They arent expecting to get royal treatment and when they do get it, it not only takes the wind out of their anger, but it catches them off-guard and surprises them.

This is a "moment of truth." By seizing the moment and going the extra mile to satisfy them, theyll become your advocate.

Did you know that its not product defects that destroy customer satisfaction? Its how you react to product defects that determine customer satisfaction.

Did you also know that there have been studies that have shown that the most loyal customers are NOT ones who have never experienced a product failure, but are those that HAVE experienced a problem with the product or service that they purchased, and received great service?

Think about that for a while.

Conclusion

Refunds and returns are a part of doing business, but they can be dramatically decreased with a few proactive measures that result in the customer feeling good about their purchase. If a customer does want his money back, give it to him with a smile.

Try to turn each return or refund into a positive experience for your customer. Go the extra mile to make sure they are happy. If you do, youll be handsomely rewarded with a flood of return customers and positive referrals.

Internet Marketing Strategies for

Local Small Businesses

Not long ago I was speaking to a CPA friend of mine who had invested a significant amount of his marketing budget to build an online presence. He spent a lot of time carefully designing the site and providing information and graphics to bring it alive.

Once the site was completed and the switch was turned on there was a sense of pride and accomplishment, with high hopes that the website would provide a marketing spark that would help to increase his client base.

After several months, with next-to-no traffic, my CPA friend confided that he regretted investing so much money in something that brought so little value. After all, he mentioned, its not like he was selling his services to clients outside his local town.

After consulting with him, I offered several strategies that he could use to increase the amount of local, hometown visitors to his website. If you are a small "offline" business you may find several of these innovative strategies useful to your local Internet marketing efforts.