It’s not often that I spend a full day listening to other people talk–and sit through it all (or at least most of it). But the GrowSmartBiz conference yesterday held my attention.

There was a lot of terrific content, and I’ll post more fully over time. But I thought I’d pass along 3 tips from SmallBizTechnology‘s Ramon Ray on how to turn prospects into customers | clients:

1. Be flexible about what you are offering (and don’t nickel & dime people).
2. Follow up. You should “date your leads and marry your customers,” said Ray.
3. Be a true resource (including educating customers & providing value).

What would you add?

©2010 Independent Thinking. All Rights Reserved.

Interesting takeaway from the Interbrand survey of consumer attitudes toward 32 major banks and financial services companies.* Turns out that the survey of 2000 households found that 53 percent don’t trust their own bank; and even more–64 percent–don’t trust financial service providers.

What consumers want:

“integrity, transparency, responsibility, and empathy”

What the heck were we (consumers) putting up with before?

This should also be another warning sign to companies, especially big brands, about the need to rethink their business operations and how they tell their story. What do you think?

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*From Interbrand New York CEO Alan Bateman in remarks yesterday during a Webinar hosted by Thomson Reuters.

Photo by takomabibelot. Flickr Creative Commons License.

©2010 Independent Thinking. All Rights Reserved.

My car dealership called me to ask about my recent service experience. It went smoothly, and I told the customer rep. that. He asked me what I liked about their service department, and I gave him two specific reasons why I keep bringing my car back. And that was that.

After I hung up, I realized he didn’t ask me what I didn’t like or what I thought they could change. If he had, the dealership would have learned that I find the “miscellaneous charge” junk fee insulting, and that I tell people to steer clear of their body shop, which lost my business after they lost my front license plate and lied about it.

Are you asking your clients or customers about the good, the bad, and the ugly? If not, you’re missing a big opportunity to get invaluable feedback from the people who are already invested in you.

©2010 Independent Thinking. All Rights Reserved.

Estee Lauder has raised the bar on its purchase “giveaway” from $1.00 below the price of not-so-cheap-to-begin-with moisturizer to $1.00 above. Which means you either leave without the extras or spend money on something you don’t want. Or option 3: change brands. There’s a lot of competition out there.

Let’s be clear: Although cosmetics companies put a dollar value on their giveaways, it doesn’t cost them that much. The aim of the promotions is to generate sales and customer loyalty.

So why would a company risk alienating customers, especially during a recession?

©2010 Independent Thinking. All Rights Reserved.

I received an absentee ballot in the mail the other day. Only one problem: I didn’t request one. I used one in September for the local (non-presidential) primary, but planned on trekking to my polling site this time. I guess I’m voting early this year.

Before you anticipate your customer’s or client’s needs, it’s useful to make sure those needs haven’t shifted over time.

©2010 Independent Thinking. All Rights Reserved.

You may have heard that Ed McMahon’s in mortgage trouble and that Donald Trump has reportedly offered to purchase McMahon’s Beverly Hills home and rent it back to him. While the two men are friends, I’m sure McMahon never thought he’d need a financial boost from The Donald.

The point is this: You don’t know what you’ll need, so why burn bridges? Too many companies adopt a transactional approach to business rather than building relationships. While GE, CVS, and other larger companies may get away with treating people as ATMs and data points, small business owners need to be especially careful to build value with clients, customers, and casual contacts. You never know when the guy sitting next to you at the ballpark might lead you to your next great business opportunity.

©2010 Independent Thinking. All Rights Reserved.

Fast Growth Focus columnist Doug Davidoff writes about the five rules for creating demand:

1. Know your customers.
2. Identify problems they may not know they have.
3. Educate clients on their problems by focusing on results and creating value.
4. Don’t tell clients what you do; instead, “start building the bridge.”
5. Monetize the value of your solutions.

Read Davidoff’s excellent article here.

©2010 Independent Thinking. All Rights Reserved.