The Business Beware Show

We are huge fans of the company 1800GotJunk.com Their business is one that doesn’t let you down and has amazing people who run it. There are franchises all over the place since Brian started the company years ago. We chatted with Alan Klug who owns one of the franchises in Baltimore. He shared what the company does, how great it is, how they pre-qualify their customers and how they even run into the problem customers with their day to day jobs.

For more information on how to reach Alan visit 1800GotJunk.com/Baltimore

Watch the interview here:

Listen just to the audio right here:
1800GotJunk – Alan Klug –

We sat down with Candice Cain of Candy Cane Travel Co. not too long ago and talked with her about how she started her destination wedding company and what made her decide to be a wedding planner.

You can tell that she loves what she does and loves to make every one’s wedding day special. And with that special day there can always be that one standout bridezilla that can throw the temper tantrums and well you know the rest, especially if you watch the show on TLC. She shares some stories about interesting brides she’s had to work with which are just absolutely hilarious. You would think with their special day they would be happy and frolicking in the wind but no a bad customer is a bad customer everywhere…

Robert was gone so my sis Rachel (who is getting married this Dec!) joined me to interview Candice. It was an all girls day but don’t worry guys you will enjoy the show too as always

Connect with Candice:
www.CandyCainTravel.com
Facebook
Twitter

Candy Cain Travel Interview

Story sent in from business owner – Kyle Garlan who owns a cafe in Santa Barbara…

“Hey guys! Okay so the other day I had a customer come in my cafe that from the start you could tell was going to be a pain. Him and his friend ordered their meals and ate it all without a complaint. When the my employee took them the check they told her ‘This meal was terrible, I want it for free.’ I was informed of the situation and went over there to speak with them about the situation. I asked them what was wrong with the food and they replied with ‘it wasn’t cooked right and it just tasted terrible.’ As I bit my tongue I kindly said ‘At want point did you realize you didn’t like how the food tasted? Was it at the beginning, middle or end when you finished all of the food?’ They just stared at me like they could not have believed what I said to them, although I could have said much more. I told them I could discount the meal for them and they still complained of course. They also wanted a free meal for the next time they were to come into the place too. After I returned their cards I ended up not charging them and left them a note on their ticket stating “We do not need your business in the future, have a wonderful day.” I watched from a distance and as they glared back at me I just smiled and waved back to them.

I love your show and your website Business Beware. It’s an amazing service for businesses but also encouragement to all business owners to not be afraid to fire a customer. We are forever supporters of Business Beware.”

Wow…we got this the other day from Kyle and we definitely shedded a tear. We are so pumped that people are embracing our site and what we talk about on our show and shout from the rooftops about not being afraid to fire your customer. We encourage anyone who wants to share their story, be on our show or just leave a comment about a time you had to deal with a CustoMonster…

For more information on how to use Business Beware and what it’s all about click here.

Okay we posted this on our Business Beware Blog but we love these tools and services so much that we are posting them again right here for you. These things we mention are an important part of running and creating your business so we thought we would share some that we like with you…

1. Notixtech.com – These days everyone is on their mobile texting, checking emails, checking the score of the game etc. but they are also looking up businesses online to get more information about a business.  Is your site mobile friendly?  More than likely it’s not.  With Notixtech they are “taking your business mobile” so others can find you and learn more about your business in the palm of their hand. They made Business Beware mobile, so get your phone out and check it out.

2. idesignyourlogo.com – What’s the one thing that people see and immediately should think of your business/brand? Yes, a logo! Some companies can charge a crazy amount to design a logo but these guys let you sign up for a day (each day increases by $2 that started in March) and for that whole day they promote your new logo and your company to everyone they know and then some.  They really put a lot of thought into what you want, colors, any of your ideas and a little heart and passion in it too.  They designed our logo for Business Beware and it rocks.

3. EmailMeForm.com – Whether you create your website or you have others do it this company makes it so much easier to create forms in html and php.  Let’s face it, most of us don’t know how to write code or even understand it for that matter but why do that if you have these guys?  It’s such a great tool and user-friendly that you can create a form and put it right on your site.  Big thumbs up from us.

4. Moo.com – What is another essential to promote your business even though it’s an old school way to do it?  Yes, business cards but not just any cards...Moo cards.  There is a huge difference believe us.  They have some amazing cards they can hook you up with even little mini cards that make everyone do a double take.  The prices are so awesome that it’s insane not to use them.  We love our mini cards and feel like important people when we use them.

5. FreshBooks.com – Okay another basic essential you need for your business to collect the dough is invoicing.  We don’t use this obviously because we are the ones helping you collect from customers that don’t pay their bills but this company is downright perfect to get the job done for any small business. Their service is painless and anyone can use it from a mom and pop shop to the big dogs.  The team is great and always there to answer any questions you have.

6. Flowtown – What if you could find your customers and interact with them online through social media? Hold on, you can so do that with Flowtown! Engaging with your members/customers is an important part of business. This is such a cool service where you can find out who is using your product/service and really reach out to them.  We use this since we have so many business owners from around the US and Canada where we can really engage with them and get their feedback. It’s a beautiful thing and it truly is a great concept.

7. IdeaPaint.com – Ever wanted to draw all over your walls like you did as a kid and not be confined to a certain white board? Well that is where IdeaPaint comes to save the day…they have created office and home kits where you can turn your office into one big whiteboard where you can jot your ideas down, coffee shops can write their coffee of the day and oh so much more. We love this product so much that we are thinking about opening a cafe just so we can write all of our specials on the wall.

8. Websticker.com - What is a fun way to make sure a business card sticks with a customer? Yes, a sticker how did you guess?? This company is just flat out awesome and truly care about making your business stick out from the crowd. They created our stickers for us (get our free stickers here by the way) and we definitely make a scene when someone sees it on our computers…Stickers are fun yes, but they definitely work when placed strategically…

9. Shipwire.com - If you’re like most small businesses we know you don’t have a huge office or space for that matter to store or keep all your products in one place. It’s never been easier to have an e-commerce site where you send them your products to store and once a customer purchases on your website they pack it up and ship it out for you. Take advantage of this site and don’t stretch your budget to get the bigger office.

10. Call Recorder for Skype by Ecamm – If you are podcasting, doing an online web series or just wanting to do interviews on skype and record them then this software is definitely for you. We use this with our radio show to interview guests and call ins. Even if the person doesn’t have skype you can record the conversation, it’s awesome. If you’re looking to get into podcasting or interviewing you should definitely try this out because it makes life so much easier if you do.

There are a lot of tools out there available to use but these are ones we have used or know others that do and can’t live without them. Feel free to add to the list if you think of one but before you do that make sure and check out these because it’s definitely worth your time.

Amber Mac and technology go together like mac and cheese (yes we are from the South).  We are huge fans and have her book on hand that is great by the way so make sure and get it – “Power Friending.”

She has a long running list of things she has accomplished and she is still going, which is awesome.  A few things off the list that she is involved in are: being a podcaster personality and host on Net@Night and CommandN.  Founder of MGIMedia and of course just wrote the book “Power Friending.”

We talked with her about what and how small business owners/entrepreneurs can get involved in the tech/social media world.  How do you start an online web series or podcast show?  A lot of times it’s fear that keeps people from doing it or just thinking it’s too complicated.  How the word “friend” has changed and all kinds of other great stuff.  **And when you listen to the show you will get the “Stomp the competition thing…”

Listen to the show via BlogTalk

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Connect with Amber:  Twitter – Website

Everyone knows what’s been in the media lately with the JetBlue incident and the guy reacting the way he did so we won’t go into it all but we are loving all the articles about it.  We stumbled across one that Donald Trump blasts the flight attendant about what he did (read the article here).  This article was actually a part of our “Stuck on Stupid” segment.  The Donald won our hearts on this one that’s for sure.

Have questions for us?  Just shoot us an email here.

Don’t forget to check out our awesome partners too:

Websticker.com they make your name stick and it’s an awesome family business up in Vermont who rock our socks off.

Notixtech Is your website mobile friendly?  Probably not so that is where they can hook you up with an on the go website for all those people who looking to find more info about you on their cell phones.

ConstructionDeal Get leads right in your inbox from these guys about projects in your area.  Hello Contractors!

Under30CEOThe site where young entrepreneurs are making it happen and helping others along the way.  The entrepreneur road can be lonely but not when you have this rockin community at your fingertips.

Womentorz Women are dominating the market and they just rock how else can you put it?  For all you women innovators and entrepreneurs this is where you can really try out your product and get feedback from those that are in the same shoes as you.  It’s a huge support system.

HardHatCity This is the ultimate contractor network right here.  It’s FREE, did you catch that?  It’s free.  You can create a profile for your business and chat in the forums with other contractors to get advice and much more.  Put your hard hat on and jump in.

Have you thought about starting a podcasting on online show of your own?

Okay you have heard us over and over talk about our challenge we have going on (for those of you who don’t click here) We have still not heard from anyone even though we have written numerous people about coming on the show to chat with us why they truly believe the customer is always right.

If you write a book, blog post or whatever about the subject but can’t back it up then do you truly believe the actual slogan? You know our feelings on it and where we stand. Here is a quick blip from our show the other day about it:
Is the customer always right?

See our countdown on the top right hand corner?  We are still waiting for someone to challenge us, will it be you?

We stumbled across this article today: Steve Slater to McNugget rage: Customer service or customer to blame?  This is what is tripping us out about how others are receiving these stories (not dissing this article just the title) is that the media are making it out to be like Steven did this because he hated his job but yet he stated “I love my job.”  Did they miss the point that the customer is the reason he reacted this way? 

The McNugget video that was released is just flat out hilarious that a customer would actually react that way over McNuggets…The woman says that she doesn’t remember it at all, well most don’t like to remember things that they did like that…

In the article I just mentioned it stated

 ”But there’s more: For people who work in jobs that involve lots of customer service, a common peeve is that customers too often are demanding, abusive, or even downright violent.” 

Ugh, so true.  And it shows in the video of this woman attacking the lady at the drive thru.  I think people forget the fact that there are some customers that believe they are always going to get their way no matter what.  They can’t stand the fact that some business owners turn them away or say “you’re not welcome here and we don’t need your business.”  A business owner can tell any person they don’t need their business if they don’t feel they are a fit to work with.  Of course there is somewhat of a fine line you walk with working the corporate world, you don’t own that business and so you can’t just say “hey, you’re not welcome.”  Little bit of a different story there but at the same time you don’t deserve to be treated like scum…

Yes, there can always be bad customer service out there whether the kid is too busy texting rather than helping you after you have been waiting for over 30 minutes or someone who completely ignores you and even stares right at you.  But you can’t rule out the bad customers out there because they are EVERYWHERE.  Those that truly believe the customer is always right have another thing coming and it’s just old school of how things were interpreted. 

P.S. We included the video for your enjoyment and we put it on our “CustoMonster” page too.

What do you think about the article?

We have been screaming this from the rooftops to business owners through our website Business Beware and on our show right here that the customer is not always right. There are so many customers out there that take advantage of you and your business, treat you like poo just because they think they can and those that are out to steal from a business.  Yes, we said steal.

Some customers take the saying “the customer is always right” to the extreme.  Just because you are an angry and unhappy person doesn’t mean you can take it out on an employee trying to do their job.  Yes, you try and accommodate customers and treat them right when you work with them but if they are unruly from the beginning you need to have your guard up a little and know when to say “enough is enough.”  

After this happened with the Steven Slater many people were against the fact that he did what he did but I’m sure most of those people are in the column that believe the slogan “the customer is always right” to be true no matter what.  Most small business owners (including us) nod our heads and say “good for you Steven Slater, good for you.”

If you have unruly customers like Steven dealt with or what we like to call the “CustoMonster” then I think you might should warn fellow business owners about them at Business Beware, just a thought.

Think we’re wrong about the customer not always being right?  Then challenge us, we dare you.

Someone said the other day that they have been trying to collect from customer for over a year and we just smiled at them and said “I think we should introduce you to our beware letter.”  They took us up on it and we sent the letter to the customer for them and the person called them a few days later saying that they received the letter and that they will be bringing them a check the next day.  This is a a true story people…want to collect from a customer that owes you?  Of course you do, give it a try right here.

Did you miss the show this past Saturday?  If you were out enjoying your weekend and catching a few rays at the beach we completely understand but next time definitely invite us  That is why you have our site so you can catch up on shows when it’s convenient for you and don’t forget if you have any questions feel free to send us an email.

Listen via Blogtalk
Listen and subscribe via iTunes

Don’t forget to check out our partners because they are awesome and have some great things to offer:

Websticker.com they make your name stick and it’s an awesome family business up in Vermont who rock our socks off.

Notixtech Is your website mobile friendly?  Probably not so that is where they can hook you up with an on the go website for all those people who looking to find more info about you on their cell phones.

ConstructionDeal Get leads right in your inbox from these guys about projects in your area.  Hello Contractors!

Under30CEO The site where young entrepreneurs are making it happen and helping others along the way.  The entrepreneur road can be lonely but not when you have this rockin community at your fingertips.

Womentorz Women are dominating the market and they just rock how else can you put it?  For all you women innovators and entrepreneurs this is where you can really try out your product and get feedback from those that are in the same shoes as you.  It’s a huge support system.

HardHatCity This is the ultimate contractor network right here.  It’s FREE, did you catch that?  It’s free.  You can create a profile for your business and chat in the forums with other contractors to get advice and much more.  Put your hard hat on and jump in.

One last thing, how long have you been trying to collect from a customer?

Before the show on Saturday Robert happened to stumble across an article in the St. Pete Times titled “Hold on to what you have.” These two authors of “How to Keep Your Job: In a tough competitive market” shared their insights on how employees can survive the uncertain economic times (and that is quoting the newspaper).  

A few questions down the question reads: “What else can you do?”Calandra says: You’ve got to start coming to work on time and staying there as long as you can. A lot of people are going to try to fly below the radar. But that’s a mistake.  You make yourself visible by being active and making sure the manager sees you.

Another question down reads: “You have to invest in yourself and your company?” Kitson says: As it turns out, if you do things in the right ways, they will be in your best interests and in the company’s best interests.  If both of those come together, there’s a pretty decent chance you’ll have an opportunity of being viewed as more valuable.

Are you scratching your head like we were when we first read these?  That is word for word on what was written in the article, no lie.  Robert’s words were “is that what our society has come to with this type of advice??”  Well the second question and answer doesn’t even make any sense.  Of course you show up to work on time!  That is just what you do and what a true hard worker does, you have to tell people to do that now?

What else is sad is that this was printed and supported by a large newspaper article in the business/job section.  WOW.