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Business Services Industry

Many unhappy returns

Entrepreneur, June, 2003 by Joanne Cleaver

Most entrepreneurs have a gut sense about which customers are demanding but profitable, and which ones are just a pain. Add a "complaints and returns" section to your customer database, advises retail consultant Jim Dion. That will let you see who's taking advantage of your desire to please.

In Dion's opinion, even the best customers can have a string of purchases that don't fit. But when you see someone coming in for the third time in a month with a just-purchased pair of shoes in one hand and the receipt in the other, it may be time to say "I'm sony, but clearly there's something about our store that isn't right for you," says Dion. Then suggest another store that might be a better fit.

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Dale Robbins; owner of Knoxville, Tennessee, golf shop Dale's Winning Edge and one of Dion's clients, says it's important not to give cranky customers ammunition to use against you with their equally demanding friends. After all, says Robbins, you never know when a demanding customer may suddenly come into some money and want to spend it with you. He almost brushed off one such customer, who ended up peeling off 26 $100 bills for a top-of-the-line set of golf clubs.

Business Services Industry

Many unhappy returns

Entrepreneur, June, 2003 by Joanne Cleaver

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