The Value of Giving Items Away for Free

Be it samples at the makeup counter, bite-size desserts at the deli, or tchotchkes at conferences, there’s just something about getting a trinket or service for free that agrees with the human spirit. In fact, digital technologies, including social networking and email sites that need not be named, seem to have built their very existence [...]

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How to Say You’re Sorry

If you screw up you should apologize. Period. Even if the wronged party cops a major attitude, maybe even gets in your face and points a finger or something equally aggressive, every smart business or organization bites their tongue and says, “We’re really sorry.” No matter what, when the wronged party is a customer, and [...]

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Netiquette Advice From Emily Post’s Great-Great Grandson

Manners have always been touch and go in the email realm. For some reason, it’s just way easy to forget all those hard-earned composition rules we learned in school (i.e. never typing in all caps and never abandoning spell check). It’s also amazingly easier to get snippy, throw temper tantrums, and tell bad jokes. As [...]

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The Price Isn’t Always Right: How Courting Customer Loyalty Through Discounts Fails

Everyone’s on a paper chase these days. Companies are squeezing dollars until they holler, and consumers are haggling like veterans to grab every bit of savings they can from almost every store interaction. But what happens to those stores that focus on price as the primary means to nurture their consumer base? Do they always [...]

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