If you are a small business owner (profitable or not) you have to be wondering what the future holds. You have watched the cycle of storefronts going vacant, filling up, and going vacant again. You’ve watched friends fold their tents and retire to Florida or get a job, and wonder if that is your fate. Even the Malls are shuttering sections for lack of entrepreneurs willing to take a chance. Is this what’s in store for you?

The answer? “Probably yes, but it doesn’t have to be that way.” Let me explain. Recently our home washer and dryer were showing signs of falling apart, so we started looking for replacements, the new front-loading energy & water saver variety. We settled on a brand and began price-shopping. The pricing difference amounted to several hundred dollars. We even checked the monster stores that sell everything from tools to lumber to TVs to pickles in a warehouse atmosphere, only to discover (upon asking) that their delivery and installation team consisted of the lowest bidder.

So we looked at one of the Internet shopping services and discovered a low price which included shipping, handling, taxes, installation by local technicians (also probably the lowest bidder), warranty, and so forth. With pricing proof in hand (web address and a printout) we returned to the two lowest priced local stores. They couldn’t (or wouldn’t) meet the price. When we visited the next-to-the-highest-priced store (where we were greeted when we walked in the first time by a helpful salesperson) and asked for the owner, he said, “Yes, we can meet this price, but if we do, we want the warranty contract on the units past the factory warranty, and that will cost you $XX.XX. He also pointed out that he was just a phone call away with a staff of technicians on hand, and that when we wanted other appliances and other products in the future, he would be willing to do the same thing…not always at the internet price, but we would be buying his ‘friendly’ services. We bought.

Now there’s a lesson here. E-Bay and all the rest of the Internet places where you can buy ‘direct from the factory’ or whatever, operate on the principle of super large volumes of sales with extremely low margins. Margins are low because there is no overhead to amount to anything, and when you order your products, chances are they come from some central warehouse that is shared by many on-line retailers. What you don’t get is a smile, a handshake, a guarantee you can take to the bank, a place to go for advice, and a friend.

Which begins to answer the question: “How can I stay in business and makes a profit (albeit a small one)?” No matter what you sell, service or products, you have to provide outstanding customer service, and you have to do it with a genuine smile on your face. If you sell a product that can in any way be called a ‘commodity’, the only thing you have going for you is your service, and means you need that in-store service called ‘Customer Relations’, something forgotten by many when times get tough.

The final lesson? Treat your customers better than you treat yourself. When they walk into your store, say” “Hello, I’m Jim. Have you been to our store before or is this your first visit?” I don’t care WHAT kind of store you have, if you say that to your visitors, most will IMMEDIATELY think of you as someone who just might be worth doing business with. If I walk into your restaurant or store and your staff is huddled together chatting or whatever, I may just walk out, angry that you (not your staff) didn’t care enough about my business to say. “Hello! Be with you in a minute.” It’s called “Customer Relations” for a reason, and if you are not practicing it on EVERY person that comes into your store, no matter WHAT the size of your store, you could be saying: “Bye-bye” to your business sooner that you wish. To be one of the prospering survivors, get your staff trained right, and do it beginning tomorrow morning at 8:00 am, or whenever you open. It’s critical!

(NOTE TO EDITORS: PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING.) Paul Tulenko is an International Small Business Success Consultant based in New Mexico, USA. Additional tips and suggestions are available at www.tulenko.com or call (toll-free) 1-866-TULENKO.