Common small business mistakes have become a regular series here! This week, we’ve got another local example you can learn from.
The pizza place is closed??!
Tried to call for pizza the other day, but the phone just rang and rang. Not too unusual for them. I decided to run down and just pick up a pizza. Then I figured it out. They’re closed! One side of the sign announced a closing date the day before, and the other said reopening in mid summer. Was I the only one who didn’t know? No, the next three people I told were also surprised. Now that is an example of how not to keep your customers in the know.
Keep your customers informed
Here are my top suggestions on letting customers know.
- Get a customer perspective. Realize that your customers may love you, but they don’t live and breathe your business. You have to tell them, repeatedly, before they may get the message.
- Use multiple media. For the pizza place, an ad in the paper, a banner on site, the sign going up more than a day or two before, flyers on pizza boxes, etc., would all have been appropriate ways to get the word out. Get creative.
- Don’t overlook the low-tech. A simple answering machine set to announce would have saved me and many other customers a fruitless trip to the pizza joint.
- Repeat your message, repeat your message, repeat your message. Seriously.
Do you have examples?
You can use real world examples, real small businesses. Write it up, take a picture, or shoot a short video. Take care not to embarrass the offenders. Key point: include suggestions on how to do it right.
New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates. Want more stories? Read our shared stories from all over.
- Seasonal business: How to beat the annual “no bookings!” panic - August 8, 2022
- Recession? Practical steps from 3 international peers - August 3, 2022
- Reaching “at risk” kids for local jobs - July 15, 2022
- 3 Major factors in rural remote work: incentives, flexible workspaces, and a sense of community - June 6, 2022
- How to recruit new residents, remote workers, or remote entrepreneurs - June 2, 2022
- How cooperatives improve small town economies - May 8, 2022
- Metaverse business idea: virtual world tour guide - April 15, 2022
- Make extra money from extra workspace: co-working and 3rd workplaces in small towns - March 28, 2022
- Trade show booth design trend: hand drawn visuals - March 21, 2022
- New business sign design? Don’t use cursive script - February 14, 2022
