It’s fair to say that few, if any, companies—or their communication staff—were prepared to respond quickly and appropriately to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As millions of employees suddenly found themselves working remotely from their homes and millions of customers found themselves suddenly shut off from the companies and brands they typically engaged with, communication professionals began grappling with important questions, including the following: (more…)
Archive for the ‘Client Relations’ Category
Communication Lessons From COVID That Will Last Long Past the Pandemic
Saturday, December 19th, 2020This is Not the Time for Blatant Sales Pitches, But Don’t Lose Touch!
Tuesday, April 14th, 2020
Our Advice: Yes, But…
Don’t Let Go of Your Brand Promise
Friday, April 10th, 2020
How Are You Doing?
Wednesday, April 8th, 2020
Payment Milestones: A Positive Cash-Flow Approach for Long-Term B2B Projects
Friday, December 13th, 2019by Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA
In many B2B relationships, the amounts of money changing hands can be significant. For small businesses engaged primarily in the B2B realm, a single B2B client could make up a huge percentage of the small business’s total revenue. Moreover, the products and services offered to B2B customers can be fairly complex and take time to deliver in full. All of this makes the invoicing process a valuable tool for small-business owners serving B2B customers. A well-designed invoicing system can help smooth cash flows and provide revenue even before the ultimate completion of a final deliverable. (more…)
Are You Telling Your Customers About the Great Services They Receive From You?
Monday, September 2nd, 2019It’s important for any business to know whether or not their customers are satisfied with the service the company is providing – the same applies for products, but we’ll focus on services here. Many companies ask customers for feedback to gauge their experience, and this can take many forms, including surveys and post-purchase emails among others. This feedback could be asking for a simple thumbs up, thumbs down or sliding scale review of the overall service, or it could ask more specific questions, focusing on different aspects of the service: timeliness, quality, likelihood to repeat business, likelihood to recommend to others, etc. (more…)
Networking for Introverts: Practicing the “Loose Touch”
Thursday, August 22nd, 2019We often hear about the importance of networking and it’s tough to challenge that notion. Networking is a great way to make new connections that can lead to job offers or other professional connections. For small business owners and entrepreneurs, networking is especially important, because simply generating awareness of your organization can be difficult without meeting people in person and building personal connections. (more…)
Leveraging the Law of Reciprocity
Thursday, June 27th, 2019by Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA
It’s hard to overstate the value of relationships in business. And, while it’s true for companies of any size, this can be especially crucial for success among small and midsized businesses (SMBs) as well as in the B2B world generally. “As an entrepreneur, you have countless relationships you need to manage on a daily basis,” writes Jennifer Spencer in an article for Entrepreneur. “There are your employees. There are the vendors who provide needed support services to help you run your business. And, of course, there are also your customers.”
Cultivating Customer Advocates in a B2B Environment
Tuesday, June 26th, 2018by Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA
Few things can be as effective at generating sales as positive customer reviews. Similarly, and conversely, few things can be as damaging to sales as negative customer reviews. In terms of online retail, a recent survey found that positive reviews influence the purchase decisions of 90 percent of respondents, while negative reviews influence around 86 percent. But that’s in the B2C (business-to-consumer) world. In B2C, there are a relatively large number of customer interactions compared to B2B (business-to-business). This means that while B2B has fewer potential customer reviews to base a purchase decision on, each one is that much more impactful. (more…)