Why are we so intrigued with The Tiger Woods Story?  Fallen hero?  Sensationalism?  Tawdry sex?  Voyeurism?  Jealousy?  Who knows.

Without getting into the obvious moral and possible legal implications of his alleged behavior, here’s a different view.

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The advertising world has been plagued with “testimonials” like this.  Just a little too good to be true.  The Federal Trade Commission has issued on-going guidelines about ads like this in an effort to protect a sometimes gullible public from themselves.

What about the small business owner who has some customers who have had good results with her product or service who wants to “crow” a little about their success?

As of December 1, you could be risking jail time if you don’t do it by the book.

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It always been amazing to me how fast bad news travels, especially in business.  We all have dozens of stories we can freely recite about the bad experiences we’ve had as customers.

Why does the news about good customer experiences travel so slowly, sometimes not at all?   I guess we all expect an excellent customer experience, and when we receive it, we don’t think to mention it.

Well, let’s change that right here and right now.  All of us are not only owners or managers of a business but we are also customers to someone else’s business, and we’ve surely have had a positive customer experience somewhere along the road.  Click on the comment button at the end of this post and share at least one of your best customer experiences.

THE NEW AMERICAN MARKETPLACE is all about positive customer experiences.  I’m a strong believer in modeling.  Let’s hear what others have done.  It will likely spark new ideas about what we can do in our own businesses.

We all look forward to your comments.

Have you ever done business with yourself? That may sound like a stupid question, but I’m serious.  Have you ever made contact with your own business to see what it’s like to be a customer?

Most of us have an “inside out” view of what it’s like to do business with ourselves.  We design our products and services, we decide how to market, sell and distribute them.  We’ve got that down pat, but do we really know what our customers are experiencing? Unless we are present at every moment of contact, we really don’t know.

I’ll step up first and plead guilty.  We have a good idea of what it is that we want our customer to experience, but most of us probably can’t speak with total assurance about what’s really going on in our customer’s world.

In THE NEW AMERICAN MARKETPLACE the customer’s world is the only world that we must understand.

Consumers are still spending money, but the way they spend it and who they spend it with have changed forever.  There’s a new version of the consumer’s checklist. They are holding our businesses accountable to meet and exceed their new expectations.

Do you know what they expect? Have you made up your own checklist of new customer needs and expectations?  What happens when they get to your website?  How are they treated on the phone?  What’s their experience in your store?

THE NEW AMERICAN MARKETPLACE website has been designed just for you.  We’ll help you ask and answer these and other questions that we’ve never had to deal with before.

Do you know the new questions? We can help.  Sign up for our emails.  We’ll show you how to get involved.

In the meantime, call yourself.  See how you feel as your own customer.

I belong to a fabulous athletic club.  Great facility. All the latest fitness equipment.  Plenty of tennis courts. Great service. Everything I need.

I’m guessing, but I think the total membership is in the thousands.

What would happen if all the members decided to show up at the same time, or even on the same day? Can you say “overload?” Clearly the experience would be a lot less desirable.

Athletic clubs operate on the Pareto Principle.  20% of the members are active and they account for 80% of club usage.  Fortunately for us loyal users, 80% of the members pay their dues every month but rarely use the facilities.

In business I often get these questions: what should I do with the 80% of my customer base who account for only 20% of my results?  Is every customer created equal?  Where should I spend my time and resources?

How much effort should you put toward your passive or inactive members or customers?  In my experience, focusing here is most often a losing proposition.  Most things in life aren’t distributed evenly.  In any endeavor, some things contribute more to your success than others.

About one in five customers will make a serious difference in your business.  It’s our job as owners and managers to know who they are. Concentrating on those critical few is the best way to drive results.

THE NEW AMERICAN MARKETPLACE website is all about getting more from less.  You are probably already doing business with those who are your best source of higher revenues and profits.

THE NEW AMERICAN MARKETPLACE website will show you how you can you expand your relationship with existing customers, the fastest way to increase business.

Sign up for our e-mails.  Find out how to get involved.  No risk.  No obligation.

THE NEW AMERICAN MARKETPLACE website is designed to help you win in the toughest economy we’ve ever faced.