I love business. I love small business owners. I love seeing them succeed. I love the way smaller businesses try new things, challenge the status quo, work hard for every buck. But I hate it when they make stupid mistakes that make it impossible, and I mean impossible, to buy their product.

At 10 a.m. one day I wanted coffee so I went to a coffee shop…an independently owned boutique coffee shop in a not so convenient location (actually, a very inconvenient location). But I really wanted to support these owners, so I made the effort, and by effort I mean I had to find an on street parking space, walk a block, cross the street, go into a store, ‘round the back and up the staircase to find the coffee shop. Not exactly an impulse location. But I gladly did all that to buy from independent owners who had invested so much of themselves in their business.

I ordered two large decaf cappuccinos. The gal working, the only person working at that time, didn’t know how to make them. Nope, couldn’t make the priciest drink on the menu, couldn’t make a coffee drink at a coffee shop. Not her fault really because, as she explained, she hadn’t gotten to decaf cappuccino in her training. So I said wouldn’t it be the same as a regular cappuccino only with decaf coffee? Didn’t matter, she hadn’t learned how to do that either. Okay, cancel the fancy drinks. How about 2 decafs, black, to go. No, they didn’t have any decaf coffee ready…could I wait 15 minutes? Well, amazingly enough, I could not wait so they lost my business that day. Not a big deal, less than ten bucks in sales.

The question is, will I return? Maybe, maybe not…would you? The moral of this story: Don’t open the doors unless you are serious about doing business.

Two years ago, after 18 years in business, we wrote our first business plan! Okay, better late than never, but what took us so long? Well, I guess we just didn’t see any real value in taking the time to think our business through, put ideas in writing and then really commit to the plan. The most difficult part was determining where we wanted to be in 5 years, to really focus on big picture things rather than day to day activities. Once we did that we could agree on goals and objectives, financial and otherwise, and develop steps that would get us from here to there.

Two years later, we’ve realized some goals, revised others. Our key objectives remain the same although some of the tactics have changed, and that’s the way it should be. So here’s my recommendation: write a concise business plan, get to work on your goals, revise the tactics as needed. What’s stopping you?

Recently I read an article about a car dealership that approached customers that were “just looking” in a different way—they didn’t approach them at all. In fact, when you walk into the showroom a receptionist asks if you need help. If you say “just looking” your handed a sticker to wear that says just that and salespeople are absolutely not allowed to approach you until and unless you remove the sticker. The owner says that “JL’s” usually remove their sticker within 15 minutes and are ready to talk about their car needs.

That’s a great way to reduce the anxiety in what many of us consider a high-pressure sales environment. How could you put your customers at ease, give them a chance to browse about and collect their thoughts? Who knows, JL’s could become your best customers.

Every accomplished businessperson will tell you that image and brand are key to their success. A great product at a great price is, well, great. But unless you represent a product or service that is so incredibly unique, one that people are clamoring to buy, marketing you is critical.

Small or large, every company needs a brand image, even sole proprietors like attorneys and realtors. Create a logo, develop marketing pieces that speak to who you are as well as what you do, that differentiate you from the competition. Focus on brand clarity by consistent use of colors, images, photography and other brand components. Build the brand that is you and your business will grow.

Like many people, I’m addicted to decorating magazines. I have files full of magazine pages meant to be used to design a dream home that, quite honestly, may never be. But I like to go through those files when I need inspiration on much smaller projects, like when I really want to gut and remodel my bathroom but have to settle on a few new accessories instead. Keeping fresh and impressive ideas for future inspiration is a great idea and we do it here at the business as well.

Resource files should be part of every business. We have a research file that holds printouts of studies, interesting facts and other random information that I may use in writing articles someday. We have files just for interesting paper, folders filled with great invitations we’ve received. Files overflowing with pages of unique color combinations (again, those decorating magazines come in handy) and dozens of other folders that relate to our business. What should you be saving? Marketing ideas or well written business letters or great print ads that really pop out at you or all of the above! You never know when a little inspiration will help you make some great decisions.

A couple of weeks ago I was speaking to a client on the phone about a design project that we were working together on and she mentioned her company was revising their web site. I asked if they had already contracted with a web developer and if not, could we discuss this project and submit a proposal. Well, she was surprised that we offer that service and said yes, let’s talk. She then told me they had contacted the firm that did the original site but she was very disappointed in the responsiveness of that group. In fact, she said working with us was a good experience and she had confidence that her calls would be returned and that we would pursue communication even if she were slow to respond. Sounds like a win for us, so why was I upset?

First, and most amazing, we still have clients that are not aware of all our services. Now, of course I tell every person I meet with all the services we offer. Of course our web site shows a well-rounded portfolio. Our marketing speaks to “graphic design + advertising + interactive.” And that seems to work with new clients, but with people we have been working with for years our new services and offerings seem to stick on a fairly random basis. So we need more marketing to our client base.

Second, great customer service continues to drive business. I don’t know if we’ll get the web site project or not, but I do know that the other guys are out of the picture because they didn’t listen, didn’t return calls on a timely basis and the client didn’t feel important enough to them. Price, quality and experience are all critical to attracting clients, but relationships trump everything for retaining clients.

Whether you use a card file or a computer program (CRM software) to maintain your client contact information, add personal notes such as spouses or children’s names, awards they have won or vacation plans that they shared with you. Your notes can help trigger conversation starters and will help you show clients that it’s not just about the sale, it’s about the relationship.

My first management position was in retail with a company that strongly believed in sales training and among the many things I learned there, I was lucky to learn all about Features/Advantages/Benefits. We looked at every garment, determined what the details were, why they were worth mentioning and what it meant for the customer. More importantly, we taught our associates to convey the information in a way that made sense and was easy to adapt to any customer and any product. We stated the FAB in the format of “it is…so that…you can”.

Here’s how it worked. Let’s say we’re offering a white shirt to a customer. We’d look it over and say “This shirt is a 50/50 cotton/poly blend (it is) so it’s machine washable (so that) and you can take it out of the drier and wear it with little or no ironing (you can). Pretty simple, actually.

No matter how complex the service is or sophisticated the product, it all comes down to the same thing…understand the features, explain the advantages and define the benefits. I still use FAB when offering solutions to client needs. Maybe it can help you too.

If you’re like many businesses you spend most of your marketing time and money on securing new clients and customers. But statistics say that 60% of your revenue is coming from existing accounts. Don’t believe me…go ahead and check your sales from 2005 and see what percentage of sales came from repeat customers versus new ones and I bet you’ll be surprised (yes, I did this and I was surprised too…stats don’t lie!)

Now look at your marketing budget. It’s probably out of whack. The good news is that you don’t have to spend 60% of marketing dollars to retain customers, but you better have a specific strategy to keep loyal customers or you may be setting them up to be wooed away by competitors that are spending most of their dollars on acquiring new customers, maybe from you!

You get them from newspapers, magazines, direct mail, online and eletters. Coupons are everywhere and are offered on just about every product and service, from groceries to new car purchases. But do they work? Well, the short answer is yes, they absolutely work. A recent consumer poll says that 96% of respondents say they clip, print and save coupons; 51% said they redeem almost all of the coupons they save. That’s huge. Should your business integrate coupons into your marketing plan? It might be worth testing.