Posted by Jason on February 14th, 2008 — in Society
I don’t think it is just myself but the majority of bloggers that use their blogs to call out companies or websites that wrong them. I looked through past posts and so many of mine were to highlight the breakdown in useability and customer service. I have to admit that the trend is still towards the attitutide of Who Cares when it comes to resolving customer conflicts.
I had what I thought might be a similar situation recently with a leading woodworking supplier in the UK called Axminster. I basically had a bad experience and seeing as how the order was less then €30, I expected them to give the polite brush off at best. Instead they went the extra mile and made sure I was MORE than happy at their expense.
The lesson here is not the moral one that you should treat all people with a bit of respect but a business one. Rather then going elsewhere like I would have done had they not responded, I turned around and placed two more orders for €500. So although they may have lost on my first order, they most likely were able to get my lifelong business worth a hundred times any loss.
I know it is a cliche for most but the foundation of business is customer satisfaction. It is far cheaper then advertising (I didn’t mention how many times I have told people they are the place to go to), and the return on investment is higher then any other method.
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Posted by Jason on January 24th, 2008 — in Society
With the continued success of the Online Business Guide below, it has freed me up to take up a few old hobbies I didn’t have time for previously. The main one now is woodworking. I’ve been building my own furniture and also taking on some commision pieces for the fun of it (I don’t make anything on them but it helps me learn more and more).
The hardest part has actually been sourcing good quality timber in Ireland. B&Q (otherwise known as Home Depot in the US) only has pine and even the timber they do have is as crooked as a Worldcom executive. After a few weeks of research I was able to find 2 places in Ireland that fit my needs (straight good quality hardwood timber).
The first is actually a really cool place which I would use exclusively but its a 2 hour drive each way (ouch). It is called the Lisnavagh Project. Basically it was a family farm that looked to providing quality Irish hardwood locally. They have loads of different timbers and if you are worried about your carbon footprint, the trees are felled within Ireland (most times within the farm). I’m no environmentalist so I prefer it because it is really high quality timber. The downside is that it is truly rough sawn and you need to do a decent amount of work to get it to finished quality.
The second source is Strahan Timber. Although they are a more commercial operation and probably sell 100 pieces of pine to 1 hardwood, they are very nice and easy to deal with. I use them as more of a location solution as they are only 15-30 minutes from where I live. The timber is in reasonable shape considering it is American Oak (Any time you ship timber halfway around the world it distorts). A good run through the thicknesser and its ready to use.
If anyone has any other sources (Preffereably on the Northern side of Dublin or in Meath), feel free to post a comment.
By the way, the picture in the upper left is the last piece I completed. A commisioned entertainment center made from English Oak (Grown in Ireland) and finished with just a few coats of Danish Oil.
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Posted by Jason on March 20th, 2007 — in Zany / Off Topic, Interviews, Forums, Society, Online Business, Question Time, Reviews, Search Engines
I have just completed a guide to not only starting an online business but also keeping one running and profitable. This is currently a 40+ page step by step guide on a variety of topics.
What makes this guide different is that not only was it hand written by myself based on my own experience and success (no ghost writers here), it is a pure content eBook. If like me you have bought a few eBooks in the past that boasted 50+pages of content, you will know that they usually have more like 5 pages of real content once you strip away the advertising and self promoting. My guide is pure advice.
In addition to the already useful and complete guide, anyone purchasing a copy will also get the latest chapters emailed to them as soon as they are complete. These chapters will be written in the same helpful and easy to understand writing style and will focus on specific techniques which are extraordinarily useful for promotion of your new business and adding profitability.
This product is launching on March 27th but Off the Top of My Head readers can get an advance copy at a reduced price. When it launches, it will be offered at $37. In the run up to launch, you can secure a copy (Plus the bonus chapters as they are released, as well as bonus material emailed on the 27th) for the low price of $25.
To get your guide right away (it is emailed to you within 24 hours of payment, although within an hour in most cases), just use the payment link below:
Yes, I Want a Discounted Copy of The Online Business Guide
No Longer Available - See Launch Above
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