Progress over perfection always wins. Keep showing up. Someone out there needs what you offer.

Write down 3 things your audience struggles with. That’s your next post.

Everyone knows what Customer Service is. Most companies have a Customer Support Dept or Customer Care Dept. At least they will have someone that deals with customer interactions. But what is Customer Environment, and what is the difference between the two? Customer Environment is a philosophy that exists through an entire company. It includes ALL the interactions your customers have with your company. Customer Environment goes far beyond “Customer Service”. It can create a bonding, emotional connection between your customers and your company. Its main goal is to create an emotional engagement with customers. Customer Environment is what made Amazon the company it is today. More important, every company can use Customer Environment to increase customer loyalty. It allows them to increase sales, and even charge premium pricing. The Harvard Business Review did a study titled “The New Science of Customer Emotions.” In this study, they found that engaged customers are: - At least three times more likely to recommend your product or service - Three times more likely to re-purchase - Less likely to shop around. 44% said they rarely or never shop around. - Much less price sensitive. Only 33% said they would need a discount of over 20% from a competitor before they would defect. Now do you see the importance of cultivating a positive Customer Environment in your company?

Collaborate with someone in your niche for double the reach.

Small business networking is critical to your business success. You must build relationships through networking. You will need to make this your priority for the first few months of operations. Not only that, but you cannot rush this process. You’re not going to go to your first network event and get six clients. But there’s a good chance that you will come away with five or six quality contacts. Networking For Contacts Once you make the contact, your work is not over. You then have to spend time following up with meetings, proposals and sales calls. But this time is much better spent than chasing down one-shot clients. Work with people who are, or who can put you in touch with, steady clients. These are the contacts that will support your business long-term. Don’t expect to walk out of every event with a handful of paying clients. Do expect to generate quality leads and referral sources. These referrals and leads are the crux of small business networking. You need to have plenty of different leads and contacts in your funnel at any given time. Some of these will be hotter at different stages. They will be ready to move into paying client status at different stages and different dates. Networking keeps you in contact with these people throughout their buying phases. The Bottom Line on Networking Contact and referrals are what will lead you to long-term, steady clients. The kind of clients that will make your business a success. Getting out and attending networking events may appear to be unproductive socializing. Realize that the contacts you make will generate an enormous return on your invested time. Start your network today – you never know where it will take you.