For customers
When your imagination is a deluded fool
I celebrated one of those milestone birthdays recently where, if I were playing cricket, I would slightly raise my bat to the crowd and then take guard hoping to amass another half tonne. One of the gifts I received was a ticket to see Marlon Williams at Villa Maria...
Football gets it right – and dreadfully wrong
Sport tends to mirror the best, and the worst of real life and that is possibly its greatest attraction. Sure there's the drama, the comebacks, the domination, the fierce contests between rivals - but I think sports is at its greatest and most dire, when it reflects...
Plucking out a name and hoping for the best
In the past few weeks I have had to book some accomodation and travel for an upcoming overseas holiday. All of it has been done online. I haven’t exchanged one word with another human being, except for a quick online chat with the good people at Eurostar to ask what I...
Our day of sporting infamy
In 1981, New Zealand sports teams were involved in two events that have significantly shaped our sporting and cultural legacy. The first was the Springbok Tour - where the South African rugby team’s visit to our shores deeply divided the nation - resulting in...
You can’t put an Elastoplast on a gaping wound
I’ve never considered using Viagogo to purchase tickets to concerts or gigs, and after following up on an online story recently, I doubt I ever would. Usually I would got to a site like Ticketmaster - their prices are transparent, selecting seats is easy to do, and...
Sundazed and confused
For roughly a month between the middle of December and the end of January, New Zealand enters into, what is commonly known as, the silly season. It’s summer, the sun is blazing and the beach is calling. Kiwis take their annual holidays - to relax, socialise, spend...
There’s nothing wrong with a healthy dose of suspicion
Not too many years ago it was common for people to knock on your door. Encyclopedia salespeople, the Avon ladies, charities, odd jobbers, the religious – they would all come and hope to sell something or other. It is the purest example of cold calling. You didn’t ask...
Being taken for a ride
The first car I bought was a total lemon. I was young, eager, and stubbornly oblivious to the great advice I had been given, before forking over my hard earned cash to a gentleman who sold second hand cars through the classified section of the Christchurch Press....
Walls and bridges
It was one of the most iconic moments of the last century - Germans who had been divided by political differences for decades, dismantling a wall that had been constructed to keep them apart. In a move that signalled the demise of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall coming...
Video killed the radio star, part 2
I talk to thousands of business owners and consumers each year. While they are all obviously different - in age, gender, racial and ethic background and life experience - the one thing they have in common is that they are trying to connect - with customers and with...
And the Oscar goes to . . .
Every year at about this time, newspapers and magazines compile lists of all the things we should have seen or read about, or known about in the past 12 months. At the "dead time" between Christmas and New Year, the media revels in presenting swathes of articles on...
Should old acquaintance be forgot
For many of us, New Year's Eve is the time to throw off all of the ills of the passing year and spend time with good friends and family and party like you mean it – all the while heralding the new year to come. The tradition of New Years is millennia old – in the...
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...
Adventurous Kākā, Street Signs Amuse, and Ancient Artefacts Discovered
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. Street signs lift the spirits Just before Christmas, six signs in inner city Christchurch caused a bit of confusion...
It takes real leadership to protect reputations
Reputations are organic and fluid. They can be made, unmade, and made again. But it takes real leadership in a crisis to make or break a reputation. A great case in point is the recent Australian cricket cheating scandal. Even if you don't know much about the...
Customer reviews – invaluable market research for every business
Customers are everything to a business. Not only do they generate revenue - happy customers will keep coming back and create a growing customer base through word-of-mouth and by contributing online reviews. But those reviews are far more than just markers of...
Protecting a reputation is all about honesty and transparency
If ever we needed guidance on how to deal with a reputation crisis, KFC's marketing department in the UK recently delivered an ingenious response to a potentially damaging logistics failure, that left many of KFC's 870 restaurants without their key ingredient -...
Online reviews go hand in hand with the evolution of the internet
It is worth remembering just how much the internet has changed how we do business and has radically altered consumer behaviour. Knowing how much it has revolutionised interactions and exchanges is key to increasing business and understanding consumers. Not so long ago...
Preparation is key to keep your home safe in bad weather
Kiwi summers aren't just about long periods of hot weather - because we are in the South Pacific, we are also susceptible to tropical storms. Whenever there are warnings of the possibility of severe weather events, it makes good sense to be prepared. Some great tips...
Taking control of a negative online reputation
A negative online reputation cannot be ignored. While a good reputation will attract customers and establish a business' future through boom times and bust, a bad reputation will do nothing but harm. But there is nothing to stop a business owner avoiding any future...
What are consumers biggest complaints?
In business it's critical to build a customer base while holding on to existing ones. Knowing what consumers are looking for in every transaction is a vital part of ensuring your business stays healthy and thrives. The most successful businesses do a number of things...
What’s the point of authenticating online reviews?
So here you are – you’ve just had a business finish up a job for you, and they’ve asked you to leave them a review on NoCowboys. You have a spare minute to do so, and the feedback will be beneficial to both the business and future consumers, so why not? You enter your...
How online reviews help increase SEO
Some people think of it as the holly grail, some people know all the ways of making the most of it, and some people don't really understand it at all, but SEO - (Search Engine Optimisation) is not overly difficult to comprehend and there are lots of ways that you can...
Taking care of your house in the summer
If you want to make sure that your house in is in the best condition possible, then every season there are particular things that need your attention and summer is no different. We've trawled through a number of excellent articles online you give you some fantastic...
Christmas Rules, Inspirational Kiwi Comedian, Strong Economic Signs
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. Strong signals of brighter economic future Every day at NoCowboys we talk to tradies and business owners up and down...
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...