Nov 20, 2024
North Bay, Ontario  

“I’m first on the waiting list but that doesn’t guarantee me a spot tomorrow.”

Can’t read the full email – click here for the online version.

Canadians often act smugly when speaking with their American friends about health care. “It’s free up here, you know”; they’ll say.

It is a natural and honest opinion, given the scary health care stories that are broadcast. Our own US cousins speak endlessly about the high cost of insuring themselves for medical treatments and we always ensure that we have extra coverage when we travel south of the border.

But free does not mean good.

Here is an excellent example. Upon returning home from the national rugby championships, a medical exam confirmed that our daughter’s nose was indeed broken, and they should do surgery. So, she was put on a list for that procedure.

Meanwhile, she also visited an oral surgeon to assess the extraction of 2 wisdom teeth. Then she was scheduled for that procedure for early December. 

That was about 10 days ago. We had just arrived driving from the east coast and had a short visit with her. No sooner had we hit the highway, enroute to my parents in Northern Ontario than we received word that the dental operation could be moved up to the next week, due to a cancellation.

Private health care working overtime to ensure no empty time slots. 

So, we alter some plans and return to Kingston after leaving just a few days earlier – rent a nice Airbnb for 5 days so she can convalesce. During this same time, she is on call for the surgery for her nose.

Evening after evening a call would come in telling her she should fast after midnight because she could be called in the next day for surgery.

Except that call never came. Even this evening, (Tuesday) as I write this, she was called to make sure she kept to that fasting schedule since she might be called the next day.

“At least I am now number 1 on the waiting list”; she told me.

As you can see, when the service is run by the government, your case only gets expedited when it’s a dire emergency or you know someone on the inside who makes sure you are on the right list.

It is a shame there is nowhere to leave a bad review to warn others of the poor service. As if there was a choice anyway – like the private sector. And if there was a way to review the service, would putting the bad review make it even harder to get on the list in the first place? Hmmmmm….

Which brings me to today’s lesson. 

What is your company’s reputation? Do you have good reviews? Publicly available? Are you constantly soliciting and asking for them? 

I was reminded of how important this is when my wife asked me where that Amazon item was, we had ordered back in September. It was a backpack that could vacuum out the air so you could easily pack a lot of clothes into a small space.

Well, it turns out that item was never delivered. Furthermore, when I checked the supplies more closely, it was filled with bad reviews. With the same issue.

The good news is that Amazon guarantees satisfaction for its customers. I was able to obtain a 100% refund, and it took very little time. There was zero argument on the part of the representative I talked to. A bit of research into our complaint, an affirmation of their refund policy, even for third party sellers, and the refund was processed that day.

Which is another reason I like using this company. 

• Huge selection of products.
• Speedy delivery
• Guarantee of satisfaction

Whatever product or service you are delivering, can you offer such a guarantee? Back up your service in such a way that even if it is not your fault, you have your customer’s back?

Because if you can, then not only will it help you attract and close more customers, but it will also help you garner more, 5-star reviews which in turn will help you attract and close more customers.

Unfortunately, even if you do everything right, any customer can damage a business’s reputation online with just one bad review. Angry customers, unscrupulous competitors, and even former employees can leave dishonest reviews without your knowledge or control.  That’s why I offer all of my clients a free online presence report. You can get one for your business, this week, free of charge. Simply click here.

Until next week,

Stay healthy and focus on profit! 

- Hugh 
The “Profit Accelerator” Expert

P.S. Could it be that Everything You’ve Learned About Building a Successful Business is WRONG? Increase Just 12 Areas in Your Business by a Meager 1.4%* and Your Profits Will DOUBLE! See for yourself using your own numbers -> hughtafel.com/sim
(*Based on a 10% Net Profit Margin.)

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