Want To Know More About Your Visitors?

From a business point of view, such a position makes itdifficult to see others as they really are. For example, itmay be nearly impossible for you to view your site and salespresentations as your potential customers see them. Yet youmust be able to slip on your visitor's "shoes," and wanderabout your site, seeing it as they do.

Failing to do so on a regular basis severely limits profitpotential. Many ignore this introspective evaluation becausethey are unable to be truly objective. And it is hard to do.But we can all improve our skills in this area. We can allachieve a greater degree of objectivity about our site andbusiness. One approach lies in learning more about peoplein general.

Look At Reality Eye-To-Eye

In business, it never matters what you think or feel. Theonly thing that does matter, is your visitor's view of things.You undoubtedly know this is so. But have you thought thisthrough right to the end of it? If not, you may be overlookingpowerful implications.

Many doing business online have little or only a superficialknowledge of people. And they go no further. Unless you havea solid understanding of people, -- their hopes, their dreams,their fears, everything about them -- you are limiting yourpotential for success.

Try This

Next time you visit a small business site that is new toyou, kind of kick back for a few moments, and look it over.Think about what you know of people as you examine the site.You may find little indication the writer thought much aboutpeople at all.

Many small businesses are struggling for lack of awarenessof who their visitors really are. And some are headed fordisaster because of this lack.

How Big Business Operates

Larger "successful" companies frequently make the sameblunder, but in a different way. They know the percentage ofvisitors who buy. They know the percentage of those who returnto buy again. They know what percentage buys their mostprofitable products. And they may target this group. Suchcompanies are settling for far less success than is available.

They talk frequently of motivation and behavior. They oftenhold weekend seminars to study such points. But in fact, theirentire business is driven by sales data, not people. At bottom,they know very little about people. And could care less.

Learning About People

Most assume they know more than enough about peopleto be able to do business with them. But if you are onewho seeks to be honest with yourself, a hard look may revealhow little you actually do know.

The two characteristics of people that matter most aremotivation and behavior. To break this down further, youwant to know as much as possible about what people do, whythey do it, how they do it, and so forth.

Read Dale Carnegie's excellent book, "How To Win FriendsAnd Influence People." You'll find some grand insights.If you enjoy reading, there are lots of good titles thatcollectively can bring you the understanding you need.

If you're not a reader, try this.

Just Hang Around

Pick a corner downtown with heavy pedestrian traffic.Settle in and watch people as they flow by. You'll seeenormous differences in behavior. Particularly on a rainyday. Try to think in terms of the "why" of these difference.

Wander into a busy department store and watch thoseshopping. If you can, pick a day on which a big sale bringsvast crowds. Shoppers will run the gamut from those who graban item quickly, then push on - to those who examine each ofsix equivalent products in detail.

Throughout, withhold judgement. You are merely an observer.You want to gather whatever information you can about whatpeople do and why. Their motivations and behavior may remainunsuitable or even "crazy" to you. Nonetheless, you want andneed this information.

Become Preoccupied With Watching

The fascinating thing about "people watching" is that youcan do so most everywhere you go, regardless of the task youpersonally need to accomplish. In a meeting, watch the otherparticipants. When driving, track the behavior of otherdrivers.

If you become a serious "people watcher," you'll achieve agrand benefit most will never discover. Here's what it boilsdown to.

Eliminate Yourself From The Picture

While you are watching others, you are NOT thinking aboutyourself. You are focused on the person you are watching. Thusyou have eliminated yourself from the "universe" of the personyou are observing. You are trying to see all as they do.

Now you've really got something. While you can not seevisitors on your site, try to "watch" them as you might observestrangers in a store or on the street. This can bring anenormous positive change in your focus. Suddenly you may beasking all kinds of neat questions.

Would that clown who darn near ran me off the freeway likemy site?

That women is awfully impatient; how long could my site holdher interest?

That scatterbrain doesn't seem to know where he's trying togo; how would he deal with my site?

Focus On The Individual, Not The Crowd

There are an uncountable number of things you can watchpeople do. Then ask how such a person might behave whilevisiting your site. Above all, ask what you'd have to do toget a sale.

The power in this approach is that you are putting yourindividual visitor first in your thinking. This tends tosoften, even eliminate, yourself and your personal preferences.In taking this step, your opportunities for success aremultiplied many times over. Particularly in that it doesn'thappen on most sites.

Try it. It just might lead to a whole new and betterway of doing business.