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Member You - A Day in the Life of an Internet Marketer
While watching Face the Nation one Sunday earlier this year, Bob Schiffer discussed the airline industry, his mother and ethics in business. Like Bob, I think it is a sad commentary today, that we have to police businesses. Whatever happened to going into business to provide a needed service, being loyal to employees, and keeping promises. It seems like no one today is concerned about doing good business or being ethical in the process. Our forefathers would be ashamed at what this society has come to. I know I am. Chuck and I teach our students how to run a good business, by being ethical, and making sure that everyone is happy. We run our business using the adage, “The customer is always right”. We know, however, from looking at others in business both on and offline, that we are in the minority. For most it is all a
12.15pm Emails finished and I really want to get the website done so that I can launch it tomorrow. I am going away tomorrow evening and I want to launch it before I go, otherwise it will be delayed for another 5 days and it has already taken a month longer than I anticipated to complete. I make a start on the final testing.
12.30pm I have a brainwave for a new website and get sidetracked into doing a bit of research on the Web to see if anyone else has already set up a similar site.......
12.45pm I can't find anything like my idea on the search engines, so I figure that even if someone has already thought of it, if I can't find it then no one else will be able to. I forget all about the members s
Imagine taking a trip to the mall. You enter it and start shopping. The first store you approach is a computer store. The one next door is also a computer store. You find this unusual. You walk around. The entire mall is filled with 100’s of stores, all of them computer stores, and all of them selling identical products with identical store fronts. You start thinking about this. How can they compete against each other? How do they survive?In the search engine optimization field we come across this type of situation all the time except for us it concerns web sites as opposed to actual physical stores. Today people still have the expectation that they can have an idea, create a web site and the world will beat a path to their door. They put up a site selling the same products or services as hundreds of others and wait to
To illustrate the above point, take a moment to read the account of a typical day in my office......
7.30am Get up and turn on the computer. Grab a cup of tea while it downloads my emails. A web business is never closed, so even though I checked my emails last night at 11pm, there are still over 30 new ones (not including spam!) - mostly from US customers (I am in the UK so the time difference means that whilst I am sleeping the US is wide awake).
Spend the next hour replying to emails and deleting spam.
8.30am With the emails done, I make a start on the real work of the day - developing. I am currently building a new membership site. The content is there but I am just ironing out some of the 'behind the scenes' software issues. The key to a good website is to have everything running automatically so that customers don't have to wait for their purchases and the site owner doesn't have to deal with every single transaction that takes place.
9.00am I run into a problem with a software script that I purchased yesterday - basically it doesn't work and I need it for the new site. Obviously it comes with support, but I purchased it from an American company which means that due to the time difference, I probably won't be able to get any assistance until later this afternoon. I send an email anyway and hope for the best.....
9.10am Wow, I get a reply back from the software developer - it must be about 2am in the US but he is still working! He agrees to fix the problem and install the script on my website right away - what fantastic service. I leave him to it and go to have some breakfast.
9.30am Ok, more problems, the software guy is telling me that the reason the script doesn't work is because of my web host. I phone them up and they tell me that the problem is with the software - oh great, I am stuck in the middle! Unfortunately, I use one of the largest web hosts in the UK so they don't take too much notice when I tell them that my software chap in the US thinks there is something wrong with their configuration settings!
11.30am Two hours later and I am still going back and forth between the software guy and my host. We don't seem to be any further forward and the last telephone conversation with the host involved them telling me that they don't offer support for third party scripts and there was nothing more they could do. I find this somewhat irritating as I am paying them well over $1000 a year for hosting and the software guy is earning a fraction of that and still hasn't been to bed yet!
11.35am The web host phones back with a solution, I pass it on to the software guy. His opinion - it looks good and he will get back to me in 5.
11.37am Software guy is back and everything works - yippee! I thank him for his efforts and work out that it is probably around 6.30am in the US and he has been up all night. Now that's what I call customer service. This is one of the reasons that I like to deal with small businesses - they tend to care more about your custom and make a bigger effort to keep you happy.
Happy that the script is now working satisfactorily, I check my emails again - another 25 have arrived since I last looked, so I spend 45 minutes sorting them out.
12.15pm Emails finished and I really want to get the website done so that I can launch it tomorrow. I am going away tomorrow evening and I want to launch it before I go, otherwise it will be delayed for another 5 days and it has already taken a month longer than I anticipated to complete. I make a start on the final testing.
12.30pm I have a brainwave for a new website and get sidetracked into doing a bit of research on the Web to see if anyone else has already set up a similar site.......
12.45pm I can't find anything like my idea on the search engines, so I figure that even if someone has already thought of it, if I can't find it then no one else will be able to. I forget all about the members s
In today's business world, flexibility is one of the greatest keys to success, particularly in the case of small and mid-size businesses. A large business may have enough sheer power and leverage to make it on a few core services, but smaller businesses almost always need to be able to diversify in order to survive. In order to allow the necessarily level of flexibility for the company as a whole, you will need to reflect that flexibility in each separate area of your business, not only including the abilities of your employees, but also the very layout of your offices.This sort of all around flexibility will allow your business to adapt in whatever sorts of ways your current situation might dictate. One of the best ways to accomplish this degree of flexibility in your office space is through the use of modular office furniture.
8.30am With the emails done, I make a start on the real work of the day - developing. I am currently building a new membership site. The content is there but I am just ironing out some of the 'behind the scenes' software issues. The key to a good website is to have everything running automatically so that customers don't have to wait for their purchases and the site owner doesn't have to deal with every single transaction that takes place.
9.00am I run into a problem with a software script that I purchased yesterday - basically it doesn't work and I need it for the new site. Obviously it comes with support, but I purchased it from an American company which means that due to the time difference, I probably won't be able to get any assistance until later this afternoon. I send an email anyway and hope for the best.....
9.10am Wow, I get a reply back from the software developer - it must be about 2am in the US but he is still working! He agrees to fix the problem and install the script on my website right away - what fantastic service. I leave him to it and go to have some breakfast.
9.30am Ok, more problems, the software guy is telling me that the reason the script doesn't work is because of my web host. I phone them up and they tell me that the problem is with the software - oh great, I am stuck in the middle! Unfortunately, I use one of the largest web hosts in the UK so they don't take too much notice when I tell them that my software chap in the US thinks there is something wrong with their configuration settings!
11.30am Two hours later and I am still going back and forth between the software guy and my host. We don't seem to be any further forward and the last telephone conversation with the host involved them telling me that they don't offer support for third party scripts and there was nothing more they could do. I find this somewhat irritating as I am paying them well over $1000 a year for hosting and the software guy is earning a fraction of that and still hasn't been to bed yet!
11.35am The web host phones back with a solution, I pass it on to the software guy. His opinion - it looks good and he will get back to me in 5.
11.37am Software guy is back and everything works - yippee! I thank him for his efforts and work out that it is probably around 6.30am in the US and he has been up all night. Now that's what I call customer service. This is one of the reasons that I like to deal with small businesses - they tend to care more about your custom and make a bigger effort to keep you happy.
Happy that the script is now working satisfactorily, I check my emails again - another 25 have arrived since I last looked, so I spend 45 minutes sorting them out.
12.15pm Emails finished and I really want to get the website done so that I can launch it tomorrow. I am going away tomorrow evening and I want to launch it before I go, otherwise it will be delayed for another 5 days and it has already taken a month longer than I anticipated to complete. I make a start on the final testing.
12.30pm I have a brainwave for a new website and get sidetracked into doing a bit of research on the Web to see if anyone else has already set up a similar site.......
12.45pm I can't find anything like my idea on the search engines, so I figure that even if someone has already thought of it, if I can't find it then no one else will be able to. I forget all about the members s
Starting the blind cleaning business is one of the best marketable business ideas you could latch on to. If you give the requisite amount of time and dedication, there will be no cap on your earnings. No wonder, there is pleasure unlimited in being one's own boss. A lot of ambitious people like you have made successful entrepreneurs of themselves, as they mastered the principles of a successful blind cleaning service.Investment: 7,000 - $15,000 if you purchase a blind cleaning machine. To keep costs down at the start, rent cleaning equipment initially.Financing sources: Apart from your own pockets, you have the following helpful avenues to help kick start your Blind Cleaning service:A start up business loan from the bank: Nowadays big banks are more open to funding finance upto $100,000 for new b
9.10am Wow, I get a reply back from the software developer - it must be about 2am in the US but he is still working! He agrees to fix the problem and install the script on my website right away - what fantastic service. I leave him to it and go to have some breakfast.
9.30am Ok, more problems, the software guy is telling me that the reason the script doesn't work is because of my web host. I phone them up and they tell me that the problem is with the software - oh great, I am stuck in the middle! Unfortunately, I use one of the largest web hosts in the UK so they don't take too much notice when I tell them that my software chap in the US thinks there is something wrong with their configuration settings!
11.30am Two hours later and I am still going back and forth between the software guy and my host. We don't seem to be any further forward and the last telephone conversation with the host involved them telling me that they don't offer support for third party scripts and there was nothing more they could do. I find this somewhat irritating as I am paying them well over $1000 a year for hosting and the software guy is earning a fraction of that and still hasn't been to bed yet!
11.35am The web host phones back with a solution, I pass it on to the software guy. His opinion - it looks good and he will get back to me in 5.
11.37am Software guy is back and everything works - yippee! I thank him for his efforts and work out that it is probably around 6.30am in the US and he has been up all night. Now that's what I call customer service. This is one of the reasons that I like to deal with small businesses - they tend to care more about your custom and make a bigger effort to keep you happy.
Happy that the script is now working satisfactorily, I check my emails again - another 25 have arrived since I last looked, so I spend 45 minutes sorting them out.
12.15pm Emails finished and I really want to get the website done so that I can launch it tomorrow. I am going away tomorrow evening and I want to launch it before I go, otherwise it will be delayed for another 5 days and it has already taken a month longer than I anticipated to complete. I make a start on the final testing.
12.30pm I have a brainwave for a new website and get sidetracked into doing a bit of research on the Web to see if anyone else has already set up a similar site.......
12.45pm I can't find anything like my idea on the search engines, so I figure that even if someone has already thought of it, if I can't find it then no one else will be able to. I forget all about the members s
It is estimated that more than 500,000 people world wide are earning a full time income with Ebay. Whether you are looking to make some extra money to fill the holes in your monthly budget, or whether you are looking to quit your day job, Ebay might just be the answer. As the biggest marketplace in the world, Ebay provides many very attractive prospects to any aspiring online entrepreneur.Apart from giving you the opportunity to get rid of some of the old stuff in your house, Ebay offers quite a few options for you if you want earn money from the comfort of your own home. If you think that you have to sell stuff to make money on Ebay, then you are grossly underestimating both the power and flexibility that Ebay offers you. Here are three of the most effective proven ways of earning an income with Ebay:1. Open Your Own Stor
11.35am The web host phones back with a solution, I pass it on to the software guy. His opinion - it looks good and he will get back to me in 5.
11.37am Software guy is back and everything works - yippee! I thank him for his efforts and work out that it is probably around 6.30am in the US and he has been up all night. Now that's what I call customer service. This is one of the reasons that I like to deal with small businesses - they tend to care more about your custom and make a bigger effort to keep you happy.
Happy that the script is now working satisfactorily, I check my emails again - another 25 have arrived since I last looked, so I spend 45 minutes sorting them out.
12.15pm Emails finished and I really want to get the website done so that I can launch it tomorrow. I am going away tomorrow evening and I want to launch it before I go, otherwise it will be delayed for another 5 days and it has already taken a month longer than I anticipated to complete. I make a start on the final testing.
12.30pm I have a brainwave for a new website and get sidetracked into doing a bit of research on the Web to see if anyone else has already set up a similar site.......
12.45pm I can't find anything like my idea on the search engines, so I figure that even if someone has already thought of it, if I can't find it then no one else will be able to. I forget all about the members s
If you're anything like me, you've submitted your resume to numerous potential employers and got no response's?Even if you got that first interview did it win you that dream role?The following tips will help you with your attitude to produce a winning resume / curriculum vitae.Remember your Resume has just seconds to get their attention!Make a good first impression with a great looking layout, use a template from a template company, you can find some free-one's online.Don't copy a standard formula, be as different as possible employers will look for people who stand out even if this means using colour and buying the best quality printing paper.Don't be boring...be straight to the point.Droning on about how amazing you are at everything will only make you look over confident.Employe
12.15pm Emails finished and I really want to get the website done so that I can launch it tomorrow. I am going away tomorrow evening and I want to launch it before I go, otherwise it will be delayed for another 5 days and it has already taken a month longer than I anticipated to complete. I make a start on the final testing.
12.30pm I have a brainwave for a new website and get sidetracked into doing a bit of research on the Web to see if anyone else has already set up a similar site.......
12.45pm I can't find anything like my idea on the search engines, so I figure that even if someone has already thought of it, if I can't find it then no one else will be able to. I forget all about the members site that I am supposed to be working on and start designing a home page for my new idea.
2.00pm That's the problem with the Internet - it is too easy to get sidetracked into other things! I have just wasted over an hour playing around with a new site - a new site that I have no time to build. I add the idea to the pile of post-it notes on my desk - must be at least 20 'great ideas for a new site' in the pile - I will get around to them one day.......
2.15pm Right, I am back on the job and the new website is ready to go. I need to draft up an announcement email to send to my subscriber list to tell them about the new site.
3.15pm After typing up a long announcement email, I bore myself reading it and decide it is just too long. I cut it down to a couple of paragraphs and upload it to my mailing list manager for sending tomorrow.
4.00pm I realise that I haven't had anything to eat except for a couple of bits of toast first thing this morning, so I take a break and have a sandwich.
4.30pm Back at my desk (I am sure I got a full hour lunchbreak when I had a job!) Another batch of emails to reply to and a customer having a problem with opening an eBook which needs sorting out. Customer service comes before everything else, so I spend the next 30 minutes trying various things to fix the problem and eventually get things working for the customer.
5.00pm By this time of the day, my eyes are usually getting pretty tired from staring at a computer screen for hours, so I don't normally do anything too 'important'. It is a good time to have a general surf around and see what other people are doing online.
6.00pm Have just remembered that I promised to review an eBook for a colleague and get back to him today with my opinion - I haven't even opened it yet! I hope it isn't too long....
7.00pm Phew, it was only 30 pages, so I read it and send off an email with my comments. Just a few more emails to deal with and then I am turning the computer off for a couple of hours.
7.30pm - 10.00pm Dinner and slump in front of the television time!
10.00pm Quickly check my emails again before going to bed. I don't like to leave anyone waiting for longer than 8 hours without a response - I know how frustrating it can be waiting for a reply.
11.00pm Bed and I am ready for it too!
Copyright 2004 Richard Grady
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