Ben* has been happily married for 19 years. He recently told me the prime reason he married his wife is because, "She was the only girl I dated who could control me."
I had no idea what he was talking about. I don't know many people, men or women, who enjoy being controlled.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I dated a lot of girls, some of them pretty seriously. I was actually close to being engaged to one of them, but I didn't go through with it because she couldn't control me.
But my wife Christine* could. If I wanted to go out with my friends, she'd say, 'Have fun,' and that was it.
It was such a change from the other girls I dated, who used to give me a hard time, wanted to know where I was going and why they couldn't come with me. I went out for a while with one girl who actually said, 'Okay, but now you owe me' when I wanted to go to a wrestling match with a buddy. It was a major turn-off.
But Christine couldn't care less. Whenever I told her I wanted to go out without her, she'd just smile at me and say, 'Have fun.'"
"How exactly was that controlling you?" I asked. "You got what you wanted."
"Yeah," he said, "But as soon as I went out, I missed her. I knew she wasn't sitting around waiting for me to call. I didn't know what she was doing. And since she didn't give me grief about me going out, I didn't feel like I'd made prison break. I ended up wishing I was with her, instead of with my friends."
Lest you think this is sexist, put yourself in Ben's place: Who would you be more attracted to? A guy who calls you three times a day, makes demands on your time, and harasses you when you want to go out with your friends? Or a guy who calls once a day (or a couple of times a week), asks you what you'd like to do over the weekend, and tells you to have fun when you want to go out with your friends?
Wouldn't you want you to see the second guy more often?
The lesson here is, if you want a relationship with somebody, you must give him air. Give him his freedom. (It doesn't matter if you have nothing else to do except pre-treat the perspiration stains on your blouses, keep it to yourself.) Smile and tell him to have a ball. Then let him wonder how you'll spend your time off.
Is it scary? Sure, it's scary! What if he meets another woman while he's scarfing down nachos at the local tavern? Well, what if he does? He's obviously not the right guy for you, and it's better to know that sooner than later.
But consider this: What if he goes out and notices the happy couples and wishes he were with you instead of his friends? What if it dawns on him that the unattached girls hanging out at the bar can't compare to the woman he really wants (you!)?
What if he spends the night thinking of you, missing you, wondering what you're doing and who you're with? Thinking about what a breath of fresh air you are, a woman who's secure enough to do her own thing and give him some time on his own?
What if?
*Names have been changed.
In a traditional brick and mortar storefront, sellers often have the opportunity to greet customers personally, lend a helping hand, and answer any questions they may have on the spot. Personal interaction allows sellers to gain insight as to a customers unique personality, interests and needs. Assessing personal characteristics and needs is much more challenging in the online environment. That is why it is so critical for an online business to establish trusting and enjoyable relationships with customers. The most important part of building loyalty requires having contact with your customers. If you supply customers with an easy and clear way to contact you then you will definitely be in the right direction. Contact can be established through a variety of avenues, including an email address, post office box and telephone number. The more options you provide your customers, the more likely they are to be satisfied and contact you in the event of a problem or question.
To a degree, online business still has many rising an eyebrow while seeking some degree of confidence in regards to trust. In order to accomplish this customer will usually search for an "about us" page which should describe your history and mission statement. Online customers are much more likely to frequent a provider if they feel they know something about the provider they are working with. This will allow you a way to connect with your customer regardless of the fact that you have never met.
When you design your website it should be done with your target audience in mind. If your target audience is broad then you will have to address all of their needs by presenting information in several different ways. If however, your target audience is very small, you can work to focus your website on the unique needs of the population you are serving. If your target group is one particular niche then you should become as familiar with that niche as you possibly can. Design your website around that.
It is an absolute must that you offer quality customer service when building your online relationships. A customer that is well cared for is one that is likely to return to your website again and again. Online customer service entails many different things. One of the best things you can do for customers is providing a website that is easily navigated. Customers will appreciate a site that is to the point and easy to maneuver. The good news is that if you do deliver superior customer service then you will have happy customers that will spread the word. The bad news is that if you do not provide great customer service you will have unhappy customers and even worse, bad news spreads a lot faster than the good news.
Make sure that you are providing your customers with the best product or service possible. This helps build loyalty, and will keep customers coming back over and over again. Make your customers feel appreciated and you will soon reap the rewards of repeat customers.
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Terry Hernon MacDonald has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wedding Planning, Flirting Tips and Attracting Mate. Terry Hernon MacDonald is the author of "How to Attract and Marry the Man of Your Dreams." Sign up for her f*ree dating tips at . Check out her bl. Terry Hernon MacDonald's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.
Ray Johnson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Online Marketing, How to Sell on Ebay and Internet Marketing. To get first rate internet marketing tips and all round good 'business-building' advice, visit Ray Johnson's Official Internet Marketing Blog @