01-07-2009, 05:57 PM
So a brief history. I graduated from college about a year ago with a degree in Graphic/web design with enough Computer programming tossed in to get myself in trouble:). I took a job at a company building their web presence. They had a website, but it was literally something they had bought in a box on the bargain bin at Best Buy. They couldn't update it, They couldn't edit things, it was a burden. With my hiring a couple of the bosses weren't real excited, thinking that they didn't need the internet to be successful. They have been in business for 30 years, family owned, very technologically backward. Some of the bosses (kids of the owners) had been vocal about their unhappiness about having a website.
They hired me to build a new website, and help them advertise. The site has been live now for 3-4 months, and sales had seemed very slow. We hoped that it had been the slow season (we are a surplus store for military/lawn/garden/home decor).
Today, I talked to the most vocal naysayer to the whole idea, and he said.
"The site looks killer. I was just cruising around on it, and I LOVE IT."
I said "Awesome. I'm glad you like it, I just wish that we could get more people to use it to place orders"
He says "Well, the thing I've noticed? People have been using the site, and then calling us to make orders over the phone. I guess a lot of the people we sell too don't like the idea of paying over the internet, but will pull up the site, and then call in. It's hard, because now I have to pull up the website to see what they are talking about!"
I said "I'm sorry to hear that, is there anything I can do?"
He said "Yeah, get the rest of the inventory on there. We had more phone orders in the past two months than we did the first 10 months of 2008 COMBINED. I'm getting the hang of this web stuff. Keep up the good work."
I was floored. Speechless. This guy had stymied more ideas and more progress while building the site and trying to advertise than his father and brother put together. It was a nice silent victory that I feel very proud of.
I had to share with someone, and my wife is a case manager so she can't take calls during the day.:):):)
They hired me to build a new website, and help them advertise. The site has been live now for 3-4 months, and sales had seemed very slow. We hoped that it had been the slow season (we are a surplus store for military/lawn/garden/home decor).
Today, I talked to the most vocal naysayer to the whole idea, and he said.
"The site looks killer. I was just cruising around on it, and I LOVE IT."
I said "Awesome. I'm glad you like it, I just wish that we could get more people to use it to place orders"
He says "Well, the thing I've noticed? People have been using the site, and then calling us to make orders over the phone. I guess a lot of the people we sell too don't like the idea of paying over the internet, but will pull up the site, and then call in. It's hard, because now I have to pull up the website to see what they are talking about!"
I said "I'm sorry to hear that, is there anything I can do?"
He said "Yeah, get the rest of the inventory on there. We had more phone orders in the past two months than we did the first 10 months of 2008 COMBINED. I'm getting the hang of this web stuff. Keep up the good work."
I was floored. Speechless. This guy had stymied more ideas and more progress while building the site and trying to advertise than his father and brother put together. It was a nice silent victory that I feel very proud of.
I had to share with someone, and my wife is a case manager so she can't take calls during the day.:):):)
nobody ever slaughtered an entire school with a smart phone and a twitter account – they have, however, toppled governments. - Jim Wright