Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing

Customer Service

Something that I am discovering is that great customer service can go a long way in building a small business. In truth, it is probably the one edge we have over “the big guys.” It also seems to be the area that gets neglected the most in all businesses. The majority of the work that I do is referral based and therefore it is essential that my existing clients think well of me. The only way that I will get a referral from one of them, is if they had a great experience with me. For that reason, I constantly want to get better at taking care of my customers. One of the ways that I try to do this is by beating my own deadlines. So if I tell a customer that they will have their order within two weeks, I try and deliver it within one to one and half weeks so that they are pleasantly surprised. The worst, is when I say two weeks and it takes me three to deliver the product! When that happens I am unconsciously telling them that they are not that important, or that I am inefficient, or worse yet, I’m a liar!!!

I also try to go beyond what they are expecting so that, again, they are presently surprised…to the point that they would tell someone about it. I always include a little something extra. Something that may not cost me too much overhead, but that they would love to have. Better yet, giving them a product that is cool that they may not know about, and then in turn, tell someone else how cool that product is. This recently happened when I personally delivered some product to a client who’s business is near my office. Not only was she surprised that I would hand deliver something, but then the product she got (something called “Stand Out Photomounts”) was so cool and different that she was telling and showing everyone in the office how awesome it was. I was getting great referral business right there because the client was already telling people about it!

This is one of those areas that could be such an easy way for us to boost our business. There are some many little and inexpensive things to do for our clients that make a difference. Sending a note, remembering a birthday, or anything that is beyond what you might normally expect. I’ve noticed over the last few years that good customer service is really hard to come by. My website fiasco that I blogged about last week is a great example of that to me. So many businesses just care about money more than people these days. To care about people and serve them well I think will go a long way in making our small businesses very successful. I think when you genuinely care about people, the money will follow.

Jason

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Outsourcing Woes

Outsourcing the tasks or things in your business that you are not very good at or that are just too time consuming is a great idea. Most of the time this can be an awesome decision and can free up valuable time and energy to pour into the important things like generating new business and customer satisfaction.

Though I am great with photography, I am not much of a web designer. I even took classes on HTML and Flash in college but found it incredibly time consuming and couldn’t personally translate the “numbers and letters” of HTML into photos, colors, and design elements. In comes my web designer specific for the photographer’s needs! They do all the design but I can customize the sight on a daily basis by changing text, photos, and colors whenever I want! It’s been really great…until this week! This week I was informed that my site was accidentally deleted along with all the photos and info as it was being transfered over to a new server. What!? All gone?! I have to start from scratch at the beginning the summer wedding season?! Yep. The positive spin on it is that I will get a shiny new updated website with all the bells and whistles with great customer service!

I was frustrated at first because I am thinking of all the hours of work that will have to go into this remodel that I wasn’t really looking to do right now. In truth, it will probably be really good for my branding. I had a website before I had a clear brand. Now that my brand is better understood and established (with the help of Logo Works!) I will be able to design my site more specifically around it. Hopefully you’ll be able to check out the new and improved site before the end of this month!

Jason

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Relationship Marketing

In my business, getting new clients is all about relationships. The quality of the photography has to be a given and customer service totally has to stand out if I want to get noticed and be remembered. I can understand why good managers are always preaching, “delegate, delegate, delegate…” because getting out into the community and making good relationships and connections can be a full time job!

This week I have spent the bulk of my time cultivating a relationship in a market that I have just begun to “tap into” for its potential. I have a great connection with a director for a kids and teen theater company. They teach acting, singing, and music for kids who want to try and get cast and find agents for the whole “hollywood scene.”

So this week I was invited to take photos of their dress rehearsal and do cast and headshots. We made a trade (which is great by the way when you can find something where 2 business can mutually benefit one another!). I gave them the cast shot that they could sell as a fundraiser for the theater in exchange for a booth at the show and the opportunity to hand out my promo material and sell the rest of the photos to friends and families.

So far it seems like it has been great. The Theater is happy because they have free photos showcasing what they do and all their hard work. And I’ve been given direct access to a pool of people who are going to need the services of someone like me on a regular basis. They’re definitely going to need to update their headshots for casting calls at least twice a year to stay current with growing and changing kids

So put away your fear, stop sitting in front of your computer monitor, and get out there and meet somebody! It’s all about free Word of Mouth connections!!!

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Meet Jason Meyer Photography

I Love my job! Being with people, being creative, and capturing authentic lifestyle photography are my passions! It is my hope that as we get to know one another that you will find my photos reflect the emotion, personality, and essence of the people in them. My goal is that you will walk away with photos and products that reflect genuine expression, bold colors, unique perspectives, and authentic relationships! My studio strives to tirelessly provide our clients with high quality, creative images with excellent customer service.

Ever since high school the camera has been seemingly an extension of my hand. In 2002 a series of events, including the birth of our first baby daughter, finally afforded the opportunity to launch Jason Meyer Photography. While attending classes at the prestigious Brooks Institute of Photography (Santa Barbara, CA) to refine my skills, I was fortunate to start my own wedding and portrait photography business. Jason Meyer Photography is located in Dana Point Harbor in Southern California and is also available for destination weddings and assignments.Jason is also the proud parent of three daughters and is happily married to his high school sweet heart for twelve years!

“They are my inspiration and daily reminder of the beauty in people and the blessing of relationships that I seek to see and capture with my camera!”

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