Table of Contents

1. Editor's Musings
2. Article: How Service Guarantees Can Boost Sales By Nyall Bakk
3. Recommended
4. Internet Sites Reviewed
5. Freebies and Other Good Deals
6. Joke of the Week

1. Editor's Musings

It's a miracle that this newsletter can be distributed today. Telus, the company that provides both my Internet service AND my telephone service is on strike. It's a particularly nasty strike, and "vandals" have cut four main phone lines in the space of a week. The result, of course, is disrupted service throughout areas affected by the vandalism.

No one knows who did it, but apparently you need special skills and special equipment to do the job. I think that rules out the average pimply faced thug hanging out at the corner store or your average drug addict looking for money for a fix. As you might be guessing, I am not impressed.

2. Article: How Service Guarantees Can Boost Sales By Nyall Bakk

Service guarantees are a great way to increase your business. Customers will feel safer when you can guarantee the quality of your service. A written service guarantee may mean the difference between a potential customer choosing your service over a competitor's. This could be the edge that your business needs.

Service guarantees are becoming the norm for online businesses. Since most of your customers won't meet you face to face, comforting them with a service guarantee is an excellent way for you to increase your sales. Customers want the service they expect and have paid for. What better way to let them know they don't have to worry that you will live up to your end of the contact.

Be sure to have a clear and concise business contract to go with your service guarantee. No matter what type of business you're in, you should be very clear on what type of service or product the customer can expect and is guaranteed to receive. Don't leave any grey areas since this can cause problems for both you and the customer.

In the service industry, the unconditional service guarantee is growing in popularity. With the unconditional service guarantee, customers are reassured that the job will be done right. There are several ways to write your service guarantee into business contracts.

Choose your words carefully. You'll want your service guarantee to be easy to understand and clearly state what the customer can expect from you and your business. Your guarantee should serve to calm and assure your customer that what you promise is what you'll deliver.

Be sure that your service guarantee and contract clearly states what you intend to provide and assure the customer of what they will receive. Statements such as ~100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee~ and ~M*ney Back Return~ are things everyone can understand and as long as you live up to these bold statements you can be certain that many of your new customers will turn into repeat clients.

Guarantees are different according to industry. For instance, you wouldn't promise 30-days M*ney Back Guarantee if you're selling a service. This type of guarantee works best when you're selling a product such as an e-book.

Using a guarantee will help you keep your business activities focused on the customer's needs. Guarantees like these force the business to focus on fulfilling the customer's expectations.

It is equally important for a business to determine the value of their service to a customer. Feedback forms help business owners/managers in this area. With just a few responses, (negative or positive), you will obtain the tools you need to evaluate your services. In the end, you will obtain solid testimonials that add credibility in marketing material, which results in new prospects.

Many customers don't even notice service guarantees these days since so few larger and more well known companies either don't use them, or hide them behind confusing legal terms that the average person would never understand.

Make sure your service guarantee is easy to understand and even make it a selling point. If you can guarantee your service, potential customers will have more faith in your offers than someone who doesn't make their guarantee obvious. Make sure that what the guarantee covers is clear to your customers.

While some business may be nervous about providing a service guarantee, if you believe in your business and what you have to offer, let potential customers know that. A service guarantee is a surefire way to secure business relationships that will last for years.

There is no doubt that service guarantees boost the ability of a business to provide qualified services. Customer satisfaction is a key to increasing repeat business. Every- one in business should have some type of a guarantee.

3. Product Recommendation: *** Cover Software Pro ***

Quick and easy method of making professional covers for ebooks and software, and graphics for web sites. In fact, you can use it for eCovers for eBooks, software boxes, eZines, CD's, special reports, spiral notebooks, credit cards, membership cards, newsletters, and more! This software works with Adobe Photoshop 6 or higher.

You get a professional look and professional graphics and text, without the big bucks you would spend to have a pro do the design for you.

An instructional video is included. The site shows samples of covered created with this program. It's well worth a look. I recommend you investigate.

Cover Software Pro

4. Internet Sites -- reviewed by June Campbell

*** Job Predictor ***
Ready for a little fun? Enter your name and learn your ideal job.

*** E-Mediate Needs ***
Brief article on using an e-mediator to resolve ecommerce disputes.

*** Clicks to Bricks
Do you need a bricks and mortar store to complement your online store?

*** Technical Difficulties
The Customer Respect Group reports on how high tech companies treat customers on their web site.

5. Freebies and Good Deals

a. Commodity Training ebook 2005. Everything you need to know to trade commodities successfully. Visit this link for additional information.

6. Joke of the Week: Talking Parrot

A woman buys a talking parrot to keep her company. The guy at the pet store warns her that the parrot has had a checkered past and is likely to speak out of turn.

At home, the woman removes the cover from the parrot's cage. The bird looks around, and says, "Brawkk! New place. New Madam. Morning Madam."

"Uh, morning parrot," she said. Shortly after, her teenaged daughters appeared.

"Brawkk! New place. New Madam. New Girls. Morning Girls."

"Morning Parrot," they replied. Soon the man of the house showed up.

"Brawkk! New place. New Madam. New Girls. Same old customers. Morning Phil!"

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