There are now 126 Billion websites where you can buy ... ... diapers to nuclear weapons. More business is doneon the Internet in one month than France has done in the last 10years. You There are now 126 Billion websites where you can buy anythingfrom disposable diapers to nuclear weapons. More business is doneon the Internet in one month than France has done in the last 10years. You can email any human being on Planet Earth in less than15 seconds.Those are politician's facts - meaning I just made them up. Mypoint is, we're living on a planet that gets more wired everyday. As the commercial says "We're changing everything". Maybenot. Some things never change, or maybe I should say theyshouldn't change.You can buy a pair of designer shoes on the web and have themdelivered right to your door, or desk. Or, you can go to a shoestore and get personal attention from the sales associate, getthe shoes properly fitted, chat about one thing or another andleave with your purchase. Which is the more satisfyingexperience? Unless you're a serious Type-A personality, it's gotto be the latter - and maybe even then.Why? You got personal service from someone who at least seemed tobe interested in your wants and needs and took pains to satisfyyou. With the former situation, if the shoes prove unacceptableyou have to email the vendor for a return authorization and shipthem back - about as personal as a parking ticket. At the store,you know before you leave how happy you're going to be and maybehow much your feet are going to hurt.Am I a Luddite advocating the abandonment of the web as acommercial platform? Not hardly. I'm suggesting there are ways tocombine technology with attention to the individual. Here aresome possibilities: 1. How inviting is your homepage? Is it friendly, easy to read and reassuring? Reassuring? Yep. You doubtless know there are many more people wary of buying on the web than there are those who do so fearlessly. So you need to put them at ease from first contact, just as you would greet and welcome people entering your store. Empathize with them regarding their concerns (riptoffphobia, I believe), act accordingly and you will improve your return.My completely unscientific poll of web surfers confirmed mysuspicions: People are put off, even threatened, by an abundanceof whirling doodads, flashing thingamajigs, and critters poppingin and out all over a site. You won't have a chance to providepersonal service if they won't stay a while. You have to set thescene in the first ten seconds. How about a text-only welcomemessage that pops up while the site loads? 2. Examine the text on your website through the eyes of a prospective customer. Bear in mind the prospect couldn't care less what you want to sell, only what will satisfy his/her needs and wants. Pages of variations on "BUY NOW!" will seldom be read, much less acted upon. The questions the prospect is usually asking are, "What's in it for me; what will it do for me?" and "How much is it?". Do you have some rewriting to do? 3. Don't disappear behind your autoresponder. It can be a good and valuable marketing tool, but that's all it is: a tool. People don't normally have any emotional involvement with a hammer or a clock radio - they're just tools.Your autoresponder cannot replace you and your personal attentionto your prospect. Your sales letters may be warm and fuzzy, whilestill pushing your product or service, and they are probably aspersonalized as you can make them. Terrific! But they're still"just" sales letters - very important, but no substitute for you.A thought (I have them sometimes...): When a prospect opts-out offurther autoresponder mailings, email her/him and ask if you canbe of service or help find what she/he wants. It may just bethe person recognized and objected to electronic bulk mail andwill buy with some personal attention. Don't harass them, ofcourse. 4. Seek feedback. Don't assume that just because you've provided a place to email you that a prospect will do so. Be proactive (sorry, corporate buzzword), not passive. Ask your prospect what he/she wants, thinks or has questions about. Ask the person to drop you a note (Doesn't that sound more personal than email me? It does, too!) and be certain to respond within twenty-four hours. At the very least, you might learn about something that needs your attention. 5. Publish an address and phone number where you can be reached. Are you crazy, Butler? Not necessarily. I think doing so is a strong personal statement. It says I'm available to help you, I have nothing to hide and I'll be happy to talk with you. It's a potent confidence-builder. You don't have to plaster it across every page in foot-high characters, just make it easy to find. I think it highly unlikely you'll get many calls or snail mails.You'll think of other ways to humanize your online business. Byall means,use the latest technology, if you wish. Just keep inmind you're asking people to part with their money and they wantto know they're dealing with a real person in case there's aquestion or problem. And that person is you. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com