Customers


Recent Customers Articles

Selling in the Post-Internet Age

The Internet has utterly transformed the way that companies buy and sell.  Read more

Protecting Your Online Reputation from Trolls: 8 Tips

Some customers have legitimate complaints. Others are just itching for a fight--or a refund. How to respond.  Read more

Content Your Customers Actually Care About

Offer expertise and knowledge to help customers--don't just sell to them.  Read more

Would You Get Naked With a Customer?

In some cultures, getting naked with customers is just part of doing business.  Read more

The Real Reason Your Marketing Doesn't Work

You may have a bunch of demographic stats, but do you really understand how your customers feel?  Read more

Business in Trouble? Tell Your Customers

When this café ran into financial trouble, the owners did the only thing they could: They asked customers for help--and help they did.  Read more

Turn Your Toughest Customer Into Your Biggest Fan

These 7 tips will help you transform your most difficult clients into big marketing victories.  Read more

Customer Service, Holistically

Two online platforms that help small businesses respond to customer commentary.  Read more

Silver Lining for the Broken-Down Carnival Cruise? Praise for the Ship's Crew

How Carnival employees handled a filthy, smelly fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico can teach you a thing or two about top-notch customer service.  Read more

The Scarcest Thing in Business (And How to Deliver it to Your Customers) 

The wine and social media entrepreneur on what customers value most and businesses and entrepreneurs don't do enough of  Watch video

Why Fewer Customers Will Help You Grow Faster

Focusing on a smaller number of customers might actually fuel your growth instead of impeding it. Here are four ways to make it work.  Read more

The Best Content Marketing Is Free

You could outsource this marketing, or you could tap a rich--but free--source of content right in front of you.  Read more

My Favorite Way to Dump a Bad Customer

There's one simple and foolproof way to get rid of a bad customer without taking on emotional baggage.  Read more

The One Thing That Keeps Customers Coming Back 

The co-founder of Gilt Groupe on the value of scarcity and the imperative to keep things fresh.  Watch video

3 Rules of Success in Online Marketing 

How Gilt Groupe uses every and all social media platforms to build the Gilt brand.  Watch video

Where Gilt's Best Ideas Come From 

The co-founder of Gilt Groupe reflects on the source of her company's freshest and most creative ideas.  Watch video

How To Create Loyal Customers 

The co-founder of Gilt Groupe reflects on how the company maintains an intimate customer experience even as the company grows.  Watch video

Make Better Decisions Using Customer Data

Gathering data is not enough--it's what you do with it that drives profitable growth.  Read more

Why I Love My Angriest Customers

What do you do when a customer says you should be "hunted down and beaten to death"? Evernote's CEO, Phil Libin, treats it as market research.  Read more

Musician Dave Carroll Takes on Bad Customer Service

When United Airlines broke Dave Carroll's guitar, he took to YouTube. Now, Carroll has launched GripeVine and Resolution 1 to fix companies' customer service...  Read more

"Made in the USA" Gets a Makeover

American manufacturing has a new artisanal image--and a new ad agency from the creative team of Crispin Porter + Bogusky.  Read more

JJ Ramberg: Never Say 'No' to a Potential Customer 

Instead, the host of MSNBC's Your Business says you want to talk up something you do offer. Here's how.  Watch video

You Don't Have to Be a High-End Firm to Offer High-End Customer Service

A recent trip using Enterprise Rent-A-Car reminds me luxury customer service isn't expensive, but hugely desirable.  Read more

Evernote Founder Phil Libin's Rule for Success: No Tricks

Phil Libin, the founder of Evernote, once used sleight-of-hand to play up strengths and downplay weakness. He's found a better strategy for building strong r...  Read more

Amazon Deletes Negative Reviews and Gets Away With It...But Can You?

Reviews and ratings can build you up--or take you down. Tips to harness them successfully.  Read more

What Your Customers Would Love to Tell You

Customers are your best insight into launching a new product if only you're willing to listen.  Read more

Create an Awesome Welcome Email: 7 Tips

That first email is like the all-important first impression on a hot date. Here's how to pique your customers' interest.  Read more

Get Inside Your Customers' Heads: 3 Ways

Find new ways to mine the most important insights to improve the customer experience.  Read more

Are You a Low-Touch Retailer in a High-Touch World?

You can't cost-cut your way to great service. A survey of retailers reveals where they invest to make sure they keep customers happy.  Read more

The Profitability Illusion

If you aren't providing profitable products and services, you may not be creating true customer value across the business.  Read more

Sidestepping the Needy-Customer Trap

Company founders cultivate their customer base with great care. But there comes a point when it's best to delegate.  Read more

Why Your Shipping Policy is Losing You Business

If you're a small retailer, you've got it hard enough; don't lose a potential customer because of bad customer service and annoying store policies.  Read more

The Sticky Customer Trap

Are you creating value with your best customers, or is it just an illusion? Here's how growing revenue can lull you into complacency.  Read more

5 Customers You Should Fire

In 18 years of running my own business, I've found it's important to know when to turn the tables and fire a client. Here are those five times.  Read more

Nurture Your Most Profitable Customers

Profitable growth is more achievable if you focus on identifying your most valuable customers--and keeping them happy.  Read more