We all worry about our bottom lines. Whether we deal in products or services, it’s constant battle to make the numbers line up. We want to offer a competitive price, but we need to bring in enough to keep the business afloat. You don’t want to devalue your work, but you still need to make your customers feel that they are getting something of special value in their transactions.

It’s a constant dilemma we all face, and it’s hard to make your customers feel “important.”

Some people feel that offering a free item (like a seminar or informational report) means you don’t value your product or service.  But free products can create incredible valuable in your customer relationships.

Consider offering a freebie to repeat customers. First, make sure you offer quality products that encourage return business. Then offer the free item as a customer appreciation effort. It’s a great way to show your gratitude and build customer loyalty.

When you take this approach, you’ll demonstrate that you reinvest your earnings into the interests of your customers in efforts to create products and services that make their lives easier and better. You want your customers to believe you are a leader in your field, and offering value-added products will convey your confidence.

So, don’t let “free” deceive you. Giving free materials could actually make you richer in the long run.

Mention the DMV and instantly images of gargantuan lines pop into your head and your eye begins to twitch.  More recently however, the DMV had made some improvements by adopting common sense operational efficiencies and online tools.

Many locations will give the poor motorist an appointment window to respect their time.  Online renewals and payments further helped ease frustration.

But there’s a hole in the DMV donut – the locations don’t necessarily coordinate with the website.

This may sound familiar to those who’ve shopped at WalMart.com.  After finding a great price online, you run to the nearest store to snatch up your bargain – only to find the store price isn’t the same as the online price.

Reason?  They’re run as two separate business.  Frustrating and sometimes angering.  But many retailers have the same arrangement, confusing and inconveniencing their customers.

This morning I heard the DMV has a trap lying in wait.  If you should move during the time of your vehicle registration – and do the right thing by dutifully going down to DMV to file the forms – it won’t change a thing as far as DMV is concerned.

That’s right.  Go down to your DMV office, file the change of address, affix the stickers to your license and registration – and they never even update your file.

You have to CALL their customer service center to let them know or they don’t change your records.  Imagine how you’d feel when your renewed registration was sent to the wrong address and you got a ticket for an expired registration.

Then they charge you a fee to send a duplicate!

Check the forms and the website.  It’s itting right there amongst a sea of words.  In type so big that only those who’ve eaten 3 carrots a day can read is the instructions…you must call the customer service center to change your address.

So, DMV offices, online service, and the customer service call center don’t communicate on a simple, yet important function.  And you’re the loser.

Moral for business.  Embrace technology and efficiency.  Be thorough.  Be clear.  But be sure you’re actually helping those you want to help.

On Saturday 11/21, Lego – they of Danish building block fame – put on an event called Lego Kids Fest at the Hartford Civic Center in Connecticut.

They promoted it in their magazine received by Lego Club members across the country, on their website, in calendars, all over locally and was picked up in many corners of cyberspace.

My son and his mom drove the 2 1/2 hours from Albany yesterday afternoon, he’s a Lego-head and a member of the club.

Turns out, they weren’t even allowed to get off the exit for the arena.

The event was mayhem.  It was oversold and over capacity.  The fire department started to eject attendees.  Hundreds of 7 year olds stood outside with their parents howling in disappointment.

My wife called Lego in San Diego and a customer service rep said that they hadn’t promoted it and were taken by surprise.  When informed that it was promoted everywhere an event could be, a supervisor came on and came clean.  “I’ve gotten calls from several families.  We just weren’t prepared.”

OK.  Fine.  A case of be careful what you wish for.  Now we’ll see how Lego will respond.

What would you do?

Posted by: Steve Banis