My company spends a LOT of money on health insurance every month, a ridiculous amount in fact, but hey, everyone needs health insurance right? So, years after being frustrated with this company for ridiculous customer service and their uncanny ability to screw up paperwork at EVERY turn, they decided to thank me for my business.

I literally received a wadded up package / envelope in my USPS box with no name on the shoddy packaging.  I of course opened the odd shaped package out of curiosity and found 2 sheets of crunched up papers, a cheesy mouse pad that I’ll never use and the cheapest broken clicking pen I’ve ever seen, courtesy of my health insurance company.

Their message to me? Thanks for the thousands and thousands of dollars you’ve spent with us, please find a crappy 1 dollar mouse pad and a 2 cent pen that you will never use and end up throwing it away by the end of the day, it’s our way of saying thanks.

If you’re going to thank someone, do it right.  It would have been better if they had never sent anything at all.

How do you know when your company is on the radar of competitors or so called competitors? When they find ways to shred you on their own web site.  I stumbled upon a small company offering Orlando Web Design today by accident while running some Bing searches.  I quickly discovered that this company was more busy taking pot shots at my company, and less busy informing prospects how their company could help them grow.

I was pissed for a while, but quickly got over it as one of my employees pointed out…” Who is this company? Never heard of them…”. Music to my ears.

Spend your time improving your own web site or improving the content of your clients, not taking cheap shots at who you think your competition is. You’ll get much farther, much faster.

As always, these are only my two cents.  Please feel free to add your perspective.

If there is one thing I’ve learned in business, it’s this: People value partnerships.  People want to know that you are looking out for their best interests, that you are ‘on it’ when they don’t have to be, that you will always make them look good.  I’ve also learned that not everyone else gets this simple principle.  I’ve had ditzy marketing assistants take full credit for all of our work and then watch as their boss questions what we (my company) has done, I’ve had marketing managers throw us under the bus to their CEO because they were too busy at the golf course working on their game and as a result sales are down.

Here’s the key to any business relationship.  It’s all about give and take.  As a company, we will go out on a limb for all of our clients, if they chose to not value that, then it’s simply not a good fit for my business. It may sound stupid to leave money on the table, but I can assure you, if your clients don’t value your dedication and your passion to help them grow, you’ve either NOT done a good job demonstrating your worth or they simply have their head up their ass.  If it’s the latter It’s not worth your time or energy. If it’s not the latter, it’s time to take your client to lunch and have a heart to heart.

I got a job resume emailed to me last evening, I took a look at the requested cover letter first:  the cover letter starts off with this greeting: Dear Employer. I instantly deleted it.  I got to thinking, how hard would it have been to do a little digging around and find out who to properly address the cover letter to? If you took the time to put this cover letter together and took the time to email it, why not take the extra four minutes and address it properly?

In this day and age, a little goes a long way.  If you are seeking employment, go the extra mile, stand out, it truly is the little things that count and the little things that catch a prospective employers eyes.

The family and I decided to enjoy some new scenery yesterday so we headed out to Mosquito Lagoon by New Smyrna Beach, Florida.  We were taken by the beauty of the coastal area and decided to pull over and stroll out to a dock situated on the river. While taking in the beauty, there was an evil lurking.  Blood was being robbed from my children, my wife and then me: Mosquitos, and LOTS of them.  Apparently, they named the Mosquito Lagoon the Mosquito Lagoon for a VERY specific reason.  After losing a few pints of blood collectively, we retreated to the mini van and quickly began applying copious amounts of Benadryl.

Everyday in business that we spend surrounded by Blood suckers, the more blood we lose.  The more ‘bad’ clients that we take on, the more clients that suck the life out of us on a daily basis, the more our company loses blood and begins to die.

If you find yourself dreading meetings with a client, or your entire staff is working on this particular client ten hours a day and cursing the entire time, it’s time to exterminate the mosquito. The longer you let them suck your blood, the more benadryl your company will need, the more your staff will be resentful, the more hairs you will be pulling out of your own head.  Once the mosquitos are eliminated, you can start enjoying the scenery and growing your company with purpose.

If you enjoyed this blog, be sure to visit my Internet Marketing and Web Design blog here: http://www.ontargetwebsolutions.com/search-engine-blog/

The true beauty of Internet Marketing is that if you do it right, you are addressing a consumer need at the right place, at the right time by the right audience.  As elementary as it sounds, it is often NEVER achieved by some of the best companies online.  People have problems, you have solutions.  People use Google to solve those problems. Do your answers to their problems show up when they ask Google how to solve it?

One of the most fundamental differences between Internet Marketing and traditional forms of marketing is this: People will seek you out when they need you, when they need to spend money, when they have a problem that you can solve.  The key is of course to answer the problem with authority, with expertise and with relevancy.  Once you start solving problems, you start selling.

Quick Tip: Start that blog you’ve been prolonging and use it.  Start answering prospect issues with your blog by providing rich relevant and unique content composed for CONSUMERS not SEARCH ENGINES.  Address common issues that you’ve encountered over the years, i.e., how to solve irrigation problems in your yard, how to properly maintain a camera lens, etc. You have no doubt addressed many consumer issues in the past, now it’s time to share.

Need an Internet marketing partner for the journey? Call me: In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

If you like this marketing blog, be sure to check out my other blog at On Target Web Solutions.com

Why did you get into business? If I had to guess, it’s because you have a passion for what you do.  Whether it’s woodworking, air conditioning repair, fishing guide, etc., you love or loved what you do. When it comes to your web site, make certain that your passion is incorporated into your design, into your marketing and into your corporate story. Passion is contagious, people buy from people who are passionate about their product or service.  Here are a few tips to shine a spotlight on your passion:

* Your messaging should be passionate, choose your words wisely.
* Your web site photos should relate to other people, people love to see people LIKE them.
* Your blogging should be consistent with your passion. Be real and let your passion come through your writing. Don’t force it.
* Your social media presence should be real and again, consistent with your passion.

With so much competition online it’s mission critical that you stand out, it’s mission critical that the spark or love for what you do is carried through your web site and Internet marketing presence.

Need some other pointers on Internet Marketing? Give me a call today: In Orlando:  407-830-4550 or Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

Many people in business are afraid to share their expertise with the rest of the world. When I first opened On Target Web Solutions, I was timid, I was afraid of the unknown, I was afraid to put my name out there. After a few years under my belt and KNOWING that I know my stuff, everything has become much easier. This initial insecurity is quote common, but can cause several companies to stall and never progress.

People (prospects) seek experts.  They want the best, they want the authority figures, they want the ones that stand out from everyone else.  Your web site and your social media campaign are the perfect tool to set yourself up as the authority in your field online.  You’ve spent years in business, you know your stuff, now share it with the world.

Need help taking your company to the next level online? Call me. In Orlando: 407-830-4550 or Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

It’s supposed to feel like 115 degrees outside here in Orlando today.  That is hot. In fact, there will be NO grass cutting getting accomplished at my home this weekend it’s so damn hot.  All of this heat gets me thinking about the Winter, which of course leads me to think about Christmas.  While I count down and long for the days when the humidity breaks around here, I am very aware of how quickly time passes.  Christmas is coming.  It may be 5 months away, but NOW is the time to take a glance at your marketing plan.

Companies wait until the last minute to solidify their online marketing plan for Christmas and this can result in a huge hit in sales if your competition has been planning ahead.  Take the time THIS WEEK to get your Internet marketing house in order. Here are some tidbits to consider:

: Keywords: Do a keyword audit on your web site, where are you weak, where are you strong, do you need to supplement some product keywords with pay per click campaigns? Take the time to know what keywords folks are typing in and plan accordingly.

: On Site Alterations and product placement: It’s time to start teasing and unrolling the products that you wish to push online for Christmas. Get them in prominent places on your web site and start talking about them on Social Media applications such as Twitter and Facebook.

: ECommerce Considerations: Is your web store software up to date? Are your products all in the store and easy to find?  Is your security certificate still valid? Run a few test orders through and make sure that it is an easy seamless process.

Taking the time to plan your online strategy NOW can dramatically increase your sales when the Fat Man in a suit comes around.

Need some help getting your web site in order? Call my company: On Target Web Solutions at 407-830-4550 in Orlando or Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

“What helps people, helps business.”

This quote from Leo Burnett could not be more true, especially in today’s market.  How can your company / corporate web site help people? Can you provide them with valuable information that will transform the way they do business? Can you feed them brilliant ideas or lead them into making an educated decision that will enhance their life?

Your web site can be a great tool to help people.  Help them understand your product, help them understand how your products can be fully utilized, help them understand how NOT to buy a particular product, etc.  Feed people and in turn, feed your business.

If your company needs help helping others, visit my Orlando Web Design & Internet Marketing firm to learn more about marketing your business online.