I see toll-free phone number at top of page. I call (during their normal business hours) and get voicemail. They say my call is very important to them, but I’m not so sure...

Third time’s charm? Back to Google, click on another ad which takes me to a page with lamp shades (YAY!). I can sort by nine different criteria, but even so, I don’t see exactly what I want.

There’s a link to talk to a lighting consultant. I’m skeptical, but I call. Someone answers phone! I explain what I want and I’m told I need a custom shade. This company doesn’t make them, but consultant refers me to two other sites where I can order custom-made shades.

Even though I didn’t find what I was searching for, I really appreciate this experience. I’d be happy to return to this site and do business with this company in future.

The moral of this story. Have some respect for your customers. Think about their needs and do everything you can to meet them. If you’re advertising a product for sale it should be available on your site. If you expect people to make a choice, provide information and pictures they need to feel comfortable making a decision.

And even if you can’t make sale today, you can and should offer a good customer experience because there’s always tomorrow.

Barry Harrison is the author of "REDiTIPS" eMarketing Newsletter and a partner in Resolve Digital, Web Strategy for the Real World.

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Day after day, after kids went off to school Alicia spent a few minutes blogging about everyday events in life of a mother. She incorporated RSS feeds into her plan, and included a great number of links to other sites of interest (all affiliate links.) Day by day she watched her web traffic increase and her bank account grow. By Christmas time she had most amazing surprise to present to her family - a bank statement that proved she had earned more than $30,000 in her spare time of a few minutes each day.

How could such a simple marketing plan work for an obvious newbie? Simply! Alicia just found a plan that involved a little technological knowledge and implemented it. She happened to have found a way to get her site indexed and listed on search results almost immediately. Spiders love updated content and long lists of related links. Alicia, like most mothers, knew that if you feed something what it likes, it’ll pretty much do what you want it to! For Alicia, a little mother’s insight paid off.

************************************************ For A Complete Step By Step informational guide on how to blog and use rss feeds Click here>http://www.effective-info.com/blogs-rss.html

This article is copyright© 2005 Craig Desorcy Anyone may use this article as long as this resource box is not removed.

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