Customers


Recent Customers Articles

More Dependable Than Mom

Jan 1, 1997

Eve Rubins, general manager of WBLM, "superserves" the loyal listeners of her Portland, Maine, classic-rock station. From a weekly audience of 160,000, Ru...  Read more

Image Building

Jan 1, 1997

Who says nice folks finish last? Iris Harrell, based in Menlo Park, Calif., would say that's nonsense: Being thoughtful indirectly accounted for 72% of he...  Read more

No More Nickel-and-Diming

Jan 1, 1997

Fifteen years ago, Chris Zane, owner of a $1.6-million bicycle shop in Branford, Conn., stopped charging customers for anything that cost less tha...  Read more

Clients Are Made, Not Born

Jan 1, 1997

Hanson Galleries, a U.S. art dealer with galleries in four cities, works hard at developing its clientele. In keeping with the Hanson Galleries method, a ...  Read more

Share Your Intellectual Capital

Jan 1, 1997

You're an expert on your industry. So, why not package that expertise for customers? Flexible Personnel, a $56-million staffing company, located in Fort W...  Read more

A Piece of the Puzzle

Jan 1, 1997

Elms Puzzles, in Harrison, Maine, makes a product that's too expensive for most people--a 500-piece handcut wooden jigsaw puzzle that might cost $800. So,...  Read more

Expanding Horizons

Jan 1, 1997

It's no secret that educating prospective customers on how to make the most of a product increases both sales and satisfaction after the sale. Mickey Robe...  Read more

Pest-Free--Naturally

Jan 1, 1997

All-natural biogardening: Can it exist? We're talking organically correct fertilizer here, not to mention toxin-free insecticides and herbicides that harn...  Read more

Interns as Interpreters

Jan 1, 1997

In an ethnically diverse area, business owners often have a difficult time connecting with potential clients because of language, cultural, or religious d...  Read more

Helping Kids Is the Ticket

Jan 1, 1997

Sometimes the best way to satisfy customers is to help them do something nice for someone else. The Orlando Magic professional basketball team giv...  Read more

All the News That's Printed to Fit

Jan 1, 1997

Creativity for Kids didn't want its marketing newsletter pitched into a circular file. So, the Cleveland-based company cut its circulation in half byRead more

Lending a Vending Hand

Jan 1, 1997

Share your commitment for great service with your vendors so that your customers receive great service, too. Champion Mortgage Co., in Parsippany, N.J., n...  Read more

Look In from the Outside

Jan 1, 1997

Stumped for ideas on how to improve your service? Get a critique of your business from a third party. Here are low-cost ways to get advic...  Read more

Know Their Ingredients

Jan 1, 1997

To find ways to give customers what they want, you have to understand their needs. These needs are not always apparent, however. Chuck Davis, director of ...  Read more

You Guys Take the Cake

Jan 1, 1997

Customers don't make much of a distinction between our vendors and our company--if there is a problem with the service provided by a vendor, it reflects b...  Read more

There's No Service Like Self-Service

Jan 1, 1997

Service after the sale, if thoughtfully planned, can be a boon to your business. Glenn Meltzer, president of Health-Tech Systems, in Hauppauge, N.Y., foun...  Read more

To Increase Referrals, Enrich Your Middleman

Jan 1, 1997

Many companies rely on other companies for customer referrals. For example, car dealers refer auto buyers to automobile insurers. Hotel clerks send their ...  Read more

Designed for Development

Jan 1, 1997

When publications specialist Jim Fawcette elected to launch a magazine to attract a readership of software programmers, he planned to tap that subscriptio...  Read more

Reach Out and Teach Someone

Jan 1, 1997

Sheila West was expanding her archery business from retail to wholesale. But, archery dealerships were notoriously unreliable as retailers. They typically...  Read more

Think Tanker

Jan 1, 1997

In the age of niche markets, it behooves niche-oriented providers to think outside the box of their own niche to really serve their customers. Yellowbird ...  Read more

Dress Up Your Coupons

Jan 1, 1997

Coupons get customers in the door, but there are limits to their value. "Mass-mail coupons are costly, and they lose their effectiveness in attracting new...  Read more

Completely Accessible Facilities

Jan 1, 1997

Customer visits are a good marketing tool. "You never know when the next person in the door is a potential donor or a referring professional who just happ...  Read more

Generate Excitement

Jan 1, 1997

Want your customers to think you're special? Do something special for them. Bradley Co., a $2 million developer of software for managing business forms, h...  Read more

Giveaways for Good Customers

Jan 1, 1997

How do you reward customers for buying more? Discounts and favorable terms on high-volume purchases are a start. Another way to encourage customers to spe...  Read more

A Bite of the Action

Jan 1, 1997

Delta Dental Plan of Massachusetts, an insurance company, based in Medford, Mass., convened a "customer-partnership committee" soon after the company had ...  Read more

Reflect on Diversity

Jan 1, 1997

As businesses expand domestically and internationally, they are likely to encounter a customer base of increasing cultural diversity. By hiring a heteroge...  Read more

Give More, Get More

Jan 1, 1997

Hanna Andersson Corp., a Portland, Ore., mail-order business, sells children's clothing. The 250-employee company also takes the clothes back when the chi...  Read more

Refer Customers to Your Competition

Jan 1, 1997

No small vendor can fill a customer's every need. But instead of playing dumb when clients must find another supplier, leading them to a competitor will i...  Read more

Cards for Compliance

Jan 1, 1997

If your customers must abide by certain regulations, try sending them the phone numbers of frequently called agencies. Chris White, marketing director for...  Read more

Under Budget, Overjoyed

Jan 1, 1997

Everyone enjoys paying less than originally expected, and no one likes to pay more. Using this knowledge to your advantage can strengthen customer loyalty...  Read more

Pampering Preferred

Jan 1, 1997

What customer doesn't enjoy getting something for free? If you go far for your customers, your customers will go far for you. Bob Morency, co-owner...  Read more

Bargain Basement

Jan 1, 1997

If you want to build customer loyalty, you have a key asset: You know your business better than your customers do. Teach them how to save money when they ...  Read more

Daylight Saving

Jan 1, 1997

Multiplex, a manufacturer of automatic beverage-dispensing equipment, based in St. Louis, earns 40% of its $36 million in annual sales overseas. "We are a...  Read more

Bagging Waste

Jan 1, 1997

For years, retailers have used bags or boxes to make it "convenient" for customers to carry their purchases home. To increasing numbers of environmentally...  Read more

Through a Fax, Sharply

Jan 1, 1997

Like many companies, Design Basics depends on the fax machine to immediately send customers the information they request. But, just because something is f...  Read more