It's as important today as it was before the invention of ecommerce and the Internet. No matter what business you're in, customer feedback is one of the most important things you'll need to work out if you want your business to grow and become successful. To that end, the Internet has presented the online entrepreneur with a great advantage over his predecessor who could only rely on postage stamps, envelopes and the telephone to get an accurate feel for his customer. Today's business owner has the use of technology that makes getting a feel for what the general consumer wants almost instantaneous with technologies like email and pay per click testing. There's absolutely no reason in today's world for the business minded go getter to design a static web site that's got only what he or she thinks the customer wants on it.
In the Internet world, getting the necessary feedback is fast and a lot cheaper than the methods used only several years ago. In virtually minutes, it's possible to gather information from customers who bought from you-what it is they bought, and how much they spend, as well as whether they plan on coming back. This kind of data can be gathered and analyzed in house. There is no need to guess at what attracts customers to your site and what keeps them there. Almost all website hosting accounts include ways to track the statistics for your website such as which page is popular, how long they're staying on your website, what they like or dislike and so much more.
There's no reason not to build your site with the intention of adjusting at least the written content once you've got it online. Many web designers have the option of allowing you to change the content through an administration site as will. By following the visits to your site, you should be able to quickly adjust the written content to get a good idea of what works and what doesn't.
Other methods combine the new technologies with older more traditional methods. "Was this information helpful?" boxes somewhere on various sites should give a clear indication of how the site works. Some of these even go a step further and ask respondents to number their responses from one to ten.
Remember that you're trying to sell something when you start an online business. Following the trends, regardless of your personal opinions of them, can be a great way to keep your site on or near the top of the page rankings. For example, one of the latest trends is incorporating video into your websites. These short clips are on the cutting edge of what's popular today and they add an even more personalized touch to the other graphics and sound bites available to web designers. These videos often introduce the principles in the company or demonstrate part of the product line.
Professional driving instructors tell us that what people usually do in emergency situations is to stay focused on the object they are trying to avoid. In driving, where your eyes and mind are focused is most often where you will steer.
Unfortunately, if you were focused on the truck in the situation above you would likely steer right into it. The route to safety is to focus on where you want to go. In this case, you'd look away from the truck to a place that's safer. You would then automatically steer the car in that direction. Safe!
You may be wondering, "What the heck does that have to do with creating more pleasure, passion, and purpose in my life?"
My response is "A great deal!" As in the example of the truck, your life depends on where you focus.
Focusing on What You Don't Want Steers You to More of That
Often when we are feeling stuck, dissatisfied, confused, or unhappy we are focused on what we DON'T want. We are looking at the truck we'd like to avoid.
We're thinking or saying "I don't want to be in this miserable job another day" or "I don't want to work on this project" or "I don't want to have pizza for dinner tonight."
From the big events to the small details in life, we tend to put a lot of our thoughts and attention on precisely what we don't want.
So, what's the problem with that? Well, it's kind of like steering your car into the truck. The more you focus on what you don't want, the more you head in that direction.
Your mind is wired to create whatever you focus on.
Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" and Maxwell Maltz's "Psychocybernetics" are two classic books on this subject. These and other researchers tell us that the mind can't tell the difference between something you're thinking about that you want and something you're thinking about that you do not want.
Whatever you think about, your mind goes to work to make that happen.
Getting More of What You Really Do Want
If you'd like to get more of what you want in life (pleasure, passion, purpose), shift your focus away from what you don't want and clearly, purposefully towards what you do want.
Your mind will go to work creating that. You'll get unstuck. Your energy will increase. Solutions, alternatives, and options will come to you more easily.
Here's a recent personal example. At the end of a long day, I was getting ready to prepare dinner. I'd been grocery shopping and had the ingredients for three complex dishes I hadn't made before.
Hungry and tired, I reviewed the recipes but quickly became frustrated and overwhelmed. I started saying to myself "I don't want to make these dishes. I don't want this to be so hard. I don't want these recipes to be so complicated."
Those thoughts increased my agitation. I felt stuck and upset. Then I took a deep breath. I asked myself, "What do I really want in this situation right now?" (Besides a personal chef!)
The answer was "I want to make a healthy and great tasting dinner in a way that is fast and easy for me."
I quickly saw a solution I'd been unable to see minutes before: make only one of the new dishes that night along with a simple salad and save the other new recipes for another evening.
So that's what I did. The cooking was less stressful and the food turned out great. I switched from what I didn't want to what I did want. And it worked!
Are you focused on what you want or what you don't want?
I know many (maybe most) of us have an ingrained habit pattern that focuses us on what we don't want. Changing this pattern can be challenging. And I've seen with myself and my clients that it's definitely worth doing!
In Your Life
The more you focus on what you do want, the more pleasure, passion, and purpose you will create in your life. Focus on the clear road ahead, not on the truck coming at you. Try experimenting with this.
1) When you're feeling stuck, stressed, worried, angry, unhappy, or upset, become aware of what you're focusing on. You may be focusing on exactly what you don't want.
2) As soon as you notice you're focusing on what you DON'T want, ask yourself, "What DO I want in this situation?"
3) Purposefully and intentionally, change your focus to and keep your focus on what you do want.
Both Sameep Shah & Bonnie Mcfarland are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Sameep Shah has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Site Promotion and Children. Find out if you qualify for a FREE One on One Consultation to discuss How A Website Can Benefit Your Business. Email or Visit Netlyte. Sameep Shah's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.
Bonnie Mcfarland has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Multi Level Marketing and Web Development. Bonnie McFarland works with women at midlife who are bored, stuck, or restless and wondering what to do with the rest of their lives. Visit for h. Bonnie Mcfarland's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.