 I moved from working in my business to working on my business!
Jim White, Founder Savor Dallas http://www.savordallas.com |
 I found a community of business leaders who make being in business a lot more fun and less lonely.
Jeannine Sandstrom, CEO CoachWorks International, Inc. http://www.coachworks.com |
 I now have a place to be open about my business success and future challenges.
Debbie Mrazek, CEO The Sales Company Author The Field Guide to Sales http://www.the-sales-company.com |
Posts Tagged ‘iPhone’
Apple sues clone maker Psystar – The Top 5 Marketing Mistakes They are Making
Well unless you are a techie that is under a rock or for what ever reason don’t read the news, Apple is suing Psystar a maker of Apple clone computers. Now before we get into a EULA debate or how great Apple is I would like to talk a little about the marketing and business opportunities that Apple always leaves on the table. Since people like tops 5 lists etc. here you go.
The TOP 5 Business and Marketing mistakes Apple is making with Psystar
Short Sited – Again apple is failing to see the big picture and staying with the island unto it self motto. The main reason that Apple is always in trouble down the road is because they go it alone in their business and also in their vendor relationships. This is one reason they needed the cash infusion that Bill Gates gave them many years back. Yes it was to help Microsoft’s antitrust issue as well. I grew up with Macs in school but later switched to PC computers. Why? because I had many choices of computers to pick and I could EVEN BUILD IT MYSELF! If you really have a better product in your OS then flood the world with it. Open up your hands and set it free, for a fee of course. Imagine if 98% of the world had a choice to run OSX on their current system like they do Linux. HELLO 
Tarnishing their Image – Yes it is happening. Even forums that I read who contain MAC lovers are starting to compare Apple to Microsoft. Starting to say it is time to open up your systems. I even saw an episode of Kathy Griffin Life on the D List where her new boyfriend Steve Wozniak unlocked her IPHONE. The canary in the coal mine is the new generation really does not like to be trapped in a box. I would hate to be seen as the outdated over bearing parent of the products they buy. They may decide to just leave home one day if they see something better.
Leaving Money on the Table – I have been in business for a long time and call companies for my clients looking for mutually beneficial relationships. Here is an opportunity for Apple to have a ready made product that is most likely being sold to people who wouldn’t buy an Apple because of the price. What I would do in this situation is praise them for their work and help spreading a superior product to the market place. I would then work out a way for them license making the product for end users. That way you get your cut and most importantly the consumer gets what they want, YOUR SUPERIOR PRODUCT.
Innovation is so yesterday? – I am old enough to know details about how the computer industry started moving into a new era. I would hope that Steve remembers this as well. In stead of blocking innovation, go back to your roots. If you are seen in the market place as a cooperative innovator you will move ahead of the competition by leaps and bounds. I applaud your new store for the iphone. It is a move in the right direction. I also think it is funny how many of the IDEAS that Apple came up with came from Xerox including their GUI operating system. Go watch a show on PBS called Triumph of The Nerds or read the transcripts especially show 3 to see parts of the truth. Bring your business hat and pay attention.
Be careful what you wish for? - The worst thing that could happen is you get what you want and are seen as destroying a small business. This is also short sited because I could see lots of people wanting to help PSYSTAR if you did win on their appeal based on The first sale doctrine. Because I believe that many people believe they should be able to do what they want after they buy a product. People who have money to spend on more of your products. I couldn’t imaging someone saying you can only use your kitchen table in your house, as a kitchen table, not as a desk, you cannot modify the table like cut its legs and make it a coffee table, and you damn sure can’t sell it to your neighbor or give it to goodwill. Come ON!
Feel free to share your thoughts on some of my quick ideas.
Over the years of working with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses I have seen it all when it comes to websites. I have seen corporations spend thousands sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars more for a company website than they should. I have seen sites that don’t match brand, take forever to load, SEO that doesn’t matter ("I am number one on Marketing Strategy Experts Who Work On Venus"), and even navigation issues that you would think don’t exist this day and age. As a business owner or person in charge of buying a company website; If you remember these 7 mistakes you will save money, be more profitable, and have happier customers.
The TOP 7 Mistakes Businesses Make When Buying A Website
- Have no idea about the technology - This particular mistake drives me crazy as someone who has bridged the gap between technology and business for almost 20 years. Typically technology companies target the marketing or communications department of an organization and not the information technology department when selling website and design services. This gives the company an advantage because normally business oriented departments have no idea about asp, html, java script, flash etc. Even more troubling is they have no idea about how long it takes to write an application or what it would cost in real dollars. I sat in one meeting where the Marketing group actually cared more about the person’s shoes than the technical part of the presentation. Now, I can appreciate shoes, but in the end not paying attention and not including the Information technology department in the buying decision meant they spent 500 thousand dollars on a site that should have cost 10 thousand.
- No consensus on what the website is for – Some people think a website is a digital brochure. Or, some want to ‘sell stuff’ on the site while others want to put up a site for people to call in so they can then ‘sell stuff.’ The website can be used for both, but to be truly effective, you need to have a goal in mind. What do you want your customer to do? What is it there for? This is important because if you don’t know, you can bet that a vendor or other supplier will come along and decide for you. This may or may not work to your best benefit.
- Don’t know your place in the market – BestBuy and Walmart have been caught using location specific pricing, so why would you think web developers and designers are any different. Your place and status in the market determine what companies charge you for their services. If you are at the top of the market don’t expect too many people offering bargain web development and design services to you. At one company the prices they were quoted were 30-40% higher than another company of less stature and profit. A typical way they do this is by pricing the services separately (coding, visual design, meta data, and SEO strategy). You need to do the price research outside of your company structure. Be sure not to send requests from name@millionaire.com for example.
- Forget to shop around – You would never buy a car without shopping around? Right? Time and time again companies buy from someone they heard on the radio, or a referral from someone, or my favorite, from who their competitor used. I have heard things like "Their site looks pretty good. Who did they use?" Just because someone used a company does not mean they are a value for what you need. Maybe the company the referral came from for example paid way to much as well. If you take anything away from this point please get several quotes and stay anonymous otherwise you have to go back and read mistake number 3.
- Get stuck on Form VS Function – Say it isn’t so! People buy based on looks just like they pick their mates. Well, some do and some don’t. Always remember who your company is and who your customers are when building a site. Be careful to not have your preference override your customers. If you are a fashion magazine then it may be important that your site be beautiful, but if it does not function as well you will loose customers to sites that do. You need to always balance speed, function, and design for typical websites. It is worth mentioning that the more complex your form and function the more your site will cost.
- Don’t ask the hard questions – The more questions you ask, the better your understanding of what you are getting will be and for what costs. If you are new to technology make the vendor explain in detail anything you do not understand until you do. Be sure you ask several times what is included in the proposal and what is professional services or extra. You would never spend thousands of dollars of your own money without some detail and clarification. Right?
- Don’t ask for working client sites – I have seen this one more times that I care to mention. Typically it looks like this. A vendor comes in to propose developing your website and shows you all these beautiful sites. You sit there totally amazed not knowing that they are just mock-ups made by expert designers and not actual working sites. Always ask for sites that you can look at and see on your own from the Internet. If it is an intranet site ask to visit at least one of their client sites. If they offer their intranet site, press again for a client site and let the vendor know this is a requirement for the project.
If you remember these 7 mistakes and take action to address them, you can easily save thousands of dollars on your next company website. If you have more specific questions or want to know more issues that come up in web design send us an email.
P.S. We have had several people ask questions about site developers that we can recommend and what our site runs. If you need a quote on a site let us know and we can forward your email and introduce you to some great developers. To answer the second question, Our site is a base Revolution template by Brian Gardner that has been heavily modified by US for SEO and readability. It is 100% WordPress driven and published through windows live writer. Plug-ins we use are sharthis, sphere related content, askimet spam, Google analytics, Google sitemaps, wpseo (modified by us), Post Plug-in Library, Similar Posts, wordbook, WordPress automatic upgrade ,and IPHONE Auto Formatter.
What’s 23 years old and read all over? Justine Ezarik, that’s who. Who is Justine Ezarik you may be asking. She’s a dynamic Internet “it” girl who made her debut far and wide with her 300-page iPhone bill. She is also one of the hottest bloggers on the web and her blog – tastyblogsnack.com – is moving her popularity far and wide.
So why do I want you to know Justine? Simple. It’s because blogging is here to stay, I know you’ve got something to say, and finding your unique way to speak to those looking for you is the way (to total marketing dominance)!
The point is that not everyone is a writer. Some of us are talkers. Some of us are performers, and some of us speak in our own combined language of these. Find your way, get your blog and git going. It only takes about 10 minutes a day!
Justine is a great example of one girl who is letting her voice flow and though by all accounts she is a drop-dead-gorgeous example, there are many others out there who aren’t and have lots of people tuning into to see what they have to say, too.
Make your mark – and check in often to see what tips iJustine has to share with you!