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Better Business Bureau

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In San Diego and Imperial Counties

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Stay connected Posted Tuesday, January 27, 2009 by Sheryl Bilbrey Right now it’s all about staying connected. And sometimes staying connected requires really hard work. Especially when you need to be ever mindful of with whom you are connecting. As a business person traversing rough waters, reaching out to reinforce old connections or establish new ones can be a critical survival technique. This is not a time to be shy. This is a time to pick up the phone and ring your vendors. Ask them what recommendations they have for making their product more successful. Call past customers. There’s nothing like the feeling of receiving an unexpected phone call from a business you respect checking in to make sure you are still a satisfied customer. When the customer reassures you they are pleased, don’t be afraid to ask for a referral. Make a cold call to another market, to a business of a similar type in a similar sized market. Have a chat. Ask them what they are doing differently this year that is making an impact. You are not a competitor, and you might learn something that your customers would really value. And when you find yourself in the shoes of a consumer, keep in mind that this is a time you need to be particularly cautious, and can afford to be particularly picky. Don’t forget to check out a company’s grade with the BBB before you pay them a visit. Those grades are dynamic and you might find that the company you relied on for the last decade isn’t so trustworthy in tough times. The BBB is helping consumers connect with businesses by providing communication tools right on the website. Go ahead, send our accredited businesses an e-mail. Ask them a question or ask for a quote. Or even ask for a phone call so you can have a conversation with someone you trust. The BBB is also helping trustworthy businesses stay connected with each other with our new businesses mixers beginning in February. Remember, these businesses have the potential to become your business’ consumer. If you’re looking to bring more revenue in the door, making more contacts and connections is a good place to start. Look for details in a BBB e-mail coming to Accredited Businesses soon. And if you are a BBB Accredited Business and we don’t have your e-mail address, give us a call and we’ll add it. We want you to stay connected.

Posted Tuesday, January 27, 2009

by Sheryl Bilbrey

Right now it’s all about staying connected.

And sometimes staying connected requires really hard work. Especially when you need to be ever mindful of with whom you are connecting. As a business person traversing rough waters, reaching out to reinforce old connections or establish new ones can be a critical survival technique. This is not a time to be shy. This is a time to pick up the phone and ring your vendors. Ask them what recommendations they have for making their product more successful. Call past customers. There’s nothing like the feeling of receiving an unexpected phone call from a business you respect checking in to make sure you are still a satisfied customer. When the customer reassures you they are pleased, don’t be afraid to ask for a referral. Make a cold call to another market, to a business of a similar type in a similar sized market. Have a chat. Ask them what they are doing differently this year that is making an impact. You are not a competitor, and you might learn something that your customers would really value.

And when you find yourself in the shoes of a consumer, keep in mind that this is a time you need to be particularly cautious, and can afford to be particularly picky. Don’t forget to check out a company’s grade with the BBB before you pay them a visit. Those grades are dynamic and you might find that the company you relied on for the last decade isn’t so trustworthy in tough times.

The BBB is helping consumers connect with businesses by providing communication tools right on the website. Go ahead, send our accredited businesses an e-mail. Ask them a question or ask for a quote. Or even ask for a phone call so you can have a conversation with someone you trust.

The BBB is also helping trustworthy businesses stay connected with each other with our new businesses mixers beginning in February. Remember, these businesses have the potential to become your business’ consumer. If you’re looking to bring more revenue in the door, making more contacts and connections is a good place to start. Look for details in a BBB e-mail coming to Accredited Businesses soon.

And if you are a BBB Accredited Business and we don’t have your e-mail address, give us a call and we’ll add it. We want you to stay connected.