For customers
And so this is Christmas . . .
And so this is Christmas. Without lurching any further into the John Lennon and Yoko Ono song, I’ll just take the opening few words. And so this is Christmas. For many it’s the best time of the year, for some it is simply the worst. No other day in the year generates...
You only sing when you’re winning
It really is the strangest thing when the most successful team in world sport comes under so much attack, after a few less than stellar performances. It’s stranger still when that team is the All Blacks and those leading the charge to put the boot in are so called All...
Are our phones making us a better species?
It’s strange that we still call them mobile phones. Using them as a device to make actual ‘phone calls’ is the very smallest part of their function and use. In reality they are extensions, connections to nearly any sort of information at any time – only hindered by...
Creating space around the home
Now that Daylight Savings is here and we have an extra hour of evening light up our sleeves, it’s a great time to think about making sure that our homes are ready for all of the glories of long, balmy summer days. Think about pruning what you don’t need Just like with...
We can’t afford to mess with the truth
No matter which country you live in some things stay the same – the professions that top off the lists of most distrusted professions. Across the board it is politicians and journalists that take top spots (or bottom spots) in polls regarding trust and reputation....
125 years – and the fight goes on
This week marks a special milestone in New Zealand history – 125 years since women were granted the right to vote. While it may seem ludicrous now that there was ever a time that women needed to fight so hard and for so long to be granted a fundamental right that men...
Losing keeps winners winning
By virtue of its phenomenal ratio of wins against losses and draws, the All Blacks are the most successful team in sports. The New Zealand rugby public has become so used to their national team beating other nations in test matches that losses are considered too much...
When tarnishing a reputation isn’t the right thing to do
In the history of All Blacks rugby it’s harder to find a more hard done by player than Keith Murdoch. His dismissal while on tour in the UK in 1972 for punching a security guard at a hotel in Cardiff is remarkable, not only for the severity of the punishment he...
The dangers of relying on word of mouth alone
For a while I have been thinking about one of the more remarkable statistics about online reviews that has been steadily increasing in the past few years. I thought about it again after reading a news story about a roofer in Dunedin who has allegedly done a runner and...
We’re all going to Bonnie Doon!!
About eight years ago I had to attend a conference in Sydney and after booking a fare looked online for accommodation. I searched by location and made my choice on price. So long as I was close enough to the venue and the price was right, then I was happy, or so I...
There’s a sucker born every minute . . .
In a case of life mirroring fiction, a recent insidious email scam bears some striking resemblances to an episode of UK TV show Black Mirror, where a visitor to online porn sites is blackmailed and coerced into undertaking a number of criminal activities to supposedly...
How the game is played matters most of all
Every four years the most watched sport on the planet serves up a carnival that decides which nation's team wins the FIFA World Cup. In just over four weeks, 32 teams get whittled down to one and along the way there is all the drama, beauty, desperation, and...
Reviews and The Consumer Guarantees Act – know your rights
Nobody likes being taken for a ride, being sold misleading or faulty goods, or paying for services that aren't up to scratch. It is well worth knowing your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) 1993, not only for when things go wrong but also in instances...
Stay in control by encouraging feedback for your business
When 97 percent of consumers are going online to find reviews before even considering contacting a business you want to make sure that you have a review strategy in place - and there are more benefits than you could imagine. Often business owners think that they have...
How to spot fake consumer reviews
In life and business, indeed in everything we do, trust is a valued and desired commodity. Now that reviews are part and parcel of consumer choice online, it's worth knowing that not all reviews are the same and that some sites do not monitor or remove suspect and...
Top tips for getting the most out of your summer garden
Summer is a fantastic time for gardens - fruit trees bursting with sweet, juicy nectarines, peaches and apples, the vege garden and vines filled with seasonal produce. It's the best time of the year for being in the garden too - sitting on the deck with an umbrella...
The 5 best ways to get your business seen online for 2018
Every business wants to be seen where everyone is looking – that’s been the basis of marketing since shop owners in ancient Greece and Rome daubed messages about their businesses on what were the equivalent of modern day billboards. Even back then – word of mouth was...
Cyclist Blitzes Record, Best Amongst Worst, and School Band Amazes
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. The best amongst the worst This week's horrific attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney illustrates the pointless violence...
Some great tips for New Year resolutions
Human beings are always changing, striving, seeking to improve and adapt. It's part of our DNA. Like Christmas, New Year is rife with traditions and one of the greatest is creating resolutions to meet the upcoming year head on. With origins stretching back to the...
Keep your home safe and secure while you’re on holiday
Christmas and New Year are the main holiday times for Kiwis - going camping, road tripping, visiting family and friends, or travelling overseas - but it's also the time when we leave our homes unattended. With a little bit of attention and effort, it's possible to...
Word of mouth isn’t enough if you don’t have online reviews
Back in the day we put a listing in the Yellow Pages, chucked the odd flyer through letterboxes and relied on satisfied customers spreading the good message through word of mouth. That was fine then because that was before the internet exploded and became a necessity...
Stolen Egg Passed, Iconic Car Restored, and Amazing Generosity
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Stolen egg passed in custody What are the odds? Last week we ran a story about a Faberge egg that was looking to reach...
The Kiwi Christmas tree
We may not get snow and a roaring fire like those in the Northern Hemisphere but a Christmas at the height of summer is made all the better by the Kiwi Christmas tree in bloom. We are blessed with so many beautiful and majestic native tress but the Pohutukawa is a...
A few tips on how to look after your Christmas tree
One of the best things about Christmas is a beautiful tree adorned with decorations but it's worth knowing that trees - real and fake - can also be a fire hazard. There's also a few ways of ensuring a tree lasts longer and is in tip -top condition. Here's a few tips...
Reviews tell a story – don’t just look at the numbers
Authenticated reviews are a consumer's best friend when it comes to peace of mind about contacting a business, or not! But it's important to read them and look out for some tell tale signs - here's a few tips. Reviews tell the story of a business - don't just read the...
A further word of warning about scammers
Everybody knows about scammers, fakers, peddlers, and fraudsters. Unfortunately, it's a common feature of the internet. But it's easy to spot and always best to go with your first instinct - if it's suspect - it is. For over a year NoCowboys customers have been...
Increasing the value of your reputation with video reviews
Online consumer reviews can make or break a business. Transparency and immediacy means that consumers want to see reviews before they will make contact with a business. No reviews? Lost customers, and no business can survive if they are not actively marketing...
Consumers are looking for online reviews more than ever before
The latest research by BrightLocal says that more than ever consumers are actively seeking online reviews before deciding which business to contact. The research establishes just how essential an online reputation is for every business, big or small. Since 2011 the...
Surprise Visitor, World’s Costliest Egg, and Team Smash Charity Record
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Seal visits pub Last weekend a pub in Richmond at the top of the South Island had a rather surprising visitor. Sprig +...
Why is owning your business name online essential?
Many businesses spend a lot of money on AdWords to try to gain an edge over their competitors and fail to do the one thing that is of even greater value – owning their own business name on Google. Sometimes it’s a good idea to step back and realise that the ways...
How to make your reviews even more valuable
Reviews left by consumers are of great value to your business – they build trust, create transparency, and cement the power of your reputation online to maintain and advance your future well-being. When 90 percent of online visitors are driven to find reviews before...
Buying fake reviews is a costly mistake
As the acceptance of the value of online reviews increases for all businesses, opportunities arise for fraudulent vendors to reach out to business owners soliciting fake reviews, promising big returns for little capital outlay. The return is actually untold damage to...
Reviews, reviews, reviews – which ones are worth the most to your business?
The whole point of a solid reputation online is that it is transparent and believable to the consumers reading reviews about your business. If a consumer doubts their validity – then they are worth nothing. Recently the New Zealand Herald published a story about a...
Charitable Athletes, Cross Returned, and Amazing Wrestler
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Cross from burned church returned 44 years later In 1981 a fire destroyed 87-year-old St Patrick’s Catholic Church in...
Size isn’t everything – why recent reviews are so important
Recently a high profile Kiwi TV personality went public about a dissatisfying experience with a tradie he had found online. He said he was attracted by the number of positive reviews in making his choice but there was a huge factor that went ignored in the process -...
Why it is never too late to market your business’ reputation online
I get to hear a lot of questions about online reputation marketing and I expect to. It makes sense. While online reviews have been around for over a decade, the power they can have for businesses is only now being seen as essential. So I take it for granted that I’ll...
Cash jobs can be more than you bargained for . . .
It may seem like a good idea – get yourself a deal and do a tradie a favour - but cash jobs are never that smart and the outcomes can be disastrous. "Reputation is the one thing that smart and organised tradies take seriously . . ." There’s a saying about taxes –...
Won’t get fooled – tradie exposes scammers and wins
One of the drawbacks of life online is being open to scammers. There are countless people out there who will try every angle to get us to either fall for a ploy or pay for a product or service that may, at first glance, look genuine. For over a year now businesses...
Keeping the cowboys in the corral
Do you check recent reviews on businesses before you use them? A recent story in the Kiwi press highlights again just how valuable reviews are... These days it's critical to spend a bit of time choosing the right tradie or service provider online before you pick up...
Amazing Discovery, Titanic Watch For Auction and Work Performed After 300 Years
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Amazing discovery on Otago beach The most incredible and rare things can be found on beaches and one New Zealander has...
Harnessing the power of challenging reviews
Ratings are the personal stories that convince prospective customers to connect with businesses, or not. Their value can't be emphasised enough. The best thing a prospective customer can see by viewing your ratings is the way you exercise your customer care. It tells...
Consumers decide in the digital world
To understand why online reputation marketing is essential for every business, it’s important to grasp just how much consumer behaviour has changed with the evolution and availability of computer and smart phone technology. Understanding consumers' habits and choices...
Ratings
Ratings Ratings are the driving force of your NoCowboys profile and it is important to build up your feedback with thoughtful and regular review strategies. Always remember that any legitimate customer that you did work for over the past two years, no matter where...
Taking care of business with NoCowboys’ help
Paul Toschi has been in the painting industry for years and in 2016 launched his own company – Brushy Bee Ltd. When looking to market his business, he decided that NoCowboys was all he needed, and for the past two years, with NoCowboys’ help, Paul has built up a solid...
Your greatest asset is your biggest opportunity
In today’s business environment marketing your reputation online is essential. Do you know what you look like online? Have you Googled your business name and seen what comes up and where? Do you know what other people are saying about you? Do you want to control how...
How to get the most out of your NoCowboys business profile
Once you’re registered with NoCowboys, the first thing to do is to fill out your profile – this is your marketing tool and it is important to optimise the various features to present your business to your prospective customers. ...
Michelin Visits NZ, Fedora Man Revealed and Kiwi Legend Recognised
Michelin stars on horizon for Kiwi diners For the first time in Oceania, Michelin inspectors are dining anonymously throughout the country and possible stars may be awarded to Kiwi eateries for a guide to be released next year. When I read this story, it surprised me...
From problem centre to value centre
An article by Jon Hall published by Forbes last year says that business owners need to move from managing their reputations online to actively marketing them. While the article has a distinct US flavour, the points he makes are just as valid in New Zealand. The...