My 2¢ Worth

here have been several so called "anti-spam" laws put on the books recently.The ones from the U.K. and from California, U.S.A. are probably the most publicized.

any publishers I know spent the past weekend scrambling around having their subscribers re-subscribe and adding disclaimers to their confirmation E-mails and subscribe pages stating that their subscribers must agree to receive both in-house and third-party advertising.

f course they're going to receive in-house and third-party advertising! How do you think E-zine publishers can afford to send out their E-zines to you free of charge? Even so, I think the disclaimer is probably a good idea. But have people re-subscribe? Com'on now, let's get real! And to top it off somebody arbitrarily decided this had to be done by October 31^st! The new laws don't even go into effect until January 1^st, 2004.

hile I respect the "rules" as much as anybody, they have went way too far this time! Why should I make you re-subscribe to this publication which you already agreed to receive? A publication packed with useful information which I send you each week absolutely free of charge.

urthermore, why should I lose subscribers by making them re-subscribe and then have to lower my advertising rates accordingly? —Especially when I just KNOW this IS NOT going to eliminate the spam problem, as most of it originates overseas anyway. They're just making it tougher for us legitimate marketers to make a living!

ell, I'm not jumping through hoops for anybody. I'm an ethical and legitimate marketer. I don't send spam, fake E-mail headers, buy lists, steal bandwidth or any one of many things the spammers do. And I absolutely refuse to make my loyal subscribers jump through hoops just so you can continue to receive this publication. We're all adults here/ We all know spam from legitimate E-mail.

nough said.

Feature Article

Customer Complaint Service Plan

by: Bill Montgomery MakingProfit.com

Say this aloud, before you start each day, "I will consistently and constantly strive to exceed my customers' needs and expectations".

There is nothing worse than having to work with someone who is disinterested in your problems, or serving your needs.

If you want to keep the customers you already have and gain new customers, you have to genuinely care about their needs. You need to proactively seek solutions to their problems.

By being proactive, you are taking that extra step to see that you customer is getting the service that they deserve! It could mean seeing that your customer gets the proper updates on time, or anticipating how to handle any problems they might have down the road. The secret is to both anticipate your customers needs and act upon them, to better serve your customer.

Keys to a Great Service Attitude:

1. Be Proactive, Commit yourself to your customers!
2. Keep your customers well informed
3. Customers can rely on you consistently
4. You accept responsibility for your decisions and your actions.
5. At all times, you're friendly, professional and polite.

What Motivates an Unhappy Customer?

You know, there will always be some people that you just can't please, but the majority of your customers can be handled with relative ease if you do it correctly. All to often as business owners, we want to blame the customers for whining or complaining, when in actuality, we simply don't have the right tools to handle their complaints properly.

There are many reasons why your customer could be upset, but I think you will find that it is usually one of the following:

1. Expectations were not met
2. Previously upset at someone or something else
3. Tired, Stressed or Frustrated
4. Feeling helpless or like a victim
5. Embarrassed about doing something incorrectly
6. 2 (or more) contradictory statements from your staff
7. Feels like they are being ignored

Dealing With "The Hard To Deal With" Customer:

Has a customer ever made you feel like this? I have felt this way, and I have made others feel this way. Don't ever tell me I need a receipt after standing an hour in a return line! I'll not only see the manager, I'll burn him in effigy!

I'm going to give 4 quick steps to dealing with the "tough" customers, and some tips to get through it successfully, and hopefully unscathed.

Step #1: To Soothe and To Serve!

1. Never Take It Personally.
2. Focus on easing their emotions if possible, then work on solving their problem.
3. Acknowledge that your customer is angry, frustrated, etc.
4. Don't Interrupt Them. This will only make the problem worse.
5. Use Their Name.
6. Set Limits. Do not allow yourself to be verbally abused. Confront them, and restate your willingness to help.

Step #2: Investigate, don't Discombobulate!

1. Clarify their problem by utilizing communication and listening skills.
2. Ask questions to gain a better understanding
3. Don't reflect on the customer's behavior. Be calm, pleasant, polite, and helpful.

Step #3: Stay Focused On The Solution!

1. Ask what the customer needs and/or expects.
2. Apologize and admit when the customer is right. Then explain what you will do to correct their problem, and DO IT!
3. Explain (in detail) the reasons why, when the customer is wrong. But, never tell your customer that they are straight-out "wrong".
4. Take any action possible that to proactively avoid this happening again in the future, to this customer and others.

Step #4: End it on a Good Note!

1. Take whatever actions, if any available, to fix your customers problem, and/or to gain their satisfaction.
2. Ask your customer if the outcome is satisfactory and it will meet their needs.
3. Follow up with your customer to assure their satisfaction.

I hope these few steps will help you better serve your customers!

This article was brought to you by the wisdom and insanity of William "Wild Bill" Montgomery

**************

ARTICLE, EZINE & EBOOK WRITERS! Register Your Ezine or Ebook FREE Today! "YOU" get Valuable Exposure when you Submit Your Article, Ezine and Ebook Information! www.MakingProfit.com/mp/users/signup.shtml

Adding Audio to Your Site

You can add sound to your site that will be compatible with both Internet Explorer and Netscape as well. Add the following code to the HTML of your web page where you would like the control panel to display.

Change the text indicated in red to your sound file.

<embed src="yourfile.mid" autostart="true" loop="false" hidden="false">
<noembed>
<bgsound src="yourfile.mid" loop="1">
</noembed>

The "autostart" determines whether or not the music will play when the page loads. "True" specifies that the music will start on load and "False" specifies that music will not start on load.

The "loop" determines how the music should be played. "False" specifies that the music should not loop and will play it through one time. "True" specifies that the music should loop and play continuously. I highly recommend that you leave this set on false.

The "hidden" specifies whether or not the music's control panel should be displayed. "True" specifies that the control panel should be hidden. "False" specifies that the control panel should be displayed. This will enable your visitors to stop the music if they prefer. Once again, I highly recommend that you leave this set on false.

* Get these syndicated tip feeds for yourweb site, free. *

Second Article

Top Six Things to do To Keep Your Computer in Working Order

by: Thomas Le http://ThomasLe.info

To many, a computer is intimidating. You might use it for typing a letter or strictly doing email, but if you are the only one that uses it, it is your responsibility to keep it working. If you rely on your computer for many things, such as email, then you should follow these instructions:

NOTE: Most tips only apply to a Windows machine. Version 95, 98, ME, XP, NT or 2000.

1. Mouse. Clean your mouse. Sure, this peripheral is a relatively cheap item, but it can be devastating when you need it and it all of a sudden it doesn't work! If you have an optical mouse, a mouse that uses light rather than a ball and wheels, disregard these instructions.

To clean your mouse look under it and you should see the ball toward the middle of it. There is a circular thing around the ball that should have instructions to rotate it one way or another. Then, look inside and notice a few wheels, usually, one at the top and another to the side. If you notice black stuff, dirt, on the wheel, you should use a toothpick or something small and skinny to scrape the dirty away. Immediately you should notice smoother movement of the mouse.

2. Keyboard. Most keyboards have little crevices between the keys. All kinds of things can find its way between the keys. For some of the stuff, simply lifting the keyboard upside down and shaking can result in a lot of the stuff falling out. What I suggest is getting a can of compressed air or similar product and blow out what ever might be in the keyboard. This should result in a better working keyboard.

3. Scan Disk. This system utility should be run at the very least once a month. It's better once a week. Scan Disk will check the physical disk for errors and check all files and folders for errors as well. Certain problems with computers can be simply be remedied by Scan Disk. Be prepared for a couple hours of letting the computer do its thing with this utility. The bigger the hard drive the longer it will take.

4. Defragment. This is another important utility that should be run at the very least once a month, preferably once a week, or even daily. This utility literally organizes the computer files.

When a file is created and saved on a computer then is exited from what ever program used it, it is saved as "clusters," or tiny segments of the hard drive, and can be in many different places around the hard drive. Defragmenter finds the multiple clusters from all over the disk and puts them right next to each other. This will make programs and files load faster. As with Scan Disk be prepared for a couple of hours of letting the computer do its thing.

The bigger the hard drive the longer it will take. Also note, that the more often you do this the less time it will take to do it again. For example, if you haven't defragmented for over a month and your hard drive is 20 Gigabytes (GB), it may take 3 hours to complete, but if you waited through that and defragmented every week with that same hard drive it may only take 1 hour because there hasn't been nearly as much activity in a week than in a month so there is less work.

5. Backup. If you have email, or letters or reports or anything you deem important on the computer, of course you don't want anything to happen to it. Computers are far from perfect and things can and usually will happen where files can get lost, hence the importance of backing up. Use a CD recorder. The media (blank CD's) are less than a dollar a piece; they are versatile and last pretty much forever. The expense is between $100-$200 for a CD recorder, but its well worth it to not lose your precious files. Or, use a zip drive. These can be about $100 and the media (zip disks) run about $10 a piece. Also, the difference between a CD-recorder and a zip drive is that the CD-recorder holds 650 Megabytes (MB) of space and a zip disk would only hold up to 250 Megabytes (MB) of space (depending on the type of disk you buy).

6. Anti-Virus. This is most likely the most important thing one could do to help the upkeep of their computer. There are two well known anti-virus programs: Norton Anti-Virus and McAfee Anti- Virus. Both of these have their pluses and minuses and virtually work exactly the same. They will both get the work done and protect you from viruses. A person can follow all of the above outlines and then a virus can wipe out the computer if the person didn't have an anti-virus.

Computers can be scary to non-techie owners, but with the right care they can last a long time and be less intimidating.

**************

Thomas Le: Programmer, Web Designer, Techie.
www.ThomasLe.info

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