In the middle of the four week Level 4 lockdown, I, like everyone else around New Zealand, have had to confront the element of time in this new but temporary reality. I work at home as it is, so work has not been a problem, or should I say, a huge readjustment. After...
When times are tough, an online reputation is everything
For the past few months the dominant global conversation has been about the coronavirus (Covid-19), and while cool, rational, and informed heads should prevail to provide responses and strategies, the absolute opposite is true. Depending on what you read, or watch, we...
We have been relying on reviews for millennia
Online reviews, online reputation marketing. referrals, testimonials. More than ever before we rely on the verified reviews of others to help guide the purchasing decisions we make and the choices we consider before engaging a business. I have been thinking a lot...
Start-up businesses and reviews go hand in hand
Starting up a new business is hard. It takes a lot of work and a great deal of preparation and research. The best ideas in the world, and the most skillful tradespeople, craftsmen, artisans, service providers, and product sellers, still require determination, skill...
Happy customers are your best asset
We all want to move ahead in business, to grow, to be profitable, to create a solid foundation for the future and what is the key to that? Customers, happy satisfied customers who come back, time and time again, and tell their friends and family about their...
Small company with a huge heart grows with help from NoCowboys
Secure Communications Alarms & Security, based in Onehunga, Auckland is a small company with a huge focus on customer satisfaction. I spoke with owner Dave and administration manager, Clare, about the things that matter to them in business and the ways that...
Top tips for 2020? Reputation, reputation, reputation
We are two weeks into a new year and a new decade and more than ever consumers are looking for one thing above all else - a viable and visible online reputation, before even thinking of contacting a business. I read a recent study from the US that said that...
If you can’t lead, leave and shut the door behind you
On Sunday the sky over various parts of New Zealand emitted a strange orange glow. The light was infused with more than just the drifting smoke particles from the catastrophic fires from across the Tasman - it was symbolic of the apocalyptic glow that signifies the...
Control, it’s all in your hands
In the last blog piece I wrote I featured and discussed the latest survey results into online consumer reviews by BrightLocal. Since then I've been pondering a question that often has me stumped - why do some businesses neglect to market their reputation? Why, when...
Survey establishes absolute primacy of online reviews to consumers
For the past six years, US research organisation, BrightLocal has published the findings of its annual survey into consumer reviews. Year in and year out, the findings establish the absolute supremacy of online reviews as the primary driver of consumer behaviour and...









