Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

You`re right that you can`t please everyone. That`s the concept of a niche market.

In a world where reading is getting harder for people, SitePal likely will have a solid place on the Web. I read quickly, so I don`t much use the technology. The biggest issue, I think, is site developers who start with SitePal "on." Overall, I think it`s more polite to start with it as "off," and to offer a quickly visible way to turn it on.

I think I will have to place a short video on my site... just after the textual introduction there can be a link to the video. It would be great to get some true figures on the percentage of visitors that go from the home page to the video page, VS the home page to a product page... hmmm. I think I will work on this when I return from my vacation (around June 1). I leave next week, so I won`t have the time to produce anythin g of quality until then.

This discussion does seem to go around in circles though. Maybe it`s just that there are two thoughts going on... similar to the selling price equation topic. Therefore, maybe both ideas are correct. It`s simply a matter of choice. Some customers may like it... others may find it annoying.


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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words

Hi there,

This is Vanessa from SitePal.  Thanks for your thoughts about SitePal implementation - they are all extremely valid points.  However, I`d like to point out that we do offer many options for our SitePal users to customize their character so that it doesn`t play immediately upon page load, or doesn`t speak at all until clicked.  You can also add play/pause buttons, mute and volume controls so that your site visitors can choose their desired level of engagement with the avatar.  These features are available to any of our clients who wish to provide site visitors with more choices during their browsing experience.

Thanks again for your interest in SitePal!


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www.SitePal.com
For Client Examples: http://www.sitepal.com/showcase.php
Virtual Translator Demo: Type anything you want and an avatar will translate it for you and speak in a different language!
http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_tran_example.php?s itepal

Hi Vanessa :-)
It seems that your product has entered into that strange and difficult situation of other products, where you produce it, but other people implement it. Then you`re associated with how those others make that implementation.

Obviously, you can`t control how anyone implements the product on their sites. The problem is going to be one of perception, I think maybe like Flash.

Consider Ryder trucks, a simple rental business, choosing to differentiate themselves by painting their trucks yellow. Then someone unrelated uses a Ryder truck in a bomb implementation during a terrorist attack.

There`s no way Ryder can be responsible for making yellow trucks, or for renting trucks to the public. Yet the unfortunate association deeply impacted the company. (I believe they changed their color scheme?)

You`ve made it clear that SitePal offers many customization options, all of which are there to highlight the benefit of animated characters. Yet in the anecdotal experience of people who`ve posted here, the animation came across as problematic.

I think the question and problem for business people in this community (the overall market too) has much to do with choosing to understand how a site comes across to strangers. Too many people see their own site through their own values. If they themselves like something, they assume everyone on the planet will agree.

It`s a tough situation. All anyone can do, though, is release the product and instructions as to its use. Beyond that, people will do with it as they will.

Yes, that was exactly the point I was trying to make (except I didn`t do it as eloquently as you CraigL). Any product or service can be used in such a way that it creates a negative impact. I think mentioned in an earlier thread that people do really bad things in the name of religion, but that doesn`t make religion a bad thing. I think it is very harsh to portray a product as being bad just because you don`t like the implementation. 

You make a great point about people creating websites thinking that what they like the whole world will like too. But the opposite is also true. I have built web sites for people who are adamant they don`t want Flash because they have heard so many negative things, but then they have gone on to create such a lengthy, wordy page that nobody in their right mind was going to sit down and read since it took about 10-15 minutes to get throughout. A simple 30 second Flash demo would have achieved the same thing! Some people would not have liked the Flash, sure, but I am pretty sure a whole lot more people would have switched when they saw the amount of text that was there!


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"If you reach for the stars you may not actually touch them, but you probably won`t end up with a handful of dirt either!"

LPI01, you and I are definitely on the same page. :-) The big problem, where I think it might be of interest to the SuN community is what to do about perception. That`s actually a marketing problem, right?

So it seems to me that SitePal`s marketing department, if they have one, or a consultant if not, should be engaged at that point. Of course it depends whether or not the company is actually being impacted by this seeming problem. If not, then the heck with it...continue forward, sell the product, and grow. :-)

Since it seems that GoTruckStop.com , http://gotruckstop.com , is the one of the only websites that is using SitePal that is talked about here at SuN, I figured I would go check out the use of their SitePal.

I discovered something rather unique that GoTruckStop is doing.

Check this out ...

http://www.gotruckstop.com/go_recruit.html

[quote]GoRecruit Marketing Partnership

GoRecruit, our unique marketing partnership program, allows trucking companies to enhance their driver recruiting and retention efforts. We offer trucking companies an opportunity to attract quality truck drivers to their company recruiting web sites, as well as offering their existing drivers additional discounts and special sale opportunities at our on-line store. Recruiting budgets are being stretched as high driver turn-over continues to restrict the growth and profitability of the trucking industry. With GoRecruit, trucking companies will have exposure at GoTruckStop.com`s web site, with not only free rotator banner ads, but also the ability to be featured through the use of GoTruckStop`s unique "video hostess" program. Custom designed scripts are read by "video hostesses" at strategic pages within GoTruckStop`s web pages, directing drivers to visit GoRecruit members` web sites for driving opportunities. Not only do trucking companies have another resource in recruiting and attracting quality drivers, but GoTruckStop.com`s GoRecruit program also offers carriers a unique driver retention tool. GoTruckStop.com will provide to each of its GoRecruit partners direct marketing materials offering additional discounts to their drivers when shopping at GoTruckStop.com., and all of this is at NO CHARGE to our marketing partners.[/quote] Now that seems to be a unique method of the use of SitePal.

BlondieBlue --- Any chance you`re going to stop spamming the forums? This is so blatant and obvious and irritating. Not only that, but you clearly use multiple accounts to post here and must believe that no one sees through it. It`s irritating and actually disconcerting to those of us who have received unsolicited phone calls from you to discuss topics ranging from SitePal, GoTruckStop, and the Sloan brothers. I`ve had to remove the link to my business site from my profile because I don`t want to get any more calls from people like you. Is adult behavior such a great leap?

Hi CraigL~

This is Vanessa from SitePal`s marketing department - yes, we do have one :) .

Your insights about the challenges for our product are absolutely correct - the implementation of our product is out of our direct control once the consumer starts using it.  Thus, customers are free to use their own creative devices and implement SitePal in a variety of ways.  As we are aware of this implementation challenge, we have worked hard to provide extensive resources available for our clients, such as a comprehensive video tutorial guide, case studies, an online support library, and a Best Practice guide.  For example, in regards to audio, we strongly recommend that our clients add an audio control button to their SitePal scenes; it`s imperative that they are considerate of their site visitors.

In addition, our monthly SitePal newsletter is full of helpful business articles and implementation tips to help our clients use SitePal to its full advantage while effectively growing their small business.  We also often recommend SitePal users to visit our SitePal showcase at http://www.SitePal.com/showcase.php to see client examples.

We really value your feedback, and are continuously working to improve our education and tutorial offerings for our clients.

Thanks,

Vanessa


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www.SitePal.com
For Client Examples: http://www.sitepal.com/showcase.php
Virtual Translator Demo: Type anything you want and an avatar will translate it for you and speak in a different language!
http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_tran_example.php?s itepal

Another positive comment from a member of "The SuN Clique" ...

I seriously don`t think I have ever read a "positive comment" from you in the past several months. And yet you remain a "SuNBassador" ... Hmmmmm.

BTW, Vanessa, thanks for the information re: all the resources available to a SitePal user !! Great post !!