PBS wants your story!
February 3, 2010 by Carol Topp, CPA
Filed under Blog, Running a Micro, True Stories & Ideas
I was contacted by a TV producer from PBS’s Biz Kid$. She is looking for teenage entrepreneurs to showcase on the show. If you are reading this blog, she wants your story!
Here’s what she wrote:
Hi Carol,
I came across your website while researching stories about young entrepreneurs. I am a TV producer currently producing Biz Kid$ – an award-winning PBS series where kids teach kids about money and business. The series helps young people understand the basics of making and managing money, and how to start their own business.
Biz Kid$ is produced by the creators of Bill Nye the Science Guy and has aired on over 90% of PBS stations, reaching over 115 million US households.
Biz Kid$ includes short profiles of young entrepreneurs from across the country. We are always looking for interesting business stories about young business owners. I would love to enlist your help in reaching out to teen entrepreneurs, and possibly showcase their business stories on Biz Kid$.
Please visit our website for more information: www.bizkids.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
–
Shilpa Singru
Associate Producer
Biz Kid$, Seattle, WA
www.bizkids.com
425-286-3567
So can you help Ms. Singru? Are you a teenager with a business? PBS might put you on their show.
Contact her directly or email me and I’ll forward your story to her. Be sure to tell me if you get picked for the show!
Go check out an episode (or several) now. You’ll learn a lot and maybe get encouraged by what other teenagers have done.
Biz Kid$ shows
Never Say These Things to Your Customer
November 12, 2009 by Carol Topp, CPA
Filed under Blog, Running a Micro
Adapted for teenage micro business owners from:
15 Things Retailers Should Never Say
Negative Customer Service Phrases to Avoid
By Shari Waters
Shari has a great list of 15 things to never say to a customer. Most apply to a retail business, like a store in a mall, so I edited her list to those that most apply to teenage micro business owners.
1. I Don’t Know
Customers don’t expect retailers to know everything, but when it comes to answering a product question or other inquiry, they do expect the salesperson to be confident enough in their knowledge of the business to provide an answer.
Better: “That’s a good question. Let me find out for you.”
3. Calm Down
There may not be a more infuriating phrase in customer service than this one. If a customer has reached a boiling point and is ranting away, the best thing to say is nothing. Let the customer finish. Once he or she has gotten everything out, they will begin to feel better and may be more receptive to a solution.
Better: “I apologize.”
8. I Can’t Do That
This is another negative customer service phrase that should be banned from all store staff.
Better: “What I can do is ___.”
14. I’m Busy Right Now
Have you ever said, or heard, the following? “If it weren’t for customers, I could get some work done.” If you are in retail, chances are you’ve at least thought it. The truth is, without customers retailers wouldn’t have a job.
Better: “I’d be happy to help you.”
5 Tips for Serving Your Customers
October 13, 2009 by Carol Topp, CPA
Filed under Blog, Running a Micro
When running a micro business, if your customers are happy, you’re happy. Here are 5 tips to providing great customer service as a teenage micro business owner:
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Smile: Learn a lesson from Wal-Mart and greet your customers with a smile and a friendly “Hello.”
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Dress well: Make sure your work clothes and hands are clean, even if you are hired to do dirty work like housecleaning. Wear dark pants that don’t show the dirt and change your shirt between customers if it gets dirty.
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Say “Thank you” every time they hire you.
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Follow up with a handwritten card to new customers. A card may seem old fashioned, but new customers will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Simply write, “I appreciate your business and I hope that you will contact me in the future.”
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Be on time: Arrive a few minutes early if you can. If you will be later than 10 minutes, call and explain that you have been delayed.
More tips to come…
The Best Advertising
October 12, 2009 by Carol Topp, CPA
Filed under Blog, Running a Micro
What kind of advertising is best for a micro business?
The best kind of advertising is the one that costs the least and brings in the most customers. Many people say that word of mouth advertising is the best type of advertising because it doesn’t cost you, the micro business owner, anything.
There are a few problems with word of mouth:
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It’s unpredictable. You may not get any new customers if no one talks about you!
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Hard to get started
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You have no idea of what people are saying
One way to kick start word of mouth marketing is to offer your services for free. Then ask for the recipient to write a nice testimonial about you and to tell all their friends.
True Story: My friend, Dave Huff, started a Mac support business, Mac Home Support, (http://machomesupport.com). He’ll help anyone that needs help with their Mac or Apple products. We called him to help my daughters and I straighten out our iTunes library after I accidentally deleted all the music on my iPod.
We don’t have a Mac, but we did need help with iTunes. Dave spent an hour
hour in front of our PC answering our stupid questions like, “What do the blue circles mean?” and “What do the checkmarks mean?” Then he showed us a neat feature called smart playlists to help get us organized.
When I asked what we owed him, he said, “I want you to tell everyone you know about my business.” So I did. I put it on Facebook that evening and now I’ve told all of you about MacHomeSupport.com too. That’s how word of mouth works in the digital age.
