It’s that time again. For four weeks, you can’t move for footie. Now, as it happens, I’m not a huge football fan. I’ll be reasonably interested in the England games, and I’ll almost certainly watch the semis and final games. But I wouldn’t break into a run to get anywhere in time for a match, [...]
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Have you ever watched that extraordinary business TV show, “Mary, Queen of Shops”? In it, retail guru Mary Portas dispenses her wisdom to struggling shops around the country. I’m always impressed when TV pundits put their reputations on the line with real, sound advice; and Mary is a triumph. But I remember one episode of [...]
Filed under: retail, sales, service | Tagged: business, business advice, business process, business skills, customer service, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, mary portas, mary queen of shops, production line, restaurant, retail, run a business, running a business, service, small business, start a business, start your own business, time management | 1 Comment »
Ructions in the office today. I heard four words which always make the hairs on the back of my neck bristle with rage: “It’s not my job…” One of the things I tell people starting a business for the first time is that the buck stops with them. And that means everything is their job. [...]
Filed under: people skills, service | Tagged: business, company, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, HR, human resources, it's not my job, job, job description, job roles, job satisfaction, motivation, people skills, personnel, recruitment, run a business, staff, start a business | 2 Comments »
I was going to try really hard not to write about the snow, but what the heck. I wrote about it in February last year when we were surprised (again); and since I had two days of cabin fever last week and we’re due another dousing, I reckon it’s time to think about it again. [...]
Filed under: current affairs, finance, service | Tagged: council, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, finance, money, new business, public sector, run a business, snow, start a business, weather | 2 Comments »
What, I wonder, is the corporate party season going to be like this year? A friend of mine, who works for one of the big merchant banks, tells me that he’s not allowed to have a Christmas party. In fact, his company is so paranoid about bankers being seen as profligate that he’s been told [...]
Filed under: PR, people skills, retail, sales, service | Tagged: business, catering, christmas party, competition, competitiveness, customer service, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, hospitality, marco pierre white, PR, reputation, restaurant, run a business, service, start a business | 2 Comments »
Today the Communications Workers Union decide whether postmen at the Royal Mail should progress towards strike action. I wonder what has gone wrong. Because it seems to me that the Royal Mail is in a parlous state – and the reason I care is that the state of the Royal Mail affects me and just [...]
Filed under: current affairs, finance, service | Tagged: amazon, business, cashflow, CWU, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, industrial action, industrial relations, invoicing, jeff bezos, mail order, pension, postage, postal strike, royal mail, run a business, start a business, strike, unions | 1 Comment »
Do you run a business selling online? I don’t, but I know lots of people who do. Some are large companies who have added online sales to their standard face-to-face or retail sales effort. Others are one-man-bands; people who have a day job, but have then turned an interest or hobby into a business in [...]
Filed under: current affairs, marketing, sales, service | Tagged: business, business online, consumer protection, consumr rights, CRM, customer relations, customer relationship management, customer service, eBay business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, online business, online retail, online sales, retail, run a business, sales, start a business | 2 Comments »
Regular readers (yes, you, Mum) will know that I spend a fair amount of time here banging on about customer service. Today, I doff my cap in honour, because I’ve got a guest writer in to tell his story. Eamonn O’Rourke is a great friend of mine – and mighty funny too. So pop the [...]
Filed under: people skills, sales, service | Tagged: business, CRM, customer satisfaction, customer service, ebay, eBay business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, gardening, industrial revolution, inventions, inventor, run a business, service, shed, start a business | Leave a Comment »
