question the ethics of doing this when it can affect a large portion of a person’s salary. This is especially true when certain measurements of the survey are outside the control of the employee.

With this in mind, I would encourage you to give the person you’ve been working with, or their supervisor, the opportunity to solve the problem rather than venting your anger in the survey.

This is particularly important for business establishments that you visit regularly like an automobile dealership. They have ways of figuring out which customer gave them a bad score. And if they determine it’s you, they’ll still treat you in a courteous manner but you’ll never know how they may return the favor.

Give representatives and managers every opportunity to solve the problem before you complete a survey. If you’re still unsuccessful after you’ve patiently tried every way possible to get the problem solved, then perhaps it’s time to submitted a low scoring survey. The company may actually benefit by getting this feedback if they are that incompetent at providing good customer service and solving your problem.

I’ve been amazed at what I’ve been able to get done with customer service representatives over the years using the strategies I’ve presented. I think my rate of success is about 90 percent! No kidding.

The money you save in not having to replace or repair products is more than worth the time you spend. And in some cases, if you’re really in the zone using the techniques I’ve described, you’ll end up with more than what you originally paid for the product or service.

So as I have pointed out, good customer service isn’t necessarily something that is given automatically, it’s something that you create! Companies spend a great deal of money training their representatives to provide good customer service. I am surprised that some of them don’t spend a portion of their budget on training their customers, through subtle methods, on how to “get” good customer service.

You are now one of the few who knows the secrets to getting good customer service. Give them try.

Brad Paul
http://www.guruhabits.com/

Copyright Brad Paul

To see the original article with graphics and links, click: http://www.guruhabits.com/good-customer-service.html

Brad Paul is the founder of Guru Habits.com, which provides FREE self improvement and lifestyle enhancement resources.

Brad left home at 15, lived in a boy’s home, graduated college with honors, headed a marketing group responsible for $400 million in annual sales, wrote 3 books, and now works on projects that improve people’s lives.

Author: Brad Paul
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Creditcard Currency Conversion Fee

If you have seen me speak you will know that I believe the word ‘entrepreneur’ is used way too much these days. People seem to wear it as a badge instead of just getting out there and doing entrepreneurial things.
Just because you run or own a successful business doesn’t necessarily mean that you an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurs have a different mindset to others. They will go way above and beyond to complete and finish something that they have started.

I have developed what I call the 5 senses of an entrepreneur which will highlight those differences.

We all have 5 which are sight, taste, smell, hearing and touch. The entrepreneur also has those 5 senses but to them they mean something totally different. The 5 senses relay messages to your brain which makes you operate in a certain way. This is the same for the entrepreneurial sense. The entrepreneurial senses direct an entrepreneur to operate and succeed in a certain way.

Below is how an entrepreneur uses the 5 senses.

SIGHT.

Entrepreneurs can see things normal business owners can’t. By that I mean that they can see potential in the smallest of things, whether it is a new trend or a different way of doing something and in turn gaining bigger and better results from the others around them.

They also have the foresight to see past the hurdles or obstacles that most business owners would see as a full stop and press on regardless of the issues that they may face.

They aren’t really good on the stuff that is right in front of their faces, the day to day stuff as they are already thinking far in advance.
You could say that some entrepreneurs have blinkers on. Once they are focused on something, they will see it through to the end. Whatever comes their way will be quickly dealt with so as they don’t lose momentum or become distracted.

TASTE.

Entrepreneurs can taste success in everything that they do. It doesn’t really concern them with the current taste of a deal or a venture as they know what the ultimate taste of success in that deal when it is finished and completed will actually taste like.

Even when they have a taste of something bitter; whether that is a deal gone wrong or a wrong decision, they will still press on until the sweet taste of success is filling their mouths.

Just as kids when we are all made to eat those disgusting vegetables (the cauliflower and brussel sprouts) and then as we grow up we are able to make our own choice as to what is on our plates, so does the entrepreneur. They have been through the hard yards just as everyone else. They just want to have the choice as to what taste stays in their mouths for the longest period of time.

Until they taste it, they will not give up.

SMELL.

An entrepreneur can smell success from a mile away. In fact, they can smell it before they even experience it. It is that sweet smell that keeps them driving towards touching and living it.

Just as they can smell the sweetness of success, so can they smell a bad deal. Now I am not saying that everything an entrepreneur puts his or her hands to will always work, but as they go through their lives they will know quickly if something smells a bit off.

It is this sense that is the most important one to an entrepreneur. Without the whiff of something potentially huge and exciting, an entrepreneur will usually let it go.

They also have the ability to smell “manure” a mile off.

HEARING.

With the ear, it receives a whole lot of different vibrations and sound waves which in turn it processes it into something that makes sense to our brains. This in principal is what happens to an entrepreneur. All of us hear different feedback, various business opportunities and potential deals throughout our lives. What makes an entrepreneur different from the rest is that he or she will decipher that information (usually very quickly) and either act upon it or dismiss it straight away just by the sound of the information that he or she has heard. Where as most people will go down the path of that information and potentially lose out when it isn’t what was first perceived.

The entrepreneur will also have a knack of blocking out the negative information or comments that come into their ears. They will not be the type of person who will allow that negative information to pass into their thinking an in turn, into their actions.

Entrepreneurs have selective hearing. They know what they want to hear and they know what success sounds like.

TOUCH.

An entrepreneur will not give up until they have a firm grip on what they have been pursuing. For some it may take them a short time and for others a very long time. but until they have that success by the throat, they will not let it go.

You see it is this sense that is the reward stage for an entrepreneur. It is the thrill of the hunt with the catch mounted high on their walls of life.

This is not to say that everything they set their hands to will work. It is that they know the feel that they are looking for. They know how hard they need to press or how gentle they may need to be. It is the same principal with holding a baby as opposed to a hammer. One is gentle the other is forceful. The true entrepreneur will have an understanding of the touch that is needed.

So as you see, there are many facets that set an entrepreneur apart from a normal business owner.

Why not take the entrepreneur test(TM) on not only yourself but also your staff and you will see where you stand and where your strengths really are.
This is a great tool for any business owner.

Go to www.justinherald.com

Justin Herald started a business with only $50.6 years later that business was turning over $20 Million. He retired at the age of 31 and is now considered one of the worlds rising stars in the field of self improvement.

Justin has 3 international best selling books:

1. Would you like Attitude with that?
2. What are you waitng for?
3. It’s all a matter of attitude.

He was also named the “International Entrepreneur of the Year” 2005

http://www.justinherald.com

Author: Justin Herald
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Anti-angiogenic Food

I believe that it’s easier to succeed with small businesses than ever before. There are more opportunities for entrepreneurs to start small businesses today than at any previous time.

Here are some good reasons for why I believe this is true.

A) With the increase in population comes an increase in opportunities for small businesses.

Generally, a sparse population requires a small business owner to provide a wide variety of goods or services to survive. With a denser population, the small businesses can still survive by providing a very narrow range of products or services.

For example, in a smaller population a small business which provides gardening services would probably need to offer many things. Services could include general garden maintenance, planning, tree felling, lawn cutting, vermin control, pond planning and maintenance, hard landscaping etc.

With a bigger population a small business could thrive perfectly well by providing just one of these services, as there are more people who will need it.

B) The costs involved in starting and running small businesses has never been so low in proportion to income.

Technology has replaced many of the things which people used to do, and technology does the job a lot more cheaply.

Today it’s possible to reach literally millions of potential customers around the world very cheaply.

For example, only a few decades ago the cost of mailing to thousands of households was prohibitively high. Unless you had a very good product or service which sold well, a small business just wouldn’t risk it.

Another example, business premises security used to involve security guards walking around checking that all was well. Now a good security system can be bought for less than 1 week’s pay for that security guard, and it will work 24 hrs per day for years, for no pay.

C) Because modern life is so complex today, small businesses and individuals are open to new ideas, products and services like never before.

This creates a huge market for training courses, information provision services, educational aids, specialised products and services, novelties, etc.

With this great diversity come great opportunities to combine different products and technologies, thus making whole new areas of business possible.

For example, you can combine a low-light camera with wireless communications and a bird box. This means a nest may be watched remotely on a television or personal computer screen.

Another example would be to combine voice-chip technology with passive infrared technology to make it sound as though you have a huge dog indoors whenever anyone approaches your house.

In our recent history, these opportunities just didn’t exist.

D) It may not feel like it, but many people today have a lot more leisure time and a higher disposable income than in any previous age.

This spare income (and with the current attitudes to loans, a little more besides) tends to get spent on sports, games, hobbies, crafts, amusements, entertainments, holidays and weekend breaks etc.

This creates many opportunities for the entrepreneur to start up small businesses to satisfy all this extra demand.

E) To thrive in a modern society you need to have a lot of different skills.

Nowadays people cope with a variety of complex tasks. They buy and use a wide range of consumer equipment, fill out many forms, and communicate with all kinds of people from all walks of life (often from different countries and cultures). They also do difficult transactions like house purchasing, and so on.

All this is a long way from the average people who were around just a few hundred years ago. Many were farm labourers who could barely read or write and never travelled more than a few miles from home.

So now, the pool of potential business people is far greater than ever before. If a person can live well in a modern society, they already have the abilities they need to start up a small business enterprise and succeed.

The good news also is that if you lack a certain skill which your small business needs, then you can probably employ someone with that skill far more easily than ever before.

F) More people have access to money than ever before.

Until the late 1960s, most people were paid weekly and spent money as they earned it.

It was normal among manual workers to run right out of money around the time of their next pay packet, which often contained notes and coins!

Today most people have many bank accounts (with overdrafts) and access to credit cards, which alone have spending limits equal to a half or full year’s income.

Savings and share holdings are greater than ever before. A large proportion of the population can raise money on their house and if they don’t mind paying a high interest percentage, they can borrow with no security at all.

A great variety of people and institutions are now willing to lend money for good small businesses proposals.

With access to credit, you can buy the product, ship it to the customer and get paid before you have to pay for the goods which you sold. This just wasn’t possible until very recently.

G) Advice, courses and books about starting small businesses are within easy reach of everyone.

Researching your chosen business area has never been easier with the Internet so readily available.

Not so long ago, you would have needed to buy many books and read them all to get the specific information you required. Now you can ask a search engine very specific questions and get very specific answers, almost immediately.

This frees up small businesses and enables them to be far more productive and enterprising.

H) If you start a small business today you have an immense amount of technology available to you.

Computers, printers, copiers, audio and video recording and playback equipment, telephony and the internet are all easily available to any entrepreneur wanting to get started in a new small business enterprise.

Not long ago, the average multi-national company lacked the computing, communicating and printing power available to the ordinary person today.

You can probably think of at least 6 different ways to get a simple message to someone on the other side of the world. 5 of those messages would typically arrive less than 1 minute after you sent them.

Just 100 years ago, (and remember mankind has been around for about 3 million years) this same message would have involved horses and steam ships and would have taken months.

This massive improvement in technology (especially in communications and information) has really opened up the field to the individual who wants to go ahead with a new small business venture.

I) Small businesses starting up today have far more choices available to them.

In previous times, it was quite common for there to be only a few companies that they could go to, to buy business supplies. Whatever business you care to name, you would not find many suppliers of the materials needed to conduct that business.

Unless your business is in a very specialist area, you will now find you can source your supplies from a great many firms. This in turn drives your costs down, as you can shop around for the best deals.

For example, there used to be very few ways to get your goods delivered to your customers. Nowadays you could chose from literally hundreds of different carriers.

New companies can chose anywhere in the world to set up their small businesses, or indeed where to place any part of their business.

I know of a successful paintball company, which operates in the UK in summer. But when the business falls off due to the cold winter, they find new customers by simply moving the company to Brazil, and then return the following spring.

They also take advantage of the cheaper labour in Brazil to manufacture the paint balling equipment, and when back in the UK use the greater expertise in the UK to program their systems.

Not so long ago this flexibility of operating a small business would have been totally impractical.

Conclusion.

There are far more opportunities to start small businesses than ever before and entrepreneurs who do start new small businesses at home are more likely to succeed.

There are more potential customers, it costs less to start up and you have more choice over the kind of business to go into. Other benefits are a more skilled and educated workforce, and easy access to financial support.

If you do want your own enterprise, you can also use the power of the Internet to carry out good and fast research, and to support your business in many ways. I believe there has never been a better time to start up new small businesses.

Laurence Abbott brings to you an abundance of experience of starting and running small businesses. From hundreds of ideas for small businesses to recommendations for many services, small businesses will profit by visiting 4-Small-Businesses.Co.UK

Author: Laurence Abbott
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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