This person has just given you a resource that can:

(a) solve your problem with huge downloads (b) be a new product to sell (CDs instead of downloadable files) (c) offer you a solution that can benefit you and your customers

All for free!

How about complaints that say, “You know, you really ought to…” Well? Maybe you really ought to. Have you thought about customer’s suggestion? Yes, it was probably hidden beneath a pile of profane words and threats… but look deeper. In all honesty, is this unruly customer doing you a favor?

It happens more often than you might think. People, in general, have a bad habit of trying to show those they are upset with how big and bad they are. More times than not, you’ll get great ideas buried inside a wrapper of rudeness.

The next time you get a complaint, unwrap package, and you just might find that complaint is a blessing in disguise. If you remove ugliness from message, you could very well have some terrific ideas for improving or expanding your business!

Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com

While payment services normally have reduced fees, they do have higher "per transaction" costs so you'll have to do some math to find out if this is a good idea for your business. Just take an "average" invoice amount from a sale and multiply it times 12 to get a base total to work with. Now, add in your 12 months worth of fees for statement, monthly access, discount percentage, per transaction cost, etc. This is your "example" total. Do same with several payment services using their costs to see which one, over time, would be less expensive for you.

If you were paying a $15 statement fee, $20 monthly fee, 3% + $.35 per transaction and $25 monthly gateway fee, your annual expenses would be $742.20 for an average transaction of $50.00. Your annual fees for a payment service with 3.5%, $1.00 per transaction and a one-time $50.00 set up charge would only be $83.00 per year. [Savings of $659.20 per year.]

3) Re-evaluate Your Long Distance Costs - Competition is small business owner's friend! With hundreds of long distance companies out there, you can drastically reduce your charges instantly. Again - use 'Net to search for inexpensive long distance service. A business owner I know changed from a MCI "program" to one of those 10-10 companies and reduced her per minute charge from $ .07 to $ .05. Depending on volume of calls you make, some programs offer rates as low as $ .03 per minute. [Estimated savings of $20-$30 per year for 1,000 minutes.]

From just these three little things, we've saved an estimated $802.60 per year. That's enough to make anyone's spreadsheet sing! Go through your list of costs and you will most likely find other expenses that can easily be reduced with a bit of research and a phone call or two.

Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com