Call it a blind spot. Call it regimented thinking. Call it the-way-we-have-always-done-it. But by any name, there are actions and practices that far too many businesses engage in that can unknowingly drive customers away.

When I observe such practices, I move from being angry to just plain sad. Really sad. Because the truth of the matter is that no one CONSCIOUSLY set out to ruin my day. No one sat in a board room and dreamt up procedures that would have us leaving in droves. No one woke up and said, “I can hardly wait to make you miserable.” It happened “because”. Because the truth of the matter is that it takes courage to stop and ask the critical question: Does this serve our customer? Our member? Our community?

We all “know” the rules of service. But sadly, sometimes we don’t take the time to think through just what our actions might be do or say to the customer. Here are some actions guaranteed to drive folks from the doors of an enterprise. It’s time for all of us to sit up and notice!

Over promise and under deliver.

Bring people to the conference with the promise of cutting edge material. Lure attendees into thinking that the hotel is a four-star marvel. Tell customers that they’ll have all the material they need in three days. Promise the meeting planner that the press kit will go out overnight. Then sit back and watch. Really watch. If it isn’t true 100% of the time, it’s a bait and switch promise.

Take the idea of “cutting edge material”. I’ve attended conferences in which the only cutting edge was the serving knife on a buffet table. Same ideas. Same methodology. Same format. Get a clue! Shake it up. Be provocative. If we say it, we better deliver.

How about that four-star hotel? Brochure looks great. The conference walk through is stunning. But then, could that ghastly-looking luncheon plate REALLY be the same chicken marsala you were served in the tasting? And, how about the fact that the hotel “forgot” to tell you that the major dining room would be undergoing renovation. Yikes!

The three-day guarantee. If you can’t deliver it all the time, it’s not true! Now, perhaps Three Day Blinds has reversed its practices, but years ago, I ordered window coverings for our new house. My mother was coming to visit us over Christmas and I needed shades. Alas, the third day came and went. I discovered that only “some” shades are three-day, not all. Beware of the implied promise.

Never walk the talk.

The brochure for the conference said, “a celebration of members”, a “community that listens.” Too bad it didn’t play out in reality.

The setting is New Orleans. A couple thousand folks have gathered for the “celebration” and the “community”. Alas, the reality is another fact. I discover that people are invited to parties based upon their status in the organization. The luncheon session I am addressing has some 50 “important people” file into the banquet hall and take their places on a stage that is three tiers deep. Talk about a “we”/ “they” set up. I am told, “This is the way we have always done it.” The intent to “honor” these 50 people was to have hundreds watch them eat and to also set up the boundary between the “us” and the “them”.

Come on. There are a few more creative ways to showcase the “us” that is far more inclusive, educational, and community building than a camera shot of folks eating. I end up addressing an audience while have my back to 50 plus people. It’s rude, off-putting, and the exact opposite of what the organization, in all good intentions, wishes to create.

Our lives had better mirror the words we use and the beliefs we profess to all. Otherwise, we’re merely impersonators. I watched a very well known speaker who specializes in relationship building turn into a snarling, demanding customer who treated the flight attendants like personal servants. How many disbelievers were created on that day?

Make technology your primary form of communication.

Make sure there’s a voice mail doom loop from which someone will never emerge to actually speak with a live human. Conduct all business via e-mail, assuming that a message sent is a message received. And while you’re at it, hit send as soon as a message is written.

These three practices can doom any business relationship. Amazing isn’t it: having a person answer the phone can actually be a competitive advantage! How easy do we make it for people to do business with us via the telephone or even our web site? I tried to book a reservation in a lovely hotel, only to be treated to a lovely online tour of the property without ever finding a contact number!

E-mail is great for data but not perfect for relationship building or critical pieces of information. In fact, often the E in e-mail stands for escalation and error. Two colleagues almost became bitter enemies over rapid fire e-mails that had the sting of a viper and the warmth of the Arctic. Neither thought to pick up the phone and talk things out. Thus, the lop-sided “chats” turned into internecine warfare. Talk about beating folks up!!

I discovered fascinating information about a client when we talked through my normal pre-program survey rather than depend upon an electronic transmission. I had thought my online survey was a time saving device. Instead, what it became was a gatekeeper, preventing me from digging deeper into an issue. Likewise, multiple choice answers on written or online customer service surveys will never result in information of substantive depth.

Forget the wisdom of the outer circle.

In organizational life, there’s always an “inner circle” of power and control. Boards of Directors wield it. So do powerful departments. When practices and policies come only from the inner circle, the rank and file is not only unheard, but can turn its back on the organization. Members leave associations when they feel discounted and “not in the know”.

Never say “thank you”.

Mother was right when she made us kids write notes to relatives after Christmas. It’s a forgotten habit that can go a long way to letting people feel appreciated. Likewise, pick up the phone and call a client or member who has a complaint and THANK THEM for making that complaint known. You’ll discover a huge dividend in goodwill after they recover from the shock of your call.

Three Practices to KEEP customers and members.

Common courtesy isn’t common. Be uncommon.

Service is an unnatural act. It takes emphasis away from ourselves and gives it to others. Be unnatural.

Time is the only non-renewal resource. Never waste people’s time.

Hope I haven’t wasted yours!

(c) 2005, McDargh Communications. Publication rights granted to all venues so long as article and by-line are reprinted intact and all links are made live.

If you are having a technical issue with your computer, and you need assistance, your best bet is to call your manufacturers technical support line. In most cases, technical support is part of the package when you first purchased your computer. If, for some reason, you are unable to use your computer manufacturers help desk services, here are a few free help desk sites on the Internet.

Tech Support Guy claims to be the #1 tech support site on the web and can be found at .helponthe.net. Tech Support Guy help desk site offers free assistance to users of Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000, XP and Linux.

This site is free because it is run completely by volunteers and is paid for by donations. Donations are requested but not required to use this site. The way this site works is that first you must search the topic of you problem. If you can’t find it, then you can post your technical issue on one of Tech Support Guy’s forum pages where other users of the site will try and assist you.

One positive aspect of this site is that it has an extensive forum of questions from previous users so you will most likely receive the answer to your technical issue pretty quickly. One negative aspect of this site is that it is up to you to find the answer to your technical issue. There isn’t a customer service support representative to walk you through your technical issue at this help desk.

5 S tar Support technical services can be found on the web at .5starsupport.com. This help desk provides support to users of Windows, Linux, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Netscape, Windows Messenger, AOL, Networking troubleshooting, Microsoft Office Products.

Simply enter your technical issue in a web form that will be emailed to several volunteer technical support representatives and then wait to receive your reply back. You may receive several replies from several different representatives and each solution may be different. You may email the representative back if you are unable to satisfactorily fix your technical issue.

For people who want a solution faster, there is a method available where you can phone a computer support specialist and they can talk you through a solution to your technical issue. There is a small fee for this service however and can be purchased in annual, monthly or per incident increments.

Another service the 5 star offers is free PC help tutorials on topics such as Clean Installation of Windows XP, Install a Home Network, Configuring a Network Card and Partition a Hard Drive.

Suggest A Fix can be found at .suggestafix.com. This site also is run by volunteers but is a free service. It is forum based as well and you need to take the time to scroll through the posting to find something that matches your particular issue. However, in the toolbar virus information and tutorials are also available as quick options.

The best thing about the forums is that you will usually receive good quality answers to your technical or general computing questions. There are a few dedicated people that seem to field a majority of the questions, so depending on the time and day; your answers may vary greatly.

We all know that good customer service is paramount to growing a business and increasing profitability. What many managers are failing to realize, however, is that rapid changes in technology have lead to equally rapid changes in the delivery of quality customer service.

In addition to the basics we all have heard time and again, there are five new areas of customer service that should be addressed to keep customers happy.

What do customers say?

1) Preserve me from auto-attendant hell! Customers are becoming increasingly annoyed and frustrated with having to sift through a multitude of options and press numerous buttons &ndash only to be told that the desired service is only available through the company’s website. Worse is when the auto-attendant uses voice recognition &ndash but doesn’t ‘recognize’ your voice.

It’s understandable that companies want to reduce costs by using attendants and, there’s no question that these are valuable tools. Yet, people want to connect with human beings; they don’t want to listen to a long list of prompts &ndash especially not if they are having a problem (and let’s face it, that’s what usually triggers the call in the first place). To keep customers happy, here are few simple tips:

• Always make it easy for customers to reach a human being.

• Give people the option of voice prompt or touch prompt.

• If you do use an auto-attendant, limit the number of menus to two rounds of choices before the customer reaches a human being.

• If you have asked the customer to key in account information, transfer the profile along with the call.

• If the call has been answered by a company rep, and needs to transfer the call to another department, do not put the customer back into a long queue. Instead, let your customer service rep be able to jump the front of the line, and get them to stay on the call with the client until the next person has picked up. Once this happens, the first rep should introduce the caller and give rep #2 a pr

There is an abundance of job positions that allow for people to work from home simply using their computer. There are advertising jobs, sales positions and data entry careers all of which allow you to work from the comforts of home from your computer. You simply need your computer and an Internet connection. In most homes across America this is already an up and running occurrence with the use of a basic home office. This keeps the start up cost of a home business down. In order to find a home business that you can run simply through your computer you should begin your search online…

You can simply search online businesses from the Internet. This will pull up many results for you to choose from. You can also find online agencies that post miscellaneous job positions with a detailed description of what you may need. This can help you to narrow down your business choices. You can choose jobs by the day or week, which can prevent your employment from taking on a sense of boredom. This is why there are certain jobs outside of the home that have such high turn around in employees. The positions hold such a stiff daily routine that employees are forced to leave for their own mental well being.

As many of us spend many hours of personal time on the computer it is easy to incorporate a home business that is run form your computer into your daily life. You fire up the computer and check emails while you perform other job tasks. You can become a secret shopper and make purchases for other online. You can get paid to fill out consumer surveys online. You can transfer data from one area to another or fill out medical billing forms online. Each of these positions can be run easily with a computer and your time and effort. It’s a simple and basic method to working from home and earning the income that you need to care for your household.

You are also building skills by working on the computer as you are becoming more proficient in your personal computer skills. You can use this in future endeavors as a benefit. This could be helpful in beginning your own business if that desire should arise in the future. You will find that having a home business that you run with your computer is enjoyable and beneficial. You can multitask accomplishing more in a less amount of time so that your personal time increases. You can also begin this form of home business with less start up cash and in a much quicker time frame.

Begin looking for your home business opportunity online through personal searches. You are certain to find the opportunity that you have longed for. You will be earning money for yourself and your family from the comforts of home by simply using a single tool, your computer. Earn money for your needs and build personal success through your computer and into the world of Internet business.

Look, If you’re reading this column, chances are you’ve been around the block. You grasp the home based business industry pretty well and you know that most people DO NOT succeed in it.

Why would The Reverse Funnel System be any different?

As you can tell, I’m not here to judge The Reverse Funnel System in fact it’s a nice system but it’s not the system that makes you money.

Yes. What positively makes a system operate is the person behind that and if you’re participating with The Reverse Funnel System or looking to become a part of Ty Coughlin’s team that person is YOU.

The fact of money making programs offline or online is this….

PEOPLE JOIN PEOPLE.

The merchandise, compensation plan, and benefits come second. The first thing people want to know before they join any business opportunity is “does this being know what they’re talking about?”.

They want to make sure that their upline is favorable, proficient, and they want to be 100% certain that you can propose value to them in some way shape or form.

Sure, systems make the process faster and they do make sales on their own but not all of the time. The Reality is the human part is needed and you need to be a leader to your prospects if you’re not you can way your dreams of long-term residual income “adios”.

In closing, The Reverse Funnel System is a celebrated system in fact after comparing it side by side with all the others it takes the cake but if you are just in it for the bankroll good luck because it takes hard work and dedication to make any system work period.

For the last year I’ve been a member of a $14,000 a year Internet Mastermind group, setup by Yanik Silver, who’s one of the most respected online entrepreneurs in the world of marketing.

You may or may not be familiar with the mastermind concept &ndash either way please pay attention to what I’m about to tell you. This is extremely important, and if you take note, this tip will be worth your entire annual subscription for many years &ndash that’s a promise. Oh, and don’t worry about the money, you’re not going to have to fork out 14 grand.

Let me first explain what a mastermind is.

A mastermind group commonly consists of anywhere between 4 and 18 members who have the same goal of expanding their business. Personally, I believe between six and twelve members is the sweet spot. You definitely don’t want any more than 18, and that’s probably pushing it.

At each meeting (we meet three times a year), each member is expected to share their best strategies, techniques, and be willing and eager to help everyone else take their business to a much higher level. When each member contributes in that way, the results are fantastic. In Yanik’s group, literally millions of dollars have been created simply by following this concept of being willing to share. When everyone is willing to give out, they receive back ten fold.

Obviously the dynamics of the group are important. There needs to be some kind of synergy between members so that everyone respects each other. In other words, I don’t believe you should have a mix of newbies and experienced sellers in one group &ndash that would be frustrating to everyone, like a class of students where some feel held back while others are out of their depth.

I can confidently tell you that the mastermind concept has made a bigger impact on my business compared with anything else I’ve done in recent years. Why? There’s a number of reasons. First, you surround yourself with a team of expert consultants that analyse your business, take it apart, and then re-build it to be much stronger. They see things you would never have picked up on in a million years, which when implemented help you take it to another level. That kind of independent analysis is extremely important because we all get too close to our businesses; we all assume we know the best way of doing something, when often there’s a much better way that was staring us in the face all along &ndash we just didn’t see it.

Secondly, there is accountability. At each meeting, you are expected to share your progress with the group. Without that accountability, you can roam free, and things get done when they get done. Knowing that you are answerable to the group for what you’ve accomplished since the last meeting is a strong motivator, and it provides the deadlines that many of us need.

Thirdly, there are the joint venture opportunities. As you get to know the other members, you’ll see natural ways to work together, and the partnerships that are forged can be extremely useful. In our group, I’ve teamed up with a number of members on projects where we’ve combined our strengths to produce and market all kinds of products and services, both on and off the eBay marketplace.

Lastly, there is positive reinforcement. It’s no secret that when you surround yourself with successful people, you become more successful. It makes sense, and it really does work that way.

By the way, there are many other benefits that I haven’t talked about and that space simply doesn’t allow, but I hope by now you understand the power of the mastermind concept.

So let’s get practical. How can YOU benefit from this information? Firstly, I suggest you read the book, ‘Meet and Grow Rich’ by Joe Vitale. He goes into depth about how the mastermind meetings should be run. Then, research your nearest Independent Business Advisor Chapter on dankennedy.com &ndash get yourself along to their meetings, and start participating. I recommend Dan Kennedy’s groups because they are well structured and run. As an alternative, there are other groups like Chamber of Commerce, Breakfast Clubs and so on. These are not true mastermind groups, but they still have value.

I also urge you to setup your own local group. We’ve done that here in Salt Lake City and it’s working extremely well. We have six members and we get together every other week in a meeting room at our local library. How did we all meet in the first place? I met two of the members at a national marketing seminar, and then we each suggested someone else that we knew. It’s a great group and I know I can speak for everyone in saying that it’s an extremely valuable part of our business now. There’s no fees involved, we work on the basis of freely sharing each others experience, and that works well. No one has taken advantage of that, but if they did they would be warned and then out in a heartbeat if they continued to take without giving back.

Let me sum up be telling you that I firmly believe that if I’d discovered the mastermind concept years ago, I would probably have been retired by now while in my mid 30’s &ndash that’s how powerful this is. Don’t waste another moment, do whatever you can to get involved in a group as soon as possible, or create your own.

The Reverse Funnel System (RFS) was developed by the Inner Circle as a fully automated, marketing tool to run your Global Resorts Network (GRN) business.

RFS works for you by providing expert copy and thought through psychology at your fingertips for lease. You pay the Inner Circle monthly and they lease you your own personal copy of RFS.

RFS could be linked to any business opportunity but the members of The Inner Circle choose GRN because of the powerful motivator that is thousand dollar commissions. If it was extremely difficult to sell a three thousand dollar product I am sure the Inner Circle would have reviewed this decision but the fact is it is not. People want to spend three thousand dollars on an opportunity that can easily make them three thousand a week. You just need to remind them.

You remind them by preparing them to see the sight by driving them to click your URL to your copy of RFS. You can do this in a variety of ways.

Join co-ops &ndash it always will add to your marketing efforts to join a co-op and get a certain number of paid leads sent to you every month. Send them to the reverse funnel system and boost your click through.

Give the opportunity to your friends in MySpace &ndash It’s MySpace, everybody is potentially your friend. Help them out by casually befriending them so they can view the success that is your life via profile information and give them the opportunity to make a grab for it to.

Write some class act personal growth and success blogs, wage drama in a forum venue, preach the potential through article directories, back link everything to you copy of RFS.

In no time you should have sales coming in and plenty of people with their foot in the door for you to contact and convince. As long as you maintain that YOU will be a positive influence in the lives of your down line and that YOU won’t be happy with your success unless they are succeeding you will keep your team happy, be a motivational force in their efforts and make more money.

MLM (Multi-level Marketing) has been the standard for online businesses for quite some years now. People are getting tired of it though. MLM has some seriously disturbing factors about it &ndash regardless of the particular program that you may be involved in. Let’s take a look:

1 All MLM programs are based on the promotion of bogus products. You pay a monthly subscription fee for a product that nobody wants or needs and then you are stuck trying to promote it to others to recoup your investment costs.

2 Unfailingly, the only people that make money in MLM programs are those who have huge downlines. They’ve worked for years to develop these downlines. This makes it very hard for the newcomer to generate any cash at all &ndash let alone something that they could live off of.

3 MLM turns out to be a solo endeavor. Most programs have up-lines that are either uninterested or unable to help the newcomer. That’s one big reason that over 97% of MLM endeavors fail wretchedly within the first year.

Cash gifting programs eliminate all of the nonsense that you will find in the MLM programs. First of all, there is no bogus product to buy or sell. Cash gifting is about like-minded individuals giving and receiving cash. It’s about sowing and reaping. Gifting represents the timeless concept of generosity. You give to those who are less fortunate than you, and in return you recoup your investment many times over.

Cash gifting is all about teamwork. Experienced mentors are in place to help you through every step of the process. These professional coaches have been where you are as a newcomer. They care and want to help you to succeed because your success is their success.

Also &ndash unlike MLM &ndash gifting programs have well established and proven statistical success offline. This is good because when you bring in a newcomer to an online business, there is an extreme learning curve to overcome. Technology confuses many. These people are free to develop their gifting business by offline advertising mediums as well as the online ones. This enhances the individual’s ability to duplicate the proven methods of success.

Cash gifting programs are becoming incredibly popular again. Even if you have been involved in MLM programs, you can offer your downline an opportunity that they can actually profit from. Constantly monitored databases ensure that the playing field is level. No one can possibly be cheated. You make an initial investment. Then it’s your turn to recoup the investment. It’s that simple! Explore the realm of gifting programs today. Eliminate the hype and drivel inherent in MLM programs. It’s all about making money, right?

Entrepreneurs must already choose the legal structure of their business even before they start such venture, if only to make sure that they now the risks and the advantages involved in starting that kind of business. Business owners can choose to put up a sole or single proprietorship, enter into a partnership or form a corporation.

Each of the three legal structures has its own advantages and disadvantages. A sole proprietorship is the easiest type of business to put up and operate because only one person is responsible for decision making and for running the business. However, being alone in business means you are solely responsible for whatever happens to you business and you only have to rely on your own capital and resources.

A partnership is better considering that two or more heads are always better than one. A partnership offers more possibility in terms of capital base and of brain power. However, partnerships do not always work due to conflicting business decisions.

The next if not the best option is to form a corporation which would be composed of incorporators who will put up the seed capital for the business. A corporation can provide more sources of funds and the owners are only liable to as much as the money they have invested in the business. Provided of course that the corporation does not indulge in illegalities or does things in bad faith. Doing so would necessitate the application of the principle of piercing the veil of corporate fiction. This means that the owners can be made accountable even beyond the amount of their investments if they are found to be in bad faith in certain transactions.

While the corporation has proven to be the best option for business owner, there is apparently another option called the Limited Liability Company which offers the characteristics of both partnership and corporation. Members of a Limited Liability Company can enjoy the limited liability enjoyed by corporations unless a personal guarantee has been signed. This legal structure also offers tax benefits much like the benefits available to corporations.

A Limited Liability Company does not however require the bureaucracy of a corporation in terms of the taking of minutes. And unlike in a partnership where the partners can only participate in decision-making depending on their partnership status, members of a Limited liability Company can take part in decision making without losing their limited liability protection.

However, while a corporation can last for 50 years renewable for another period, a Limited Liability Company can be easily disbanded particularly when a member dies or becomes bankrupt. It is also more feasible to form a corporation if there are plans to do a public offering.

Despite the disadvantages of forming a Limited Liability Company, it is still the best choice for business start ups that are still testing the waters but already want to give their business a legal structure.

Retailing is growing and growing fast. As one of the nation’s largest sectors, the retail industry provides a wealth of opportunity to people who have the desire to forge their own path to success. One-third of the 500,000 or so new businesses created each year are retail businesses. The entrepreneurs risk their hard earned capital, dedicate their resources and make a life out of offering consumers something they need or want.

The possibilities and opportunities that are associated with opening a retail business make it the backbone of the American economy. The industry delivers a rewarding business for the more than 24 million people who earn their livelihood by selling products. Retailers distribute the goods and services that are consumed by the public each and every day – be it food, energy, leisure, and our home products - our lives would not be the same without having places to get these items and resources.

Most of these retailers buy merchandise from a manufacturer or wholesaler and sell it to consumers for their usage. The price that is charged for the goods covers the retailer’s expenses and typically includes a spread that is considered the gross profit. The retail portion of the U.S. economy accounts for about 38 percent of our gross national product–more than $3 trillion dollars. The National Retail Federation is quoted in saying that more than 1 million retailing companies operate more than 1.4 million retail businesses in the US alone.

Types of Retailers

To provide detail into the types of retail businesses, we’ll take a look at the different ways for which a retail business can market products to the consumer. Remember that all these businesses began as a simple concept and grew through word of mouth and due to the drive of their respective store owners.

Our country is an amazing conglomerate of independent stores, large national department stores, discount chains, convenience stores, membership clubs, national and regional chains, category-killer stores, and other large-scale retail operations.

Store retailers hope that their fixed locations attract a large volume of walk-in customers of the street. These new customers will be satisfied with their purchase and will spread positive word of mouth about the business to their friends and family. Most stores have varied merchandise display options and utilize advertising both in print and via the internet to attract customers.

Store retailers sell products to the general public for personal use, but some also serve commercial businesses as well. These include establishments such as office supply operations, computer and technology service stores, and home improvement stores.

Massive retailers like Wal-Mart are focused on selling consumable products that consumers need for their everyday lives while more specialty retailers such as “Sunglass Hut” tend to sell products that people desire. They focus more on unique products that meet the emotional needs of the customer and focus on creating a brand mystique that is associated when someone interacts with the business. The ability to integrate an eCommerce business within the overall retail operation makes it even that much more powerful.

A retail business can be a fantastic way to start a new venture. Consider your location and products wisely, strive to provide great customer service, and manage your expenses carefully and you will soon be on your way to having a sustainable retail business.