Driving for show, putting for dough

Any golfer knows that the saying "You drive for show, putt for dough" is a good epitome of how  the game works. You may be able to smash the ball 350 yards off the tee but if you can't put the ball in the hole with your putter, then all that power is not worth a lick. 

That is sometimes how I feel while searching for creative suppliers. Many have lots of glitz and glamour on their websites, but they lack the functionality or information to actually make me send them an email regarding their services. As a marketer I know exactly what I am looking for and I know that any semblance of a reasonable marketing savvy designer should know this when designing their website. Know your target, the majority of people hiring creative companies have marketing or business backgrounds and don't want to spend too much time having to surf through your site to find what they are looking for. They will just leave. Basic things, like a listing of your services, should be included. Just a portfolio page will not suffice.

Now that being said, I also won't waste my time with a website that is complete text and is not visually appeasing. So I guess what i'm saying is you have to Drive and Putt for my dough.

Your friendly neighbourhood internet store

The internet makes the whole world a marketplace for your customers if you so choose. But it also allows companies to automate and essentially become lazy on their customer service.

Someone buys something and gets an automated email response with the order summary, shipping info and receipt - it's pretty standard practice for e-commerce.

But what happens when you change things up.

I recently ordered my girlfriend a bouquet of flowers because i'm just such an awesome boyfriend and I was looking online at the various flower shops in Vancouver that delivered. I finally settled on a florist and ordered the bouquet and of course received an automated email confirming all the details.

Then, to my surprise, later that day I received an email from the florist letting me know that he "would be delivering a beautiful bouquet to ------ on March 16th for me. Thanks, Joel"

That simple email that took him 10 seconds to send just earned him a repeat customer. The next time I look to suck up to my girlfriend I will definitely be going to the same place.

It's that easy to turn your standard online store into one that makes your customers feel more important than a standard automated reply.