Steve Marr Business Proverbs

In the midst of your busy day you can click on an article that fits your specific need from the categories listed. Each article is focused to provide practical Scripture-based advice you may implement immediately. To suggest future article topics or to be a candidate for a case study, click here. Requests for reprint rights should be addressed to stevemarr@businessproverbs.org .

Empowering Customer Service

Every business wants to offer top-notch customer service. Satisfied, happy, and repeat customers are key to all business success. Studies have shown that 25% of satisfied customers will tell others about your business. This creates a great army of ambassadors who are selling your business, at no additional cost to you. It pays to “be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning…”(Luke 12:35 NIV).

Monica and Travis own Best Friends, a dog-grooming business that they operate out of their home. Since they started, they struggled for customers. They placed several ads in local papers, posted notices on bulletin boards, and used the Yellow Pages. Each ad highlighted how dogs would get a great grooming job or how Best Friends is the best in town. Unfortunately, 25 other grooming businesses said about the same thing. Business was slow.

The Power of a Money-Back Guarantee

Sam is struggling to keep his exercise commitment that he made in January. He walks into a gym to explore the cost of membership and learns the fee is $40 per month for a one-year contract. Sam is at the decision point — he knows he needs a gym or some other option to get in shape, but he wonders if this will even work for him.

As Sam hesitates, the manager explains, “We have a guarantee. If you don’t like the facility, and we believe you will, you can cancel any time during the first 30 days.”

Sam moves closer to committing, but still hesitates. He asks, “What if I just don’t get into using the guy? Am I stuck for the $480 fee for the year?”

The manager responds, “Any time within 90 days you can cancel and pay only for the time used. We don’t want to take money from customers who just don’t use the gym, for any reason.”

Sam figures he has nothing to lose and signs up as a new member. The guarantee was the major factor that got Sam to join and spend his money.

The prophet Zechariah wrote, “If it is good in your sight, give me your wages; but if not, never mind” (Zechariah 11:12 NASB). The prophet has given us...

Advertising in a Tough Market

All business leaders today clearly understand we are operating in a very difficult business environment. The rules keep changing and the strategies that worked in the past to bring in customers are not working today.
Every business needs more customers and mastering new advertising skills may be critical in order to keep your business above water. Scripture gives us an example to follow: “Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 5:52 NASB).

Likewise, you need the same increases, and in business, that can mean developing your ability to write good advertisements. Every advertising dollar must be well invested. Writing good advertising copy is a vital skill, a proficiency that can be learned. Many companies use Internet and web-based marketing, which requires frequent changes, while others utilize more traditional methods.

The current economic downturn is affecting every business and we all need to make adjustments to connect with today’s changing customer demands. Customers are establishing new priorities and are reducing their overall spending.

It is important to understand these two key factors:

#1 — The psychology of customers is changing.

#2 — What worked during past recessions may not work in today’s hard times.

You may be tempted to go along without changing your business, but King Solomon wrote, “How long will your fools fight the facts?” (Proverbs 1:22 NLT).

More...