Nice post Dave,

It's an age-old cliche, don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle.

I don't recall who said it but it rings with truth. People don't buy into "needs", they want their problems solved.
So on that bases Dave, we're definitely on the same page.

Listen to your friends and help them the best way you can.

What do you think?... do I get the gold star : (

Cordially
Dedo

In answer, to your title;

Because I am a good guy and will make you lots of money.

On the serious note, I happened to be in a rust belt town, shops for lease or having closing down sales.

Talked to the shoe shop lady, her beef was that folks, would come in try on shoes, not buy, then leave, only to buy online.

An intergenerational business closing down.

Retail that hasn't made the shift to that hybrid offline/online model; times are tough.

I would take your suggestions one step further, anyone in business needs to be thinking in original terms.

The days of opening a shop, creating in the online space and folks beating a path to your door are long gone.

We need to become brandable if we ate not already.

Great post and insights Dave.

Alex

Hey Dave,

Great post!

I think that if you can relate to your audience on a personal level you are surely going to steal their business from the mighty giant branded businesses. Prior to the technology burst of the 2000s brand name was everything, proven by the many mom and pop establishments that have faded off into the sunset.

However, now that most of these major branded corporations no longer have the customer’s needs as their main profit margin guidelines and are geared more toward cutting costs at all expenses in customer relations. I think, the tides are beginning to shift back to the small entrepreneur that gives their customers that personal touch that so many customers love and appreciate so dearly.

By setting yourself apart from the big brands and distinguishing that you deal only on a person to person or personal level; sets all online business owners aside from the big brands as they slowly are losing the personal touch with their customers. Most online shoppers are now looking for your personal opinion of how a product works and performs under real-life situations and not so much as what all it can or cannot do based on a sales pitch.

Along with technology advancements, the consumer has gotten wise to those flashy advertisements and the brand’s hype on its own products. Now when a manufacture says it the best on the market the consumer has the opportunity to seek personal opinions from people that have actually used or tried the product (first-hand results and opinions).

Since the online consumer no longer has the chance to put the product in their hands prior to buying it, they rely more on product reviews to base their product selection on, or more personalized services provided by the smaller business owners than that provided by the big brand name corporations

Kindness and caring of our website visitors are what can make a difference to our success and future as online marketers.

Onward and Upward,

Calvin

Well stated Dave. Blogging here on WA has given me a great place to show my personality and connect with people. Taking that same approach to my website is a small step. I know that as I increase traffic and start getting noticed for what I can do for others, will result in conversions.

Thanks for bringing out this crucial point.

Cheers.

Edwin

We often have just one chance to sell something to a drive-by reader. If someone wants to buy something they generally go to a store, not a random website. We need to introduce something and convince the visitor to buy it now. Otherwise, they aren't coming back, usually. They'll remember the product and buy it elsewhere.