Trying to conduct a simple transaction with some small businesses is like fighting your way through a blackberry thicket; you end up feeling all scratched up and wondering why you made the effort.
I personally have seen and/or experienced:
a business where you had to pick up a phone to get buzzed in to the office – except the phone was around the corner of the building with no signage pointing to it.
a business with no answering service or voice mail, so that when you called the number the phone just rang and rang. (Learn how to answer your business phone properly.)
a home business where clients had to walk all through the main living quarters (obviously occupied by a family with a baby) to get to the tiny office in the basement. (Do you meet with clients in your home? Read these tips for making your home business as client-friendly as possible.)
a retail business that only accepted cash. (Just silly; the more payment methods you offer customers, the more convenient it is for them and the more sales you’ll make.)
Unfortunately, this is a list that could go on – and I bet you have no trouble adding examples to it yourself!
Businesses that make it hard for customers to get into the premises, pay for merchandise, or even make it just about impossible to even contact them at all do themselves no favours – these are all experiences customers won’t want to repeat.