Having Clarity in Perception

"You can't handle the truth!"- COLONEL JESSUP (Jack Nicholson) in A Few Good Men (1992)

Sometimes people can’t handle the reality set before them. Even when all roads and proof shows them otherwise, they will hold onto their beliefs no matter what you convey, prove or reason with. From the days when the main belief that the world was flat, to modern day disputes on the origin of life and religion, one thing is clear – if you can argue someone out of something, they can be argued back in again, even in the presence of undisputable truth.

So in your business, what is truth? Is it a personal perception of the way things are based on sales? Is it a belief based on physical biased experiences with customers and trends? Is it a simplistic answer to complicated questions? Tried and true, although there are certain truths that cannot be disputed – for example gravity; there are other truths that are based on so many moving parts, that although true – they can be untrue just as easy.

In Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for example, there are some truths today that were not truths weeks, months and even years ago and they differ from search engine to search engine. Additionally, there are factors that contradict (although for the most part can be explained) the truths actually published from the search engines themselves; such as glitches, cached false positives and environmental influences.

A difficult thing to keep in mind however, is when purchasing a service that sometimes has a moving target, it’s important to remember the customer (you) isn’t always right, but we want to feel that way. Additionally, in the presence of the professional who has taken the time to show and explain this, you have every right to challenge it – but it is also advantageous for you to consider it as well.

For some professionals, it doesn’t matter. For example, doctors and dentists don’t care. You can tell them all day long what you think the problem is, but in the end it’s their diagnosis that is the prevailing winning argument. And happy or not, we pay that bill succumbing to their opinion. But when needing a business services, especially those that rely on always changing technology – opinions vary, and as of this moment may be true – even though you think you’ve proved they are not.

As a business owner myself and with a background in a variety of industries, I often find myself skeptical and a little short with professionals who I’ve hired for a service and especially for those soliciting it. However I have found that although my perception and instinct was correct – the professional also was correct and did the job well.

As one of our services, we offer audits on websites and other things that give results based on researched facts. These facts give conclusions of truths that are designed to improve the situation of the website. Received well or not, you can have them for free and remember to consider its contents – you may be surprised on what we all can learn together facing these truths in this changing environment.

So the question is, when faced with a new set of facts, will you take the critique, test it and consider it and grow? Or will you sluff it off and go about your way and not allow your careful consideration as an option?
 
In other words, will you be able to handle the truth?

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

King for a Day
 
As a child I enjoyed playing king of the mountain. And I must admit, within the right environment and personalities, I still pay the same game today. I enjoy the challenge of learning and I appreciate people in general – even the irrational, because there are many lessons to be learned in life and each day offers a new choice to explore.
 
However, what’s the use of being king with no one to challenge your kingship? Where’s the confirmation of your status with no one to put it to the test? How can one rule with no subjects? Or how does one improve when there’s no bar or goal given by others for you to surpass?
 
Take Rocky for example. His whole journey was based on proving yet again he was the best. Even when the commission gave him weak contenders to keep him at the top (true today?) he still needed to prove who he was to his fans and family by the end of every sequel.
 
The same holds true for business. All things being said, you may find success, acquire all kinds of customers, establish a loyal retail base and have the quality that surpasses all others. But what happens when no one looks at you anymore? What happens to the number one, top of the charts music stars that fade away? Where did all the excitement go for Cabbage-Patch dolls or the Rubik’s Cube?
  
True some things just get out-dated and have run the extent of their race, but we still call tissue paper Kleenex, (a brand) and ask for a Coke when looking for a soda. These are things in life we’ve accepted culturally and in our vocabulary that not only having staying power, but get passed down through generations. This being the goal and dream of all marketing campaigns to be embraced and remembered through time in beer jingles, “where’s the beef” campaigns and the like.
  
But what about the one-hit wonders? What about the King for a Day? What can we do to not go the way of one hit wonder Right Said Fred, “I’m too Sexy…” or the fad of the parachute pants? Laugh if you want, these made millions and are now remembered in nostalgia.
  
Although we may never have our name in lights this way, we can still keep our name out there. No matter how successfully you think you are, you will always need someone else to think so to validate it. And what’s more is we will never last unless we prove ourselves though longevity and exposure of which the internet is the perfect place to do just that.
  
With the tool of the internet you can reach the world and stay in front of it, showcasing your business and be validated by everyone. You can be showcased and shown as an example and pointed to by devoted followers as well as paying customers. But what happens when they do see you? What happens when all the attention comes to you? When the time is now and everyone’s watching, are you giving them your best? Or will you give them one hit and then fade away… Or will the world see you as you think they will?
 
Consider even  American Idol. Think about all the millions of people who try out and how most of them think they got a shot at it. How their parents and friends have encouraged and told them to go up and try it. And as we sit back and snicker and shake our heads at the ones who not only bomb out but can’t believe they got the response they did… But let’s take for a moment our business… and more importantly, the presentation of our business. When the world is looking at us, is our website the best it can be? Is it doing what it should? Or will it be forgotten in the next moment… Are we the King we thought we were or really just the Joker?
 
There is a saying, “out of site out of mind” that is frightfully true. When users come to your website to shop and research, are you giving them what you need? Or giving them the experience to forget you in the next moment?
  
If you want a report on your website and how it holds up to your competition, contact Custom Web Site Design and let us give you a sneak peek of how you compare and when you’re ready, let us help you beat them out as well.

Two out of 3 Ain't Bad...

The Winning Combination
"I want the people to know that they still have 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for them, and that ain't bad...."
President Dale: (Jack Nicholson) Mars Attacks
  
There is an inescapable truth when it comes to investing. Not just in websites - but in everything, and that is the 2 out of 3 rule.

The Three
Money, Works (works = looks, functionality, etc….), and Time

The Rule
You can have 2 of the 3 but not all 3.

For example –
1. If you want it to look good in no time, it will cost money
2. If you want it to work well in no time, it will cost money
3. If you want it to look good with no money, it will cost time
4. If you want it to work well with no money, it will cost time

If you’ve already invested in a website – you know this all too well; and if you’re about to – it’s very important to consider because the old adage, “you get what you pay for” is very true. In fact, when it comes to development, IT infrastructure and/or any other technological process put in place – you will find that the “chain is only as strong as the weak link.” If you skimp out, it will come back to haunt you.


All too often, (in fact, 50% of the time) I have been contracted to redo, replace or fix a website by a programmer or other web development company that dropped the ball.

So does that mean that you have to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for a good site, management system, ecommerce site, etc??? No. But be careful to decide if you really need all the bells and whistles. There’s something to be said about being prepared because letting a service company, paid by the function or hour tell you is inviting in costs you may not need.

Due diligence is the key. We all know we need SEO to even be considered in the search engines and we all know that we need to meet or beat our customers on aesthetics, function and stickiness (keeping the customer in your site); but is there other things we can live without?

When you’re ready to get that management tool developed, or that website started or that ecommerce launched – do a bit of investigating first. Be a smart shopper. In fact here’s 3 things that will save you all kinds of aggravation to do:

1. SWOT - Evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in this new project or business venture.
2. Hunt and Gather - you don’t have to accomplish all these, but the more you do the better you’ll be.   * decide on your branding and have examples (logo, company colors, style)
   * have marketing text for your website to sell your services
   * find in-house images used for marketing, etc…
   * gather up all your marketing material, strategies, etc…
3. Budget – know how much you can spend, have a price in mind and work to achieve that.
   It’s also good to research the “going rate.” Services – especially SEO are tedious and thus expensive. If you can find an all-in-one service you’ll be happier in the long run.

With these, you can intelligently seek out the right developer, save you aggravation on communication, make informed decisions and invest instead of wasting money.

Click here to contact us and ask for a quote. We offer all kinds of FREE tools as well from consultation to a FREE website audit that will actually itemize all the areas needed for successful internet marketing.

Remember, and investment should give you a return. Aim for that and you will not be disappointed.