SUCCESS

Success means many things to different people. In sports, it's winning the game or match. While certainly this success is important, it however is temporary. Because there will be another game or match that will either be won or lost. So in athletics success may be considered fleeting or short lived. Success in our personal and or professional life is entirely different. Our everyday lives are monitored or controlled by sets of rules, regulations and laws that constitute boundaries. The way we navigate these boundaries will either lead us to success or unfortunately failure. Even if you have achieved success in the past, don’t be lulled into thinking that the future will automatically spell success. We should always look to improve our services and products. Don’t let your market share decline because your competitor is doing it better. Also, Small Business is constantly challenged by new rules and regulations from local, State and Federal regulatory bodies. While certainly some of these are designed to help society in general, they may temporarily be a hurdle to Small Business. Many businesses large and small were not able to adapt and closed. We need to always look to the future and do our best to navigate around any impediments that hamper our success. Related Articles and Information: Four Characteristics of a Successful Person The 15 Factors of Success in Carpet Cleaning Business Twenty Steps to Success What Makes a Company Successful in the Carpet Cleaning Business? Thank you for reading Bane’s Blog® Please read the latest issue of the Clene-Times® at www.baneclene.com/publications/. Please visit our web site at www.baneclene.com. The Bane-Clene® Team. Free Bane-Clene Information Package Free packet of information about Bane-Clene can be obtained by calling toll-free 1-800-428-9512 (U.S. ONLY!). Your information packet will include a full color catalog and price addendum. Packets will arrive in approximately 2 weeks through standard United States Mail. You can also order the packet at the Catalog Request Form. Bane-Clene Home Page Articles, Videos and Products for Professional Carpet Cleaners On-Line Spot & Stain Removal Guide & Procedures for the Professional Carpet Cleaner

WEB SITES

As we start another year, we are continually reminded about the importance of computers in our lives both personally and professionally. The internet is the “Main Street” storefront for Small Businesses. If you are not already utilizing it, you are certainly missing out on an inexpensive way to market your business. Customers want to know who you are and what your business is all about. Besides a Website, Social Media and Review Sites will give the customer a visual and verbal story of your Company. Build Trust...and Brand Ambassadors. People look for Companies they can trust. Cultivate reviews for your Web Site through Social Media. Positive reviews will show that people like your Company and ultimately trust you. Post pictures and videos on your Web Site showing your Company in action. Here are some statistics to consider. 8 out of 10 people use their phone or tablet for online research. Over 80% of Smart Phone users have done product research with their phone. Over 60% of Mobile Users only wait an average of 3 seconds for a site to load. Once on a site, over 70% of users expect to find the information they are looking for within a matter of seconds. This puts a lot of pressure for businesses to quickly and effectively deliver meaningful information and content. Under the presumption you have a Web Site, be sure to evaluate it periodically. If you don’t have a Web Site, you should consider having one developed. If you do not want to establish a Web Site at this time, at least consider establishing a presence on Social Media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. If you haven’t already, we strongly recommend using Google’s Blogger and Google Business Profile: Google’s Blogger is a leading tool in the area of web publishing known as weblogs, or “blogs,” such as the Bane-Clene blog you’re reading now. Blogger is a very popular blogging platform because it’s free - you just need a free Google account, which you already have if you have a Gmail address---and you don’t need to know any technical wizardry to set it up or publish your blog posts. It’s a great way to get your message out to prospects and existing customers. Google Business Profile is is a free tool that allows you to take charge of the way your business appears on Google Search and Maps. With your Business Profile, you can connect with customers, post updates, list your services and more. More people search for businesses online than anywhere else, so it’s important to make sure your local business listing can be easily found on Google and Google Maps. With a Business Profile, creating a great listing takes just a few minutes and doesn’t cost a thing. Each post type provides your audience with specific details and allows you to add an action button to your post such as a call button or ask for directions button. You can make your listing really shine with photos and videos. You can even find insights on how customers searched for your business, and where those customers are coming from. You can also find information like how many people called your business directly from the phone number displayed on local search results in Search and Maps. A final thought, we have all seen how Social Media can either be very good or be detrimentally bad. That said, always work so that your Company is “trending” to the good. Related Articles and Information: ABCs of Advertising Add-On Carpet Cleaning ‘Plus Sales’ Advertising - the Essential Element Why Doesn’t My Advertising Work? Thank you for reading Bane’s Blog® Please read the latest issue of the Clene-Times® at www.baneclene.com/publications/. Please visit our web site at www.baneclene.com. The Bane-Clene® Team. Free Bane-Clene Information Package Free packet of information about Bane-Clene can be obtained by calling toll-free 1-800-428-9512 (U.S. ONLY!). Your information packet will include a full color catalog and price addendum. Packets will arrive in approximately 2 weeks through standard United States Mail. You can also order the packet at the Catalog Request Form. Bane-Clene Home Page Articles, Videos and Products for Professional Carpet Cleaners On-Line Spot & Stain Removal Guide & Procedures for the Professional Carpet Cleaner

BUYER vs CUSTOMER

Consumers whether retail, wholesale or service, ultimately buy from someone they trust. When a purchase is made from your Company, if that is a first time occurrence, then that may be from a buyer. If it is a second time purchase, then that buyer has become a customer. A buyer may be responding from an advertisement or a special offer. Which is good, but sometimes that buyer is just shopping for the best price. So take this opportunity to interact and provide the buyer the product and or service they expected even if your price is not the lowest. If you do this, then the buyer will become a customer and the price you charged is seen as a reasonable and equitable value and therefore justifiably worth the money paid. A buyer will become a loyal customer and will patronize, endorse and continue to buy from a Company that they trust and that treats them well. Related Articles and Information: ABCs of Advertising Add-On Carpet Cleaning ‘Plus Sales’ Advertising - the Essential Element Why Doesn’t My Advertising Work? Thank you for reading Bane’s Blog® Please read the latest issue of the Clene-Times® at www.baneclene.com/publications/. Please visit our web site at www.baneclene.com. The Bane-Clene® Team. Free Bane-Clene Information Package Free packet of information about Bane-Clene can be obtained by calling toll-free 1-800-428-9512 (U.S. ONLY!). Your information packet will include a full color catalog and price addendum. Packets will arrive in approximately 2 weeks through standard United States Mail. You can also order the packet at the Catalog Request Form. Bane-Clene Home Page Articles, Videos and Products for Professional Carpet Cleaners On-Line Spot & Stain Removal Guide & Procedures for the Professional Carpet Cleaner

Marching Forward

Are you reacting and or responding to change? Many firms fail due to the fact they are not marching forward. Marching Forward doesn’t necessarily mean you need to forget the past. Past actions have gotten you to where you are today. As we usher in a New Year and you look at your past reactions and actions, what do you see? Have those reactions and or actions been positive or have they been negative? Like all of us, we wish some had never occurred and others we want to bottle and use again and again. These past actions and or reactions have produced both threats and opportunities. Companies that respond to the threats and defend against them and those that seize the opportunities and use them to their advantage will continue marching forward. These opportunities present themselves in different manifestations that will influence consumer responses.Trends, fads and the like come and go, yet others are long term therefore longer lasting. It is important to recognize the difference and be cognizant that if you are not marching forward, your competitors just may be. Thank you for reading Bane’s Blog® Please read the latest issue of the Clene-Times® at www.baneclene.com/publications/. Please visit our web site at www.baneclene.com. The Bane-Clene® Team. Free Bane-Clene Information Package Free packet of information about Bane-Clene can be obtained by calling toll-free 1-800-428-9512 (U.S. ONLY!). Your information packet will include a full color catalog and price addendum. Packets will arrive in approximately 2 weeks through standard United States Mail. You can also order the packet at the Catalog Request Form. Bane-Clene Home Page Articles, Videos and Products for Professional Carpet Cleaners On-Line Spot & Stain Removal Guide & Procedures for the Professional Carpet Cleaner