The multi-million dollar question

Does a formal referral program make sense for your business? If you’ve been in business for more than a day, you know that referrals are the best way to gain new clients. Most of the time, the person making the referral has already done the selling for you and the person being referred is now highly inclined to work with you.

The million-dollar question then becomes, how can you get more referrals?

For sure, you need to create the culture, or set the scene, that clients are expected to refer others. There are several ways to do this.

Let’s discuss a few, starting with the question, is it a good idea to create a formal referral program?

By formal program, I mean a structured system, whereby if someone sends you a referral, the referrer gets a commission, or a specific gift. And they know what they get ahead of sending you a referral.

So you’re saying ahead of time, if you send me a referral, you get a gift card, a watch or an iPad or whatever. In some such programs, if you send one referral you get gift A; send 5 referrals, get gift B; send 20 referrals, get gift C; and so on.

While some businesses claim success with this model, I’m not convinced it gets you the best or most qualified referrals. Because you are essentially paying for them, whether with cash or “prizes,” these referrals become a financial transaction.

In his book Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely talks about his research experiments regarding market norms and social norms. Here’s a video from Dan where he talks a little more about this concept.

If you don’t know the difference,

and you confuse the two, your business (and possibly your social life) could suffer. For example, at the end of a dinner party at a friend’s house, you wouldn’t pull out your wallet and say, “So how much do I owe you?” By paying your referral sources, you are making the same faux pas.

People typically give referrals because they want to help; they feel good when they’re able to do something nice for someone else; they don‘t expect, or necessarily want, to be paid for them.

When you acknowledge such a gesture with an unexpected gift as a way to say thank you, you’re repaying their goodwill in a more socially acceptable way.

In case social graces are not your concern, know that showing appreciation for referrals via a gift yields a far better monetary return vs. paying money for them. People are much more likely to give more referrals after receiving a gift than they are after receiving a check.

I know! This is contrary to what you might think. You’ve been brainwashed to think money is the great motivator in business, but that belief is not true!

So back to the original question of having a referral program. You should have an internal referral system; a well thought out plan for how to encourage and acknowledge those who send you referrals.

But for best results, don’t spoil the surprise and put your “gift catalog” out there as a carrot.

More from Women Grow Business:

• First impressions… by Robin Ferrier
• A gem or a dud named Clem? by guest contributor Susan Spencer

Image: stupid is the new clever via Flickr, Creative Commons

Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She shares happiness by helping business people show appreciation for and give recognition to customers and employees with The Gratitude Cookie™. With an understanding of the value of creating strong connections and experiences, she supports clients in increasing customer loyalty, referrals and profits. Connect with Lori on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

This week is Administrative Professionals Week, with tomorrow, Wednesday the 27th, as the actual Administrative Professionals Day.

Think about it, how much more difficult would your job be if not for your fantastic administrative support people?

Started in 1952, as National Secretaries Week/Day, it was organized to call attention to the value and contributions of administrative professionals in the workplace. Over the years, this has become one of the largest workplace observances and is celebrated worldwide during the last full week of April.

Today, there are more than 4.1 million secretaries and administrative assistants working in the United States, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, and 8.9 million people working in various administrative support roles.

More than 475,000 administrative professionals are employed in Canada. Millions more administrative professionals work in offices all over the world. (this info comes from the International Association of Administrative Professionals.)

Relevance to Entrepreneurs

What? You don’t have an administrative support person yet?

Most entrepreneurs wait way too long to hire some administrative support, reasoning that they can’t afford it. (Is this your excuse?) Once they do finally hire help, in hindsight they all say they should have done it earlier.

Yes, I’ve been there and had this argument in my head too.

“I can’t afford to hire someone. I’m not even paying myself yet. Or I’m barely breaking even now.”

What many entrepreneurs don’t realize is that paying someone to help with the administrative stuff doesn’t so much cost them money as create more time for them to do what they do best, which is what brings in more money!

Sure, traditionally an administrative professional has been someone who sits outside your office, or just down the hall, handling all the tasks you hand off. As the work world has changed, and far more entrepreneurs are working from their homes or local coffee shops, virtual assistants have become a very popular option.

These are people who are running their own businesses by hiring out their administrative services and organizational talents–their business is helping you run your business. You can hire them to work remotely for you for a set number of hours per month, or on a per project basis.

Another option for administrative help is to find someone locally, perhaps a student, to work with you a few hours a week. Either way, allowing someone to manage the administrative and organizational tasks that suck up an inordinate amount of your time is imperative to the growth of your business.

You need that time to maximize your brilliance. Then this week next year, you’ll be among those who are happily celebrating your amazing administrative professional!

More from Women Grow Business:

• Make your accounting system do more than count your pennies, by Joanna Pineda
• 4 steps to hiring your first employee, a guest post by Renee Brown

Image: Wesley Fryer via Flickr, Creative Commons

Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She shares happiness by helping business people show appreciation for and give recognition to customers and employees with The Gratitude Cookie™. With an understanding of the value of creating strong connections and experiences, she supports clients in increasing customer loyalty, referrals and profits. Connect with Lori on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Being an entrepreneur can be difficult at times.

Ha! Yes, I know I’m stating the obvious. To be successful, you need to have a strong support system, people around you who whole-heartedly believe in you and your mission.

But what if your spouse or life partner, the person you expect to be your biggest cheerleader, doesn’t completely champion your dream? Can you still reach your goal?

I’ve been in this situation. Since bringing it to light, I’ve had many other (mostly) women admit to me that they are in the same boat. Starting a business is challenging enough without having to add personal relationship issues to the mix!

I won’t pretend to have all the answers here, however I can offer some first-hand advice that you may find helpful.

1. Make sure you find a coach or mentor to hold your hand and kick your butt as appropriate.

Sure, everyone would do well to have such a person in his or her corner regardless, but when your life partner can’t or won’t rationally discuss business with you, it becomes critical to have someone with whom you can discuss decisions.

2. Join a strong and supportive mastermind group of successful business people who can help you solve problems, brainstorm with you and connect you with the right resources.

You need to find people you can call who will share the excitement with when you land that big client or media placement. You’ll need their numbers if and when the deal falls through too.

I’m reminded of the time I learned that Rachael Ray’s daytime talk show had said YES! They were going to feature one of my products on the show.

I was ecstatic. When I told my husband, he kind of shrugged, said something to the effect that he’d get excited when it brought in some money, and then asked what was for dinner.

Can you relate to this experience? I hope not, but if you can, know that you are not alone!

3. Do whatever it takes to get your head in the right place.

Read books, learn EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), meditate, exercise, pray, etc.

This is critical because if your spouse is telling you your idea won’t work, you won’t make money, or it’s time to give it up and get a job, you are going to need the fortitude to keep your positive outlook and the ability to keep listening to your heart to know you are doing the right thing.

4. Accept that there are some topics of discussion that are going to be off limits at the dinner table (or anywhere else).

Become okay with not sharing the details of your business development challenges or financing negotiations because you know such a conversation will not contribute to your happiness or success.

5. Get honest with yourself. Look at this relationship and ask yourself if this is really where you belong.

Yeah, that’s hard and painful. The answer may make you uncomfortable. You might pretend you don’t know, but in your heart, you do know.

Wait!

Before you think I’m advocating the break up of your relationship though, take time to examine the root of your partner’s non-support.

As entrepreneurs, we tend to have a higher risk tolerance level than other people.

Perhaps your spouse is scared to death of how the bills are going to get paid and the potential that the bank could take your house if you don’t succeed.

If there’s ego involved, he could be afraid of you becoming more successful than he is. Counseling could be useful in helping you two communicate better.

If it comes down to your spouse not respecting you or your talents and not believing in your power, then you need to return to the top of this section and reflect on whether or not you want to live a life like that.

Some people are lucky enough to successfully work in their business with their spouse or to have a super supportive relationship even if their partner is not in business with them.

For those of you who don’t have that situation (yet), know that you can likely find success by creating alternative support systems.

More from Women Grow Business:

• Ebere Okoye tells you how a small business owner survived in tough times
• Ann Bevans tells the story of a tiny thread
• More from Lori, on flying in the face of your fear

Image: theaterculture via Flickr, Creative Commons

Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She shares happiness by helping business people show appreciation for and give recognition to customers and employees with The Gratitude Cookie™. With an understanding of the value of creating strong connections and experiences, she supports clients in increasing customer loyalty, referrals and profits. Connect with Lori on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

“Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid. Come to the edge, he said. They came. He pushed them and they flew.”

~ Guillaume Apollinaire (a French poet, 1880-1918)

As I evaluated the past year’s performance of my company, I was frustrated.

What ELSE do I need to do to improve the numbers, to make it profitable?! I refuse to blame the economy (in fact 2010 was better than 2009 for me).

This frustration is bigger than just setting some new or better goals for the new year.

Maybe I’m just not cut out for running my own business. Maybe I should go get a job, as my husband is encouraging me to do. On the other hand, I’ve seen people who aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed create successful companies.

Hmmm, okay, that thought didn’t help my mindset.

Then I happened to see this question, posed by entrepreneur Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx:

Would you do it if you weren’t afraid?

Of course, it’s fear that keeps us all from what we really want. Any other excuse is really fear disguised. It’s why you drag your feet on making decisions and taking action.

So take the first step and acknowledge that fear.

Let it out in the open and give it its day in the sun. Like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum, what that anxiety really wants is attention. Give it some.

Sit and really focus on feeling the panic; make no attempt to stuff it back in the closet or beat yourself up for having it. Feel it for 15 minutes, an hour, however long.

Then, when that feeling is completely worn out from stomping around, waving its arms, and kicking its feet, go back to the question of what you would do if you weren’t afraid.

Start with thinking of the overall goal; in my case, a profitable company that supports the lifestyle I want. Now what is the one thing that you’ve been putting off doing because you are afraid? I can hear you right now saying, “but I don’t know.” Okay, what if you did know?

It could be as simple a step as finding someone who’s already done whatever you want to do and asking for help. Think of the very small first baby steps and start with those.

I do know what I need to do. I’ve just been putting it off for two years because it will be a big change and a lot of logistics and I’m not sure how I will afford it.

It’s scary because what if, what if, that move turns out not to be the answer? So easy to get carried away on the train of apprehension here!

As the quote at the top says, you must come to the edge, even though you are afraid. If you want to succeed, it’s the only choice.

Come; let’s fly together this year.

More from Women Grow Business:

• Four reasons not to be an entrepreneur (and why you should ignore them), by Stacy Yamaoka
• Patricia Frame says, “Tell me not“

Image: Rachel James via Flickr, Creative Commons

Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She shares happiness by helping business people show appreciation for and give recognition to customers and employees with The Gratitude Cookie™. With an understanding of the value of creating strong connections and experiences, she supports clients in increasing customer loyalty, referrals and profits. Connect with Lori on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

In his book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill wrote about imaginary Council meetings with a group he called his “Invisible Counselors.”

Image: Michael Wade via Flickr, Creative Commons

His council included nine individuals whose lives and work Hill admired, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln. He would “meet” with this imaginary group every night for the exclusive purpose of “rebuilding (his) own character so it would represent a composite of the characters of (his) imaginary counselors.”

You’ve heard it before; if you want to soar like an eagle, you have to hang out with eagles, not turkeys.

So if you want to live a more grateful life, then it makes sense to surround yourself with people who recognize the importance of gratitude in their lives.

What if you created a “Gratitude Council” to help you become more grateful?

One way to do this is to create a list of nine to twelve people who have inspired you to bring more gratitude into your life or who have set a good example for you in that regard. Think of your friends, family, world, religious or business leaders, artists, etc.

They don’t necessarily have to still be in physical form in this world and you don’t have to know them personally. Mother Teresa comes to mind, or you might include Gandhi or Nelson Mandela on your list.

Now connect with them energetically and create this awesome circle of wisdom and support.

In what aspects are you choosing to grow and expand your awareness? What is it about each of your council members that you respect and admire, specifically?

Think about and thank them for their character and grateful acts you would like to emulate.

Allow them to guide you on your journey of a gratitude-filled life.

When you are faced with a challenging situation, where appreciation is not your first, or even your fifth most forthcoming emotion, turn to the council. Ask them how to see the gift within the challenge. Ask them what you’re not seeing that would help you better respond with thankfulness.

Ask them how to transform your view of detour and delay into an understanding of divine timing.

Hill said, “On scores of occasions when I have faced emergencies, some of them so grave that my life was in jeopardy, I have been miraculously guided past these difficulties through the influence of my Invisible Counselors.”

Sometimes I’m asked how to distinguish your own thoughts or imagination from the words or messages from the counselors.

Sit quietly for a few moments. Some people like to put on “spa-type” music to help themselves get into the right mind-state while others prefer complete silence.

Set the intention to clear the channels of communication. Open your mind and your heart to hear your counselors. Picture them sitting and talking with you, individually or as a group. Whatever you “imagine” them to say to you is really what they are saying to you.

The more you consult with your Gratitude Council, the more adept you will become at appreciating your surrounding circumstances.

You will go to gratitude more quickly and be better able to respond appropriately rather than react. You’ll find yourself feeling happier and more content.

In due time, you’ll be the inspiration for others and perhaps they’ll ask you, energetically, to join their Gratitude Council and help them on their journey.

More from Women Grow Business:

• Lori asks, “Is your business delivering happiness?“
• Jen Consalvo shares 5 launch lessons on business partners, time and teams

Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She shares happiness by helping business people show appreciation for and give recognition to customers and employees with The Gratitude Cookie™. With an understanding of the value of creating strong connections and experiences, she supports clients in increasing customer loyalty, referrals and profits. Connect with Lori on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Testimonials are an important part of your marketing and client experience (at least they should be).

They significantly add to your credibility, as potential clients trust a referral from a third party. And they cost you nothing!

Think about it. Your audience expects you to say your services are great. If someone else sings your praises, then it carries more weight.

And while most people want to be helpful, they don’t know how to craft a really worthwhile endorsement.

“Lisa is very pretty and nice to work with,” doesn’t give a potential client a solid reason to hand over a check.

1-2-3

Here’s a great three-part formula you can follow whenever you want to give a useful recommendation or that you can share with clients from whom you’re requesting a testimonial.

1. Describe what your situation was BEFORE working with this company or person.

“I was overwhelmed with information. I knew I had to do something, but I wasn’t sure which way to turn, and every day felt like I was sinking in quicksand. I couldn’t sleep or eat and I dreaded the thought of making the wrong decision.”

2. Tell what direct results you experienced from working together. Give TANGIBLE and SPECIFIC benefits.

“After my first conversation with Sam at LMNO Corporation, I felt a sense of calm. They really understood where I was coming from. Over several weeks, we worked out an easy to stick to plan that addressed every issue I was facing. Within two months my company’s profits increased 20%.”

3. Share what your situation is like now.

“I love the dedication and real-world approach Sam and the team bring to the table. My revenues continue to improve and I’ve been sleeping soundly.”

Including the full name, company name and/or city of the person providing the testimonial is important to the credibility, so always include that if possible.

We’ve all seen referrals from “Mary S.” and wondered if she’s a real person! Any other information you can include that might help readers relate to the writer is helpful too, such as a picture.

You can even create a handout to give when asking for this kind of feedback from your clients. Once you have these powerful, results-based testimonials, add them to all your marketing materials (brochure, website, Facebook fan page, etc.) for high-impact.

Use this format when asking for or giving recommendations on LinkedIn too.

BONUS: Because video uses more of our senses, it makes an even greater impression on your audience. Ask for or provide this information in a video endorsement when appropriate.

More:

• Bob Bly on Tips On Using Testimonials
• Derek Gehl on How to Effectively Use Testimonials
• 5 Tips for Knockout Testimonials from Copyblogger

Image: Erica Minton via Flickr, Creative Commons

Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She shares happiness by helping business people show appreciation for and give recognition to customers and employees with The Gratitude Cookie™. With an understanding of the value of creating strong connections and experiences, she supports clients in increasing customer loyalty, referrals and profits. Connect with Lori on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

If you’re reading this

September is National Literacy Month and part of my company’s mission is to contribute a portion of profits to literacy organizations. I mean, can you IMAGINE not being able to read?! Almost 800 million people worldwide are illiterate.

I can go on and on, but this article is not so much about my passion for increasing worldwide literacy.

It’s about encouraging YOU to incorporate YOUR passion for whatever cause you are passionate about into your business.

There’s an expanding trend in business creation called social enterprise. These are for-profit businesses that exist to both sell a product or service as well as contribute to cause.

Wikipedia defines the term as “social mission driven organizations which apply market-based strategies to achieve a social purpose. The movement includes both non-profits that use business models to pursue their mission and for-profits whose primary purposes are social.”

For every pair of shoes TOMS Shoes sells, they give one pair of shoes to a needy child. That is the model the company has been built on.

Every time a customer makes a purchase from children’s clothing company Booda Brand, the company donates a book to the literacy organization Room to Read.

Even if your company wasn’t founded on this type of model, you can always incorporate it.

Most business people have some social cause that moves them. Perhaps you have a friend or relative who fought a valiant battle with a particular disease.

Or you’ve traveled to somewhere and seen first hand the need for housing or clean water or health care there. You may already personally contribute to or volunteer for this cause.

Here’s why you might consider bringing it into your business. Sure you can increase awareness and raise even more funds for your cause, but beyond that, it’s another differentiating factor for your company.

It’s a way to boost business, generate consumer goodwill, increase brand loyalty and give back at the same time.

By the numbers

One study conducted annually over the past 15 years continually shows that more than 80% of consumers would choose one company over another because of its association with a good cause.

Another study found 90.7% think it’s important for companies to support causes and charities.

From a corporate perspective, 52% of companies have enhanced relationships with their target demographic as a result of their cause marketing efforts.

Like it or not, more and more customers want to know that the companies they do business with are socially conscious – that they’re in business to do more than just make a profit.

How are you going to respond?

More from:

• Read more about innovative social ventures at Beyond Profit
• The results of a cause consumer behavior study from Cone
• Building the capacity of your world, from regular contributor Patricia Frame

Image: Robin Woltman via Flickr, Creative Commons

Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She shares happiness by helping business people show appreciation for and give recognition to customers and employees with The Gratitude Cookie™. With an understanding of the value of creating strong connections and experiences, she supports clients in increasing customer loyalty, referrals and profits. Connect with Lori on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook

“In every complaint there is a request.”

An email with that quote appeared in my inbox just before I starting writing this article.

Last week…

a new client contacted me to let me know about a distressing situation caused by a mix up in packing slips. Her gift recipients had gotten their packages, but since the packing slips had someone else’s name on them, they doubted whether the gifts were really for them.

Her email went on to say that her boss wanted to know how this happened and they both needed reassurance that if they were to use my company again, it wouldn’t happen again.

Ugh! You can probably imagine my immediate feeling of being kicked in the stomach.

How would you handle a situation in which you clearly screwed up?

If you haven’t faced such a scenario yet, it’s only a matter of time because we’re human and it happens to the best of us. What you say and do next is the important thing.

First, I recommend treating a client problem as an emergency.

Perhaps not a “house on fire” emergency, but you need to respond quickly. A client is evaluating how important she is to you based in part on how fast you address her issue.

Make sure you start your conversation by showing some empathy. “Oh my gosh! That is horrible! I am so sorry you had to experience that!”

You can disarm an angry person by agreeing with her because she’s expecting you to be defensive.

Instead, you’re building rapport by empathizing with her plight. Overlook this crucial element in handling the situation at your own peril.

Act promptly but don’t respond so quickly that you don’t take a few minutes to research the situation and think carefully about what to say and how to say it.

Your relationship and future business is on the line here. Write down a few options and either offer the best one or give her a choice.

If you need time to look into what or how something happened, say that and give a timetable of when you will have an answer.

I proposed:

- writing apology notes to each of the gift recipients, and

- offered a credit to the client for use on a future order, should she decide to work with me again.

She was thrilled with my “prompt and sincere response” and with both ideas and claimed she would like to continue ordering in the future.

If you truly don’t know what to do or don’t know what you think the client wants you to do, ask her. “What would you like me to do? What do you think is fair?”

Sometimes she doesn’t know either or doesn’t necessarily want you to do anything.

Many times people primarily want to be heard, to vent, so listen.

Lastly, thank the client for sharing her concern with you. She’s given you a huge opportunity to create a loyal fan.

She could have just as easily walked away from your business without saying a word and you would have never known why.

More from:

• Lori, as she asks, “Is your business delivering happiness?”
• How do you apologize to clients? from Freelance Switch
• Can saying, “I’m sorry” to a client create more income for you? from BSP@SPU

Image: dcmaster’s Flickrstream, Creative Commons

Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She shares happiness by helping business people show appreciation for and give recognition to customers and employees with The Gratitude Cookie™. With an understanding of the value of creating strong connections and experiences, she supports clients in increasing customer loyalty, referrals and profits. Connect with Lori on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

What would be the most fun thing I could do today?

That’s the question I’ve been pondering over the past few days, since reading “Delivering Happiness” by Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh. How can I make my business more fun for me and for my clients and vendors?

Clearly this “path to profits, passion, and purpose” (the book’s subtitle) has been highly successful for Zappos.

There are so many good lessons and thought provoking concepts in this book that I highly recommend reading it for yourself – with a pen and note pad nearby. Maybe just not right before bedtime though, because if you’re anything like me, you won’t be able to sleep with all the ideas swimming around in your head!

In the meantime, a few highlights.

Deep Connections = Happiness

Tony realized early on in his involvement with Zappos that a feeling of connectedness amongst everyone involved in the company was essential to success. He saw how deep connections brought a sense of stability and a sense of excitement and made everyone happier.

With a shared sense of purpose, people were there for more than a paycheck; they were willing to go all out for each other.

So he set out to deliberately create an environment in which people could connect and create shared experiences and memories and become a real family.

Ask yourself, how can I create deeper connections with my business partners?

Every Action You Take = Branding

Zappos never spent much money on traditional, paid advertising or marketing. The biggest driver of growth is repeat customers and word of mouth.

The company’s philosophy has been to invest in customer service and customer experience, which leads to more and happier customers and more word of mouth. The now well-known free shipping, both ways, and the call center that’s open 24/7 are two examples.

In fact, Tony views the call center as a great way to increase the lifetime value of a customer because it’s an opportunity to create more “positive emotional associations” with the Zappos brand.

There are many, many stories about how well Zappos customer service reps listen to what their customers say and then take action to create incredible customer experiences for them.

These stories are not generated out of a PR department. In fact, Tony talks about how the company didn’t set out to get media coverage, but that it came as a result of their focus on improving the customer experience and building a strong corporate culture.

If your company is doing interesting things, the press will find out about it naturally.

What can you do to create outstanding experiences?

Problems = Growth

How many times have you wished your problems would just disappear so you could enjoy a smooth ride?

Ha, I’m smiling because over all these years of running my business and personal growth, I’m finally and really “getting” this concept.

As Tony says, “We grow because we take on new challenges, and we face even more new challenges because we’re growing. It’s an endless cycle, and it’s a good thing: it’s the only way for a company to survive.”

I add that it’s the only way for anyone to survive. The sooner you realize that those “problems” are disguised opportunities, the happier you’ll be!

How do you stretch yourself and your company every day?

Since Zappos’ higher purpose is to “deliver happiness to the world,” Tony concludes the book with the hope that it inspires readers to make their customers happier, employees happier or themselves happier.

What can be better than that?

More from Women Grow Business:

• Lori on reaping the rewards of consistency in business
• Thursday Bram on giving back by encouraging entrepreneurship

Image: hale_popoki’s Flickrstream, Creative Commons

Regular contributor Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She shares happiness by helping business people show appreciation for and give recognition to customers and employees with The Gratitude Cookie™. With an understanding of the value of creating strong connections and experiences, she supports clients in increasing customer loyalty, referrals and profits. Connect with Lori on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Does your business have a revolving door?

Image: Kelly Midori, Creative Commons

What would happen if you were a customer at a store that changed its store hours all the time?

One Tuesday, when you show up at 2 pm, it’s open; the next Tuesday, it’s closed until 3:30. And the following week, it’s open from 9:00 until 1:00.

Might you get frustrated?

On top of that, this store changes its logo and storefront signage every week, as well as what kind of merchandise it carries.

Do you still want to be a customer?

That kind of inconsistency makes people nervous.

In fact, almost any kind of inconsistency, even if it’s not that extreme, makes people uncomfortable and if you’re in business, you probably don’t want to make your customers uncomfortable.

But you may unknowingly be doing just that.

Start with one of my pet peeves, your “from” name on your email.

When everyone only had one electronic device from which to send email, this wasn’t an issue. But now that you can send email from your desktop computer, your notebook, your phone, etc., you need to make sure your name on your outgoing email is consistent.

For one thing, it helps the recipient recognize when an email is from you and pay attention to it. Sending emails that arrive with “From” lines saying “Tim Smith” one time, “info at Our Company” the next and “TR314” the next is confusing to the recipient.

More than once, I’ve almost deleted an important email because I didn’t recognize whom it was coming from and thought it was spam.

Look at every piece of marketing material your company puts out, whether it’s online or off.

Does it have a consistent look and feel to it? Is the logo the same every time? Are your corporate colors consistent? You want your clients to feel comfortable and register a level of recognition.

Not everything has to look exactly the same and be boring; I’m saying make it familiar.

Think about what Starbucks does with its store interiors. You know you’re in a Starbucks when you walk in, but they don’t all look exactly the same.

They use similar elements to maintain consistency. Furthermore, a Cinnamon Dolce Frappucino® in Boston is going to taste exactly the same in San Diego. Customers expect, want and reward consistency.

When you pay attention to these details, you’ll create a greater level of trust with your clients, even if they don’t consciously realize it.

More from:

• Lori on the power of following up with customers
• Why consistency is so important in customer service from The Customer Service Zone
• Consistency in marketing from Good Marketing Ideas

Regular contributor Lori Saitz is founder of Zen Rabbit Baking Company. She helps people show appreciation for and give recognition to others. The main (delicious!) tool her team uses to help accomplish this important feat is through The Gratitude Cookie™. A thin, crunchy cross between a butter and a sugar cookie, The Gratitude Cookie is so named because if you’re eating the cookies, you’re encouraged to think about something you are grateful for as you munch on each one. Connect with her on Twitter.