Remember the late 90s TV commercial where a group of employees are standing around a computer, turn on their e-commerce web site for the first time and orders immediately start to pour in? So many in fact they don’t know how they are going to fulfill all those orders. That ad was probably one of the most effective yet destructive ads ever produced. It was a destructive ad because it permanently convinced the American public that Internet commerce was immediate and infinite. Most believe even today that every online market is endless, and that the only limitation is technology itself (i.e. How do we trick Google). Over 10 years later I continue to be amazed at the number of customers who come to me with that notion.
The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” Patience and understanding is what I preach to my customers. Patience because sustained online success takes time – Understanding because there are very concrete steps one should take to be successful online.
Does this sound familiar? “I don’t know what happened. I hired a web firm(s) to build my site, but once they were done I never saw any online business.” We hear this one a lot. Truth of the matter is that companies usually have some form of online success (usually increased traffic) shortly after they launch their new site but are completely unaware of it, lose patience, and give up their effort.