What’s the purpose of your web properties?

by JimRaffel on September 10, 2010

Yes, I’d really like to know. First, let me share the purpose(s) I have come up with for JimRaffel.com and ColorMetrix.com. What’s interesting is the overlap between the two, as well as how the purposes crossover with MolkkyUSA, one of my other web properties.

MolkkyUSA.com

JimRaffel.com

Lead generation – For speaking, writing, and social media strategy consulting. People do business with people they like, trust and know. I believe it would be impossible to read my last ten or twelve posts and not feel like you know me to some extent.

Affiliate revenue – Yes, I like making a few extra dollars every month for recommending products I use and would recommend anyway. It’s slowly progressed from coffee money, to taking the wife out to dinner money. Soon, I hope it will be new car payment money.

Personal development – For me, at the end of the day this is the big one. The self exploration I’ve been able to accomplish by sharing here never ceases to amaze me. I’ve been able to meet great people both face to face and no place other than in the comments that follow each post.

ColorMetrix.com

Lead generation – It’s always easier to start with a prospect who is interested and tracked you down – right? Our goal is to make it easy for people to find us via Google searches and then to contact us for more information. It’s working.

E-commerce – We want our customers both new and existing to be able to service a high percentage of their own verified color needs twenty four hours a day seven days a week. It’s working.

Customer service/support – Pre and post sale. We have a long way to go. While our current FAQ’s and support documents are a good start we need to complete the ColorMetrix support community that has been a high priority for months now. Some things just end up taking longer than you want.

So what’s the plan or purpose of your web properties? Am I missing opportunities?

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The basics matter

by JimRaffel on September 9, 2010

The Basics never really changeThe basics never really change and sometimes in the “moment” of working on the complex fun stuff we forget that.

  • A sale is not a sale until their check clears your bank.
  • Be nice, treat others as you would like to be treated.
  • The customer is always right, even when she is wrong. (If you can’t accept this one realize this particular customer will no longer be a customer and then she can be wrong all she wants).
  • Save ten percent of what you earn.

You get the picture. Now, it’s your turn what would you add to the basics list?

Photo Credit

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Continue Reading 17 comments }motivation, personal development

Subtle Use Of Color

September 8, 2010

Recently Seth Godin reminded us Don’t forget about color. He’s right. Subtle use of color, whether to make airports signs easier to follow or to make your blog more memorable, is a great idea. A Dumb Little Man can’t be wrong. When I am skimming posts in my RSS feed I can always identify a [...]

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WordPress Theme Frameworks and Child Themes (Skins)

September 7, 2010

Over the last few weeks I’ve been asked by several people how do you pick a WordPress theme. The real answer is I got lucky and fell into one of the best ones, Thesis(aff link) about a year ago when I was redesigning ColorMetrix.com. Recently I discovered the power of a child theme or skin [...]

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Delivering the Goods, at a Fair Price

September 6, 2010

My friend Cindy shared the following on Twitter recently. What does best really mean? Obviously I already tipped my hand in the title of this post. Clearly what Cindy does is deliver the goods at a fair price. That price may not be the lowest and based upon Cindy’s track record I’m guessing it’s not. [...]

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Know what you have the power to own

September 5, 2010

This is not a post about material possessions. It’s about me not trying to fix you and you not trying to fix me. Know those times when I’m really tired, cranky, hungry, withdrawn? Yes, you know what I’m taking about because it happens to you too. Here’s the deal. Think about how you are feeling [...]

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Keep putting yourself out there

September 4, 2010

You don’t know who’s watching or when. So….. Keep posting on your blog. Keep updating your Facebook status. Keep engaging on Twitter. Keep working to understand Linkedin. That’s my social media “plan” in four easy steps. Over the last year the size and quality of the network these four activities have allowed me to grow [...]

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Asking Twitter vs Googling for it

September 3, 2010

Recently I asked this question of my social media network “Do you sometimes “ask Twitter” instead of “Googling for what you are looking for?” Yes, I see both the irony and the lack of scientific method in asking this question of the people who follow me on Twitter. Regardless the responses are rather telling. Let’s [...]

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Patience, as learned by blogging

September 2, 2010

There was a time not so long ago, when I could not wait to click publish on a new post. Sometimes I still feel that urge but I know from experience that by waiting a week or so the post will only become better. Cooling off time. First, I edit the post with fresh eyes [...]

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Moving a teenager to college

September 1, 2010

I’m a big ball of mush sometimes. No, really I am. Normally when there is no one looking, like earlier this evening. I had just left my oldest child’s first home that is not a home we had made for her. For her second year of college, she has moved away (25 whole miles) into [...]

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