How Blogging, Tweeting, Texting & Posting Could Rapidly Kill Your Business!

There's a fashion store my wife shops at sometimes. Good bargains on excess inventory - end of season stock with great brands - you know the kind of place I mean. All in all a great find unless you want to be treated as a valued customer.

We were in there the other week. The "sales consultant", unkempt, overweight and underdressed was behind the counter busy texting from her cel, iPod, Blackberry - whatever. She didn't look up. Didn't acknowledge us.

We browsed the merchandise for about 10 minutes passing the "sales consultant" several times. She continued texting, continued ignoring us.

My wife picked out a couple of items and we walked to the counter where the "sales consultant" was still looking down texting. The counter was about 2 ½ ft wide. My wife and I are both tall. It was impossible for the "sales consultant" not to see us.

We stood there waiting. She stood there texting.

I felt myself getting angrier and angrier - not in a personal sense but from a business viewpoint, How in this day and age could any business owner allow employees to treat any customer in such a manner! How stupid was this situation!

The fact is that no business will be able to get away with this situation much longer in today's "hooked up", socially networked society.

If I was a vindictive kind of guy (and I'm pretty easy going) I could have closed that business just as fast as I help other entrepreneurs open theirs!

With a tweet  tweet here
And a text message there
Here a post, there a post
Everywhere a damning post!

The rapid emergence and phenomenal popularity of social networks, Facebook, Twitter., blogs, wikis, community websites and more has created a powerful mechanism for customers to shout back.

Business cannot simply hide behind poor service and third rate products any more. Company and people searches on search engines will continue to be a means for buyers to discover the opinions of others about any business.

Consumer opinions good and bad will shape the success of business and today's communication options will shape the way those consumers form and share those opinions.

Savvy small businesses will monitor what is being said, use the feedback to improve and manage their reputation. Listening to your customer is more than just an overused term but is now an integral, essential part of the new reality of business.