It seems that all the talk these days is about the economy. All around us, businesses that were once multi-billion dollar giants in their industry are declaring bankruptcy and shutting their doors. Employees are losing their jobs with no other opportunities in sight! With such a great decline in the market, is it really possible to make your small business thrive?

The United States of America was founded on small businesses! Long before corporations came in and took over, small businesses were thriving. So what can you do to make your small business thrive in a declining economy?

I believe that the most valuable asset a company has is customer service. Somewhere between full-service gas stations and self-check-out stands, customer service has been shoved aside. No longer will a friendly clerk gladly assist the customer; now the customer may eventually be waited on by a disgruntled employee who would rather lean on the counter than serve the customer!

The same can even be said in the online world. Rather than prompt, friendly service, more and more companies are simply trying to make the big bucks rather than keeping the customers. One large company I recently ordered from stated that they would ship a free gift with my order. I didn’t ask for it. They simply added it to my order. However, a few days later, I received an email that stated they would not be sending me a free gift after all because I had used a gift card, and they didn’t do two special deals together! When customer service was called by another disgruntled customer, the company said that they were covered in their policy statement and refused to send out the free gift that they had offered!

Rather than give out a few free gifts, this company was extremely rude to customers who had not even asked for a free gift! It wasn’t the free gift that will keep me from ordering from them again; it’s the lack of customer service!

Are you losing customers because you haven’t fully realized the true meaning of customer service? Ask yourself how you can better meet your customer’s needs! You may just save your company from bankuptcy!

To your success,
Katie

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on here! I’ve been through so much this year that I have let my blog fall to the wayside. The most exciting thing that has happened to me is becoming a mom. There is no better job in the world, and my daughter is so beautiful! But now I am back and excited to start blogging again! I have kept busy writing articles for www.demandstudios.com and www.ehow.com. Please feel free to view my articles and let me know your opinions!

If you are interested in earning a little extra money simply for writing articles, here are some key steps to follow:

1. Only write about what you know. Sure, you can research any topic and write a 250-word article on that topic, but the best articles are written based on your own knowledge. If you know about being a parent, then write an advice article to other parents. If you know how to build cars, then write an article about cars. Everyone has something to share if they will just tap into their own resources.

2. Consider what’s news. If you really want to drive traffic to your article, you need to find out what everyone is reading about these days. Do you have first-hand knowledge of the Presidential election? Can you come up with some great ideas for the holidays? Check into what people are interested in and then find a way to write about it.

3. Keep it simple. Remember, you’re not writing for a journal. Most people look up a topic online and then only scan the page. In order to get your point across, make sure you highlight the important parts and be concise.

4. Always, always proofread! You would be surprised at the number of people who do not spellcheck their articles before submitting them! One way to make sure that you look like you don’t know what you’re talking about is to pepper your copy with a lot of mistakes. Re-reading your article can save you from making silly mistakes.

There are many good article sites on the web these days, so find one that works best for you. Set up your PayPal account and get writing! Even if you don’t receive much of an income from these sites, at least your work is being published for others to review.

To your success,
Katie