I Dont Wanna
By Bob McElwain
Posted Friday, August 6, 2004
My garage is a mess. It would only take an hour or so to tuck stuff away where it belongs and toss the rest. But I just
don't seem to get to it.
Leaves that generated precious shade all summer, now cover the gardens about the house. What's it take to change this?
One of the four bulbs in the wagon-wheel chandelier in my office has been burned out for months. Bulbs can be found 30 feet from where I sit. And I can replace one while standing on the floor; I don't even have to get a ladder or a stool.
So what's the problem? Why don't I get these things done? 'Cause I don't wanna.
A Business-Killing Bug
I visited your site, Charlie, as you asked me to. I didn't find any obvious blunders. No spelling or grammatical errors.
But some of the copy is pretty rough; more polish is clearly called for. Some fresh content would spruce things up a lot. And there's a need to spiff up those sales presentations, to lead your visitors more directly to them.
What was your reply to the above? Something about the lack of time. I remember that. And you felt all you needed was just more hits. What you were really saying, Charlie, was, "I don't wanna."
When we speak of chores about our home that need doing, that's one thing. But to say the same about known failings on our site, it's another. "I-don't-wanna" can be a deadly virus to any business, one that can destroy it in the end.
Your Newsletter Matters
Your latest newsletter kind of bothered me some way, Jill. But when I mentioned this to you, your comment was, "I just
don't have the time."
What you meant, Jill, is, "I don't wanna." You feel you have more important things to do than take the time required
to produce a quality newsletter as you used to do.
It won't work, Jill. Without a top notch newsletter, your business is headed downhill.
And Growth Matters
We all need more targeted visitors and to grow our subscriber list. Most know how to accomplish these tasks. But in many cases we are too quick to rattle off our list of rationalizations for ducking the chore. Most of which boil down to, "I don't wanna."
Search engines and directories are helpful. But it takes a lot of time to attract a significant number of visitors from
them. Competition is fierce, and it's bound to become even more intense. Still, we can not afford to ignore these resources.
Then there are reciprocal links, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and so forth. And above all, advertising.
But in speaking with Pete the other day, he told me flat out that links don't work for him. And Paula told me she'd lost a
bundle on advertising, that it hadn't produced a dime. When I suggested a joint venture to Bill, he replied with a long list of failed efforts. When I asked Betsy how she was doing building strategic alliances, she asked what the term meant.
Do It, Whether Or Not You Wanna
If your site is not right, more hits won't do you much good. Fix things right now. Only then does it make sense to look for ways to produce more targeted traffic.
Then build some links, and consider some form of joint venture or alliance. If these fundamental tools have not yet
worked for you, figure out why. Then make it happen.
And for sure get to advertising. Remember Ted Turner's words of advice:
Early to bed, early to rise, Work like heck, and advertise.
To say advertising does not pay off is to deny the reality of the world around you. While a case can be made that literally billions of dollars are wasted on advertising every year, this says nothing about the potential. You do not need to look far to find excellent examples of quality advertising that brings great results. So get to it. Figure a way to make it work for you.
So What About Me?
Just now I'm going to turn off this computer, go clean up my garage, rake those leaves, and replace that light bulb. Then I will like the place in which I live better than I do just now.
Then I'm going to crank up this computer again and get down to business. I'm going to follow my own advice. And I will also enjoy the results this brings.
Try it! It will work for you!!!
About the Author
Bob McElwain
Want to build a winning site? Improve one you already have? Fix one that's busted? Get ANSWERS. Subscribe to "STAT News" now! mailto:join-stat@lists.dundee.net
Web marketing and consulting since 1993 (Site: (http://sitetipsandtricks.com)) Phone: 209-742-6349
