December 2011
Austin
•
Centroplex
Permian Basin
•
•
Corpus Christi
San Antonio
®
•
•
Victoria
Laredo
•
Waco
VOL
61
No. 12
BBB Offers End of Year Checklist to Help Start 2012
How to Get a Head Start on Making 2012 a Prosperous Year
D
ecember is a time for family, travel, food and
fun. However, for businesses, it is a great time
to evaluate 2011 successes, and determine
business needs for the upcoming year.
BBB offers a checklist to help you plan for 2012:
Plan Strategically
In order to plan where you want to be one year from
now, evaluate your current business successes. Take the
time to update your finances, business plan and yearly
budget in order to set realistic goals for 2012.
Redefine Your Branding
Evaluate how you reach your current and future
customers and determine methods to enhance your
product and service offerings. This may be as simple
as developing a new tagline or as in depth as investing
in new technology. Determine what items should be
implemented and add those to your budget for 2012.
Finalize 2011 Projects
Review your “to do” lists and ask your employees to
do the same. Assign deadlines to finish these tasks or
reevaluate for the following year.
Prepare for Tax Season
Contact your tax accountant or visit the Internal Revenue
Service’s website and order your forms for the upcoming
tax season. Start gathering your receipts for a faster tax
preparation. Remember any employee that earned more
than $600 during 2011, including contract laborers,
should receive a tax form.
Complete Employee Reviews
Schedule time with employees to complete year-end
reviews, revisit goals and celebrate accomplishments.
Identify the training and resources needed to develop
your employees both professionally and personally.
Take Inventory
Take a physical inventory of your office equipment and
supplies. Make sure you have replacement insurance
coverage for all company assets.
Thank Your Customers
Year-end is the perfect time to send an email or holiday
card thanking your customers for their business. Include
a short survey to help elicit feedback on how you can
improve your products and services in 2012.
For more advice on developing effective business
strategies, visit www.bbb.org/us/Business-Resources.
NewOctoberAccreditedBusinesses
®
AUSTIN
4Z Management, Inc.
A & A Construction
A + Fire Restoration and Insurance
Claim Experts
A + Home Builders and Insurance
Claim Experts
A Place for Your Stuff
Ace Electric & Air Conditioning
Aesthetic Design Construction, Inc.
Alberto S. Cohen, CPA, PC
Allen’s Garage Door Services
Am-Pro Construction Services, Inc.
Aqua Life Water Solutions
ARW Contracting Inc.
Ash Creek Homes, Inc.
Austintatious Pools
Baker Builders, LLC
Baker-Aicklen & Associates
Barrier Fence Systems
Bastrop Bail Bonds
Bates Backhoe, Inc
Best Austin Handyman
Brandon’s Comfort Specialists
Britton Brothers Construction
Butterfly Homes
By Loredo Construction
C & A Tripp Associates
Capital Demolition Inc
Capital Enviromental Services
Capitol Kitchen
CarAhead, LLC
Castle Stone Specialty Services
Central Texas Valet
Certified Carpet Cleaning, Inc.
CF Smith Designs
Cindy Reeder, Real Estate Broker
Clearwater Builders, Inc.
Clutch Creative
Consolidated Reinforcement
Cook Hearing & Balance
Custom Plumbing Company, Inc.
D Construction
Diaz Cleaning Service 2
Dodd Construction
Don McGee Painting
Doug Holley Constuction Inc
Elite Wellness Chiropractic &
Acupuncture
Family Dental Center
First Rate Construction
Four Seasons HVAC
GKZ
Gomez Landscaping
H&H Water Softeners Plus
Halton Custom Homes, LLC
Heart of Texas Demolition, LLC
Hohnstreiter Construction and
Remodeling
2
Holistic Family Medicine
Home Team Roofing, Inc.
Horizon Builders
Hou-Tex General Contractors, Inc.
HSP Painting Company, LLC
Hutson Construction
InchBug
J & C Wing Lawn Service
Jatzlau Construction, LLC
Johnnies Antiques
JP&T Excavating
K & P Fire and Cabling Solutions
Kastel Consulting
Library Interiors of Texas, LLC
Longevity Fence in Bastrop
Lott Fence
Loviolette Enterprises
Martinez Brothers Taxidermists
Michael Beck Builders
Nunis & Associates
Osprey Pool and Spa Service
PD&D Innovative Home Design
Precision Tune Pflugerville, LLC
Puroclean Emergency Services
Rhodes Building Systems, Inc.
Right at Home Austin North
Rylees Electric
Savannah Homes
Savvy Properties Inspection
Schmidt Excavating
Second Nature Hair
Shannon’s Personnel Service of
Austin
Shermco Industries Inc
Southwest Home Improvement
Spa Tek
Stan’s Heating & Air Conditioning,
Inc.
Steve Lee Custom Builders LLC
Stevens Taxidermy
Summit Stoneworks
T5 Construction
Tatsch & Son Fencing
Team G Construction
Temo Framing Construction
Company
Terra Excavating Service
Texas Call Center Solutions
Texas Outdoor Lighting
Texas Relocation Company
Texas SBA, Inc.
TEXCAP Roofing & Construction
Texstar Acquisitions, LLC
Texstar Austin Realty, LLC
The Arbor
Tydan IT, LLC
Vann Construction
Vitalogy Skincare
CENTROPLEX/WACO
Artistic Memorials
Advanced Ideas Maintenance Inc
BNP Property Solutions
Cantrell Electrical Service Co.
Easley Construction and Cleaning
Team, Inc.
Emilio A. Perales Realtor
Hardwood Technology
JG Fence Co
M. Brown’s Construction
Texas Gold Heating and Air
The Releford Group Realtors
CORPUS CHRISTI/VICTORIA
All My Sons Moving & Storage of
Corpus Christi, Inc.
Allen Samuels Auto Group
Alliance Carpet Service. LLC
Bay Area Catering
Best Builders Company
Blanton Builders, Inc.
Buckwild Builders, Inc.
D Bar D Spray Foam and Coatings
Dolphin Dock, Inc.
Fencing Inc. of Texas
Gulf Coast Property Inspections &
Design
J R Viola Cleaners
Oscar’s Pools & Spas
Paisano Service & Supply, Inc.
Prokop Custom Homes. LLC
Shannon-Bradley Pools of Victoria,
Inc.
Southwest Homes of Corpus Christi
Winton’s Island Candies
PERMIAN BASIN
All American Chrysler Jeep Dodge
of Odessa
Crystal Cabinets, Inc.
Home Style Suites
Jerry Anderson Sales
Jesse’s Auto Body Shop
Lamar Advertising
Medical Center Health System
Pennell & Marlowe Land Surveyors,
Inc.
Pete’s Auto Sales
Quali-Tex Ball & Seat Co
SC Fuels
Texas Roof Systems
SAN ANTONIO/LAREDO
A Helping Hand Home Repair
A to Z Helpers, LLC
AAA Travis Air Conditioning &
Heating Co.
Adam Michael
Homes Ltd.
Air Pro Cooling & Heating
Alamo Discount Water Systems
Alderete General Contractors &
Designers
All Star Roofing and Remodeling
ARTEC Services Group, LLC
Bertrand Electric
Border Pest Control, LLC
Clear Blue Car Wash
Comfort Center for Dentistry, P.A.
Curtis Reeder Cabinets
Dale’s Collision Repair, Inc.
Diamond Association Management
& Consulting
Don Harris Enterprises, Inc.
Eagle Ford Handyman
Construction
Eagle Pass Collision
Fresh Air Systems
Gaeke Construction
Grass4Sale.com
Horton Horticulture, Inc.
Indianhead Ranch, Inc.
JD Metal Roofing
Jemco Contracting LLC
Jim Chastain Excavation
JP Enterprises Remodeling
Company
Kennedy Custom Builders
Lalo’s Auto Parts
Law Offices of Ana Laura
Hessbrock
Mission Mitsubishi
Moreno Construction Company,
Inc.
Natural Therapeutic
Nature Sweet Tomatoes
Node LLC
One Star Electric Co.
Paradise Construction
PBI / Pro-Builder Inc.
Pink Poodle Pet Grooming
Plumb Star, LLC
Radiant Roofing, LLC
Rendon Homes
Roman Garcia Allstate Insurance
South Texas Custom Cabinets
Southwest Homes of San Antonio
Sterling Mechanical Services
Sunset Memorial Oaks Funeral
Homes & Cemetary
The Sabinal Group
Tooth Transitions
Total Improvements Roofing &
Remodeling
Totalcom Management, Inc
Eight Ways to Use BBB Standards of Trust to Build Your Business
Communicate Your Commitment to Honesty and Transparency to Your Customers
B
BB Standards of Trust represent sound
advertising, selling and customer service
practices that will help you enhance customer
trust and confidence in your business. Your BBB
Business Review is a valuable tool potential customers
can use to verify the trustworthiness of your business.
However, it may not be the first impression they receive.
By following BBB’s eight Standards of Trust, you can
communicate to your customers your commitment to
honesty and transparency and help build your business.
1. Build Trust
Establish and maintain a positive track record in the
marketplace. Make sure you fulfill all licensing and
bonding requirements in all cities, counties and states
where you do business. Continue to promote voluntary
self-regulation in your industry.
2. Advertise Honesty
Before you create any advertising, be prepared to
substantiate any claims, such as sales pricing, guarantees
or customer testimonials. Be truthful in all advertising
efforts and include the BBB Seal to enhance the
trustworthiness of your brand.
3. Tell the Truth
Make sure all terms and conditions of your product and
service offerings are clear and conspicuous.
4. Be Transparent
Include all physical addresses, email addresses, phone
and fax numbers in your communications, both offline
and online. Clearly disclosing all policies, guarantees
and procedures help your potential customers make an
informed buying decision. Include written confirmations,
contracts and receipts for all transactions, no matter how
small. Encourage your customers to review and confirm
their transactions before sales are complete.
5. Honor Promises
Abide by all written agreements and verbal
representations and honor them by correcting mistakes
as quickly as possible.
6. Be Responsive
Address marketplace disputes quickly, professionally
and in good faith. Promptly responding to questions
and concerns will help promote open communication
and build a positive image for your business.
7. Safeguard Privacy
If collecting payment, personal history or other sensitive
information, it must be transmitted securely. Research
the different secure socket layer certificates available
to determine which one best fits your online business
needs. Honor customer preferences regarding contact
by telephone, fax and email.
8. Embody Integrity
Approach all business dealings, marketplace
transactions and commitments with integrity. Keep a
positive public image and be proud of who you are and
what you do.
For a list of BBB Standards of Trust, visit www.bbb.
org/us/bbb-accreditation-standards.
As a BBB Accredited Business, your company is
authorized to use the BBB Dynamic Seal on your web
and social media sites. This symbol of trust can be
customized to include your company’s current BBB
rating with several layout options. To get the BBB
Dynamic Seal, visit www.bbb.org/online/business/
dynamicseal.aspx or call 512-445-4748.
Official variations of the Castle & Cooke Mortgage, LLC logo:
Special thanks to our Corporate Partners!
CAG
Continental Automotive Group
COVERT AUTO GROUP
3
BetterBusinessBureau
Trust Talk | December 2011
Better Business Bureau, Inc.
PRSRT STD
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1005 La Posada Drive
Austin, TX 78752
®
AUSTIN, TX
PERMIT NO. 60
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Inside this issue
BBB Offers End of Year Checklist to Help Start 2012 ...... 1
New Accredited Businesses .…….……......................................... 2
Eight Ways to Use BBB Standards of Trust to Build Your
Business ............................................................................................. 3
October Activity Report ....................…............................................. 4
®
Trust Talk is published by Better Business Bureau 1005 La Posada Drive, Austin, TX 78752. Trust Talk is published for executives and employees of BBB Accredited
Businesses in its 79-county service area. All rights reserved: the contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without written consent of the
publisher. References to or mention made of any company, product or service herein is not to be interpreted, per se, as statements derogatory of such company, product
or service, but as information obtained from sources believed to be reliable for the use of BBB Accredited Businesses and subscribers. Because the matters contained in
this Trust Talk concern matters of the utmost public importance and concern in providing a free flow of information to our companies concerning business enterprises
in the Central, Coastal, Southwest Texas and the Permian Basin area, BBB encourages BBB Accredited Businesses to contact their local BBB with any follow-up material
concerning the reports in this newsletter or any other matter to assist BBB in fulfilling its function of improving the economic system through informed decision-making.
4
Increased total Accredited Business locations to 10,650
Provided customers with 129,349 BBB Business Reviews
Handled 1,700 disputes
Assisted 6,824 people over the phone
Hosted 436,024 website page views
Sent 765 Request a Quote customer referrals to Accredited
Businesses
October
Top 10 Inquiries
Impact & Influence Report
In October 2011, your BBB...
Roofing Contractors
Plumbers
Home Builders
Construction & Remodeling Services
Auto Repair & Service
Contractors - General
Air Conditioning Contractors & Systems
Electricians
Auto Body Repair & Painting
Movers
Revocations
Fentress Enterprises, LLC: Failure to respond to one or
more customer complaints filed with BBB
Landscape Improvements Company: Failure to respond
to one or more customer complaints filed with BBB
Rain Pro: Failure to respond to one or more customer
complaints filed with BBB
Rudy’s Flooring: Failure to honor an arbitrator’s decision
despite agreeing to do so, unresolved complaint(s)
Tom-Can-Do Services: Failure to respond to one or more
customer complaints filed with BBB
In October 2011, your BBB was mentioned
477 times by 45 local media outlets including…
Get news as it happens! Join BBB’s press release list at
centraltx.bbb.org/press.
Find BBB on...
youtube.com/user/CentralTexasBBB
twitter.com/CentralTexasBBB
facebook.com/YourBBB
watchyourbuck.com
Contact BBB
BBB Corporate Office P: 512.445.4748
1005 La Posada Drive F: 512.445.2096
Austin, TX 78752
@: info@centraltx.bbb.org