Top 5 Tips for Dealing with Troublesome Customers

Advice for small, home and micro business owners.

1. The most important rule to abide by when dealing with awkward customers (and also potentially the hardest one to stick to) is to remain patient. Becoming impatient with customers is very unprofessional (even if they are argumentative and demanding) because they are only trying to get a resolution to their problems.

2. You must maintain a positive outlook at all times, even if the stress of the situation is getting you down. Negativity will only result in increasing the hostility of a problem customer even further.

3. Try to listen more than you actually speak to disgruntled customers. This is important to help you understand what their actual grievance is. Listening carefully increases the likelihood that you will be able to solve their problem.

4. Whatever you do, don’t argue back with a customer, regardless of what they say or the accusations they make. Dealing with a confrontation with your own hostility will only make a bad situation far worse.

5. If you find yourself spending far too much of your time on one problem customer you need to evaluate if this the best decision for the overall health of your business. The customer is not always right and as a small business with a limited amount of resources you may find life easier if you just stop dealing with this person altogether.

By: Stefan Töpfer

How to End the Small Business Feast and Famine Sales Cycle

Do you have feast and famine months in your small business?

Times when you’re so busy you don’t know where to turn and then times when it’s so quiet that you’re desperately willing the phone to ring with a new customer?

Avoiding the feast and famine cycle is one of the hardest parts of small business sales and one of the key early focuses of my small business coaching.

It’s hard because in the famine times:

·         you’ll be frustrated at the lack of activity

·         you’ll be stressed about maintaining cash flow

·         you’ll doubt your ability and business idea

·         you’ll waste money with knee jerk advertising

But I’ve got some good news for you.

I’m going to show you exactly why the feast and famine cycle occurs and how to rid your business of it forever.

Building a Sales Pipeline

The key to ending the feast and famine cycle is to build a sales pipeline.

Like the pipeline that comes into your house to carry water.

If your water supplier has a problem, and the water stops flowing through the pipe, your supply dries up and nothing happens when you turn the tap.

That’s the feast and famine cycle in a nutshell.

You have to ensure that you feed your sales pipeline with a constant flow of new opportunities.

The more opportunities you have coming into your sales pipeline, the lower the risk of famine.

How to Find New Opportunities

I suggest that you pick five small business marketing activities that you focus on every day to pro-actively add opportunities to your sales pipeline.

Such as building a blog for of compelling relevant content, connecting with people who could use your services via LinkedIn, using small business email marketing visiting local business in your town or city to start relationships.  The list is endless, hence why you need to focus.

Why five?

It’s not a magic number but if you do less than five you risk not having enough new opportunities coming into the sales pipeline, and if you do more you risk getting overwhelmed and not doing your best at any.

Building a Small Business Marketing Mix that Works

Consider these three questions to help you pick your five focused small business marketing activities:

1. What’s already working?

How did you find your current or past customers?  Take a look at all of your current and past customers and review how you found them.  Review any activities that worked for you previously, has anything changed, have you stopped doing something?  Can you make that activity work for you again?

2. What can you start today?

Don’t pick things that will take a long of time to get started.

If you’re already in famine you need to get opportunities into your sales pipeline quickly, don’t wait two months to get your website redesigned or to go on a course about how to use Twitter for business.

Focus on things you can start today, when you have opportunities in your sales pipeline you can easily review the results of your marketing mix and decide if you should add something that will help you build for the future.

3. What do you enjoy?

It’s no good having an activity in your small business marketing mix that you don’t enjoy, you’ll put off doing it and hate every moment of it.  That isn’t the best way to build your sales pipeline.

Focus on marketing activities that you are willing to commit to 100%, that you’ll be motivated to spend enough time on to get results.

Don’t Copy Your Competitors

Notice that I didn’t say “look at what your competitors are doing”.  That’s because you need to stand out from your competitors and pick five methods that you are happy with.

It doesn’t matter what your competitors are doing – build a small business marketing mix that you enjoy and that will work for you.

Get Help to Fill Your Sales Pipeline

You don’t have to fill your sales pipeline on your own.

It’s good to have five focus small business marketing activities for continually adding new opportunities to your pipeline, but you can get other people to help you – more hands to the pump as the saying goes.

Remember to ask past customers, colleagues, friends and family if they know anyone who could use your products and services or if they have requirements themselves – you’re looking for new opportunities, not always just new customers.

One of the reasons you should build customer relationships is that customers who are willing to be advocates for your business can spread the word and help build your sales pipeline.

Never Turn off the Supply

The two dangers with the feast and famine cycle are that you are not proactive enough to constantly fill the sales pipeline and that when you get too busy you stop.

If you stop adding to the pipeline the supply will go dry, contacts will go cold and sooner or later you’ll be in famine.

Always ensure that you keep adding to the sales pipeline.  Find ways to be more efficient with your small business marketing when you’re busy but never stop your focus activities, the more opportunities you have in your pipeline the better.

Summary

To end the feast and famine cycle in your small business you need to be constantly proactive, focus on a small number of marketing activities and never stop filling your sales pipeline with fresh opportunities.

Have you experienced the feast and famine in your own small business?  Please leave a comment and let me know how you’ve coped with it.

 By: Robert Peters

Robert Peters is a Small Business Advisor, Coach & Consultant who helps grow sustainable and profitable businesses.

What should bathtub refinishing companies do to make the industry stonger?.

I don't claim to have the answer but I do know of a means to the end . I think if we band together as a group we can make a positive change in the industry. Where we can cause ourselves to make better decisions ,produce better jobs and create better opportunities for ourselves.
 I would like to see if anyone has any suggestions as to how they would like to see this industry function.
If our thoughts and ideas get into the open. then maybe they can serve as seeds of change.

  Please post your ideas. Remember we have strength in numbers and together we can make this industry what it needs to be.
 Please note. lets keep it clean NO BASHING OR CYBER BULLYING your post will be deleted asap !!!

Spectrophotometer....

COGENT COATINGS is proud to announce its purchase of a SEPCTROPHOTOMETER. You might say to yourself      " Self . What the hec is a spectrophotometer???" the spectrophotometer is a rugged color measurement instrument that reports spectral data. In other words a color eye. We can now offer any color you can imagine. all we need is a sample chip or a color number/name and in a matter of seconds we can produce it NO MORE GUESSING!!!!! NJ, BERGEN, PASSAIC, Clifton

Just another way Cogent is changing the bathtub Refinishing industry for the better

CALL COGENT for all of your custom color needs no matter who you get your coatings from..
1-862-238-7223

What is Bathtub Refinishing Training

  In my opinion when Bathtub Refinishing Training is offered It should be a full and thorough learning experience. You should touch upon all of the aspects of bathtub refinishing, not just spray and go. You have things like paperwork, accounting, warranties, marketing, and maintenance just to name a few. So therefor training should take a few weeks even a few months to get a solid grasp on it. Remember you are starting a business not a hobby . new jersey clifton ,bergen county, passaic county

   When we get a new student here at TUB KLASS we first start with safety training and continue with it throughout  the course. We don't just tell you that you need a mask we give it to you and and show you how to use it and why. There is even a test at the end, remember SAFETY FIRST.

   Our technical portion of our course is hands on 100% for a minimum of 1 week per section. We have divided our bathtub refinishing course into 3 separate sections. To focus more on the task at hand. Ideally you would learn each section in a week, but some times we need practice and that's what we provide. You get to practice your new skills over and over until you get it and it becomes second nature. By the end of your training you will be one of the best bathtub refinishers the market has to offer. You will already have an impressive track record and you will have no problem competing with seasoned pros.

  You might ask yourself. Why would someone create well trained competitors? I think that we need more QUALITY bathtub refinishers out there. There is STRENGTH IN NUMBERS and we as a group will serve to educate the general public. In turn growing the market base and creating more work. We should not fear competition  we should embrace it. It serves to make us better at what we do. If not then we just fall behind

  In closing bathtub refinishing is a life style that requires creativity artistry and skill. It's not just spray and go. We leave that to the FLY BY NIGHTS

Kris Estrada
Bathtub Refinisher  Instructor
Manufacture of COGENT PORCELAIN COATINGS
                                          

Tub Klass. Nj bathtub refinishing

Bathtub Refinishing New Jersey TubKlass Reglazing Resurfacin

About Tub Klass LLC

We refinish Cast Iron, Pressed Steel and Fiberglass Bathtubs, Shower Pans, Tile Walls, and Counter Tops.

Refinishing your ceramic tile with Stone-Flecks is more cost effective and involves less downtime than replacing. Stone-Flecks is non-porous, unlike traditional tile surfaces and grout lines. Refinishing your ceramic tile walls helps eliminate the likelihood of mold and bacterial growth making the surface safer for your family and guests. With the waterproofing action of Stone-Flecks you no longer have to worry about regrouting and recaulking your ceramic tile, making Stone-Flecks the best choice for a maintenance free, easy to clean finish. Refinishing 

 Chips/Cracks Repairs on New and Old Tubs.

 We offer a Wide Variety of colors.

Stone-Fleck Refinishing. Get the “natural” look and beauty

of stone finishes on your walls, tiles, and counters.  (CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!)

The best materials available on the market are the only materials we use, and we never skip steps in the Refinishing Process. We are confident in our products and services that we stand behind our Process with a written warranty. All of our technicians are highly trained and experienced in refinishing.

Bathtub Refinishing New Jersey Klass LLC is family-owned and operated in Clifton, NJ. Since opening in 1997, we’ve treated every customer like they were a part of our family. Other companies may offer similar services, but our services come with a personal touch.

SAVE BIG $$$ 

Why Refinish ?

• You are not happy with the way your Tub looks.
• Save as much as 80% over the cost of replacement. To replace a tub and tile can cost as much as $2500.00
• You have tried every product in the market and still your tub does not make you feel like a Queen or king.
• Dread Bathing the Children in that Ugly Tub or Maybe even your dog.
• Hum? How about refinishing it yourself?
• Why pay a professional?
• Can you save money by doing it Yourself?

You can purchase a DIY kit, but they are limited in their strength, durability and not all the chemicals and materials needed to refinish your tub come in the Kit.

You don’t have a Spray gun so you would use a brush or a roller. Most often the refinishing tub done with DIY Kit will start to peel. Leaving you with a choice of Replacing the Tub (which will open a can of worms) or calling a Professional to strip and finish the tub.

Bathtub Refinishing /Reglazing should not be a do-it-yourself project. If the DIY kits worked, there would not be a need for professional refinishers.

Don’t REPLACE when you can REGLAZE!

At Tub Klass LLC, we take care to provide our customers high quality services personalized for their unique needs.

New Jersey Bathtub Refinishing reasons to refinish a Tub, Tile, Counter Top

• Scratches
• Worn Out / Dull Finish
• Difficult to get Clean
• Or Maybe just the wrong Color

**We Also Specialize In**

• Chip Repairs
• Crack Repairs
• Burn Repairs from Candles/Cigarettes
• Rebuilding Over Flow/Drain
• Liner Removal*

These are all remedied in just a few hours with our refinishing process. After refinishing, you have a tub, Tile, or Counter Top with a smooth glossy finish that will stay looking great for years and is easy to maintain.

* Liner Removal (It’s never to late for that beautiful bathroom) 

   Are you a Customer that has felt abandoned with nowhere to turn, left with an expensive liner in your bathroom that sounds like a whoopee cushion and looks like a warped piece of cheap plastic? Well if you can answer yes to this question then you are not alone. Every year thousands of liners get installed and every year just as many liners are being removed. The bottom line is that liners don’t work!  Just watch this liner removal video… it explains it all. ↓

Cogent Porcelain Coatings

Attention!!!! all professional Bathtub refinishers  Cogent Porcelain Coatings Is offering Superior  Coatings At competitive prices

Clifton  New Jersey

Call us and we will send you a sample kit for you to try so you can see for yourself how bathtub coatings are supposed to work! 862-238-7224

  I am tired of losing my employee's to my suppliers .It costs me a lot of time and money to train a person to produce a quality refinished bathtub. Just so that they can find out where I get my coatings and without a moments hesitation on the part of the supplier they will be able to compete against me using the very techniques I showed them . I think we should have responsible suppliers that respect their customers loyalty. That is why I started Cogent Coatings . This is a Company that will stand by its customers and not use them as lead generators . When you receive a bottle from us only you will know where it came from. no hidden clues or codes that can easily be looked up on line. Also we can have your bathtub refinishing companies logo printed on the bottles with your address and phone number (Imagine when you get that phone call and you find out that its your employ trying to buy coatings  thinking that the number they are calling is the manufacture or supplier). WE STRIVE TO PUT THE CONTROL BACK IN THE HANDS OF THE BATHTUB REFINISHER. We as bathtub refinishers have put in allot of effort in to perfecting what we do . Our suppliers should understand that and respect it . We at Cogent do understand this and will work with professional registered and insured refinishers ONLY to ensure that our products are getting in to the right hands , the professionals hands not into the hands of the fly by night bathtub reglazer. If we all pool together we can make this bathtub refinishing industry stronger and better.  

NEW JERSEY TUB REFINISHERS ALLIANCE! 

NJTRA. is a project that will not be your typical  Association . Its an alliance . A force to be reckoned with. We will be a buying force like no other . With an alliance we will be able to pool our resources and leverage our suppliers in order to get the products we need at the very best price possible . We can get industry leaders to cater to our needs in a way that we have never seen. We wont buy  a case of tape . we will have a container of tape manufactured to our specs for a fraction of the price we pay . Same with paper and all of the things that we buy. .IF this sounds like something that you would like to participate in email me at njtragroup@gmail.com  Type" STRENGTH IN NUMBERS"  in the subject line.