You've heard of the Better Business Bureau. To the common consumer, a business bearing a logo of BBB accreditation is more trustworthy than another business that does not carry that logo....right?
Today I'm going to share a secret with you that most consumers are not aware of, a secret that will help you decide on the answer to that question for yourself.

The secret is simple. All you have to do is put yourself in a business owner's shoes, preferably a very small business, a sole proprietorship like mine. Wouldn't it be a handy tool to help boost sales by giving potential clients confidence by seeing a BBB accreditation on my business? Sure, why not? All you have to do is be a good, honest, hard-working business that cares about your clients and their satisfaction....right?

So, you jump on your PC, surf on over to the BBB.org website for info on how you can get started. AND THEN YOU FIND THIS. Wait, WHAT? Yeah. You saw it. FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS. EACH year.

I can see it being justified if it was a one-time fee for a lifetime, or maybe a reasonable yearly fee like $100, but $400 per year? This business' gross income is less than $20,000 a year, just enough to pay the bills and make ends meet, how am I supposed to justify that cost? At that price, the ROI (Return On Investment) just isn't there for a tiny business like mine. Would having a BBB accreditation really give me $400 worth of business each year that I would not have gotten otherwise? Even if it did, that's only breaking even. You have to make several times the investment in extra income for any given investment to be worth it. This is the reason you will not see a BBB accreditation on this business.

"Start with Trust, Start with a BBB Accredited Business", is what they say on their commercials. I urge you to re-think your definition of "trust". Keep in mind that there are also plenty of businesses that have been known to rip-off clients and still manage to maintain a decent BBB rating, and their accreditation, because they know how to work the system. "Start with Trust, ASK A FRIEND." That's my response to BBB's commercials. Nothing says more about a business than word of mouth. I don't need to pay $400 for the BBB logo to tell my clients what I'm all about. That is taken care of HERE on my feedback page.

Thank you for hearing me out. Now you know the truth about how the BBB symbol works and can view the world of business with new eyes.