Making Money Online

We all want to make money online. With little time or effort, we want tens of thousands of dollars rolling in each month. If you believe the reports, you too, just like the twenty-year-old from Sarasota can make $8,936 your first month in the business. So how do you do it? Easy! All you have to do is buy my report for $39.99 and I'll show you, step by step how you can quit your nine to five job and live the life you've always dreamed of.

You've probably heard the saying, "If it's too good to be true, it probably is." There you have it, enough said. I can end this post now. I'm not going to, but I could. Yes, the internet, just like the United States land rush of the 1800's is a wide open space just waiting for you to stake your claim. It's not, however, easy. Do you think it was easy and not a lot of work to travel by covered wagon (if you were lucky and not walking) for thousands of miles in bad shoes across thousands of miles? No, it sure wasn't.

Neither is starting, building and running an internet business with the sole intent of making money off the site without offering any distinct product or service outside of the dream of making money on the internet without offering any distinct product or service outside of... You see the endless loop don't you?

So, if you're not selling the dream, how do you make money? First, your website needs to be content filled. You must generate interest and thus hits. Hits are the key. "It's all about the hits." If you're generating traffic, you have the potential to make money. One of the best, easiest and most efficient ways is through affiliate programs. The short version is that you place advertisements on your site for other products or services. In some cases, when someone clicks on and ad, you make money. In other cases the visitor must make a purchase and then, you make money.

The great part about it, is that you don't have to carry any inventory you don't even have to deposit checks. You can have it all happen automatically. Once you have your site setup and established you're pretty much done outside of promoting the site. Everything else takes care of itself.

Over the years I've compiled information on some of the best affiliate programs on the internet and I've placed them all on one website: sandboxtree.com. If you're in the process of building a site that you want to make money from, or you already have a site you'd like to monetize, check it out.



Repeat and Referral Business

Let me offer you a little perspective on the power of repeat and referral business. Those of you who work in a sales oriented business are probably already aware of what it means to have others use your services time and again, as well as refer others to you. For those of you who don’t, I just want to provide you with a little more information about how your referrals not only benefit the person(s) you’re referring, but also benefit you.

Now I don’t want you to take this wrong. I’m not whining, I’m just offering some perspective that you may not otherwise had. I’m going to use my work as a real estate broker as the example. I’ve worked as a broker for about sixteen years. Over that time I’ve developed a client base. I’m one of the lucky few; I receive enough repeat and referral business that over 95% of my work is from that source. The other 5% comes from advertising and internet searches.

It sounds pretty good. And it is. I’m not complaining. However, here’s what happens every year. From my database of contacts, there are two to three people that end up buying and/or selling a home and I never even had the opportunity to help them. The only reason I end up knowing is that I either receive mail back as the forwarding order expires, or from the occasional search against county records.

I’m not saying it should be guaranteed that I receive all that business. I understand that some people have relationships with more than one broker. Sometimes. But most of the time that’s not the case. And, if so, again, that’s okay, but to not give each an opportunity to make their pitch seems to be as much a disservice to the client as it is the agent (more on that in a minute). I’d have to say that I can account for about $20k per year in potential commission losses.

If I had not provided good service and results, I would fully expect that I wouldn’t be getting a call. But, when I get my clients every last dollar out of every last transaction, provide them with great advice and guidance and continually stay up to date on the perpetual changes in the industry, I might like to think I’ve earned at lease an opportunity for the next piece of business, let alone them thinking of me when they hear of others in need of such a service.

So, how does it negatively affect the client or customer? You haven’t shopped and compared. You may be missing out on a better opportunity for yourself, both in level of stress and financially. You shop and compare before buying that flat panel television, why wouldn’t you do the same with your service providers? Sometimes the bottom line isn’t as simple as just the advertised rate. Other factors play into value. The only way to really assess your options is to let a professional make their pitch for your specific situation.

With that said, I obviously believe I provide the best value for the services I provide. I understand others may have a different perspective or opinion. However, how are they to know if they haven’t made a meaningful comparison?



So, You Want Better Customer Service? And so it goes, another post about customer service. I was thinking the other day. Why is it that we all seem to get poor customer service more often then we’d like? From what I can tell, there are three main reasons.

First. When most of us receive service that is less than what we deserve, we tend not to say anything about it. I’m not saying that you need to ream out the person at the KFC counter or always ask to “see your manager.” Mostly we just take it and move on instead of constructively letting the person right in front of you know what it is they could improve upon.

Second. Let’s say you have received less than stellar service. And you, unlike many, let it be known what was or wasn’t done. And, the response is poorly handled and/or nothing is done. But, you keep going back to that store or one of its other locations.

Third. You don’t receive good service and you don’t tell anyone. You go back again and you receive the same poor service and you don’t tell anyone. You go back again and you ... You see the cycle. The problem is you keep going back.

The only way business owners, executives, managers and line employees are really going to know that something needs to be done is when we as consumers stop spending our hard earned money at places that seem to be less than appreciative. Only then will they know how important it is.

Another and final thought; we also tend not to reward those businesses that do well, nor do we let them know when they’re doing well. So, the next time you receive great service, let that person know. Even better, let someone else know about it. Tell a friend. That’s how we will continue to receive great service from those places so far and few between. Refer them to others.



More on Customer Service

It would seem that the topic of customer service has been beaten to death. I mean, everyone has great customer service, don’t they. You’d think so with all that advertisements asking to choose a business because they have better customer service. The problem is that I don’t think most companies, businesses, organizations or people in general really understand what good if not great customer service means.

My strong opinion is that in order to provide good customer service you must have good systems and processes in place. And, those systems and processes must be engineered to a specific business. Then, once you have your systems and processes properly engineered and in place, you must ensure that they are consistently followed. That is the big component that often gets overlooked – consistency.

Now when I talk about systems and processes I’m not just talking about the people who have direct contact with the customers, these must also include every aspect of the business. The best example of this are franchised businesses. Now I prefer to patronize the local places when I can, but these locally owned businesses could learn a lot from how the franchises operate.

Everything that is required to run the franchised business is documented; everything from how to cook the hamburger to how to assemble it and wrap it. This is all in addition to how and when to greet customers. Although there are many companies that do this reasonable well, there are many more that just don’t get it. Some of them once got it, but forgot to take a step back and look at how consumers have evolved and their systems are no longer effective.

What brings this up today? It all comes back to something as simple as take-out pizza. There’s a place here in Colorado Springs that I thought was going to a great new local business where I could get a good pizza pie. The first time I went there it was great. It was a great pizza and there were great people. The second time wasn’t as good, as there was a discrepancy in the price and how the pizza turned out. The third time there was a “problem with the oven” and they had to remake my pie. It was inconvenient but I was given the pizza for no charge. Huge gesture and it maintained my loyalty.

Over the next three weeks I ordered a pizza a week. Each time the pizza came out different. It either had too much cheese or the crust was too thick or it was too thin. It wasn’t the same way twice. I took a few weeks off in hopes that they were having a bad patch. So a few days ago I went in again. There were new faces. Not as friendly as before, and when I returned home, the pizza wasn’t that great. Again, not the same as the first time I went in.

Inconsistent is all I can say about the place now. So, will I go back? I’m not sure. There’s something to be said about a franchise pizza. It’s not the best, but at least I always know what to expect. I get the same product each and every time. And that is a big part of good customer service.



Everyone is talking. Is anyone listening?

In no other time in history have we as individuals had the power to quickly, easily and for little or no cost reach millions of other people. With a few keystrokes or mouse clicks we can share with the world our thoughts, opinions, dreams and complaints. We can express ourselves artistically and experiment with our creativity.

This ability is fantastic. I myself have taken advantage of these opportunities and continually write articles such as this one or create video logs to express my thoughts, opinions and expert knowledge. Now don’t get me wrong. My efforts are not purely for a creative outlet. I have something to sell. Not a product, but services. If enough people find my articles interesting and informative then maybe they’ll think of me the next time they need help in my areas of expertise.

I find that a great deal of people are doing just as I am; sharing their thoughts, ideas and expertise with the intent of letting others know more about themselves and ultimately about their professional services. With all this sharing going on, I question sometimes if others are getting the messages.

In other words, is anyone listening? Those of us who are blogging and vlogging can spend a great amount of time doing so. With the time it takes to put out a quality product (I do consider our work products) does anyone one have much time left over to read or watch other people’s work?

Not as much as we’d like, but hopefully enough that we achieve the desired result. If you’re not doing so already, do set aside some time just to read and view what others are doing. Appreciate the time and effort they put into it. I’m sure you’ll come away with something valuable. If not knowledge, I’m sure you’ll be entertained.



Sex Sells. But what is it selling?

After spending some time browsing some popular social sites such as MySpace and YouTube, it’s ever more apparent to me that sex sells. What it sells isn’t always clear, but what is clear is that no matter what you’re selling or promoting, if you have an element of sex or the hint of sex, you’re going to generate interest. Now I’m not talking sexual acts, it’s more about sexuality and the lure.

Now I don’t know if this works the same for women as it does for men. As a man, I’m going to focus on my perspective. A picture or a video of a half naked man isn’t going to draw me to look at something. If anything it might actually prevent me from looking. However, you make that a half naked woman, and, I’m interested. It’s just like driving by a car accident. You hope that nobody’s hurt, but you just have to look.

As someone who needs to promote services that have nothing to do with sex or porn or anything like it, how do you get the same level of interest in your product or service as those with a sexual element? Is it possible? Do you need to incorporate some sort of sex teaser? I’ve noticed that any photo or video that has anything to do with nudity or near nudity gets about ten times the views as everything else.

I know that humor is a distant second and then there’s everything else. Either way it’s difficult. For example, I have a website that is a C2B referral source. There’s nothing much sexy about it. There’s nothing too humorous either. It’s just a resource for helping people locate the best locally owned and operated businesses. I continually promote the site, but I feel that my efforts don’t yield as high a return as I might like.

So what am I to do? Should I always include photos of barely dressed women in my ads just so I can get people to look? Should I include teaser lines that hint that a video is about sex so people will watch? Here’s the dilemma. If I start adding a sexual element to my marketing and people start watching more, will it ultimately work against me because now my business doesn’t have the same legitimacy? Will I have offended others who don’t want to be exposed to that subject matter?

It’s a tough call when as a marketer you want to get as many eyes as possible on your product or service. I’ll think about it some more. I may even experiment with some bikini babes in my ads. I’ll let you know how it works out. Oh, by the way. If you’re interested in finding the best locally owned and operated businesses, visit our local business guide.



Locals Only

Whenever I can, I try to frequent locally owned and operated businesses. To be even more specific, non-franchised businesses. You're now asking "why?" Before I get into that, I will say that I believe that chains, franchises and large corporate owned businesses have their place in our consumerist society. However, how did most all of the big companies start? That's right. They started as small, locally owned and operated businesses.

If the big businesses (a most typically we're talking about eating establishments) started out as local places, then what's the problem with frequenting them? There is no problem per se; it's more about supporting local business owners while at the same time ensuring we have a continual stream of new choices. Additionally, when you're traveling, it's a great idea to find the best local spots.

I know that going to a chain or franchise can be comforting. You know what you're going to get. That's fine, but can you really get a feel for a city or town from eating at the same place you do when you're at home? No, it's the same old same old. I know that the people there are locals, but you really get a flavor for a town (no pun intended) when eating at a great locally owned and operated business.

Once in a while (and it is very infrequently) these businesses grow up, and expand and ultimately become large corporations with stores or offices or restaurants around the country. Or they franchise and also become national or international brands. And that's great. But if we're going to have the next Wal-Mart or Wendy's or Re/Max, we need to support Marty's Mart or Bob's Burgers or Rose Real Estate, etc.

So, the next time you're thinking of where to eat, or considering buying a toaster, if there's a locally owned and operated business in your area that you can patronize, please do. If you're having a tough time locating the best locally owned and operated businesses in your area, or if you know of some great places you can recommend to others, please visit our local business guide.



"We Don't Take Reservations"

This is a pretty common statement from most of the national restaurant chains; "We don't take reservations." That's fine. But they do have "Call ahead seating." Wow, talk about the best of both worlds. They don't have to hold a table for a few minutes to satisfy a reservation commitment, but they do get the luxury of knowing that a party will be there at a particular time.

What a great system for the restaurant. What a lousy system for the consumer. Don't you just love it, even if you have called in or ahead or whatever they're calling it. You arrive. You receive your pager and you wait around for twenty, thirty... forty minutes. I don't think so.

Here's our problem. Consumers in mass accept such policies. It won't be until we say "No, thank you" that this type of service will stop. I don't know about you, but I value my time. There is no way that eating some sort of fancy deep fried onion is worth waiting around for forty minutes (just to be seated) when I can just go somewhere else.

You've all heard the saying "Just say no." That's what I'm asking you to do. Just say "no." Okay, just say "no thank you." National chains and franchises certainly have a place in the market and do deserve some of our business. However, this type for lack of respect for our time (and our money) should not be tolerated.

I suggest we all boycott this type of practice and start frequenting some of the great locally owned and operated establishments we all have in our respective towns. Oh, and most of them do take reservations. If we all band together on this cause, there will be better balance in the restaurant universe and the practice will stop.

If not, by all means, that's your choice. I, on the other hand will be over at the local joint enjoying my hamburger, steak, sandwich, whatever, while you're sitting out in the parking lot waiting to be seated!



A Few Insights on Web Design

Maybe it's just me, but I doubt it. I go to some, okay, most websites and they are so busy and poorly laid out that I just get lost in all the text and graphics. And I'm not even getting into how the site navigates. Was there some class in web design school that said white space is bad?

Let it be known, I'm not formally trained in web design. And I don't consider myself a web designer. I would consider myself a web developer. I build sites in basic html. I have built quite a few sites for myself and for others. I have also viewed tens of thousands of other people's sites. It is from these experiences as both a designer/developer and a consumer/user perspective that I have come to find most sites missing the mark.

Now I'm not trying to be overly critical, but there are a few key elements where I think most sites could be better. I'm assuming that most people or businesses with a web site would like it to be effective.

First, what the heck is the site about? What are you selling? What are you trying to communicate? What is your message? What do you stand for/against? If I can't figure out what it's all about in a few seconds, I move on.

Second, back to the whole idea of white space. And this does tie into the first point. If there's so much verbiage and so many graphics that I can't focus on one area. How long is it going to take me to figure out what the heck the site is about? I'm not here to read a novel, just get the information and get out. Again, if I can't figure out what it's all about in a few seconds, I move on.

Third, how long does it take for your site to load? I'm all for nice graphics and a professional looking site. However, I have a high speed broadband connection and it takes 30 seconds or more for some sites to load. That's way too long. If your graphics are in the way of site function, then maybe they need to be rethought. And again, as stated in the first and second points, if I can't figure out what it's all about, or even view the site within a few seconds, I move on.

Now with all this moving on, is the site as effective as it could or should be? You tell me.



Should you give a Refund?

As some of you already know, I'm really picky about pizza. Yes, pizza. Although I've lived in Colorado most of my life, I was born in Northern New Jersey and there must be some sort of genetic code that makes me a pizza snob. Anyway, for the longest time it was a struggle to get what I would consider "real" pizza here in Colorado Springs.

The past few years we've been very fortunate to now have a few really good restaurants that serve authentic, New York style pizza: Large, thin but chewy crust, lots of cheese. Mmmm. Last week I ordered a pie (that's what we call it) at my favorite place, Brooklyn Kitchen. I called in my order for pick-up and was told it would be thirty minutes. I arrive about thirty-five minutes later and my pizza is not ready. They're having a problem with their oven.

Now I want to be sure this is clearly understood. This is not a complaint about this business. I believe they treated me well. They treated me fairly. And they provided me with good customer service. This is merely my opinion of how I might advise them to do something slightly different in similar situations in the future.

So, back to my story. They're having a problem with their oven and they're going to re-make my order. Yes, this is an inconvenience, as I know I now have to wait for another twenty to thirty minutes, but I can certainly appreciate them wanting to get their product right. This is respectable and a good thing. Also, they recognized my imposition and refunded my money. Free pizza! Yeah.

This is where I have a difference of opinion, from a business perspective. I believe they should have kept my money, but given me a coupon for a free pizza on a future visit. This would have accomplished mainly two things. One, I would have been just as satisfied as I still received a free pizza. But more importantly, for the business, it would have meant that in order to receive my free benefit I would have to come back again. This would enable them to provide me with a better experience the next time.

Now I know that this was an isolated incident with this business, and they did well by me. However, things like this happen from time to time. If I were a different person, or had not ordered from them before, I might just take my free pizza that night and still never come back. Again, if you give the same value for the item on a future visit, you as a business have the opportunity to still gain them as a long-time and loyal customer.

If you have an opinion, please let me know. However, I still don't think I'd change my mind! To find and reward locally owned and operated businesses throughout the US that do provide great customer service, visit our local business guide.



So what the heck is Customer Service? Not this.

You see and hear it everywhere it seems. We're the best because we really care about our customers and we provide great customer service. So if every business out there offers great customer service, then why does it seem that we as consumers are getting worse service all the time? So, the question is not only what is customer service, but what is good customer service?

To help illustrate what we all go through every day, I'm going to share with you a story about a recent experience I had with a franchisee of a company we're all familiar with, McDonald's. On this particular evening I went to the drive-thru and ordered the following: Two double cheeseburger's with no onions. A quarter pounder with cheese, hold the slivered onions, but add the minced onions. A small order of fries. A few minutes later I was making the seven minute drive back to my home. No, I did not fully check the order before driving off. I did look into the bag to make sure the count was right. When I was taking the order out of the bag, I noticed the fries cold and limp. The double cheeseburger's not only had the minced onions, but slivered onions too. And finally my quarter pounder with cheese (that by the way I was craving all day) did not have minced onions but what seemed to be twice the normal amount of slivered onions!

Now you're probably thinking a couple of things. One, you should have checked the order before you left and two, just scrape off the onions and live with it. Yes, you're probably right, but I wasn't going to open every burger and check the condiments right there in the drive-thru lane, and heck, my fries were not only cold, but limp too! And you wouldn't be getting this valuable lesson on customer service and what not to do.

At this point I call the restaurant and talk to the "Assitant Manager." He tells me to bring it on back and they'll re-make the order. About seven minutes later I'm back at McDonald's and I show the "Assistant Manager" my recept which clearly states my order. He is going to take care of re-making this himself. About five minutes later, the order is ready. It's all bagged nicely and ready to go, no, I did not open every burger to check the condiments, but I did make the point of specifically ask the "Assistant Manager" and he assured me that everything was correct. This err in judgement may come back to haunt me.

I know this story is a little long, but it will payoff in the end. So, I make the seven minute drive back to my home. I start taking everything out of the bag; The fries are warm and crisp. The double cheeseburgers do not have onions. The quarter pounder with cheese... has the freakin' slivered onions!

Yes, yes, I know. Just scrape them off. It's not that big of a deal. It's a principle thing for me now. I call the restaurant and speak with another "Assistant Manager" as the person I was originally dealing with has left for the evening. I explain everything I have been through, and quite calmly I might add. His response; "Bring it back and we'll re-make the order."

Hmmm. I think I've already done that. I let this person know that I've already been back. I'm not going to do that again. "Well then, what do you want sir?" I'd like to get what I ordered, twice now I might add. "If you bring it in, we'll re-make it for you..." I'm not driving back there. "Then I can't help you..."

This is the perfect example of the seemingly indifferent and poor level of customer service we all receive each and every day. Now I'm not one to cut off his own nose to spite his own face. And, having small children would make it nearly impossible to forever avoid going there. So, I will continue to go to McDonald's, just not that one. That's right my own little revolt. It may seem meaningless and trivial, but, if we all started boycotting those businesses that didn't treat us right and rewarding those who do with our business, I believe we'd all be the better for it.

Now, I have never worked at a fast food restaurant so I don't know exactly what those people deal with. But what I do know is what makes for good customer service. What could and should have been done differently in this situation? Both people I dealt with should have kept in mind the adage; It's cheaper to keep a customer than to attract a new one. That being said, when I called the first time, I should have been offered the choice of returning to have my order re-done, or been offered a credit for the same meal another time. (No, they should not have offered my money back. I'll get more into that in a later post.) Additionally, when I did choose to have my order re-made, I should have been given a coupon or credit or some item of value as a gesture of their remorse.

Remorse. Did you say remorse? Yes I did. Not in the dramatic sense when you've lost someone, but with the idea that they can empathize with what you've experienced. Now I can't fully blame the people I dealt with directly. Yes, they should take more care and pride in what they're doing. However, most of the blame lies with their management. Every organization should have systems, processes and procedures for dealing with situations just like this. It would be naive to think that every business can operate flawlessly. People are fallible and mistakes are going to happen. How you handle those mistakes determines the quality of your customer service.