Hospitality is a hard industry to work in. The customer is always right and customers are pickiest about what they eat, where they stay, and how they are treated in the process. I've worked in hospitality, many years ago, and I can still remember being summoned to a...
When I was a kid I used to love poring over the advertisements for toys, magic tricks, and gimmicks in the back pages of comics. There were two items that myself, and my friends coveted the most - sea monkeys and the 1000 piece US Revolutionary War set. One thing...
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...
A renowned writer once famously wrote that there's no such thing as a second act in American lives - meaning that it's not possible to change, to reinvent, to forge a new path. F Scott Fitzgerald's epigram isn't a truism and wasn't intended to be. Reinvention is part...
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...
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...
There are various ways for businesses to attract new customers but some are better than others. The best methods of all involve active, motivated customers contacting a business, this is known as direct contact. It is far superior to the alternative - business owners...
As always, I spent a few hours this week perusing the internet to see what new trends are emerging in marketing, consumer behaviour, and online reviews. A lot of it is just confirmation of what I already know but I will always read something that puts what we do at...
Over the years I've seen a number of business owners make one of the biggest marketing mistakes without thinking of the consequences to their business and it's so easily avoidable. Marketing a reputation is not something that you turn off because you are 'too...
I've been involved in online marketing and the review industry for a number of years and if there is one constant I hear from business owners, it is frustration about getting their customers to review their business. I've learned a number of valuable lessons and...