Better Business Issue #162

Highlights:

Offer great service and win loyal customers

- Keeping hold of your existing customers and getting them to order more should be your number one priority, says Colin Thompson.

Pull in your clients - it's much easier!

- Stop trying to push your marketing onto people, says Nigel Temple - start trying to pull them in, instead.

Porridge proves the perfect winning hand

- When two sisters made some porridge for the beach, they little realized it would end up in Waitrose. Richard Reed tells their story.

Time to reflect, not react

- It's tempting to react when times get tough - but what we really need to do is take time to reflect, says Sean Weafer.

Couple find sweet smell of success

- A husband's romantic gesture prompted a business brainwave to start selling high-quality flowers. Bonnie Yuill reports on how their venture cam up smelling of roses.

Downsizing? Take care ...

- Reviewing your costs is vital - but if you make redundancies, you need to make sure you follow the correct procedures, says Adam Fuge.

It's time to book yourself that place on MySpace

- A website on its own is no longer enough. If you really want people to notice you, then you must make the most of Web 2.0 technology, such as social networking sites, says Damien Tanner.

So what's in store for small businesses in 2009?

- As if small businesses weren't already drowning in a sea of new laws, further legislation is planned for 2009. Claire Stevenson reports on what the government has in store for us.

Who's left holding the baby?

- Paternity leave is a new issue facing employers. Russell Smith looks at the legal implications.

Work on your business on the move

- Mobile working is rapidly becoming a 'must have' for small firms as they realize the real benefits of allowing staff to manage their jobs on the road. Christian Wettre looks at the options.

Battle for business is on

- The iPhone 3G or the BlackBerry Storm - which is the fairest of them all? Richard Reed investigates.

Be like those two 'hip chicks'

- Take a tip from two girls holding a garage sale and find something that sets you apart. You'll be surprised at how much more you sell, says Art Sobczak.

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