Study: Most Online Retailers Let Easy Pickings Go By
from Internet Retailer
One of the easiest ways to save a sale is to send a reminder to a shopper who has abandoned a cart that there is still merchandise in the cart waiting to be checked out. Yet barely ten percent of the Internet Retailer Top 500 online retailers give shoppers the chance to retrieve an abandoned shopping cart, according to a test by e-mail marketing company Listrak. More

Six Ways to Prepare for the Coming Upswing
from Inc.
Technological improvements -- new billing software or an online ordering system, for example -- will allow you to add new customers with little additional cost when business picks up. Take this opportunity to hire talented employees at a discount. Or what about ramping up training? More

How Customers Saying "No" Can Become a Customer Service "Yes"
from Fast Company
Asking customers what they want blinds companies and prevents them from delivering innovative consumer experiences. Traditional research methods are limited for two key reasons: 1) people's existing reality limits their understanding of future possibilities; and, 2) people cannot envision how the parts come together equal more than the whole. More

Nine Ways to Advertise for Free
from SmartMoney's Small Biz
When sales slump due to a slow economy, a business owners first inclination is often to cut the marketing budget. After all, one has fixed costs and cash flow can be irregular. But marketing should be the last activity you eliminate or you risk an even faster downward spiral. Advertising your business and attracting new customers should be an ongoing process, and there are many things you can do that cost absolutely nothing. More

How to Lose Customers and Attract Shoplifters
from Customer Service Experience
Recently, the author of this article went to a shopping center to run an errand. He noticed a new store selling interesting merchandise. The manager, who had his back to the door, was training a new employee. She stood next to him. A third employee was standing next to her with his eyes glued to the computer. Not one of them saw the author walk in and around the store. More

Which Ad Strategy is Right For You?
from Entrepreneur
"Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted," Philadelphia department store magnate John Wanamaker was famously quoted as saying. "The trouble is I don't know which half." Wanamaker's dilemma remains the bane of advertisers today - especially small-business owners on shoestring budgets. You've got to make every dollar count. And that means doing the math to calculate the return on investment on every advertising campaign you run. More

Make Sure Twitter Doesn't Get Anyone Fired
from BNET
Many companies are relying on Twitter to communicate with customers. But Twitter, by its very nature, is bound to cause some friction with lumbering, old-school corporate policies. Whether you're tweeting or a manager in charge of the tweeters, you should pause and consider these tips for making sure Twitter doesn't conflict with corporate policy. More

Is Optimism a Competitive Advantage?
from BusinessWeek
Most human resources managers base their motivational policies on a simple psychological premise: that optimistic, engaged employees are more productive and hence can help their employers grow and make more money. Put simply, workplace optimism, if nurtured properly, can be a competitive advantage. More