WALMART AND THE RULES

Written by Bob McElwain


Recently Kevin Pine shared an argument he uses with clients in his site design business. It goes like this.

Picturerepparttar greeter in WalMart stores,repparttar 106883 one that gives you a warm welcome, offers you a cart and a flyer announcing specials forrepparttar 106884 day. Suppose this person was directed to turn aside every tenth person who entersrepparttar 106885 store, saying, "Sorry, we don't want your business today." Then asks them to leave.

If this were repeated throughout all stores, WalMart's bottom line would drop. One might guess by 10%,repparttar 106886 number of people being turned away. Butrepparttar 106887 drop would be considerably more, for costs of salaries, inventory, general overhead and such would remain constant at least inrepparttar 106888 short term. Thusrepparttar 106889 drop might exceed 20%

No successful business is likely to try this "new" technique, for it obviously would lead quickly to bankruptcy. Why then do so many webmasters apply similar methods with such determination?

A Partial Answer

Anyone who has ever created anything, be it a bookcase, a novel, or a website, knows how difficult it is to be objective aboutrepparttar 106890 results of efforts largely driven by our emotions. Since we created it, we even embrace flaws we recognize. For to do otherwise might mean discardingrepparttar 106891 result and beginning anew.

To succeed, a writer must discover what people want to read and a pleasing way to present their content. That is, they find a way to satisfyrepparttar 106892 needs of their customers. Else success eludes them. The same is so of home builders, musicians, and shopkeepers of all kinds. It is also true of webmasters.

The Lack Of A Reality Check

If you open a brick & mortar business, up front costs must be expended. Andrepparttar 106893 on going monthly expense begins immediately. Profits must soon cover, else you go broke. Each day you total your gross, subtract a percentage for overhead, and quickly determine how much you can tuck into your pocket.

Except that start up costs are minimal,repparttar 106894 above applies equally to an online business. However, many choose to ignore these realities. They can afford to do so for a considerable period of time, becauserepparttar 106895 overhead on a website amounts to pocket money. Since they do not have to payrepparttar 106896 rent or for new inventory, they can avoid facingrepparttar 106897 reality of impending failure almost indefinitely.

Solid Guidelines Are Absent

One ofrepparttar 106898 problems all webmasters face isrepparttar 106899 lack of uniform guidelines. In opening an offline business, you have ample resources available that pointrepparttar 106900 way to success. While many also apply to an online business, specifics aboutrepparttar 106901 Web are lacking.

Many come torepparttar 106902 Web determined to do their own thing at any cost. Go for it, if that's your wish. But to succeed, reverserepparttar 106903 emphasis. Do what your visitors want inrepparttar 106904 way they want it done.

First Comes A Flawless Site

If your website is not closing sales or achieving its purpose, as in generating leads, then fix it. Else pack it in. This isrepparttar 106905 reality of offline marketing lacking onrepparttar 106906 Web. Offline, shutting down will soon be forced upon a failing business. Online, valuable time and dollars are wasted in sustaining a site that does not getrepparttar 106907 job done. Since we are not being hounded by bill collectors, we continue with some vague hope things will somehow magically turn around.

PRODUCTIVITY AND YOUR BUSINESS

Written by Bob McElwain


Productivity. Has a nice sound to it, don't you think? Positive. Upbeat. Forward-looking. Something we probably all should be seeking to improve. Unfortunately,repparttar word does not haverepparttar 106882 same meaning for all.

Productivity, Big Business, And People

To big business, productivity means cutting all possible expenses. And since wages are a major expenditure, jobs routinely disappear. (aka: Downsizing)

Large companies hirerepparttar 106883 talent to collect solid data and determine exactly whatrepparttar 106884 profitability is for any element in place. It is then easy to pointrepparttar 106885 finger precisely at elements that are less profitable.

It can be demonstrated that if they eliminate a particular component of their business, they will lose N% of customers. More important, they know precisely what N will be for any proposed cutback.

At this level of business, people do not matter individually. That is,repparttar 106886 company is not concerned aboutrepparttar 106887 needs or nature of potential customers turned away. The focus is onrepparttar 106888 most profitable sale to make.

Customer Support Is Decaying Rapidly

One ofrepparttar 106889 early victims inrepparttar 106890 battle for increased productivity was customer support. Adobe, producers of Acrobat, have taken this to an extreme. There is no contact information on their site. Not even an email address. Nobody to contact if you have a problem with one of their products.

Recentlyrepparttar 106891 theme has been CRM (Customer Relationships Management) which purportedly improves interaction betweenrepparttar 106892 company and its customers. Done properly as a company-wide on-going project, this is extremely effective for firms that benefit from staying in touch with their customers.

Often, however, CRM amounts to implementing expensive software systems that in effect seek to automate "interaction" and thus decreaserepparttar 106893 need for salaried employees to deal directly with customers.

While people in general may accept being treated in such cavalier fashion, many will not. These people buy such products as Adobe Acrobat only because they needrepparttar 106894 tool, and it is not available elsewhere.

Your Opportunity

The above picture of big business in action is loaded with implications that can lead to a great business of your own. Or to improving one you have.

For openers, consider that N% of previous customers discarded. One can make an excellent living offrepparttar 106895 discards fromrepparttar 106896 giants. And there is nothing to fear in reaching out to embrace these potential customers, for they have already been written off. It's very unlikely that a major firm will reverse its position and want them back. And even if such a move is made, you will already have a following that will remain loyal to you.

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