12 Ways to Attract and Keep More Customers in your Business
1. Have a quality product and maintain it. Make it sure that you are selling a very good product or service. It must have a good quality and must meet the standard of the market.
2. Be honest to your customers. Products or services that do not meet the expectation of your customers will give a bad reputation in your business. So everytime you promote your business do not underdeliver of overpromise.
3. Know your market. Before you attract customers in your business, make it sure that you know your market well. It will give you more understanding of what products to offer and what kind of marketing promotion you will do.
4.Use social networking. People nowadays love to hangout in social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Why not use it to promote your business? It will boost your business by sharing it to your friends’ friends or by tweeting it. Also, it is fun and free.
5. Always listen to your customers. Do get angry or get insulted if your customers tell you that something is wrong in your product or service. Listen to them and fix the problem.
6. Be a “people person.” Attitude is critical to your business. Be friendly to your customers and they will be friendly to you, too.
7. Use attractive promotions to boost your product sales. Why not offer something to your customers that will keep them come back to you? Use Loyalty Program, buy 1 take 1, Buy 5 get 1 free. Did you get the idea?
8. Eye on your competition. Remember that you are not the only one who is selling your products. Business is a game of competition. Learn from your competitors and study how they sell or provide service to their customers. It will give you extra ideas to become more effective business person.
9. Be creative. Do not stick to one product if there is an opportunity to sell other products. If you are selling exercise machines, then look for another method to expand your business. Maybe you can add health products like vitamins in your product list. Always be creative.
10. Updgrade yourself. Do not be afraid to go back to school. It will help you to learn new things about your business.
11. Treat your employees properly. A piece of advise for those who have employees – always treat them properly. How you treat them will reflect on their working attitude.
12. Be willing to change. Hundreds of products are produced and sold in the market daily. Always update yourself of the latest info of your products or service. If you have seen that what you sell is outdated or old, be willing to change it. Do not stick to old ones, but try something new.
6 Things To Consider Before You Setup A Laundry Business
To
setup a laundry business requires no prior experience. You do not need a degree
to become a successful laundry shop owner. Also, this kind of business is
considered safe and profitable. Nowadays, many people do not have time to wash
their clothes because of their busy schedules, so this is a kind of business that can
provide laundry service for them.
If
you are planning to become a laundry shop operator, then there are 6 things
that you must consider to become a successful laundry business operator.
First, location.
Second, capital.
Third, customers.
Fourth, supplies and
equipment.
Fifth, operating hours.
1. Location.
To
setup a laundry business is a good start for your business to grow. You need to
put your business in a large community of large customers. A location within
dormitories, schools, business establishments is ideal because of its large
volume of people.
2. Capital.
Today,
a typical laundry shop will require a starting investment of 300,000 – 500,000
for small laundry shop, and 500,000 – 1,000,000 pesos for big laundry shop. You
will spend more on the machines that you will use while other expenses will go
on other expenses.
3. Customers.
Customers
are the backbone of this business. It is very important to provide quality
service to them because through your customers, your business will grow by word
of mouth and referrals.
4. Supplies and equipment.
A
beginning laundry shop with a minimal budget must have at least two pairs of
washers and dryers. You must also remember that the cost of the machines also
depend on the brand. To cut off expenses, it is also suggested that you make
your own fresheners, detergents, and fabric softeners.
5.
Operating hours.
It
is important for laundry shops to consider the available time for customers. It
will give them time when to deliver and pick-up their laundry.
6. Manpower.
A
small laundry shop requires two or three workers. However, if you have a big
laundry shop and you are providing services to big institutions, then you need
a big manpower. Your employees must be trustworthy, diligent, have knowledge in
washing and taking care of clothes, etc. To have good workers will keep your
customers come back again to use your service.
Now
that you know what to consider in setting-up a laundry business, it is time to
know the different ways to increase your income. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, there are 5 ways
to increase your laundry business profits.
First, increase the
price or target high volumes.
“You may either charge more for the services or keep your prices low but target
higher volumes.”
You
can do this through promotions or adding valuable services like free pick-up
and delivery.
Second, “design the
shop to make it functional and to minimize costs.” A laundry shop consumes a lot of
electricity, and in our country, electrical companies charge the consumers with
high amount of money. To avoid this, you can plan your shop by making a big
room for drying area. This is very helpful especially on summer or dry season
because it cut the cost of electric usage. You can also buy drums and use it to
store water instead of using pressurized tanks for the water supply.
Third, “look for
commercial and institutional clients for faster return of investment.” You can charge big
commercial and institutional clients with more money. Also, these kinds of
establishments can provide more items for your laundry shop to wash. The more
items you wash, the more money you will have.
Fourth, “charge more
for bulky items and heavy garments.” As a laundry service provider, you must know the service
price that you will charge in each item. Charge more for big, heavy, and bulky
items like bedcovers, comforters, blankets, jeans, and jackets.
Fifth, “offer dry
cleaning.” Dry
cleaning service provides high profit in laundry business. However, it requires
lots of practice to master it because it can ruin a fabric or garment if not
done properly.
Here
are the following websites where you can get more information on how to set-up
laundry business in the Philippines:
5 Things That You Must Do to Avoid Office Burnout
If a stressed-out person says, “I am tired”, or, “I am stressed”, a burned-out person simple says, “I quit!” So why do people experience burnout? There are three major reasons why people experience burnout:
• It happens when a person finds no meaning in what he or she does. It happens when the work becomes a routine.
• Being too tired in work is another reason why people experienced burnout. It usually happens when a person is working for a long period of time to meet deadlines.
• A person experiences burnout when he or she couldn't do the things he or she wants to do because of work.
So what are the signs of a burnout person?
1. The person is emotional and sensitive.
2. The person is irritable.
3. The person hardly smiles.
4. The person looks tired because of sleepless nights.
5. The person looks sick because of overworked.
6. The person worries a lot of things.
Once a person manifests these things, it is advisable for the employer or manager to talk to his or her employee. A break from work and a long vacation are some of the ways to cure burnout. So what will you do if you are experiencing burnout from your work?
Here are the best ways to deal with it:
Here are the best ways to deal with it:
1. Do something different and worthwhile. If you’ve been sitting in your chair for a long time, don’t just be stuck. Don’t let boredom conquer you. Instead, break the monotony.
2. Do not force yourself if you cannot do it. There are also things that you cannot do alone. Seek the help of others.
3. Reward yourself. If you did something good, or, you achieved your goal, give yourself a reward. Buy yourself an ice cream. Go to your favorite restaurant. Even simple things can be a reward.
4. Learn to manage your time properly. Lack of sleep is one of the reasons why people experienced burnout. Do you always hang out with your friends every night? Do you always watch movie till midnight? Then give yourself a break.
5. Give your time to reflect and think what causing you to experience burnout. Evaluating yourself really helps. It will give you new direction to change your lifestyle.
Work burnout is a serious matter. You must be cautious of the things, events, and even persons that will let you experience it.
It is only you who can handle yourself and make your work pleasant and worthwhile.
Have a great day!
It is only you who can handle yourself and make your work pleasant and worthwhile.
Have a great day!
Slow Sure Steps to Prosperity
Last night, I was reading one of the books written by Bo Sanchez. He is one of my favorite authors because his writings are very inspiring and uplifting. The title of the book is 40 Stories of Passion – Learn from 40 ordinary people on how to make your life extraordinarily beautiful.
One of the stories that I really like in that book is about the life of Lola Nieves Verneza. She was interviewed by Bo Sanchez, and she was 81 year old at the time of interview. Let me share the things they talked about.
Bo: Nanay, tell be a bit of your roots
Nanay: I came, from a poor family in San Pedro, Laguna.
Bo: Did you always have this entrepreneurial blood in you?
Nanay: Yes! At the age of 15, I was already selling. It was the year 1943, during World War II. I sold “contraband” items that the Japanese soldiers confiscated for their use such as rice and chicken. So in deep baskets, I put the rice and the chicken under my patola and sitaw. I carried these baskets by foot, by calesa, by train and by banca to Manila. It was very difficult and dangerous. But that was the only way we could survive.
Bo: Weren’t you afraid?
Nanay: I was. Those were scary times. I had to intentionally look ugly so that the Japanese soldiers won’t pick on me. If you were pretty, you’d get confiscated too!
Bo: When did you get married?
Nanay: When I was 18 years old, I met Censio in one of my banca rides to Manila. After to talking to my parents, we got married very soon after.
Bo: What was Censio’s livelihood?
Nanay: He was a poor farmer and a fisherman. But even after the war, I continued to sell whatever I could find that I could make a profit on.
Bo: And you lived a simple life so that you could save…
Nanay: Yes. We saved every centavo. If my children asked for 90 centavos to buy something for school (and I gave them one peso), when they returned, I asked for the 10 centavo change.
Bo: What happened next?
Nanay: When we saved enough money for a down payment, we bought a jeepney. Censio learned how to drive and decided, with complete trust for better opportunity, to relocate the whole family to Paco, Manila. By grace or chance, he got an offer as a driver from the nearby school to be their official “school bus driver.” Meanwhile, I opened a tiny store in Paco Market to sell clothes. It was really a four-foot table and nothing much. But every day, I’d wake up early in the morning to work, saving for our children’s future.
Bo: And then what happened?
Nanay: Through our savings, Censio was able to buy a second-hand bus to meet the demand of more students being served. And then we bought a property loan. The owner of the land was a friend and she agreed on a pay-when-able scheme. Through our savings everyday, we paid it in two years. After that, we build apartments. To save money, my husband learned how to be an architect, engineer, contractor and foreman – even if he only finished Grade 6. And so for another two years, we built 70 apartments…
Bo: Seventy: Did you say 70 apartments?
Nanay: Yes, 70, very simple and small apartments.
Bo: How did you do it?
Nanay: Censio would borrow from the hardware construction material. We built one apartment and rented it out right away. We asked for a two- or three-month deposit from the tenant. We used that money to start building another apartment unit. We didn’t stop until we reached that many apartments.
Bo: I still can’t believe you built that many apartments! Wow! Weren’t your neighbors shocked?
Nanay: They were. They thought we got money from rich relatives. They didn’t know that through all those years, we were saving money – little by little.
Bo: Thank you for your inspiring story. At 81, now that Censio has passed away, you give most of your time to your service to God. Any last words?
Nanay: Live a simply lifestyle. . Eat vegetables and fish. Avoid stress. Don’t have too much worries. Pray. At magtipid. Mag-ipon. At lahat ng kita, itago. Ilagay sa negosyo o sa paupahan. (Be frugal. Save. Keep all your income. Put it in business or lend it to someone.)
..........................................................................................................................................................
This interview was taken from the book 40 Stories of Passion. To learn more of his inspiring books and magazines, log onto Bo Sanchez website, www.bosanchez.ph or you can email at bosanchez@kerygmafamily.com
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