Life Without The Internet? - Is It Possible?
Author: David Ogden

Yesterday was one of those days that made me stop and think for
awhile. The ISP that provides my internet connection had an
"unscheduled" service outage, and there was no service for most
of the day. Seriously, I felt a bit lost.

What did we do before the internet? How did we do business? It
seems very strange, and yet the internet is really not that old
in the larger scheme of things. Now I'm sure some people would
say, of course you have a problem, you run an internet business.
The fact is I also have offline businesses too, and they also
came to a grinding halt yesterday.

First, the obvious problem like no email, which means the only
way to communicate, was via phone and fax. But let's stop there
for a moment. We have been using internet faxing for so long,
the actual fax machine had an inch of dust, and ink cartridges
where dried up! What about purchasing our supplies from our
vendors? No on-line ordering and no online payments. In fact no
online banking or money transactions at all. What about
answering customer calls about the products we have shipped to
them? You know, the WISMO calls (Where Is My Order)...No online
tracking. What about receiving and accepting customer orders,
and checking stock levels? No online order and inventory system.
You can imagine the list goes on and on.

So what's the point to all this ranting? First, I guess it
tells me I need a new ISP, in fact two new ISPs, so we always
have one as a back-up. It also tells me something on a deeper
level.

Always remember... Business is about relationships;
relationships with your customers, your vendors and your
employees.

I spent two hours yesterday morning calling customers just to
follow-up with them on different issues and since they also had
no internet we had time to talk. I was amazed at how many new
orders I received when we just had a few more minutes to talk to
each other. I even went down the street with one of my vendors
to have a cup of coffee. After a 20 minute conversation about
one of his new services we struck a deal that will reduce the
costs by US$18,000 per year in one of my businesses.

Bottom line. Is life without the internet even possible
anymore? - Certainly Not. It provides an amazingly robust way to
improve productivity, revenue streams and information exchange.
However as the old saying goes, you have to "keep the main
thing, the main thing! The "main thing" in business is
relationships. Make sure to keep close and personal
relationships with your customers, vendors and employees.

Next time you're busy sending out emails, stop yourself, and
instead of sending an email to a long term customer, pick-up the
phone and call them! You can always follow-up with an email
later, but that personal contact is important. Next time you're
placing an order on-line with a vendor, pick up the phone and
give them a call. I bet they will be happy to take your order
over the phone, and it gives you a chance to ask them about new
products or services that could save you a bundle!


About The Author: David Ogden is an established online marketer
who specializes in practice website tools and advice that help
many people start their very own home based business. He can
help you launch your very own money making website today that's
100% ready to take orders and pull in massive profits for you
right now ... guaranteed! Visit:
http://www.Affiliate-Profit-Masters.com/123 Copyright © David
Ogden http://www.Affiliate-Profit-Masters.com/123