Entrepreneurship Step 2 Serving Your Customers

by Carol Topp, CPA When running a micro business, if your customers are happy, you’re happy. Whether it be mowing lawns, running a lemonade stand, or manufacturing a product to sell, customer service is paramount.  Here are five tips for providing great customer service as a teenage micro business owner: Be on time.  Arrive a few minutes early if you can. If you will be later than 10 minutes, call and explain that you have been delayed. Dress well.  Make sure your work clothes and hands are clean, even if you are hired to do dirty work like housecleaning. Wear dark pants that don’t show the dirt and change your shirt between customers if it gets dirty. Smile.  Learn a lesson from Wal-Mart and greet your customers with a smile and a friendly â€Å"Hello.† Say â€Å"Thank you.†Ã‚  Make sure you say it every time you sell your product or your services are contracted. Follow up.  Respond to the customer with a handwritten card. A card may seem old fashioned, but new customers will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Simply write, â€Å"I appreciate your business, and I hope that you will contact me in the future.† By interacting cheerfully and professionally with your customers, you’ll help them see the value in the services you offer and encourage them to tell friends about your business. You’ll find more great tips for serving your customers in my book bundle,  Micro Business for Teens. Are you participating in this summer’s Entrepreneurship Contest? There is still time to pull together your work, make money this summer, and win some fantastic prizes.  Click here for details. Carol  Topp  is the author of  Running a Micro Business, a guide to helping your small business grow and thrive. Read Step 1: Picking a Business Idea  and Step 3: Advertising Your Business.