Homebuyer Credits How to profit from tax credits received by new homeowners. Over the past few years, the federal government has been urging consumers to get out there and buy a house. The incentive? A tax credit for new homebuyers. Since the timeframe for the federal credit has now expired, the state of California has announced its own plan. These credits are great for retailers, especially ...

About the CARD The new need-to-know regulations on credit cards and how credit is offered to consumers. In an industry where financing options for consumers are constantly changing, it is important to know the new credit card rules. These regulations not only affect consumers, but they affect businesses, financial institutions and lenders as well. The changes began in May2009 after ...

When They Bring it Back Set Return Policies That Work for You and the Customer. by AllBusiness.com Hassle a customer when he or she tries to return a purchase, and you’ll likely lose a customer for good. On the other hand, there are situations where you may cut off a customer’s returns privileges entirely. Establishing return policies for a retail establishment can be difficult. ...

Diagnosing Over the Phone Often your only contact with a customer is over the phone, make it count. by Robert Stuart Let’s talk a bit about taking a service call over the phone…here’s where you begin to build confidence with the customer and make life easier for everyone. Let’s face it, getting paid a full service fee to run out and reset a GFCI sounds easy ...

Servicing Swim Spas These big units require some extra planning and some extra supplies. By Robert Stuart Swim spas are rapidly becoming commonplace in our industry and as techs we will see more of them than ever. Servicing these big beasts is similar to servicing any other spa, but there are a few tricks to make your first visit a bit more productive. In the past, swim spas were ...

Outselling the Internet Selling the experience – Make your store the only place your customers will want to buy. By Robert Stuart It’s hard enough to survive in an economy where budgets are tight and everyone is holding onto their discretionary income, but then we have to add to that the hoard of online discount sites and big box stores selling our products for less. Once ...

Smaller Ad Budget, Better Results A variety of different advertising mediums can yield better results. by Shah Karim, Saferock Retail Several years ago there was a lot of buzz in the retail industry regarding cross media promotions that impact marketing events. During a span of two to three years, the Interactive Advertising Bureau sponsored a large study with around one dozen cases ...

Fire Your Customer Stop giving in to unreasonable and rude customers, give yourself a break. Want to save yourself some headaches and some money? Then stop bending over backwards for customers who you will never be able to please and who will end up costing you money in the long run. Fortunately, it isn’t the norm, but occasionally you will run across a customer who is more trouble ...

  Want Capital? Look in the Mirror Your personal credit score may be the answer to securing loans for your store. by Business Money Today We have heard ad nauseam about banks and other financial institutions not lending to small businesses. The talk is that they have raised their lending standards requiring better qualifications for those they will consider while cutting out ...

Turning the Cycle of Failure to the Cycle of Success Even in a down economy keeping employees satisfied can pay big dividends. by JoAnna Brandi While talking with a friend recently the subject turned to management skills and motivating people. I had just returned from a conference that covered that topic so I began talking about some of the successful motivation programs that had been ...

When the Boss is Away… What you don’t know about your employees, but should. By Danielle Lavallee Wasson and Jaden Kemp You have carefully designed your store and chosen the right product mix. You have painstakingly interviewed, selected and trained your staff or, for many of you, your staff is part of your family. Your doors are open for business and it is your day off. ...

Seven Tough Customer Service Questions How to defuse explosive situations with customers. By Leonard Buchholz Answering tough questions is the easiest way to get noticed at your job. Maybe that’s good, if you do it well, and maybe that’s bad if you don’t do it well. If you want to brush up the tough questions answering skills, start here. “Why don’t ...