Internet Tip of the Week
by Bob Osgoodby
A Live Human BeingEver try to call a company for information or assistance, and
have to fight your way through a seemingly unending maze of
instructions from an automated robot. "For this press one; for
that press two", and so on. Some companies take you several
layers deep in options before you get the choice of speaking with
a live human being. I understand the efficiency involved, but at
what cost? Usually it is at the expense of doing business with
me.Auto-responders are also great tools, and there are a number of
ways to use them to your advantage. If they're set up to provide
information about specific things, they can be a great time
saver. But when they are used improperly, they can do more harm
than good. If I request information and receive an auto-response,
fine. But don't send me the same information once a week for the
next seven weeks. All you are succeeding in doing is aggravating
an otherwise potential customer.While I'm pretty tolerant about receiving unsolicited email,
(spam) I do find it annoying to get the same ad over and over,
all sent to a different address at my domain, day after day. It
is pretty obvious that the sender has software to search the web
looking for email addresses, and harvesting every one they could
find. If you try to respond to their message, it is returned as
undeliverable, and in my judgment is not an offer from a
legitimate company - another customer lost.Ever try to get a question answered at Microsoft's web site?
They ask you to describe your problem, and then give you an
automated answer, which may or may not solve your problem.
Efficient - yes, helpful - possibly. Don't get caught up in this
trap. Sometimes there is no substitute for interaction with other
people.Yes, the Internet is a vast, impersonal place. But if you are
hoping to do business on the web, you have to inject the personal
touch. Personalized email can be a great tool in your bag of
tricks. If you get a question, take a few moments and try to
answer it - if you do, you will most likely gain a long term
supporter, and if they're a prospect, a customer.Another thing that many are remiss at, is thanking someone who
buys their product, or becomes a customer. Now if your business
produces a lot of orders, it may not be possible to send a
personalized thank you note to every customer. But you can have
a "canned" letter hid away in your word processor that you can
copy and paste. A little attention here goes a long way.Many times you will receive comments or suggestions. Some may be
positive and others could be negative. You should take the time
to personally respond to these. Thank people for positive
comments. If it is negative try to address the issue, but don't
get defensive. If someone has a gripe, and takes the time to
write you, take them seriously. Maybe they are simply chronic
complainers, but maybe their opinion has substance. Evaluate
every comment you get, and surprisingly, you just might find a
flaw in your approach that you never thought of, but someone else
did.Tread carefully when someone requests a joint venture. Many
times these are thinly veiled pyramids. If you sell advertising
in your publication or on your website, why would someone be
willing to give you a healthy percentage of their profit, in
return for your running an ad for them. Personally, I get offers
like this all the time, addressed to "Dear Webmaster" and you
know where they wind up.Once in awhile however, someone will have a legitimate offer, and
be willing to trade off a percentage of their profit for your
advertising efforts. But if you do this, remember that you are
putting your reputation on the line as well. Affiliate programs
do this all the time.In the cold world of the Internet, if you expect to do business,
you must use a personal approach. Most people have the same
reaction to some of the automated procedures in use that I do,
and really appreciate the contact with a live human being. If
you do offer this type of personal service, you will have a real
advantage over your competitors, who believe that you can simply
automate the process, and watch the money flow in.-----
Bob has been publishing online since 1996. All the “tricks of the trade” are contained in his latest E-book. Learn how to avoid being shut down by your ISP for Spamming, and where to find “E-mail friendly ISP's. Learn which software packages are available to easily manage and distribute your email. For more information - http://www.adv-marketing.com/business/handbook.htm
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