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Sitepoint Tribune 332 Nov 17 2005Sitepoint Tribune 332 Nov 17 2005
In This Issue...
Make Your Site Load Up to 10X Faster! Fact: ZDNet reported that 48% of users terminated an online purchase due to slow load times for web pages
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Introduction Last Friday, I was securely strapped into my seat by a 4-point harness. The door was shut tight. My best client sat beside me, also secured by a 4-point harness. Four other clients sat behind us.
We heard the call of "Ditching, ditching, ditching!" just seconds before we slammed into the water and capsized. Our bodies were tossed around like rag dolls as our helicopter compartment sank straight to the bottom. That's when the training kicked in. I felt for the door handle, pushed the door open and grabbed hold of the frame. Then I released the seat buckle. The seatbelt came away and I dragged myself out of the cabin and swam, fully clothed, to the surface, where I gasped for air. My clients' heads appeared, followed by the safety divers. The Helicopter Underwater Escape Training Instructor gave us some feedback on how we went, and we all clambered back into the helicopter simulator to do it again.
I discuss below why pretending to drown your clients can be an excellent marketing move. And why you should try it!
Google continues to make it easier for Web professionals to do business with the launch of the free Google Analytics. The company now offers a $100 referral fee for new Adsense clients, while giving $1 for Firefox browser referrals. Ka-ching! Read below for full details.
This week, I had to let a client go when I discovered that he just didn't get the point of developing a valuable site. With the new year approaching, how can you cull the poorly performing clients from your books, and have a better 2006?
Happy Reading!
Brendon Sinclair tribune@sitepoint.com
Editor's Perspective Why I Tried to Drown my Clients I heartily recommend strapping your best clients into a helicopter simulator, having them dropped from a crane into a pool, having the simulator flip upside down, then asking the question: "Can you get out of here alive?" I also recommend you toss them out of a helicopter (connected by a wire about as thick as your shoelace) 60 feet above the ocean.
I took 5 clients along to a helicopter safety training course run by of our other clients: a charity to which we donate. It was, without question, the best client relationship development effort we have ever undertaken. The team building, the sense of camaraderie and the opportunity to relate to clients on a personal level while we shared an extraordinary experience was priceless.
Although I didn't take the clients along just so we continue to get their business, the Law of Reciprocity is still at work. The law states that, "If you do something nice for someone, they'll be highly motivated to be nice to you."
They might keep buying from us. They may refer others to our business. They'll help me to build our business so I can pay the bills, feed the kids and keep my wife in shoes!
I dropped off a $30 bottle of champagne, a tub of ice-cream and a golf ball to a husband and wife client team I visited the other day. The day before when I stopped by, they were under a lot of stress and having a bad day to boot. Although my motivation was simply to bring a smile to their faces, they'll never think of buying Web services from anyone but us, they'll continue to refer us to their friends and they'll help us grow our business.
Don't wait for special occasions to show your clients your care about them not just as customers, but as people. The secret to building good client relationships is simply to care enough about your clients to get involved with them as friends, not just as business associates.
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Google Launches ...Again! I swear I'm not an undercover agent working for Google, though I seem to mention them a lot! But, credit where credit is due: their latest offerings are worth a mention!
Google has just released a free analytics program. We generate a lot of our revenue from ongoing work for clients and it's always the easiest sale in the world: "Hey, look at your statistics. You should have a higher conversion rate. What I'd recommend you do is a, b and c. We can do that for you for just $1,000."
If you're a Web developer, analyse your clients' site stats, then make recommendations for improvements. It's very, very easy to do with this good, free program from Google.
If you run Adsense on a Website, you can now make a couple of extra dollars ($100 to be exact). Adsense now offers a "Referrals" button on all its account pages. All you need to do is select a referral button and add it to your site.
If a visitor to your site finds out about Adsense, then decides to sign up, you receive $100 when they earn their first $100.
Find out more at the Adsense blog and on the Adsense referral page.
I've just added a Referrals button to my own site, and I'm aiming for 1 referral a month. I use Adsense, and I'm more than happy to refer people to it. And $100 is better in my pocket than Larry's or Sergey's!
Google is also offering $1 for any successful US referrals to the Firefox browser with the Google Toolbar. SpreadFirefox?Create|Search lists other ways to get your hands on some Google cash!
To Earn Value, you Must be Valuable Some clients just don't get it.
Recently, I spoke with a client who was going over his plans to develop a hugely successful site. Unfortunately, he hasn't any computer skills. Or Web skills. Or any idea as to how he should go about it.
I gave him my usual speech on the skills and expertise that would be useful in pursuing his goal to develop a successful site. "You need a site with loads of fantastic content, you need to update the site regularly and you need to make it useful to visitors. How will you do that?" I asked.
"I'll just rip content off other sites," he replied.
That's when I told him I didn't think we could help him any more.
We all need to question whether our clients are worth our time and effort. We need to take a close look and see whether or not they have the skills to succeed, whether or not they have the ability to generate the profits to enable them to pay us on time.
If you don't think a client will help your business, don't be afraid to cut that person loose. We're coming up to a new year: do you need to cull a few unprofitable clients from your list to ensure you have a more successful 2006?
Andrew Neitlich, SitePoint?Create|Search's resident business blogger, provides some pointers for firing clients, and goes into furhter detail in his article on the topic.
Help Your Friends Out People you care about can benefit from the wealth of information on new and maturing technologies available on the Internet. Help them learn how to do it by forwarding them this issue of the SitePoint?Create|Search Tribune!
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