The Daily Deal – Friend Or Foe Of The Small Business?

Steve O'ConnorCashflow, Funding Options, Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Small Business TrendsLeave a Comment

Groupon. LivingSocial. Gilt Groupe. There are few advertising options that garner as much praise and poison at the daily deal provider. They’re heralded as traffic generators in one breath, and small business destroyers in the next. What is their attraction? The most obvious benefit to the daily deal is traffic generation. Overall, almost 80 percent of daily deal traffic comes … Read More

Complaints – Average Businesses Ignore Them. Exceptional Businesses Don’t

Steve O'ConnorCustomer Service, Marketing, Women Owned BusinessesLeave a Comment

Customer reviews can make or break a business, especially when shared online on a public forum like Yelp, Tripadvisor , Twitter, or even Facebook. Almost 8 in 10 online Americans between the ages 18 and 64 agree that online reviews influence their purchase decision.  This all sounds exciting until your business gets negative press.

Restaurant Expense Cuts That Cost You Customers

Steve O'ConnorBusiness Operations, Cashflow, Customer Service, RestaurantLeave a Comment

$1.8 billion. That’s the typical sales for the entire restaurant industry on any given day in 2013. That sounds like a lot of money doesn’t it. But as a restaurant owner or manager, you know the truth – restaurants are high-expense businesses. Full-service restaurants typically pull in margins of only 2-5 percent. According to the 2010 Operations Report by the … Read More