Do you ever ask for advice? Do you try out your new ideas on people before they are seen by the public? Probably.
My experience is that the world is divided into several groups when it comes to critiques:
One group likes everything. Tell someone an idea and she’ll love it. This could be because she has such esteem for you, or it could be because it’s easier than being critical.
Another group hates everything. These folks have discovered that if you are harshly critical early on in a process, it means you won’t be responsible for failure of the idea later.
A third group eggs you on. These are the people who push you to make it sharper, more remarkable and, yes, riskier.
The last group pushes you to tone it down. To go ahead, but carefully. To round off the edges.
Yes, there are people who are able to jump from group to group, who have unpredictable insights. I know one person who is unpredictable… except for the fact that she is always 100% wrong about my ideas (if she likes it, we’ve got trouble).
The interesting thing is that you get a choice. The choice of who to ask.
So, who are you asking?
May 14, 2007
If you’ve been following along, you can see that I’m more than a little obsessed with landing pages and the offers/links that get people there. We’ve finally decided to put some money where my mouth is.
Check out this contest. If nothing else, it’ll get your boss to focus.
[PS while you’re over there, this is a great riff].
Thanks for the enthusiasm and feedback about the Dip Tour.
May 13, 2007
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Bestseller lists are everywhere, mostly because they work.
They work because deep down, many people want to do what other people are doing. Things are popular because they’re popular. Hits sound better.
It’s a Catch-22 of course (you can’t be a hit until you’re a hit). If you’re in an industry with no bestseller list, do your best to create one.
The Dip just hit #1 on the CEO READ daily bestseller list, by the way
Leaving aside the obvious contradiction of strategy (laptop users are more likely to buy books and less likely to steal stuff, so why not let them in the store and offer them a mesh bag to carry about), this sign highlights one of the silliest (and common) policy rules: no exceptions.
No exceptions? Really?
If I gave you a million dollars could you make an exception?
And on top of the unreality of the idea, consider the message it sends to the consumer. “We’re so busy and so centralized and so hierarchical that you shouldn’t even bother to discuss this with our staff.” Or, the short version, “go away.”
Why not try a sign that says,
WELCOME!
To keep costs down, we require anyone carrying a bag bigger than this square to check it. Our check area is run by Ralph, who is kind and honest, but I hope you can understand that we can’t be responsible for any items you might want to check. If this is a problem for you, consider asking for one of our mesh bags, which can safely tote your laptop or camera. Thanks for shopping at the Strand… we’re really glad you’re here.
If making a sign gets you all stressed out, let someone else do it for you.
May 12, 2007
It turns out that it’s a lot easier to peel a banana if you start from the ‘wrong’ end.
You don’t even have to use your teeth.
Here’s the thing: I know this. I’ve tried it. It’s true.
I still peel a banana the hard way. It feels like the right thing to do.
Selling change is much harder than you think.
May 11, 2007
Go to the iTunes store, hit audiobooks. $7.95 for the unabridged edition. Thanks for listening. (Here’s the link. Thanks, Eric.)
[I’m told that for some reason I don’t understand, this doesn’t run on some older versions of the iPod. If you’re in that situation, please don’t buy from the iTunes store until they’ve fixed the problem. In the meantime, the CD is at B&N for $5. I apologize for the hassle.]
You may very well already have Google Analytics installed. It’s free, it’s accurate and it’s cool. Google lets anyone with a website measure their traffic and dozens of other metrics. The entire dashboard is focused on how many people come to your site, how many pages they view when they get there and how long they stay.
Given our desire to be popular combined with Google’s desire to give users what they want, it’s not surprising that traffic is the key driver of the program.
But traffic is a red herring. At best, it’s distracting, a stand-in for something more useful. At worst, though, it’s dangerous, because the quest for traffic causes you to make bad decisions.
Why do you have a site? What’s your goal? Is it to sell something? To receive email? To spread an idea? Whatever it is, you can probably measure it. And measure it you should. Every other piece of Analytics data is trivial compared to that one number.
Short version: if you don’t understand how to do goal tracking and funnel analysis, don’t use Analytics until you do.
Google offers Analytics for a reason. They’re not being selfless… they understand that efficient websites are more likely to buy traffic, because those sites can more easily convert traffic into revenue. The purpose of the program, then, isn’t to stroke your ego (or make you feel inadequate). Instead, it’s a tool to help you redesign your site every single day to make your ultimate efficiency go up.
May 10, 2007
Kevin points us to the broken ipod store.
Our life has become a Saturday Night Live sketch. The question is this: now that you can connect anyone, who will you connect?
In fact, cover bands rarely sell out the Beacon Theatre.
That’s part of what we covered in this podcast. Creative professionals have an imperative, and that’s to challenge the status quo. For the status quo, clients don’t need you, do they?
