JOBS FOR RETIRED COPS

Be attentive.

People would appreciate a direct answer to their questions, rather than going around the questions. Mix your answers with kind and helpful words, but don’t lose focus on the questions. They help to make the conversation pleasant.

1. Be interested in what prospective customers have to say.
2. They may have a suggestion or two that you may find helpful. Leaving your option open to suggestions makes them feel welcome. You may not strike a deal or make a sale now, but you may be able to do so when the same customers return for a second visit with their suggestion in effect. Never reject a suggestion when presented to you. Even if you know it won’t work because you’ve tried it before, accept it with the condition that you’ll look into it seriously. The next instance is a frequently asked question from prospective customers.

Say you own a hardware store and a customer walks in looking for a particular item that you do not carry. After telling the customer that you don’t have it on stock, the next most likely question is if you know any store that carries it. A “no” answer may not hurt your business; but if you know or have a suggestion (which is about equivalent to a “yes” answer), it can help your business. How is this so? Because you took the time to help the customer possibly locate the item he is looking for, he becomes appreciative of your gesture. The next time he needs something from a hardware store, you will be the first one on his mind. It would also help to consider having an inventory of the items that customers are often looking for. Remember, little details can perk up a business to succeed. Alternatively, their absence can break the business instead.

Several reasons can make a business. Some of these reasons may be subtle and superficial; but in spite of their seemingly harmless effects, they can make your business prosper even without spending a single cent.

On the other hand, some factors can break your business, so much so that spending a fortune might not help to make your business recover.

Just what are these factors? Obviously, they have something to do with the people running your business. If you are running your business yourself, your entire business structure depends on you.