Internet Psychologist
Business owners appear to have become enthralled by the concept of “globalisation”. The Internet means your customers can come from anywhere in the world and several companies have used the web to expand their reach. However, the struggle against the global competition is huge and it is taking many business owners “eye off the ball”. … Read more
Online business owners sometimes complain that their competitors are gaining more custom, yet their products and services are not as good. Indeed, that’s not a complaint restricted to online businesses. At a networking lunch the other day one business owner was complaining that his competition seemed to get more attention, more customers and more money, … Read more
Online business owners have been targeting computer users and techno-friendly people for the past decade. Now it seems that the dominance of computing and technology for online shoppers has been toppled. According to a survey run by Foresters Research, online business has become “mainstream” shifting computing from its Number One slot in the Internet sales … Read more
Shoppers across the UK will descend on out of town stores today in a bid to get the bargains. That’s because today is a public holiday – called a “bank holiday” in the UK. However, even though it’s officially a “day off” many of the stores will be open and most will be having some … Read more
If you look through any of the online news sources, such as Google News, you will notice that there are few business stories that have surfaced in the last 24 – 48 hours. That is not surprising in some ways, after all we have just been through the weekend. The problem is that today’s news … Read more
Running an online business can sometimes feel very lonely. There you are sat at your PC trying to market and sell your products and services without anyone to speak to other than the cat. One well known psychological fact is that performance is boosted when we are in social situations – loneliness tends to reduce … Read more
Yesterday, I was in the midst of a speech when a member of the audience shot their hand up, apparently to ask a question. I paused, smiled and invited the member of the audience to speak. “You’re not talking about the Internet at all,” he said. “What you are really saying is that we shouldn’t … Read more
Running an online business can be tremendously lonely. Many people I meet who are trying to make money online are doing it on their own. Even in the corporate world the people who are organising their company’s online activities are comparatively lonely – very few people in big business understand the whys and wherefores of … Read more
Yesterday I went to the circus with my son, Elliot. It was the famous “Billy Smart’s Circus” – the one I remember from my own childhood. Elliot sat transfixed, mouth open wide, as the first act arrived – a group of men and women who climbed like monkeys up huge 40 feet high poles and … Read more
I’ve just got back into the office having been out today speaking at two conferences. As ever it’s what people say to you in the breaks that prove to be the most fascinating and interesting. One member of the audience came up to me with a corker of an idea for an Internet business. He … Read more
Several years ago I sat at a lunchtime event in an upstairs room of a small cafe in Nebwury, Berkshire, UK. Not a very posh place, but it’s where Vodafone announced to the local business community that it was working on something called “GSM” which would take mobile phones into the next era. It all … Read more
If you’ve heard me speak in public, you’ll know that one of the regular themes I talk about is the fact that a business needs several web sites, not just one. In the offline world, few businesses have one point of contact. But in the online world they seem to think they only need one … Read more
The annual Mediascope survey confirms that the Internet is fast becoming a “lifestyle” thing. By that I mean it is being incorporated into everyday living for many people; as normal as watching TV, reading a newspaper or driving to work. No longer is the Internet seen as something “new fangled”. The survey actually shows that … Read more
If you needed any more evidence that the intermediary market is disappearing, you only need to look at the latest info from Hilton Hotels. The company has just reported that it expects to get $2.5b in online bookings for this year, compared with just over $700m four years ago. The Internet is now the single … Read more
Who would have thought it? But in a few weeks time you will be able to promote your business on the Internet using your humble accounting software. Intuit, the makers of QuickBooks, have announced that their next upgraded product due out soon, will include the ability to link your products to Google AdWords, via your accounts … Read more