REthink Wine Blog

Over the many, many years of using a Windows based PC’s, I and almost all Windows users have run across computer infections that involve what is known as “Spyware” or “Malware”, and various other malicous Trojans and Worms. None are beneficial, nor keep your data or computer secure or allow you to surf the web without some type of security compromise. All of them will give you a headache if not caught in time.

I am to understand over 80% of all Windows based computers are infected unbeknownst to the users, until they either stop working or come to a slow grinding halt. This may be a high estimate but not from my actual experience with assisting others with their Windows based PC’s.

Spyware is software that resides on a computer and sends your personal data to its creator. The data may include surfing habits, system details or, in its most dangerous form, passwords and login data for secure applications such as online banking. Many 
spyware programs  are more annoying than dangerous, serving up pop-up ads or gathering email addresses for use in spam campaigns. Even those programs, however, can cost you valuable time and computing resources.

Often, spyware comes along with a free software application, such as a game or a productivity program, such as connection boosters or free screensaver. Once it is installed onto your computer, the functional element of the software works exactly as promised, while the information gathering program sets up shop behind the scenes on your computer and begins feeding your personal data back to the bad guys.

To protect yourself from such nefarious software, install and maintain some type of Spyware prevention and removal application that you must keep up to date and run on a regular basis.

I have found over the years that these 3 FREE applications, not only run very well together but also do a very good job either blocking such spyware or removing the infection entirely. You should NEVER install more than one current Anti-Virus program but with Spyware and Malware, more can be better and these 3 are the best. My own past experience proves it.

Ad-Aware - http://www.lavasoft.com/
Spybot-Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware - http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

Once you have reviewed the above sites, download and installed these 3 applications. You will need to keep up on the almost daily updates and RUN the applications on a regular basis, installing and not updating or not running them is a waste of your time and hard drive space. You must  take the medicine if you want your PC get better!

As this is the remedy, what about prevention?

Avoiding Spyware

• When it comes to spyware, the best defense is a great offense. Practicing the below step to avoid getting spyware on your computer in the first place helps prevent you from becoming a victim.
• Keep Windows up-to-date by setting up automatic updates in the control panel. Microsoft issues critical updates at every second Tuesday of each month. Many of those are designed to eliminate or avoid specific security threats.
• Never open an email attachment if you are uncertain of its source.
• Install an anti-virus software package and keep it updated at all times. There are many of these available, some of which are free. The most popular brands include Norton, McAfee, and AVG by Grisoft.
• Don’t download shareware (or anything else for that matter) from unknown sources. Seek out reliable providers of free utilities, such as download.com.
• Avoid questionable web sites. If you visit a site that seems strange, there is a good chance you should not be there.
• Don’t click on any pop-up or ads for free anti-spyware software. These are almost always bogus, even if they carry the name and logo of a well-known company. Sadly, this is a very popular method used to distribute spyware and other malware.
• Install a firewall and, if you have a home network, use a separate router, rather than sharing the Internet connection through one of your computers. This puts one more barrier between you and the bad guys. Windows XP and Vista come with a firewall, so no extra cost here.
• If a virus alert appears on your screen as you visit a web site, do not click on it, even to close it. Instead, type control-alt-delete to launch the Task Manager and use the “End Task” command to close the window. Next, use your own anti-virus software to run a complete scan of the system.

All of this is by no means instructions on how to install and safeguard your computer from viruses, spyware, and malware, more to make you aware of what is out there, to either look into it more and make an informed decision, or seek professional assistance for the solution that best serves your needs.

Adobe is now offering a free online version of its popular digital image editing software Photoshop.

Photoshop Express is not meant to replicate all the features and power of Photoshop. It’s more like a Web-based version of Photoshop Elements, Adobe’s consumer software package. Express is still a test or beta program and has some rough areas to show for it. But it offers useful, exclusive features that draw on the experience of its elder Photoshop. And it is free! You also get 2 GB of online storage to share and catalog your images, and the customizable interface is fun to play with!

Express works entirely within a browser — no download is required — and all you need to run it is the latest version of Adobe Flash. You can use Express in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.

Here are some specifics various photo editing features:

Crop & Rotate–Turn it, straighten it, crop out the background.
Auto Correct–Automatic, one-click, optimal lighting and contrast adjustment.
Exposure–Change the brightness of the photo.
Red-Eye Removal–Removes red eyes caused by some camera flashes.
Touchup–Remove scratches and other imperfections.
Saturation–Ramp up the colors to blinding brightness, dampen them down to black and white, or anywhere in between.
White Balance–Ever notice how people look different inside an office with the ugly fluorescent tubes, as opposed to outside on a bright sunny day? Adjust the white balance and you change the type of lighting in the photo.
Highlight–The brightest parts of a photo are the highlights. This control lets you brighten or darken just the brightest part of the photo, without affecting the darker parts (we call those the shadows).
Fill Light–If you take a shot facing into the sun, your subject can end up too dark due to the camera’s automatic exposure adjustment. Fill Light brightens the dark area without overbrightening the background.
Sharpen–It’s like putting in your contacts. Suddenly everything comes more into focus.
Soft Focus–It’s like taking your contacts out. Soft Focus creates a subtle blur for artistic effect.
Hue–This one changes all the colors in a photo at once.
Black & White–Control how the colors are converted when you change a photo to black and white.
Tint–Imagine instead of black and white, you want red and white, or pale brown and white for that old Western look.
Sketch–Makes any photo look like you drew it yourself.
Distort–Stretch, twist, bulge specific areas of your photos.

Join here: https://www.photoshop.com/express/
Help here: http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb403256&sliceId=1

Here is one simple tact that can improve your search engine ranking, make your site sticky, and increase the accessibility of your site to disabled visitors.
 
Yet, many sites don’t utilize it! Boost your site’s profile with human visitors and search engine spiders with the ALT tag (Alternative Text).
 
Inserting an ALT Text (Alternative Text)
 
Adding ALT descriptions to your IMG tags is quick and easy. You don’t have to do any complex HTML coding. If you can describe your image or link, then you can add ALT tags to your code.
 
Example:
 

Ideally, your ALT text descriptions should be complete sentences, rather than a list of keywords or obscure phrase like “company logo small 3.” Remember that all visitors are likely to see (or hear) some version of your ALT text so be sure that it’s meaningful for the image. I use “hear” since this HTML tag was developed for web browsers that read aloud the content of the website.
 
Optimize ALT Descriptions For Search Engines
 
Besides helping human visitors, ALT descriptions help you rank higher in some search engines. AltaVista and Google are two of the search engines that use
 
ALT descriptive text when they rank Web sites. The growth of search engine/directory partnerships means that a high rank in one engine can often translate into an improved rank on its partner sites.
 
Search engine algorithms calculate the number of times keywords are repeated and give higher rank to pages that use them often. Keywords in the ALT
 
descriptive text help you increase their frequency on the page. Search engines assume the terms are more relevant and important if they’re used in the page content, not just listed in the META tag.
 
Make Your Web Site Sticky
 
ALT tags help you promote your site in another way too: they help make it “sticky.” Sticky means that visitors stay at your site longer so they see your content and purchase your products. Visitors who feel comfortable at a site will stay longer - and hopefully return often.
 
Disabled visitors who use text-only or spoken word browsers rely on the ALT text for clues about the image’s content and function. This can be a lucrative audience: they represent a worldwide audience of millions and spend twice as much time online as the average user. But it isn’t just a disability issue: ALT tags make your site more accessible to everyone.
 
Visitors see your ALT text while the images are downloading or when they mouse over images. The descriptive text helps them decide if they want to wait for an image to download or move on to a different page. If your image is also a link, then visitors can read the explanatory text and quickly jump to the section they want.
 
Site navigation is easier, so impatient visitors are less likely to leave the site.
 
ALT tags are a small addition to your website that can make a big impact on your site. Since many of your competitors don’t use them, give your site and edge and include them on all images.

Many of us need to work for that almighty paycheck, some in jobs they really don’t like. The fortunate ones do what they love and the money does follow.
The icing on the cake is when we are recognized and rewarded on a regular basis with praise and intangibles that make you work even harder without being asked.

For those that take pride in doing a great job; why not maintain that spirit with acknowledgement of great and small successes.

Show your staff that you value them. It’s easy to show appreciation for a job well done, a project completed ahead of schedule, a rave review from a customer. Here is brief list of ways to reward successes that pay off without having to increase that almighty paycheck.

1. Time off for good behavior. Nothing says you are doing a great job more then the unexpected extra day off or allowing early dismissals. Reward those that are always early and leave late or go beyond the call of duty.

2. On-the-Spot Praise. The key here is timing. When there is a reason for praising someone don’t put it off for any reason! Promptness equals effectiveness. Praise people when the achievement is fresh on everyone’s mind.

3. Lunch is on the boss. How often have you left to have lunch only to be intercepted by the boss that says, lunch is on me. if you have, you know that you feel appreciated and makes a great impression that lasts longer then the memory of the meal. Random acts of kindness are never forgotten.

4. Cash is not always king. Too many checks get cashed, spent and forgotten just that quickly. Compensation is generally the first and primary motivator for most but perks can make a lasting impression when shared with your staff. Perks can include free swag, catered food and beverages, gift certificates, tickets to events, flexible work schedule and even stocks.

These are just a few ways to reward your staff and motivate them to continue doing a great job.

My last entry about tabbed browsing was for the tabbed browsing newbie and we can’t forget what drove the Microsoft folks to finally add tabbed browsing, FireFox! Although I am to understand that the first real tabbed browser was Netcaptor, created by Adam Stiles back in 1997.

Opening Tabs
When a new session of FireFox is started it will open one page displaying your home page choice, if you want to have multiple home pages, use the “|” character to separate the URL’s.

Right click on any open Tab and select New Tab from the context menu that appears. A third option is to use the (ctrl T) key combination. These new Tabs will always open in the foreground.

If you wish to open a new Window instead of a new Tab, the (ctrl N) key combination will open a new FireFox window with a Tab already open to your home page(s).

New Tabs open to the address bar already selected, allowing us to quickly enter the URL that we want to visit.

Closing Tabs
Click on the X button to right of screen to close the active Tab or use the (ctrl W) keyboard combination. Alternatively, right click on any tab then select Close Tab or Close Other Tabs.

Reloading Tab content (refreshing a Web page)
The keyboard command F5 convention still works, as does the forced refresh (Ctrl F5). Alternatively, we can right click on a Tab and select Reload or Reload All.

Navigating between Tabs
Simply click on any Tab to view its contents. If you prefer to use your keyboard, the shortcut keys for navigating Tabs are as follows: use the (ctrl tab) key combination to jump from left to right one Tab at a time, and use the (ctrl tab) key combination to jump right to left one Tab at a time.

Navigating Web Pages - Hyperlinks
One of three things will happen when we click on a hyperlink in FireFox 2; the page will load in the current Tab, the page will load in a new Tab, or the page will open in a new window, depending on how a Web pages designer codes a particular hyperlink.

If you wish to control what happens when you click on a hyperlink right click on the link and then select Open Link in New Tab or Open Link in New Window. If you select the first option, the default behavior is for the Tab to open in the background so that you can continue reading your current page undisturbed while the new Tab downloads. If you select the second option the link will, of course, open in a new window (with its own button on the Taskbar). The window will open on top of the originating window.

Don’t want Tabs? Too bad…
Tabbed browsing can not be turned on and off  in FireFox.
Why would you want to?

For detailed information about the improvements that are part of FireFox 2, and to download the most recent version of the software, please visit the FireFox 2 homepage at: http://www.mozilla.org/.

Mozilla’s Keyboard Shortcuts
http://www.mozilla.org/support/firefox/keyboard

An introduction to Mozilla Firefox, part 2
http://opensourcearticles.com/articles/introduction_to_firefox_2

Now that many of us have upgraded to Internet Explorer 7, I have noticed that some users still don’t understand tab browsing. Tab browsing is a nice and neat way way to organize our web space windows and enhance the experience.

Opening Tabs
When a new session of Internet Explorer is started it will open one Tab displaying your choice of home page, or home pages since you can now have multiple home pages. To the right of this Tab is a second smaller Tab.

Click on that small Tab to open a new Tab. Alternatively, right click on any open Tab and select New Tab from the context menu that appears. A third option is to use the (ctrl T) key combination. These new Tabs will always open in the foreground.

If you wish to open a new Window instead of a new Tab, the (ctrl N) key combination will open a new Internet Explorer window with a Tab already open to your home page.

New Tabs open to about:blank with the address bar already highlighted, allowing us to quickly enter the URL that we want to visit.

Tab Groups
Tab Groups is the new name for subfolders in your Favorites directory. Internet Explorer 7 introduces the ability to open all Tabs in a subfolder in the Favorites folder at the same time. Open the Favorites Explorer Pane then click on the arrow that appears on the right hand edge of the pane. All URLS in that folder will open at the same time.

Closing Tabs
Click on the X button to right of screen to close the active Tab or use the (ctrl W) keyboard combination. Alternatively, right click on any tab then select Close or Close Other Tabs.

Reloading Tab content (refreshing a Web page)
The keyboard command F5 still works, as does the forced refresh (Ctrl F5). Alternatively, we can right click on a Tab and select Refresh or Refresh All.

Navigating between Tabs
Simply click on any Tab to view its contents. If you prefer to use your keyboard, the shortcut keys for navigating Tabs are as follows: use the (ctrl tab) key combination to jump from left to right one Tab at a time, and use the (ctrl shift tab) key combination to jump right to left one Tab at a time.

Navigating Web Pages - Hyperlinks
One of three things will happen when we click on a hyperlink in Internet Explorer 7; the page will load in the current Tab, the page will load in a new Tab, or the page will open in a new window, depending on how a Web pages designer codes a particular hyperlink.

If you wish to control what happens when you click on a hyperlink right click on the link and then select Open in New Tab or Open in New Window. If you select the first option, the default behavior is for the Tab to open in the background so that you can continue reading your current page undisturbed while the new Tab downloads. If you select the second option the link will, of course, open in a new window (with its own button on the Taskbar). The window will open on top of the originating window.

If you want all Tabs to open in the foreground, no matter how they are triggered, you will need to adjust Internet Explorer’s default settings. Click on Tools, then Internet Options, then navigate to the Advanced tab. Turn on the option to Always switch to new tabs when they are created.

Internet Explorer 7 supports middle mouse button navigation. By using your middle mouse button (or scroll wheel) to click on a hyperlink button you will open the hyperlink in a new Tab. If you want to open a hyperlink in a new window, hold down the shift key then use the middle mouse button to click on the hyperlink.

Don’t want Tabs? Turn them off
Tabbed browsing can be turned on and off via a check box that is accessed in different ways depending on what version of the Internet Explorer beta that you are using. When using Internet Explorer 7 Beta 1 we click on Tools then Internet Options. Navigate to the Advanced Tab and scroll down to the section headed Tabbed browsing.

For detailed information about the improvements that are part of Internet Explorer 7, and to download the most recent version of the software, please visit the Internet Explorer 7 homepage: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.mspx.

Summer always brings wineries a multitude of visitors, making it no problem getting people to visit the tasting room. And of course, by adding these happy vacationers to your online database you can market to them again after they’ve returned home. But, what about your online store? Usually the chaotic ebb and flow of the tasting room leaves the winery website on the back burner. There is an easy way to continue to build your online business throughout the summer (and all year around), without compromising your time. Find affiliates that are willing to send you business, in return for a portion of the sales they help you generate. These third party businesses (business development partners) are out there just waiting to join with a winery like you. The only challenge – making sure they’re the right fit!

Do they bring you new customers?
One of the most valuable services that a new affiliate can bring to you is a new customer. This can be collected in a number of ways. Some partners will direct customers through their site and onto yours to purchase wine. This is usually in return for a fee for both a new customer and a new sale. Other partners are equally valuable, but may only be able to pass you customer information without the sale. This requires your follow-up to verify contact information so that you can market to them again in the future.

Do they bring you increased revenue?
Your number one priority is your bottom line. Any business development partner should be evaluated on the amount of revenue they can bring your business. If they’re not making you money outright or via new customers – what’s in it for you? Be sure to evaluate their sustainability over time. Beware of affiliates who have not thought out their business model beyond the first 90 days.

What value-added services do they provide?
Does your new partner provide you benefits other than customer information or increased revenue? If the answer is yes, and you receive these benefits in addition to one or both of the above, there is a good chance this can be a very fruitful partnership. If they are providing value-added services instead of revenue or customers, you need to weigh the cost of the partnership against your return on investment.

Do they increase your brand exposure?
For a relatively new wine brand, or maybe just relatively new to the online world, increasing your brand exposure will be key. Getting your name and your message out to the masses is going to be essential in increasing the amount of traffic to your website.

Stay in tune with the sales channel over the busy summer months by allowing the Internet to work for you. Build relationships that will last and can continue to grow and benefit both parties. There are many budding entrepreneurs out there who are affiliates just waiting to be discovered.

The unified customer database comprises all activities and sources associated with a customer during the lifetime of that customer’s interaction with your company. It includes data such as name, address, city, state, zip code, transaction information, customer-service interactions, inquiry information, personal information, responses to promotions, web responses to newsletters, and event attendance. Having all this information in one database allows build better relationships with their customers and generate additional revenue. It also allows you to manage leads in a smart way to support your sales staff and make their efforts more efficient. A good lead generation program can lower your sales costs and raise your sales revenue.

Obviously managing this unified database is very important for a business and managing this data is far easier if you input the data correctly, quickly and accurately. Maintaining accurate data in a secure unified database is very important. Yes, it takes time but this is time well spent when you need to reach out to your customers for promotions that ultimately drive more sales. The first step in maintaining this unified database is to gather accurate and comprehensive data that you will eventually add to your unified database.

Collect your customers name, email address, phone numbers and address wherever you can. Keep the clipboard handy in the tasting room. Inform your staff to obtain and review this information whenever they can. Events are a great place to collect a large amount of data. Keep it clean before your bring it into your unified database. Again, have your staff review this hand written data before the customer leaves.

1. Offer something free or products at a discount in exchange for this data.

2. Stay focused on getting the lead. Don’t get carried away with the creative aspects of designing an email piece or printed material. Keep your message as simple and lean as possible. The idea is to peak your prospect’s interest in the promotion you’re offering and get a request for it. Don’t talk about your company, then tack on an offer. Focus the whole message on the promotion.

3. Gather the information you need to make a sale. The only reason for offering something free or at a discount is to get a name, address, phone number, and other information to build your database. So make sure your reply device asks for the necessary data. Be careful if you ask for an email response, though, because the prospect may not give you everything you need. And if you want to direct a prospect to your Web site, utilize the contact information first, otherwise your prospect will wander around your site and leave without providing the data you want.

4. Follow up fast. Hot leads cool off quickly. When you get an inquiry, send the customer the promotion immediately.

Preface by Michael Coffey- IBG

Jennie Haug represents one of our favorite wineries, Titus Vineyards. Not only do they have great wine, but they are a winery that truly cares about the wineries around them. Early this week Jennie asked me if I had heard about a possible scam that was being played through out the valley. Once she heard that I had not been advised of it, she asked if she could post a blog about her experience.

In my opinion, this is what this industry is about. In a lot of ways, we are family and we are here to help each other out. Thank you Jennie for taking the time to warn all of us of possible threats.

Cheers!

I am passionate and enthusiastic about selling Titus Vineyards wines. With all the effort I put into sales promotions, it is gratifying when people contact me out of the blue to buy wine. Last week I received the two following emails inquiring about purchasing wine. Instead of bringing excitement, they both sent off quiet alarm bells in my brain.

From: james_miller@unionplus.net [mailto:james_miller@unionplus.net]
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 6:39 AM
To: sf@yahoo.com
Subject: Wine Enquiry

Hello .
We are intrested in ordering your wines . Kindly quote me for :-
2005 Merlot
Qty : 90 bottles
750 ml

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Qty : 90 bottles
750 ml

Also let me know if you accept credit card payment .I will arange the pickup of the wines as soon as payment goes through via my shipping company . Let me know the total weight of the bottles to enable to get the quote for shipping from my shipping company.
Regards.
Seth Smiles.
From: billjohnson_24@highdesert.com [mailto:billjohnson_24@highdesert.com]
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2007 5:24 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Order Enquiry……………….

Good day Sales
i will like to place an order from you and will like it delivered to my new residence in Japan cause i need them for a special occassion coming up there ,so i will like to know whether there is anything i need to know before i can place my order and again i know you may have problem shipping internationally or to my location there,so there is a courier i used in the past for an order like this that can handle the shipment and they will pick the package up from your door and deliver it to my door,so i will be expecting to hear from you in regards to this and lastly i will be making payment with my credit card,so i hope you accept credit cards.
So let me know if you will like to sell to me then i can choose what i want.
Regards
Bill Johnson

I have a strongly honed suspicious streak and continue to learn to trust my gut instinct. Several things seemed unusual about these emails:

The broken English, poor syntax and improper punctuation.
Reference to vintages not yet released, indicating they hadn’t even looked at our website.
Not sent to our direct email, but instead blind copied to us.
Both asked if we accept credit cards. Again, if they’d looked at our website, they’d know. Besides, what winery doesn’t accept credit cards these days?
Both referenced making their own shipping arrangements.
Alone in the office I racked my brain for someone to consult. I decided to reach out to a fellow Silverado Trail Winery Association member and forwarded the emails to Stephanie Trotter-Zacharia at Casa Nuestra. I explained my suspicions and asked if she’d ever seen anything like it. Here swift reply confirmed it was a scam and indicated that she regularly received emails of this kind. The buyer purchases the wine direct from the winery, including shipping. When the shipper arrives to pick up the wine, the winery then gives them the wine and pays the carrier via cash or check for the shipping charges on behalf of the buyer. A month later when the winery’s bank calls to inform the winery that the purchaser’s credit card is bad, the winery is out wine and shipping costs. Sort of like the Nigerian 419 scam with a wine twist. Subsequent industry people I spoke with had never heard of this scam.

As busy Direct Sales professionals with active email boxes, big sales goals, overflowing paperwork and no tech staff - how do we protect ourselves from scams? In addition to the clues listed above:

Be alert to international references (Japan etc).
Be aware of Social Engineering, which involves using the right sounding words and phrases to make you think it’s a valid scenario. For example, an email with the heading, “From Beth – about shipping the order”, which appears legitimate until you review pending orders and realize you don’t have any from someone named Beth.
Google key phrases. In this case, “email wine scam” didn’t bring up relevant hits, but it’s helped me identify scams in the past.
Don’t respond or unsubscribe. These actions only confirm to the senders that it’s a valid, active email account.
Ask around. Talk to your co-workers, your acquaintances at other wineries, the associations you belong to, your tech consultants or your IBG contacts. Kevin Onesko was tremendously helpful in suggesting ways to identify and fight email scams.
Please share this with friends and colleagues. Let’s make sure no one gets ripped off in their quest to sell wines. In the meantime, I’ve got to get back to this Nigerian Princess currently exiled in the UK who wants to buy 90 cases of our 2008 vintage.

The True Value of Customer Satisfaction - Part 3
March 28th, 2007

What makes your product unique or desirable started with an idea that you nurtured and grew to what it is today. What keeps it being desired may be due to the quality or status and of course marketing (perception).

Today you are #1 but what about tomorrow? What will your clients talk about tomorrow after the sale?

To stand apart from the crowd, you need to foster good will, build the relationship and provide more then cookie cuter, stand in line sales for this great product. Loyalty, respect and the ability to part your customers cash from their wallet regularly involves more then a just a great product.

Building a relationship is the key, a relationship that is often the responsibility of your front line staff. If you hired and trained correctly, they will make and not break you. We all have customer service related horror stories, and we all know what we expect from people as consumers but are you hiring and training your staff to understand what is needed to meet their sometimes irrational demands? Are you just seeking compliments or are you also seeking constructive criticism from your customers on how to better your service, so that you retain them.

Many successful companies know this and have built their reputation on customer satisfaction to the point that there name is synonymous with service. They stand apart from the crowd because they know they not only have a great product but they empower their staff with the ability and skills to make each customer happy at every level and every transaction. Obviously, the first step is to hire the right person for the job. The right person comes in many forms, and the right person for the job of making your customers happy depends on your clientele. The right person will often be a chameleon with the ability to match or meet the customer’s rhythm, vocal tone and personality. The employee that can master the craft of reading your client and matching their cadence, mood and personality to the client’s will always build better relationships and stand apart from others. They will always build better relationships that keep the customer coming back again and again. These satisfied customers are your best advertisement, they are your advocates, and they are talking and sharing how great your product and service is. This intangible value can only be measured by talking with your customers and soliciting feedback, good or bad. Positive feedback means you and your staff, are doing something right. More importantly, reoccurring negative feedback that you address and then set in motion changes to either minimize or eradicate, will keep you ahead of the pack

You are now standing apart from the crowd.