| Just the other day I was very pleasantly surprised | | | | one simple sentence: |
| when an old friend of mine from whom I haven't | | | | Do not tell your customers what they need. Ask |
| heard since over a year called me. After the usual | | | | them. |
| "how's the weather over there?" talking I quickly | | | | That's a simple formula. It's easy and logical and |
| found myself engaged in an excited discussion about | | | | everyone can try it. You will be amazed about the |
| web design. After half an hour of conversation | | | | results. |
| where we were talking about a lot of technical stuff | | | | Of course, in order to practically apply this formula it |
| I remembered how we started this conversation and | | | | would need much deeper exploration, but that's not |
| BANG, it hit me. Why? | | | | necessary at the moment. Before we go into details |
| My friend actually started this conversation by asking | | | | we have to understand the basics and the basic |
| me about my work as an ecommerce and web | | | | point here is that this mindset and ONLY this mindset |
| marketing consultant! So how did we end up talking | | | | is the key to a successful net marketing business. |
| about web design and programming? Well, when I | | | | If you don't develop this mindset of putting your |
| answered him he only picked out what he found | | | | customers first you can be a complete laymen or the |
| important and what he could understand. And | | | | most sophisticated search engine optimisation expert, |
| unfortunately the only thing he finds important is web | | | | but you will NEVER succeed. If you want a |
| design and programming! | | | | successful marketing business you need happy |
| Like myself my friend is a trained web designer and | | | | customers and the only way to make them happy is |
| network administrator and we both worked already | | | | by first understanding and then fulfilling their needs. |
| for a bunch of people and companies creating | | | | Like my friend, most of nowadays "web experts" |
| websites and like me he recently started his own | | | | focus on technical issues, programming and web |
| web design company. The only difference between | | | | design because THEY like it. But they don't |
| us is that he still belongs to the 90 percent of people | | | | understand what their customers are looking for. |
| who have no success on the web while I belong to | | | | Their customers aren't looking for java, flash |
| the 10 percent who are earning big money. So how | | | | animations, changing images etc. They are looking for |
| does it come that some people are so incredible | | | | high quality information! I repeat: For... |
| successful, while others are not even earning enough | | | | ...first class high quality information. |
| to pay their web host? | | | | Therefore: Like in every other part of economy find |
| It's all about the mindset. | | | | out what people need. Do a great market research |
| Ask 90 percent of all so called web professionals | | | | discover a suitable niche for yourself and focus on |
| what you have to do to build a successful web | | | | delivering high quality information to your interested |
| business and they will tell you all the same: It's all | | | | visitors. And once they see that you understand their |
| about Web programming, web design and web | | | | needs, they will build confidence in you and will be |
| programming again. Their eyes start sparkling when all | | | | happy to buy your products, cause they know that |
| this funny words start flushing out of their mouths | | | | your products are as great as the information you |
| and they tell you for hours all about the things you | | | | provide. |
| can do with java and javascript, php, flash | | | | We all have the same possibilities. You have the |
| animations, perl, cgi and whatsoever. | | | | same possibilities as I have and I have the same |
| To be true. I can understand their enthusiasm about | | | | possibilities as my friend, but although the internet |
| all this fancy technical stuff because I really love it | | | | contains the same success potential for everyone |
| myself, but hey, I did not ask about technical | | | | not everyone uses it. |
| possibilities. No one answered my question yet. They | | | | It's your choice. You can choose, if you want to use |
| just got excited by all that technical stuff. What I | | | | it and be part of the 10 percent successful people or |
| asked was: | | | | if you want to ignore it and stay in the gulch of |
| How can I build a successful web business? | | | | failure. |
| And the shocking truth is: The answer is so simple | | | | You decide. |
| that 90 percent of all the people don't get it. It's just | | | | |