Staff retention a concern? Consider this scenario. Imagine you’re a front-line employee working at a mundane job. It’s so boring you simply go through the motions. You’re on autopilot, counting the hours and minutes until your shift is over and you can go home and do something you enjoy. Or you stick with the job only until something more interesting or better-paying comes along. Then you’re gone.

When I’m asked speak at conferences on how managers can boost business, they often assume we’re going to focus on gaining new customers. I’m sorry to say, but that’s the last thing we should focus on.

As a customer, you’ve no doubt received scads of sales pitches from companies trying to sell you something, the vast majority of which you ignore, tune out, or reject outright. When the tables are turned and you are the one making the proposal, there are three key elements you should consider to help make your offer more compelling. These components comprise what’s known as your unique selling proposition or ‘USP.’ When I speak at conferences for sales and service teams, this is one of the simple tips I share for converting prospects into buyers. Whether you’re making your proposal in person, through a brochure, or on your website, you may find you’ll have more impact by including these three elements”¦

Someone once said that life would be easy if it wasn’t for other people. Making a living, however, usually involves interacting with those around you. Your job may be fine when customers are pleasant and everything goes well. Sooner or later, though, unavoidable delays, foul-ups, and interruptions can make even good jobs turn into, well”¦ work. To help you have more ‘up’ days than ‘down’—even when things go wrong—here are several strategies I share in my seminars for making your job easier and your mood better. The bonus is your boss and your customers will love you for them.

If you manage a small- to medium-size business, chances are you encounter pricing pressures from some version of a large discounter. These competitors may have more money to spend to attract new customers, more buying power to undercut your prices, and more resources to outlast you in a price war. If they’re from overseas, they may also have cheaper labour.

When I speak at conferences about customer service strategies, I often hear managers discuss how hard it is to recruit and retain good frontline employees. Too many managers mistakenly assume the only way to keep people is to bite the bullet and pay more in salaries, benefits, and perks.

When it comes to dealing with dissatisfied customers, most business owners and managers believe that money back guarantees and/or exchange policies will fix the problem. Lousy strategy. Money back guarantees and exchanges may fix the problem, but they do nothing to fix the relationship. Policies don’t fix relationships—people do.

You know the scenario… your workday is running smoothly and manageably when suddenly you find yourself dealing with one customer in front of you, another on the phone, while a third arrives with just a quick question.