It really is a global economy with lots of opportunities for lots of people.

I recently had a professional voice over done by a provider on Fiverr.com.

Listen to this brilliant voice over on the video below – cost me just $5.  Amazing value.

Check out Fiverr.com lots of providers of different services – all for $5.

You reckon I’ve got a good job – check out my clients Tim & Avalon testing out their stock.

Now this is the life!

Marketing is so much easier these days for many, many businesses.

In the olden days* (* pre Internet), businesses had to go searching for their customers.

Now customers go searching for the business.

Marketing has changed from searching for customers to being found.

Can you be found if your customer searches for you?

Because that’s what business marketing is these days.

Just spoke with a client a few days back and he told me his web site that we just redeveloped and launched has, after 1 month, doubled the sales of their previous record month (they’ve been going for years).

Cool.

Look, any doofus can do a web site.  Yes, I said doofus.

We’re Talkin Ooooodles

But web developers who can get your site generating oooooooodles of sales are more difficult.

That’s why we try and charge based on the value we provide.

It’s never about price. It’s always about value.

Before I went into business about 14 years ago, I was a ‘Nursing Sister’ for 11 years – and that was after doing my nursing training for 3 years.

I really enjoyed the nursing days, pretty rewarding sort of job and tons of variety.

I was consulting with a business today and explaining how his business was like my nursing days.

It’s all about solving problems.

As a nurse, you just solve problems all day long.

You see the problem, look at what’s causing it and take action to solve it.

• Patient has a low blood pressure – stick their legs up higher and increase the drip rate.
• Patient is vomiting after an anesthetic – give them a bowl and jab them in the ass with an anti-throw up potion – all you nurses reading……I know it’s an anti-emetic  ;o)
• Patient is dead – try and get ‘em alive again!  Good thinking, huh??!

All you’re doing in business, any business, is finding solutions for problems.

That’s it.

You’re Not Really Selling

So if you’re selling gym clothes, camping gear, contact lenses, car servicing, surfboards, energy bars, phones, pens, swimming goggles, whatever it is – you’re not really selling (or you shouldn’t be at least).

What you’re doing is solving problems.

Understand and embrace that and watch tons of people buy from you when you solve their problems.

(Just so you know, the biggest problem for most businesses is they don’t enough money.  As a marketing/web guy I show people how to make more money.  I solve that problem.)

Over the past week or so I’ve been planning out my business goals for 2012.

A fair bit of that involves what Google is doing because, whether we like it or not, Google is a big part of our business.

Here’s a video I did back in 2006 explaining the very basics of getting to the top of Google.

Wow, how times have changed.

The changes Google have implemented and are planning on implementing make the old strategies almost redundant.

The only serious competitor I can see to Google’s domination is Facebook.

Just about every business needs to have a presence on those 2 to be successful.

We’ve just launched a nice little web site for The Surfboard Warehouse, a great business that sells cheap surfboards from the Gold Coast.

The Surfboard Warehouse

Tim is the owner with his lovely partner Avalon, but the real boss is the beautiful Maevin.

Maevin is a little puppy dog (cough) who helps out around the store.

She’s more than keen for a pat as you wander by!

Former Manager of Kirrasurf

Tim has a bit of a background in knowing where to source the best surfboards at the best prices – you see, Tim spent a couple of years managing the all new Billabong owned Kirrasurf.

So if you’re looking for some super cheap quality surfboards for Christmas, head along to The Surfboard Warehouse at 1237 Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach and Tim, Avalon and Maevin will look after you.

As regular readers might know, my lovely wife and I run a few businesses.

Some of those are online.  We deal with a whole range of idiots.

And sure, I shouldn’t call some customers idiots.  But they are what they are.

Today we had an idiot complain bitterly to us that we’d sold him a product he could get cheaper on Amazon.

No shit Sherlock!

He did go on a bit about how we were dodgy and asking how we slept at night…..all because Amazon sell the same product cheaper!

Complained To The Attorney General’s Department in Missouri

He cced his email to us to the Attorney General’s Department in Missouri as a complaint about us.  Because they’d be interested in that…….not!

We responded to his bitching and moaning and finished the email with:

“And yes, you’re off our Christmas Card list as well.
And I’ll be telling Santa to put you on the “Naughty” list.
So now you’re in big trouble.”

Our Email To The Attorney General’s Department in Missouri

We then emailed the Attorney General’s Department in Missouri with our response to his complaint – not sure if I was serious enough??

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“Hello Attorney General’s Office

I forgot to cc you in on my response to Eric as per our emails below.

Seems as he copied you in on his email to us as some form of complaint.

I’m sure the Attorney General’s Office has an entire department dedicated to complaints from people who found they could buy products cheaper on Amazon (cough). 

I suspect it is, without question, one of the key law and order issues facing Missouri and there will be a whole team looking into Eric’s email (cough, cough).

As you’ll see from Eric waste of time emails to both you and I, he’s not very smart.  Annoying, sure.  But smart……not so much.

As you’ll see from my response to him we’ve reported him to a far greater authority than the Attorney General’s Office of Missouri.

That’s right.  We’ve told Santa to put him on the “Naughty” list.

Can I respectfully ask that you also ask Santa to place this idiot on the Naughty list?

While Santa has been very good to me over the years and granted my every request, I just feel that a letter from your Office would carry some additional weight and guarantee his inclusion.

If you can help I’ll be sure to tell him to put you guys on the “Nice” list (I hope that doesn’t constitute an attempt to bribe a government official).

And the answer is “Yes” to the question you have in your head.  I do have too much time on my hands today.

Kind Regards”

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At least I think I’m funny!