In a down economy when every company you know is holding off on purchasing anything, why would you risk losing current customers because they were not happy and you did not know about it? Upper management in almost every industry is guilty of not implementing a customer satisfaction program that does not require a customer to fill out a form. Most people, even the unhappy ones won't take the time to fill out a form and will just quit or not come back. Larger corporations just don't seem to place the same value on satisfied customers as the smaller company does. Smaller companies have more to lose than larger companies who accept losing customers as part of the business model.

The most effective way to contact a customer and get their feedback is to call them. Hiring an outside company is the best way to ensure that you are getting an impartial survey. It is better to have an unbiased negative report from an independent 3rd party than it is to have someone in that department, or worse, having the sales person report on him or herself. The most important part of the survey report is the comment section.

It is important to find a company that will give you a complete narrative of the conversation. It is much better to have the complete story ahead of time before you pick up the phone to call that unhappy customer and find out the hard way. A report with fixed answers like yes/no, or a multiple choice rating system is great for adding up percentages but does not give you a complete picture. Knowing what your customers are thinking ensures that you have a chance to correct any problems before it is too late.

Customer satisfaction is not all about the negative. Customers will also tell you that they think you are doing a great job and would refer you to anyone. Those are the reports that give you a sense of satisfaction. Either way, you will never know unless you ask.

Brian Groves is the Vice President of Sales for Hot Calls inc. He has over 20 years of experience working in the automotive sector. He is committed to helping businesses (including automotive dealerships) realize the importance of lead generation and the value of customer follow up. His clients include several global fortune 500 companies.

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Entrepreneurs! Self-Starters! Independent Business Persons! It's time to make some "easy" money with storage units.

Well, OK... maybe it's not so easy all the time, but it's certainly entertaining.

Every year (and especially in bad economic times) regular people fail to make their monthly payments to Self-Storage facilities all across the country. The reasons can be quite varied: divorce, death, and job loss are but a few. But when people do fail to make those payments the clock starts ticking. They are called, and sent formal papers. And ads get placed advising the world that an absolute auction will take place to liquidate (sell) their stuff.

There are auction services that put on 50 or more auctions daily, and almost all of these are completely cash... all sales final. You go to the unit; they open it up; and the auctioneer starts the bidding. You get only less than a minute to "evaluate" the goods. Most times, things are stacked up, boxed up, and generally "difficult" to figure out their true value(s). The bidding may last up to two minutes before you hear SOLD! -then it's on to the next unit.

Bring your cash to the office, and in a few minutes the office is telling you you have 24-48 hrs to remove your treasures. You'll end up paying up to 10% more than the end price as an auctioneer's fee, and you might have to pay sales tax, too. Many bidders bring their enclosed truck or trailers with them, so as to limit transportation expenses.

Now, the dream of every seller is to find hidden guns, cash or jewels in the mix; but it's been my experience that people who have left such nice things generally have the money to pay their rent. What you do find, on a regular basis, are things like spare furniture, X-mas decorations, clothes and almost everything you would see at a flea market or garage sale. And by the way, you'd best value things in your bids accordingly. Stories of bidders "overbidding" are common, but so are the exotic Japanese Sword finds, or the complete set of The Incredible Hulk comics, etc.

You must have a strong stomach, too. Many people use their storage units as a trash dump, with things strewn everywhere. And it's up to the buyer to sweep the unit clean. Don't be surprised to find very, very personal items, too. We've seen artificial limbs, sexual toys, and enough "porn" to start an x-rated store.

What has made us money is furniture. Not all bidders relish the labor required to remove and move whole house-fulls of furniture, but I've found furniture to be a consistent earner. Next are the electric items; lamps, toasters; clock radios seem to go quickly. Almost nobody leaves "real" jewelry. No gold, a little silver, mostly quartz movement watches. Just don't overpay. I haven't seen a "drug dealer's money box" in storage units I've purchased, but then, I wouldn't be telling anybody if I had! Happy bidding!

Jake Earl is a staff writer for http://www.TrueCasinoStories.com

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