Just when I was starting to give up on Customer Service departments everywhere (post a very negative experience with Ryanair… again), a glimmer, nei a bright ray of hope shone through…
And before I get too poetic for my own good, here's what happened;
A month and a half ago I sent a heart pendant necklace to my 11 year old niece for her birthday. I used Amazon, as my niece lives in Bulgaria, and Amazon seems to be the most reliable and the one with most product variety. Well, after a lot of waiting, and multiple trips to the post office, we finally decided that the gift has got lost in the system. And last night I decided to contact Amazon.co.uk to see what they can do. Saying that, I wasn't hoping for much to be honest – I just had to check with them before deciding to get my niece something else…
I was astonished – within 30 minutes, I had a personalised reply (not a machine generated cookie-cutter response that some other big companies like to send) telling me that they are sorry for the inconvenience and would I like to re-send the present. That was followed by a set of really simple options and instructions…
As a marketer I know that Amazon is one of the most avid examples of a great business. I often study their marketing tactics to gleam into the genius of simplicity. They always streamline and optimise their processes and how they display data to help their users.
It's just so pleasing to see that they have the customers really at the upfront of their goals. It goes to show really, that when you take care of your customers, they take care of you…
Thanks Amazon for giving me hope that somewhere in that commercial internet thing we so love, there is a company that cares… aaahhhh…
There are many reviews of the book on Amazon.com – some bad, mostly very good. As it is with everything, you'll need to make up your own mind about the information you find within.
For me however, this book has been one of the best and most useful books I have ever read – and I read a lot… It has thought me that having a good diet and a good exercise routine, can still fail to produce the mental state you crave.
I have always been intrigued by the human mind, and body. I spend a lot of my time researching, experimenting and learning new ways to help me live better, be more alert, be physically fit and mentally astute – I like that and it makes me feel happy.
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With winter creeping in and the festive season swiftly approaching (not to mention the doom and gloom of the economic downturn) it is hard, and will get harder, to keep up your motivation and keep persevering with that important 'project'.
So to try and help you and myself through any wavering of will power, I wanted to give my top 10 strategies for staying motivated and focused on the things that are important to us.
1. Keep re-evaluating your reasons.
Don't be afraid to change the reasons for sticking with a 'project'. We all evolve, especially if we're pushing the boundaries, and learning new things. So your reasons for staying in the 'flow' may evolve. Change your motivating factors if you need to…
2. Be clear on what you want.
Yes, have a clear picture of what it is that you want to get out of this. If it is a one-off project, have a clear deliverable at the end of it. If it is an ongoing thing (like to keep fit), then create milestones at consistent intervals, to allow you to measure your success.
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I just had do a quick post on this… The Squirrels have done it again!!
OK, enough mystery already. My friends the Conversion Rate Experts have released their new report. It's been in the making for some time now and after their previous report – "101 Google Website Optimizer Tips" we were all waiting with a certain amount of excitement.
I was actually thinking that as little as a year and a half ago, there were just a small number of tools that could help you understand what your online visitors were doing on your site. It was very much the case of "do-what-you-can-with-what-you're-given", and understanding visitor behaviour was restricted to web analytics, and between page behaviour tracking.
Now there are stacks of tools that can tell you pretty much everything about your website visitors – including what sandwich they were eating while browsing… (ok, that was an exaggeration). But I can promise you that some of what these tools track will be considered pretty invasive by some people.
Anyway, I am waffling on…
The reason I am posting this, is because the Conversion Rate Experts have published a comprehensive report on 14 pretty neat tools that are not only FREE, but they will allow you to almost completely get into your visitor's mind.
What's even more valuable about this list, is the fact that the guys have included their very valuable (and usually very expensive) expertise in evaluating the usefulness of each of the 14 tools, and some tips on how to get the best out of them.
Here is the link to the report – go get it – you'll be very glad you did!!!
"14 free tools that reveal why people abandon your website"
Anita
P.S. May I just add that I love Mr. Squirrel's new Bling…
OK, so at least I am consistent… with not posting on my blog often enough, that is.
But I have recently read a few great post about my blog and my person (interestingly enough, & very flattering :o) ), and that has inspired me to start voicing my opinions a bit more often than once in a blue moon…
I guess, most of my silence is due to a certain amount of confusion on my part. Yes, I'm not afraid to admit it… for a little while I have actually been "too original". What I mean is that, between being branded the "PPC Queen", leaving my 9 to 5, and starting up a few new business ventures (some more successful than others), I have had to learn a lot of new skills and relinquish some old ones – making me feel a bit like a "jack of all trades".
I am pretty sure that this is the case for a lot of online marketers. You start out all enthusiastic – million and one ideas in your head – and then you start learning every skill under the sun to cover all the stuff you want to accomplish! Pretty soon you have no idea what your specialty is anymore (are you Arthur or Martha – LOLLOLOL?).
Except that with me that's always been the case – even before I decided to work for myself… I could never settle for knowing just one trade…
So here it is — I specialise in EVERYTHING!
I've always been interested in learning more, in understanding how things work, and how they fit together. Why things work the way they do, and what things work best with what other things… See – we're a special breed ;o)
Don't get me wrong, I understand that a specialist, when you need a specific job done, is your best bet – as Seth Godin says in his post – We specialize in everything. And thanks, Seth for starting this important internal dialogue…
But a lot of the times, when you're just starting out on a project – or a concept – you need a generalist to look at the bigger picture and give you directions. I believe, without generalists, specialist will have a very tough time.
The bottom line? Is that it's taken me a while to understand that being able to see all sides of one story, can be just as valuable as specialising in one thing. Without any disrespect to specialists (actually I admire their commitment to one topic…), I am proud to be a good generalist, and good generalists are needed, and have a special value in the chain of events.
OK, with that royal "pat on the my own back", I wanted to say, that I am back!
And will resume my post at the throne of general business, marketing and human behavioural patterns discussions. I may mix in a few rants on fitness, health, nutrition and looking after one's temple (one's body) – because that's what I'm passionate about – and after all without passion there's no opinion…
Watch this space ;o)
