Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Brian, thank you for the link. It will be good reading. Its refreshing to see that we finally got through all the muck ... and down to the nitty-gritty of my original post.

Did I set folks up? I might have. Was it the best way to acheive my goal ... of getting folks to think outside the box? Maybe not. Did we finally get back on track ... and focus on "whats at stake" with a website? I believe so.

Thank you SUN for getting involved in this discussion.

TJG,

    In my experience, it`s often hard to get (negative) criticism from friends-- never mind from strangers.  When I think of "what`s at stake" with this community and forum, I think that the next time someone puts up a post for *free* evaluation, it would be a shame if a potential contributor hesitates --even for a second-- because of a thought that someone was going to pooh-pooh their sincere advice..... especially non-professionals just contributing to the team spirit of helping other fledgling startups who may not be able to afford professional advice.

   Your point that a `pretty site is not everything` is more than valid-- I`ll give you full points for that one; however, the style judge on my panel is furrowing her brow, thinking that it would have been so easy for you to have made the same point in a much smoother, more encouraging manner.

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Great post, Brian -------- GO OILERS!!

Well thank you for the observation and comment. However, I think we might differ on a few points.

I can appreciate the fact that we might have some non-professionals here that might simply be lurkers. Some of my best ideas have come from "lurking", however the post was mainly directed at a few that have consistantly touted themselves as "professionals". I simply challenged them to dig deep ... rather than simply look at the "appearance" of things. It was never meant to ridicule, chastise, or demean anyone`s efforts. However, if we are all going to simply sit around the camp fire, holding hands and sing "Kumbaia" ... then we truly will never challenge each other to rise to great heights.

Sometimes it takes thinking outside the box to find new and innovative ways of doing things. I recall Thomas Edison being asked about his 2000 failures regarding the light bulb. His response was classic. He simply replied that he did not fail 2000 times ... he learned 2000 times how not to make a light bulb.

Each of us can learn for others mistakes, and also our own mistakes and goof-ups. If we become soooo sensative ... thinking that others will make fun of us if we screw up ... than we may not have what it takes to truly succeed. Remember, "Real Lions don`t need to Roar ... they already know they are the King of the Jungle". Its that inner confidence that makes a winner.

But thank you for the constructive criticism. It is greatly appreciated and welcomed.

Hey TJG,

I told you that I would do research on treasureislandpearls.com when I found a little time on my hands. I did a web search under the keywords: beads, pearls, and fresh water pearls. Can you send me a list of keywords that you may have at hand to see which keywords you are using that your friends comes up in the first 10 pages? Here is the real scoop on search engines and if there are any programmers out there that understand how a search engine query works back me up on this one please. here is how a search engine works, you have 3 ways of doing a search: an exclusive search, a random search, and an "OR" search. an exclusive search is when you type in the name of the company or anything that is parallel to that search. The random search is when you type in any word and you get a list of your high bidders for that specific keyword, and the "OR search is when you ask the search engine to search for either or, example: perals or beads, try it type in pearls or beads on your search engine, then try all three other methods. Here is where everyone falls short. not knowing how search engines really work and what to expect when choosing the right keywords for your business. Although I was lucky to find your friend under one search she still fell short on the other categories, perhaps she needs to add a few more keywords to her web site. Other than that my friend it was a pleasure talking to you, but I think someone that has hit the six figure margin on sales can afford a better looking web site, that is just my opinion. Remember, if she gets 35,000 hit a month and has generated a 6 six-figure income she can afford a new look, perhaps she can have the other 65% just follow along, not to mention the Mac Users, Safari, Netscape and Mozilla population too. How does the web site behave in Mozilla do you have any knowledge of that? Write  back, or let`s chat again it was nice to hear a voice from SUN. 

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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

Hey TJG,

     When I read your posts, I was reminded of a gentleman who came into my office in China a few years ago-- I was doing a `placement interview`, trying to decide which kind of English class would suit him and, after we finished, I would also give him some general advice on his English study (a free service for prospective students).

     All through the interview, something `wasn`t quite right` about our conversation--He would say that he didn`t understand-- spoke very little English, but arrogantly spoke Chinese `at` me, assuming I didn`t understand---- his gestures all showed that he could converse with me, but wouldn`t---- our conversation was unnaturally stilted.

     In the end, he `revealed` that he was, in fact, an English literature teacher at the local college, and spoke quite masterful English, as well as Russian, and then started giving me advice on my interviewing style (that he had sabotaged)-- `testing` my Chinese and questioning whether our school would be a good place for his grand-daughter to study..... The whole situation was ridiculous and I couldn`t help but think that we could have had a great conversation if he would have just been up front about what his needs were-- why go through all the games?  His behaviour didn`t seem very becoming of a college-level educator.

    back to your point---I understand what you`re saying about pushing each other to greater heights;  I really agree with you--- but I don`t think there`s anything super fluffy about stating your needs in a clear and frank manner---- how about:

    "Hey guys--- great advice for beginners, but my friend has a bit of a different situation.  Her site is proof that a site doesn`t need to be well designed to be profitable, but what kind of advice would you give to a reasonably successful website owner who is looking to take her site to a new level--- any thoughts on design/tag tips?".

    Your counter posts, sounded like someone getting off the elevator after an unsuccessful elevator-pitch with Jeff and Rich and saying "HA--- you guys think you`re such big-shots--- you don`t even know a good business when you see it!  I didn`t tell you, but this site is ALREADY making money---- so NOW what do you say?"

     Anyway--- I`m not trying to make trouble-- I think I said what I want to say--- last word is yours if you want it.  Your site "gotruckstop.com" is pretty cool!  My friend makes some trucking accessories in Canada, I told him to go and check out your site.

Brian hit this nail on the head with this statement. I don` t know how TIP is doing well but I have to say that it is definitely in spite of the website. Stephanie must be doing a huge amount of behind the scenes work to overcome her ugly website. There I said it...it`s ugly. I won`t go into the details as it has already been done.

IF I were a pearl buyer I would probably be thinking  "they are probably giving me such a good price on these pearls that they can`t afford a decent looking website and hey, that`s ok with me! Keep it ugly if it means a good price on what I`m really here for.

TJG can argue that "if it ain`t broke don`t fix it" but how much better could it be? Stephanie may never know.

All I know is this. When I enter Wholesale Pearls, or Pearls, or Freshwater Pearls, or Cultured Pearls, or Pearls and Beads, or Wholesale Pearls and beads, TIP doesn`t come up in the top 10 pages pages of any major web search. That`s interesting and it tells me this. TIP could be doing even better than it is. If she is comfortable with her level of success that`s fine but it`s not because of her web site design.

I  know this ugly (understatement) greasy little dump that is out of the way that makes the best burritos I have ever had. I wouldn`t let my dog eat off of the floor there but they are well known for their outstanding burritos and people go there despite the horrific conditions not because of them. I am certain that they do not get off-the-street business from people just passing by. Do they care? No. They would probably argue that any improvements would hurt the "charm" of the establishment. I think some people would agree. But the truth is, they will never know. Ultimately people will reward a place for fine service and a quality product but that takes a lot of time and incredible consistency. Overcoming an individual`s first impression is an obstacle that most companies like to remove early on.

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~Eric
JE Design Group, LLC
If all you do is what you`ve done, then all you`ll get is what you`ve got.
www.jedesigngroup.com

I think It`s pretty good and definitely focuses on pearls as a symbol of wealth and luxury.  :)

 

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I think the story here is mainly that Stephanie`s success with treasureislandpearls.com was achieved in spite of the website`s design and usability. 

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