Svaha: the time between seeing lightning and hearing the thunder
I will be eternally grateful for your great gift of taking in to the fullest extent what it is that I have to offer, living it, and then reflecting it back in terms of the potential experience of others. You have given words to a process that defies words. And you’re constantly in a position to help me continue to hone that, deeper and deeper and more and more resonantly, who I am and what I offer, which is truly invaluable. — Jon Hansen, The Remembering Room, Richmond, Illinois
What you’ve sent me is so darn perfect it hurts! It’s a sheer pleasure to work with someone who writes as beautifully as you do — and in “my” voice. — Ariane Goodwin, Ed.D, smARTist® Telesummit, Millers Falls, Massachusetts
You have a real gift for words. You’re really, really good at it. — Sherry Essig, Priority Ventures Group, Raleigh, North Carolina
You’ve built such integrity of message in your company. I know that’s because it springs forth intrinsically, but you stay so focused at your core! I can’t think of a better way to phrase that laser-beam focus you have. It’s funny, because in someone else, laser-beam focus would be intense, but somehow you manage to make it much more kind and easy. — Jessica Albon, Thrive Your Tribe, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
I’ve never worked with anybody in the way that I’ve worked with you in terms of trusting in your abilities to the level that I have. — Catherine Hajnal PhD, Eight Branches Consulting, Vancouver, Canada ... facilitating and nurturing joyful living
You have an uncanny ability to see through what is being said and surface all the “unsaid” issues. Then you quickly give candid feedback and have a tremendous toolbox to help me move forward through your expert guidance of the right tool.
I have worked with many facilitators/coaches/counselors relating to work and personal situations. Your skills are exemplary and moved me faster than I ever expected. — Jennifer Baker, Fishers, Indiana
You bring both a spiritual perspective and some real-world hard-headedness. — Janet Bailey, Mindful Time Management, San Francisco, California
Brava! I wish I could draw a picture of me — you’d see me in a deep bow to you!
I read your newsletter as soon as it hits my in-box and you’re always right on with your advice. I had to let you know that this issue is particularly brilliant.
I will definitely keep this info — and your contact info — in a secure place.
Thanks so much for sharing your insight and wisdom. — Debbie Rodgers, CGA
June 22 2010
Your website has a job.
Do you know what it is?
These days, every business owner knows they need a website. So it’s one of those things you check off on your list: Put up website. Check.
But how many business owners stop to think about what that website is really supposed to do before they put it out there?
Putting up a website without first defining your intention for it is like hiring someone without knowing what work you’re going to give them. And unlike an employee, your website can’t tap you on the shoulder and say, “Excuse me, but, um, just exactly what is it I’m supposed to be doing?”
If your website isn’t getting the results you want — or the results you think you might like! — it could be because you never gave it a job description. And if you never gave it a job description, you probably never gave it the tools it needs to do its job. (How could you, if you don’t know what that job is?)
On the other hand, once you define what you want it to do, you’ll know if it’s got what it needs to succeed — and what changes you need to make to help it along.
Here are a few things to consider about your intentions for your site.
Some of my clients consider their site to be online resume — a reflection of who they are and why they do what they do. They don’t need their website to bring in customers or sell products. Their site’s job is purely to showcase their professional credentials.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are clients whose sites are their sales floor. These clients are selling jewelry, books, or other products. Their sites need to manage the sales process and support their customers’ experience from initial inquiry through the completed transaction.
What’s your site's job? What do you want your site to accomplish for your business?
It’s not enough to say, “I want my site to bring me customers.”
How? What sort of customers? What paths have you defined for them to reach you?
What experience do you want a visitor to have? How do you want them to feel when they read your content and click on your navigation links? What action steps do you want them to take?
Write a job description for your site. Putting it down on paper requires you to get much more specific than just thinking about it. And writing a job description (instead of answering a vague question such as “Hmm, I wonder what my site can do for me?”) helps you uncover the important details.
You’ll probably discover that there are things you don’t know enough about. You may realize that you haven’t identified your best customer clearly enough to understand his needs or the type of experience she’ll respond to. You might learn that you’re asking visitors to make a really big purchasing decision too early in your relationship, and that you don’t know what smaller steps you could offer.
It’s a good thing — because until you realize what you don’t know, you can’t do anything about finding out.
Now that you know what your site’s job is and how you want it to do that job, you can see if your site has what it needs to be successful.
Does your site tell visitors what they need to know? Does it provide the experience you want them to have? Is their next step clearly and explicitly defined for them, so they never have a moment of confusion? (As you know, confusion causes website visitors to click away instantly!)
Yes, this is a bit more involved than checking off “Put up website” on your to-do list. And yes, it requires some consideration and contemplation about exactly what it is you do want your site to accomplish.
It’s not just that your business will get better results with a site that showcases who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
It’s more important than that.
Your customers deserve to visit a site that helps them get the help they need.
Because in the end, isn’t that why you’re in business?
“Don’t make me think!” Website usability expert Steve Krug’s First Law of Website Usability — and also the title of his book, subtitled, “A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability.”
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