It may not seem like a big deal, but how your new or potential clients interact with you initially will make a big impact later on. The initial feelings you get from a business translate to how much money you’ll spend there, how often you’ll want to return, and how likely you’ll be to recommend them to a friend. So if you aren’t “wowing” your clients in the first few minutes, you are leaving money on the table. And we certainly don’t want that! So I’m sharing some easy suggestions with you to make a great first impression in your business!

Customer experience? What the heck is that? Is that like customer service? Well, yes, and no. It’s service, but it’s more than that. And it can make you more money if you do it right. It can also keep clients away if you do it wrong. Don’t worry though! I absolutely love helping people with their customer experience plans and I’m going to give you tips on creating a great one.

In the world of business it can be incredibly tempting, and common, to compare yourself to others in your industry. I am guilty of this and need to constantly remind myself to get those thoughts out of my head when they creep in. But I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to tell you that you need only rely on the things that already make you unique in order to set yourself apart from the competition.

For about six or seven years now I’ve been selecting a “word of the year” as a guidepost for the year. I don’t know where I heard this at first, but I knew it was something I wanted to implement. As you reach the end of the year, it’s a great time to reflect back and plan ahead. A “word of the year” can help you focus your goals for the year and I’ll share with you which words I chose and what they mean for me.

The holidays give us time to reflect on the year, what we are thankful for, and how things panned out over the course of the last eleven to twelve months. Undoubtedly there were some bumps along the way BUT hopefully you had some new and returning clients that made it worth it. So why not celebrate them with a special gift?! Unsure of what to get or how much to spend? I’m sharing with you some easy suggestions for this!

The Black Friday and Cyber Monday hype can make you feel compelled to offer some sort of deal, but maybe you just aren’t sure what to offer. After all, you need to make money, too! So...how can we not “give away the farm” and still have a successful boost in sales? Glad you asked! I’m sharing my tips for deciding on a promo that’s right for you!

We have to make sure every single customer feels wanted, regardless of how much they might spend in that moment. One day a customer could spend nothing, or a small amount, but if they feel welcome and wanted they are likely to return to spend more on a future visit. I share with you my own experience on the customer side of a shopping trip and how vastly different buying patterns can be based on how the salesperson makes the customer or client feel.

Whether you love it, hate it, or are somewhere in between, you’ve heard about it and know it’s kind of a big deal. It’s Starbucks’s Pumpkin Spice Latte. They have created a drink that not only boosts their sales and gets people talking, but they’ve created so much hype that it’s spilled over into other industries completely unrelated to food/beverages. So what could hype do for you? How could you incorporate it into your business? How could you get more people talking about you?

Calendar blocking is one of those things I like because you can adjust it to fit your needs. I realize this can also feel paralyzing for some people, but my advice is two-fold: don’t worry about getting it “perfect” from the start, and you can change it as you go once you find what works best. You can do this online or with pen and paper (my preference!), and I share with you my strategy for my own calendar blocking system so you can do it too!

Over the years I have run various types of businesses and been a boss to many different people. I’ve also started several of my own businesses that I’ve loved for various reasons. Through that experience I realized there are ten actions and attitudes that truly make a difference, no matter what type of business you are running. I’m going to share them with you!