SOHO: When a Customer Has Done Everything to Get Your Goat 5262 Reads
	Copyright 2005 Ron Hutton You try to make your customers happy. You sincerely WANT them to be pleased with your products and service. You go out of your way to provide quality and integrity in everything you do. So, why is it that every once in a while there's a customer who insists on totally, absolutely and completely pissing you off? How long is a string? There are some questions, the answers to which, will always elude me. Are you with me on this? I received an email message from a customer who must have not only have awoke on the wrong side of the bed, but must have also found himself in the wrong bed, in the wrong bedroom, in the wrong house, on the wrong block, in the wrong city, and in the wrong life. As I read this message, I was seething with anger -my hands literally shaking. Wanting to somehow reach through my ethernet connection to find the neck attached to the head of the person who could be so rude was my first priority. What do you do at this point? How do you satisfy the irrational? ANSWER: You don't. Posted by: ASUService on Friday, April 15, 2005 Read more...  3932 bytes more comments?

	SOHO: 10 Easy-to-Learn Tips On Handling Interruptions 1763 Reads
	By Catherine Franz Imagine this, a co-worker enters your office and says: "Cathy, could I talk with you for a minute? I'm having a real problem with...." You glance at your watch and think of the report that's due in an hour. What do you do? What happens if you were Cathy's supervisor? Let's continue. You're cooking dinner, starting to unstress, the food preparation timing is coming together--for once, and your mother calls: "Could we talk, it's important, I need someone to talk to?" What do you say? What we would like to say and what we end up doing is usually two different things. Good news, tactfully saying no is a learned skill. It requires know-how and practice. Let's get into ten how-tos and alternatives to help you practice. Tip 1: There are three parts to meshing a "no but not no" response.  The first part acknowledges and empathizes.  The second part is a situation statement.  The third part is an action statement. Posted by: ASUService on Saturday, January 29, 2005 Read more...  6912 bytes more comments?

	SOHO: Work-from-home Office Policies 2072 Reads
	By David Leonhardt  It has come to our attention that self-employed people have somehow escaped the burden of "office policies". No longer. Now even work-from-home hermits can revel in the burden of "office policies." (This is part three of a series that began at http://www.thehappyguy.com/hermit.html and continued at http://thehappyguy.com/pajamas.html ) Every office needs office policies, if for no other reason to keep employees from scratching each others' eyes out or "borrowing" company equipment. The home office is no exception. If you are wondering why somebody barricaded alone in his basement needs a policy to keep him from stealing his own office equipment, you have obviously never sat alone in your basement 23 hours a day, day after day, in front of a computer screen that freezes every now and then just out of sadistic spite. Posted by: ASUService on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 Read more...  4845 bytes more comments?

	SOHO: How To Beat Marketing Burn Out And Disillusionment, An Online Marketer's Occupational Hazard. 1635 Reads
	(c) 2004 Charles Kangethe * Once Upon A Time -------------------- Many people set out on their Internet Marketing careers full of hope and enthusiasm. However, within a year or two reality sets in and hope turns to disappointment and the enthusiasm wears off. What goes wrong and how can you get back on track ? * The Wheels Start To Come Off ------------------------------- Ironically, trouble starts with one of the Internet's greatest strengths. Posted by: ASUService on Saturday, February 14, 2004 Read more...  7030 bytes more comments?

	SOHO: Going solo? Avoid getting coached for disaster 2062 Reads
	By Cathy Goodwin Strong, independent people tend to have little experience in getting help, so they often end up with the coach from hell. They grab the first resource that comes along and follow instructions brilliantly. Too late, they realize they're following a lost leader. Cathy, who began her own business by hiring the coach from hell, gives you some irreverent advice to find a guide when you feel you're lost in the jungle. Posted by: ASUService on Thursday, May 15, 2003 Read more...  5840 bytes more comments?