Business Blogs

Retail Details: Here five things to think about this summer:

By Doug Fleener

1. Customers are more impatient in the summer and are less likely to wait in long checkout lines or spend much time looking for a store employee to help them. Customers are either in a hurry to get somewhere, or they are hot, tired, and interested only in hassle-free shopping. Make sure your customers are greeted and those in a hurry are quickly helped. Also be sure and keep your store cool, even on the days you get your electric bill.

2. Offe...

Bill Vernon's Beacon Hill report

Week of April 9

Budget: Now What?

With the casino issue put to rest for the year, the Legislature will be looking for new revenue and possible savings to close a $1.3 billion budget gap. The debate on the FY09 state operating budget is scheduled for the last week in April in the House. A tax bill, which will likely include a measure to close so-called corporate tax loopholes ($200 million) coupled with a phased-in reduction in the corporate ...

50 ways to improve customer's experience

Three years ago I shared with readers a list of 50 ways to be more customer-focused and deliver a better experience. I've decided to update the list and publish it again. It's a bit long so you might want to print it out and read it later. Even better, check off those actions you and your team take on a regular basis.

Here are our Retail Detail's Doug Fleener's 50 Ways to Improve Your Customer's Experience:

1. Open the door for your ...

Bill Vernon from Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill Report

 

Healthcare

Senate President Murray (D-Plymouth) submitted legislation to control health insurance costs. NFIB certainly appreciates the belated attention to the issue and supports provisions to require provider-cost transparency for consumers and electronic medical records. But the dysfunction in the healthcare system is evident when legislation is required to implement cost-saving measures...

Business Trends

A glass-half-full view of the apparent recession
Our contributing economist, Michael Goodman, told a recent business gathering in Plymouth that our regional economy won’t escape the nationwide recession, but the slowdown here has a very good chance of being far less traumatic than many other locations across Massachusetts and the United States.
His assessment reflects recent housing numbers that show an actual improvement year-to-year in sales volume,...

Retail Details by Doug Fleener

Obsession: Your 2008 Strategic Competitive Advantage

One way to not simply survive but thrive during the current financial (insert whatever word you'd like to use here - situation, opportunity, challenge, crisis) is to become even more obsessed about your customer's shopping experience.

Contrary to what some people are saying, customers are shopping and they are spending money. Malls were packed with shoppers last weekend. While consumers ar...

Health & Wealth Revisited

This is the first in a series of stories about the upcoming Health & Wealth edtion

Why are Women Less Aggressive then Men in Business?

Studies say that women entrepreneurs are less aggressive in their pursuit of running their own business then men.

Do you agree?