To succeed, you must know the market you are a part of. Part of that market is your competition. Do you truly know how you stack up against them? Knowing your competition should be a key ingredient of your market strategy. Most think of “knowing” their competition simply as “I sell x tire for this price and they sell the same tire for that price.” While price shopping is necessary, it should only be a portion of your overall strategy. Below are some questions to ask yourself before you feel comfortable that you “know” your competition.

• What services are offered by your competitors that you don’t offer? Are you and your employees as well qualified to serve as specialists or customer problem-solvers as your competitor?
• ...[more]

I just spent a great business building week at SEMA.  We had more interest than ever before in our suite of solutions and in just the few days since we have been back, have already brought on many new customers due to the great efforts of our staff.

I was reminded at SEMA how having the right people on board is the surest way of growing into a GREAT company.  As I saw how much potential business is closer to becoming a customer of ours through the great efforts of everyone with TCS, I also witnessed something different happening in many other booths.  Employees sitting at the back of their booth, not actively talking to potential customers as they lingered or stopped, preferring to let displays, posters, and “rented” booth personnel handle the important relationship building aspect SEMA week provides.

In a day and age where there is more competition than ever before, it is your employees that will determine success or failure.  Spending the time to get the righ ...[more]

I just spent a great business building week at SEMA.  We had more interest than ever before in our suite of solutions and in just the few days since we have been back, have already brought on many new customers due to the great efforts of our staff.

I was reminded at SEMA how having the right people on board is the surest way of growing into a GREAT company.  As I saw how much potential business is closer to becoming a customer of ours through the great efforts of everyone with TCS, I also witnessed something different happening in many other booths.  Employees sitting at the back of their booth, not actively talking to potential customers as they lingered or stopped, preferring to let displays, posters, and “rented” booth personnel handle the important relationship building aspect SEMA week provides.

In a day and age where there is more competition than ever before, it is your employees that will determine success or failure.  Spending the time to get the righ ...[more]

I just spent a great business building week at SEMA.  We had more interest than ever before in our suite of solutions and in just the few days since we have been back, have already brought on many new customers due to the great efforts of our staff.

I was reminded at SEMA how having the right people on board is the surest way of growing into a GREAT company.  As I saw how much potential business is closer to becoming a customer of ours through the great efforts of everyone with TCS, I also witnessed something different happening in many other booths.  Employees sitting at the back of their booth, not actively talking to potential customers as they lingered or stopped, preferring to let displays, posters, and “rented” booth personnel handle the important relationship building aspect SEMA week provides.

In a day and age where there is more competition than ever before, it is your employees that will determine success or failure.  Spending the time to get the righ ...[more]

I just spent a great business building week at SEMA.  We had more interest than ever before in our suite of solutions and in just the few days since we have been back, have already brought on many new customers due to the great efforts of our staff.

I was reminded at SEMA how having the right people on board is the surest way of growing into a GREAT company.  As I saw how much potential business is closer to becoming a customer of ours through the great efforts of everyone with TCS, I also witnessed something different happening in many other booths.  Employees sitting at the back of their booth, not actively talking to potential customers as they lingered or stopped, preferring to let displays, posters, and “rented” booth personnel handle the important relationship building aspect SEMA week provides.

In a day and age where there is more competition than ever before, it is your employees that will determine success or failure.  Spending the time to get the righ ...[more]

We all know it is easier and cheaper to retain a customer than it is to acquire new ones. Customer loyalty is a direct result of your company’s customer service and overall marketing efforts.

The key to retention is “Customer Satisfaction”

A dis-satisfied customer becomes a liability. Not only are they not going to purchase from you again, they may go out and say negative things about your company.

If you have a problem, deal with it right away. You will gain more respect from your customers than a company that is slow to react. Building a life-long customer increases the reputation of your company and attracts new customers through word-of-mouth.

 Remember, if you do not look after your customers someone else will.

...[more]

We all know it is easier and cheaper to retain a customer than it is to acquire new ones. Customer loyalty is a direct result of your company’s customer service and overall marketing efforts.

The key to retention is “Customer Satisfaction”

A dis-satisfied customer becomes a liability. Not only are they not going to purchase from you again, they may go out and say negative things about your company.

If you have a problem, deal with it right away. You will gain more respect from your customers than a company that is slow to react. Building a life-long customer increases the reputation of your company and attracts new customers through word-of-mouth.

 Remember, if you do not look after your customers someone else will.

...[more]

We all know it is easier and cheaper to retain a customer than it is to acquire new ones. Customer loyalty is a direct result of your company’s customer service and overall marketing efforts.

The key to retention is “Customer Satisfaction”

A dis-satisfied customer becomes a liability. Not only are they not going to purchase from you again, they may go out and say negative things about your company.

If you have a problem, deal with it right away. You will gain more respect from your customers than a company that is slow to react. Building a life-long customer increases the reputation of your company and attracts new customers through word-of-mouth.

 Remember, if you do not look after your customers someone else will.

...[more]

We all know it is easier and cheaper to retain a customer than it is to acquire new ones. Customer loyalty is a direct result of your company’s customer service and overall marketing efforts.

The key to retention is “Customer Satisfaction”

A dis-satisfied customer becomes a liability. Not only are they not going to purchase from you again, they may go out and say negative things about your company.

If you have a problem, deal with it right away. You will gain more respect from your customers than a company that is slow to react. Building a life-long customer increases the reputation of your company and attracts new customers through word-of-mouth.

 Remember, if you do not look after your customers someone else will.

...[more]

Part I:  Updating Your Logo

On the internet image is everything:  The web is a truly visual experience.  The appearance and usability of your company’s website shapes a visitor’s perception as to the quality and reliability of your business as a whole.  One could argue that having no website would be less harmful to your company’s reputation than an out-of-date and or broken/limited functionality website.  The flipside, of course, is to present your visitors with pages that are visually appealing, easy-to-use to make a strong positive impression.  This is an important element of building a lasting business relationship and ultimately greater success for you.

A good logo is a key element of your business’ presence.  It conveys information about your business on an almost subconscious level.  If you logo looks old, unbalanced, and thrown together those negative concepts will invariably carry over to the perception of your services ...[more]