Comments on: What A Broken Credit Card Receipt Can Teach You About Business

By: David Bronson

David Bronson — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:07:02 +0000

Thanks, Derek. It’s very valuable to be reminded how common these types of human pitfalls can happen to all of us when we’re not actively keeping on top of our stuff all the time. And such a great example to demonstrate it.

By: Josh Sarz

Josh Sarz — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:44:46 +0000

I didn’t notice that about receipts until you mentioned it.

By: Nik

Nik — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:55:30 +0000

Jai makes great point. A business needs to be optimised at every step of the process. Very often people get the first few steps right and get some success and forget all the other steps and they are missing out a lot.

By: Jai

Jai — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:07:53 +0000

I remember fail blog after reading.. how silly the restaurant owner would have been lol 🙂
That guy even if he collected the email address in the right receipt would not have made the best use out of it im sure Derek…

By: Jamillah Warner

Jamillah Warner — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:07:03 +0000

Just did it last week!

I observed people “walking through” my website and what they found blew me away, embarassed me and inspired. Spent the weekend fixing the mini-mess and the BIG problem it was causing.

Love it and I’m sharing this article.

Thanks 😉

By: Derek Halpern

Derek Halpern — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:52:50 +0000

In reply to Dougie. Dude, that's the next one FOR SURE. Ha ha.

By: Dougie

Dougie — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:43:06 +0000

Dude, your titles crack me up…they work too.

You are clever. Keep it up. We dig it.

I am eagerly awaiting “What A Filthy Gas Station Toilet Can Teach Us About Blog Page Symantics”

By: David

David — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:38:03 +0000

Thanks, this is a really helpful reminder. I’ve worked for large businesses that took their customers for granted and then watched them fall. Strange how this seemingly common sense advice is not followed by so many!

By: Annie Sisk (Pajama Productivity)

Annie Sisk (Pajama Productivity) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:31:08 +0000

As a productivity coach, I find this resonates pretty strongly. What you’re talking about is a system, and as much as systems rock the crap out of your productivity, the *wrong* systems are about as useful as a two-legged table. It’s super-easy to get in the habit of relying on outdated systems, as well as mistake-saddled systems (such as the receipt), which is why I frequently suggest clients do a top-to-bottom review periodically. Approaching the whole customer/client experience as a stranger would experience it is also a fabulous way to double-check for stuff that can be improved upon or refined. Ol’ Sam knew his stuff, huh?

By: Derek Halpern

Derek Halpern — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:27:41 +0000

In reply to David Krug. Yep. It's not even just about marketing though. So many businesses don't understand how their business works. They likely set up some process, and never revisited it. So it's impossible to find new ways of doing things when they are experiencing what their customers are experiencing.