But then fast forward today there’s a great new little 2nd hand bookstore I always go to instead of transferring to a higher end location. They decided to do the practical and used small spaces to branch out to only within the city limits and other cities that were filled with students and people working. That worked wonders for me. And I lived nearby one lol.

People do talk and compare notes. If I were a constant purchaser and found out about this, I’d be mad.

I am a trainer too running my own business, and I know exactly what you are talking about! When a trainer works for a big gym, the customers will expect to be charged for a no-show because it is “company policy” and people rarely try to fight that.
However, as a business owner – things are different, as they know it is “only” your time that is at stake.
The reason I wrote “only” is because most clients will perceive your time only as valuable as YOU STATE IT TO BE!
In other words, the first time I meet with a new client, I tell them that my most valuable, non-renewable resource is- my time (because we can always get more money, more business, more health, more everything but we can never be one day younger!) and after making that clear, they are not surprised when I tell them that they will be charged for a no-show.
And for those percentage of clients who will lie to you by saying that their back hurts or whatever – you are much better off firing them ASAP!
Why?
Because they are not committed = they will not get results = that’s killing your business’s most important asset = reputation for getting people results!
I suggest you fire those and focus on the rest of them who are committed, who you can help get awesome results, and they employ some referral-getting strategies to have them send you their coworkers, family, neighbors etc…
Best of luck!
Amir

One company that recently did a fantastic job of this was Bed Bath & Beyond. Here’s how it went down…

1. The line to checkout was a little longer than usual, and when I got to the front a manager came up to me and personally apologized for the long wait.

2. The cashier asked if I found everything I was looking for. I said “Actually, no, I couldn’t find xyz product.” She immediately said “oh, I know exactly where that is, would you like me to get one for you?” I said “why not make it 2?”

3. Right before paying I presented a few printed coupons with dates that were clearly expired. I asked “these are probably expired, but can I still use them?” She said “sure, we don’t look at expiration dates anyway.”

4. On my way out, even the security guard smiled at me and said “have a great night man.”

Now THAT is how you win customers for life! 🙂

Btw if you go on his official website and subscribe as I did, you will get tons of content for free (even the book he wrote Getting Everything You Can out of Everything You’ve Got).

Keep it up Derek!

It’s rare that I feel a company or service has my best interest at heart. I’d say the last time was Big Al’s Napa Autocare in Taunton, MA.

When I was a young driver, my first car was a rust bucket with a solid engine (the reason I bought it.) One day, the muffler sounded really loud – like what kids today actually pay to sound like.

My brother-in-law took a look and said it was just the muffler and everything else was solid, “Don’t let anybody tell you the exhaust system’s bad because it’s rusty,” he told me.

I heard about Al, so I brought it to him. After about a 30 minute wait, he said, “Mr. Cook, please come into the shop. I need to show you something.”

Oh no, here it comes, I thought.

He then pointed out the hole in the muffler and then started going on about how everything else looked rusty, the pipe and bracket. I winced. Then he said, “They all look bad, but they’re solid. All you need is the muffler.” Wow!

Second attempt – my brakes were squeaky and I was going away so I asked my girlfriend to do me a favor and drop it off at his shop “for a brake job” I told her.

He looked at the brakes then went to the waiting room and said, “Why are you here? The brakes are fine. They just needed adjustment.” For which he charged nothing. Double wow!

That kind of service and honesty is rare in any business, but especially in the automotive business.