WIÜIÊý MÉPMtSS; WEIDNESDAY, MA&Y$ -989, P4GFo 16 WHITBY FREE PRESS A BUSINESS UPDATE INFORMATION FEATURE NEW S YOUR BUSINESS How to build good customer relations There are two truths in marketing your business: - It costs less to keep a customer than attract a new one. - A customer favorable word-of- mouth recommendation is worth its weight in gold. "There is consistent evidence that word-of-mouth endorsement has five times the value of the nearest other source of information, such as a newspaper or magazine article," says Alan Middleton, president of Enterprise Advertising Associates Limited. -Don'tthink marketing stops lth advertising and promotion. Word-of-mouth can be your.secret marketing weapon but it all depends on how you handle your customers and clients. Advertising and promotion bring them in the door, but it's up to you to ensure that a sale is made and a customer retained. On that point virtually everyone agrees, good customer relations is crucial for a successful business. David Magil, a public relations consultant in Toronto, suggests the most important thing you can do is make your staff aware their primary job is to serve the customer or client. To that end, make sure your staff is well trained in the sales and technical areas appropriate to your business. A receptionist who can't immediately locate the appropriate person sbould get the name and number of the caller for a prompt call back. This is also a good way to build up a ,-~Q ) c:~ ~Z~j I client or customer contact list. Phone manners are particularly important. Politeness costs nothing and can make a tremendous difference in the first impression people have of your company. Know what your customers needs are. Woul extended store hours help? A delivery service? What wilf make it easier and convenient to buy from you and not the next guy? Small businesses with equally small promotion budgets must keep their clients satisfied to ensure they come back again. Keep in touch with your customers. "Build your mailings lists and keep track of those people who phone for information," says advertising ecialist Linda Leikin. These are t e people who have made a point of contacting your company. Stay top-of-mind after a contact by keeping in touch with customers. There are a variety of cost-effective ways to do this. Direct mail, special promotional flyers, newsletters, advanced sales notices or product updates can ail do double duty in informating your customers and reminding them that you are still out in the marketplace. In your marketing strategy, advertising, promotion and public relations make you stand out from the crowd. But it's good customer relations that ultimately helps to close the deal and keep 'em coming back for more. Don't forget it. 17/ I "No, he's stillfnot back from lunch - he always takes long lunches!" The recent budget of the Con- servative government is "strong and hard but it will address the challenge of the deficit,» says Ontario riding MP Rene Soetens. The budget raises taxes on alcohol, gas and cigarets, cuts back on some government pro- grams including the sinking of the $8-billion nuclear submarine purchase, and cuts back on the transfer payment to provinces. The budget affects everybody, according to Soetens. He notes that hih income earners (over $50,00 will still receive family allowance which will then be taxed back. "I support the direction we are going in," said Soetens, who notes the $5 billion from new taxes and spending cutbacks this year will go toward payment of the interest only on Canada's $30-billion debt. "We will pay off another $9- billion next year and b y1993 the deficit -will be cut in half," said Soetens. He says the cutbacks on trans- fer payments to the provinces is the government's way of telling them to manage their money more efficiently. He said Ontario does not have to hit the taxpayer for the short- fall in money because of Michael Wilson's budget. "There are ways of saving money," he said, although he did not o any alternatives. "Time will tell," was the reac- tion of Whitb Mayor Bob Atters- ley to the budget. Ne does not expect the budget to bring growth in Whitby to a halt but he notes the budget will not "speed things up. It depends on the interest rates." Whitby Chamber of Commerce president Bob Richardson has a similar attitude. "It's a hard budget to analyze. It hits everybod from the shoeshine boy to te multi-mil- lion dollar corporation," said Richardson. He said that from the business The young entrepreneurs are honored Two young women who arrange "murders" for their clients and the designer of slo-pitch softball strike mat are among 28 young Ontario entrepreneurs to recieve this year's Minister's Award for Outstanding Achievement. Skills Development Minister Alvin Curling will honor the recipients at an awards luncheon, Monday, May 1, the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, beginning at noon. "The young men and women who receive these awards come from different regions of the province and have a wide variety of backgrounds and businesses. But they have one thing in comnmon--instead of demanding success, they worked hard to SEE PAGE 17 point of view, he would rather have seen the federal govern- ment cut spending more nstead of relying on tax increases which he says takes away the entre- preneural spirit of business owners. "In individual business if you work your behind off and haven't more money to take home you won't work your behind off again." While recognizing that the deficit has to be reduced, he notes the budget will not stopthe strong economy in sout ern Ontario. "It won't kill this area. It SEE PIGE 17 Soap's opens May 6 The grand opening of Soap's Goodtime Laundry will be held on Saturday, May 6 at 11:30 a.m. Talented actor, Charles Grant, known for bis work in feature films, 'Dallas,' and now as "Evan Bates" of 'Another World,' will be on hand to meet his fans and answer questions. The winner of Soap's lucky draw will win a private 15-minute interview with Grant. Soap's Goodtime Laundry combines a traditional coin operated laundromat with an adjoining licenced cafe, large screen TV, a recreational games room, and a play area for children. Soap's Goodtime Laundry in Whitby is the first designer laundromat of this kind in Canada. The concept began in the United States and has grown rapidly due to a very positive response from the public. There will be free unlimited front load washing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from May 4 to May 11. Soap's takes the boredom out of doing laundry and puts the goodtime in. New plant opens WEST WARD councillor and president of Com- puter Composition, Joe Bugeli (seated) shows off a .computer to Whitby adninistrator Bill Wallace. Bugelli's company held the grand opening of the new facility on Stanley Crt. last Friday. Free Press uhoto Reaction to budget m