NFIB

Take Advantage of Being Small
11/ 08/ 2002

Whatever may be said for companies that offer coast-to-coast franchises, economies of scale purchasing or a seemingly unending variety of products, as a small business owner with a close-knit group of employees, you have one exceptional advantage over larger companies: your ability to offer personal ongoing service to customers. In today's Workshop, Jeffrey Moses offers suggestions for maximizing this advantage.

Customers enjoy buying from companies with employees who know their names and remember details about former transactions. These alone, however, will not forge lasting customer relationships. In addition, small companies need to provide the personal touch by:

Stopping everything when a customer has a problem.

Large companies usually can't do this. A small company can turn on a dime to remedy problems, creating confidence and loyalty among customers. Employees of larger companies may be sincere and well meaning, but their hands are often tied by company policies that make them unable to provide top-quality customer care.

Delivering goods and services on time, every time.

Too often, employees of large companies don't call back or arrive when scheduled. As a small business owner, you have the ability to work closely with employees to assure timeliness.

Making the company's best customers feel special.

There are countless ways to give preferential care to your best customers: special offers and discounts, extra service without charge, occasional free services, and so on. A large company usually can't single out individual customers. But small companies can--and by doing so, will create tremendous customer loyalty.

Working closely with customers to correct the company's shortcomings.

In large companies, there is often a wide gulf between customers and policy makers. Small business owners are often on the front line, and policies can be changed as needed immediately.

Being there when others aren't.

You can be available nights, weekends and holidays, when a large company would offer no more than a ringing phone and voice mail.

Sending the experts for a lesser cost.

A self-employed advertising consultant, for example, may have formerly worked as a creative director for a large ad agency. He or she, working in a self-employed capacity at a rate less than a large agency might charge, is likely to have much more experience than a copywriter or a designer assigned to a project by an agency. Quality work, combined with reasonable fees, creates value--the basis for establishing a growing base of loyal customers.

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