' WEBSITE101: READING LIST
Reaching Great Minds Online
January 31, 2000 Issue #30
Mike Valentine, Editor, learn@website101.com
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By subscription only Welcome to the January 31, 2000 issue
"WEBSITE101: READING LIST".
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Sponsor Ad: INTERNET BOOT CAMP!
=> Feature article: Research or Die!
=> Our Guest Column: You Never Called!
=> HOT TIP! Doing Well While Doing Good
=> Classifieds
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information
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RESEARCH OR DIE!
by Mike Banks Valentine
What if you had a rare disease that was unknown to most doctors?
Would you visit your family physician and accept his diagnosis
of
"There's nothing we can do for you. You'll be dead in 6 months."
Of course not! Most of us would do everything we could to research
the disease and search for another doctor at a teaching hospital
or
someone who has done specialized research themselves. Unless you
were finished with living and wanted to die, you'd gather more
infor-
mation and look for a solution!
This is exactly where most online small businesses are! The vast
majority of new small businesses online will fail in their first
year
because they don't use their full energy and resources to find
a way
to save the life of their wilting business! Even with those well-known
statistics looming over them, successful online entrepreneurs
have
found ways to fill a market need on the web over and over again
in
the last two years or so.
I'm reminded of a movie called "Lorenzo's Oil" with
Nick Nolte and
Susan Sarandon as the parents of a dying boy with a degenerative
disease. The doctors said that Lorenzo would die and Nolte would
have nothing to do with that prognosis. He spent his every moment
reading, researching and bringing together every far-flung resource
to find connections that had been missed by everyone else to save
his son.
As part of a group that has been predicted to fail and die, the
best
measure of the successful online entrepreneur is tenacity and
passion! How badly do you want to succeed on the web? There are
dozens of ways to make it happen and most have been explored by
those who have already succeeded! Sometimes though, we can choose
a new path, find a new resource, create a new market niche.
Another example of tenacity and creativity for this metaphor is
Norman Cousins. He was diagnosed as terminal with another rare
degenerative disease and was told to prepare to die. He decided
not
to accept that gloomy prediction and instead chose to live. He
wrote
in his book, "The Anatomy of an Illness" that after
he cured himself
with laughter and joy and became one of the first Americans to
explore the Mind/Body connection, that he must not have had the
disease after all. If he had it, they said, he would have died!
As an online entrepreneur, you are among a group that has been
told to prepare for your business to die! How much do you want
to
have a successful online business? Gather your resources, use
the
web itself to research and explore new ways to succeed and find
a
way to do it!
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************ HOT TIP! ************
Want to Do Well While Doing Good?
This week we discovered a great service to include
on your site so you can contribute to a worthy cause
by placing an HTML fragment which allows visitors at
your site to donate right from your home page!
The current sponsored fund is for Carol Guscott
a woman that was violently attacked by two men.
You can make a difference in her life by
placing a small banner on your site. Take a look:
http://www.clickshot.com/pledgelet/
************ HOT TIP! ************
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EMAIL FROM A DELIGHTED EX-CUSTOMER
by Joe Robson
Hi,
I think you will remember me. About 12 months ago I
visited your beautiful Website, and bought Book 1 of the
series called 'How To Persuade Your Customers To Buy From
You For Life And Even Longer'.
It was excellent.
In fact I was so pleased that I decided to thank you, and to
compliment you on your excellent customer service.
But you know how it is. I never quite seemed to get round to
it. Never mind, I thought, those nice people are bound to
send me a Thankyou email. I'll hit reply and do it then.
But you never called!
After about a month I was beginning to feel confident about
progressing to Book 2. But I wasn't absolutely sure if I was
ready. I don't really like admitting this, but I think I
needed a little 'push' from someone. To be honest I think I
was secretly hoping you would contact me.
But you never called!
I felt a little silly at first, but your book said that most
people need reassurance before making a purchase. They call
it human nature.
The book also said that a professional Website builds
reassurance into it's Sales Copy. Well I certainly felt
reassured when I bought from you. So I suppose it was there
somewhere. All I know is that your Website made me feel like
I could trust you.
Anyway, about 2 months later I made up my mind that I would
definitely buy book 2. But then a funny thing happened.
While I was trying to find your URL a little voice in my
mind began to question your professionalism. Isn't that
silly? After all, a company with such a beautiful Website
like yours MUST be professional.
And then it hit me!
OF COURSE. You hadn't got in touch because you didn't want
to seem too pushy! The book said that lots of people are
like that. So I left my order just a little longer.
But you still never called!
Then one day I stumbled across a Website that was selling
Book 2. I was surprised because I thought I could only buy
it from you.
It was a super site and very professional, and that's
something I always look for in a business. But you'll
never guess what happened.
I'm ashamed to say, that on the spur of the moment I bought
Book 2. Sorry, but I was thinking of buying it anyway and I
just couldn't help myself.
It turned out to be a really brilliant book. And I made up
my mind to email them with my thanks. But you know how it
is. I never seemed to get round to it.
Then they called!
It was a really nice email thanking me for my business. I
was absolutely thrilled they had taken the time to send
it. It was from a terribly nice European chap called Otto
Responder. His grammar was excellent but seemed to lack that,
you know, personal touch. It was probably his accent. But it
was still kind of him don't you think?
So I replied immediately and later they put my email on
their Website as a Testimonial. You have no idea how pleased
I was when they asked for my permission. Mind you I was a
little disappointed that Otto never asked me. He seemed like
such a gentleman. And so prompt!
Any way, they were so pleased with the extra business they
made because of my Testimonial, that Otto emailed me to say
I was now a Privileged Customer, and as such I qualified for
a discount on Book 3. And if I bought Books 3 and 4 together
I would receive an even bigger discount.
Imagine ME, a privileged customer. I was so proud!
Then they called!
It was Otto Responder again and he reminded me that such a
big discount on Books 3 and 4 could only be given if I
purchased within 7 days. So naturally I grabbed the chance
while I still had time. Well, wouldn't you? And it's always
such a pleasure to deal with real professionals. Don't you
think?
I'm on Book 573 now.
And do you know they STILL call me! Isn't that nice?
But you know, even though I'm delighted with Otto's service,
I do sometimes feel a little twinge of guilt. After all I
bought Book 1 from you. And like it says in the book,
customers are usually pretty loyal.
So I hope you're not too displeased with me. But you are
such a professional company I'm sure you are only too happy
that I'm being well looked after. And I know you will
believe me when I say I really did intend to buy from you.
But you see ......
You never called!
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Article by Joe Robson whose popular Website at
http://www.adcopywriting.com is bulging with Free
Copywriting Tutorials on Web writing, Sales letters,
Brochures, Off-line Advertising and the rest. Subscribe to
his Free 'Copywriters' Digest' Newsletter by sending a blank
email to; mailto:copywritersdigest-subscribe@topica.com
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Copyright © 2000 Mike Valentine
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-------------------WebSite101: Reading List-------------------
ISSN: 1527-5094
Mike Valentine
WebSite 101
learn@website101.com
