Tag Archives: online business

Customer Service — Where Did It Go?

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Remember when you could walk into a business without immediately being pressured to buy something?

Someone greeted you. They gave you time to look around. If you needed help, they helped you. And before you left, they thanked you for stopping in.

Today, too many businesses—especially online—seem to have forgotten that customers are people.

Log into almost any advertising site and what do you see?

Upgrade now.
Buy credits.
Purchase this special.
Get more exposure.
Don’t miss this offer.

You haven’t even had time to look around yet.

Imagine walking into a neighborhood shop and having the owner run toward you before the door has even closed:

“Here is today’s special! Would you like to upgrade? Would you like to buy more? This offer ends soon!”

How many times would you go back to that store?

It simply starts with remembering that behind every username is a real person walking through your door.

We simply stopped looking customers in the eye—and somewhere along the way, some businesses began treating people like usernames, clicks and dollar signs.

Customer service didn’t stop mattering when businesses moved online.

Every click.

Every email.

Every referral.

Every support ticket.

Every new member.

Every longtime friend.

They’re not just numbers on a report.

They’re people.

And people remember how you made them feel.

Maybe that’s something online businesses need to remember a little more often.

Because before someone becomes your best customer…

They are simply a person who walked through your door.



Customer service didn’t disappear.

It simply starts with remembering that behind every username is a real person walking through your door. 💙

⭐ Stop Limiting Me From Reading Emails

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…and why mailer owners need to rethink this outdated rule

If you’ve been around mailers as long as I have (giggle), you’ve seen a lot of strange ideas come and go. But one thing I’ve never understood — not in 2008, not in 2015, not today — is why mailer owners insist on limiting how many emails a member can open at once.

I mean really… why?

On one mailer, I get this message:

“You can open a maximum of 3 credit links at a time.”

Cute. Except I only have 2 open. Not 3. Not even close.

And when that message pops up, you know what happens? I stop clicking. Period. Momentum gone. Interest gone. Bye‑bye engagement.

🌟 The logic just isn’t there

Why would an owner limit people from reading emails? It’s backwards. It’s upside‑down. It’s the opposite of what a mailer is supposed to do.

Owners don’t create the engagement — members do.

It’s the people writing the emails who make them interesting enough to click. It’s their responsibility to grab attention, spark curiosity, and stand out from the crowd.

If an email is boring, limiting clicks won’t magically make it better. If an email is great, limiting clicks just means fewer people get to see it.

🌟 Let them click away

If someone wants to open 5 emails at once, let them. If someone wants to open 10, let them. If someone wants to click through 50 in a row, LET THEM.

That’s literally the point of a mailer.

The owner’s job is to keep the system running smoothly. The member’s job is to write something worth clicking. The reader’s job is to click whatever catches their eye.

Limits don’t help any of those roles.

🌟 The real issue: outdated settings that never got updated

A lot of owners run multiple sites — sometimes dozens. And when you’re juggling that many, little things slip through the cracks:

  • Old settings stay in place
  • Outdated limits never get reviewed
  • Nobody notices… except the people actually clicking

And trust me, when you click as fast as I do, you notice everything.

🌟 A simple fix that helps everyone

Raise the limit. Or remove it entirely.

Let people read the emails. Let them click freely. Let the system breathe a little.

Because when you stop me from reading emails, I stop clicking. And I’m not the only one.

🌟 Final sparkle

Mailer owners: If you want engagement, don’t block it. If you want clicks, don’t limit them. If you want members to stay active, make it easy for them to stay active.

Let us click. Let us read. Let us surf. Let us enjoy the mailer the way it was meant to be used.

Stop limiting me from reading emails — and watch your engagement go up.

A Moment I Hope More People Get to Feel

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I was going through my inbox today and saw something that made me stop for a second…

A few “New Referral” messages — just from the last couple of days.

And one of them showed exactly where the member came from:

👉 Joined From Site: newmailalert.com

I’m not sharing this to show off.

I’m sharing it because I want more people to experience this moment.

That quiet little spark where you realize:

“Oh… this really does work.”

Not because you spent hours surfing.
Not because you clicked until your eyes crossed.
But because of the small, steady things you kept doing:

  • Showing up
  • Placing ads
  • Letting people see you over time

A lot of people are still just going through the motions — and honestly, most of us start that way.

But something shifts when you begin seeing results like this. It’s not loud. It’s not flashy. It’s just a simple reminder that your effort is adding up.

You don’t have to do everything. You just have to do a few things with intention.

This didn’t happen overnight. It came from consistency — even on the days it felt like nothing was happening.

And one day…

You’ll open your inbox and feel this moment too.

Why “Vibes” Matter More Than You Think Online

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There’s something I’ve noticed over the years…

And it’s one of those things that seems so obvious to me —
but somehow gets missed all the time.

People are still people.

Even online.

We may not be face to face…
We may never shake hands…
We may never even hear each other’s voices…
But that doesn’t mean we don’t feel each other.
Because we do.

💭 You Can Feel It… Even Through a Screen

Have you ever landed on a site and thought:

  • “Something feels off here…”
  • “I don’t feel comfortable…”
  • “This just feels… cold”

You may not be able to explain it.
But you feel it.

And the opposite is true too.
You land somewhere and think:

  • “I like this place”
  • “This feels welcoming”
  • “I want to stay here a bit”

That’s not an accident.
That’s the vibe.

🛍️ This Isn’t Just an “Online Thing”

I’ve always looked at this the same way I did in my offline businesses.

Whether it was my gift shop…
or years in landscaping…

One thing was always true:
👉 How you treat people matters.
Not just what you offer.
Not just what you sell.
But how people feel when they interact with you.

🍕 Two Pizza Places on the Same Block

I’ve used this example before…
Two pizza places.

Same size.
Same location.
Same menu.

But one owner:

  • knows your name
  • smiles when you walk in
  • makes you feel like you belong

The other?

  • just takes your order
  • barely looks up
  • treats you like a number

Which one do you go back to?

📺 It’s the “Cheers” Effect

Remember the show Cheers?

“Where everybody knows your name”

That feeling didn’t disappear just because we moved online.
If anything…
People need it more now.

⚠️ Where Things Go Wrong Online

Somewhere along the way, people started thinking:

“It’s online… so it doesn’t matter”

But it does.

You can:

  • come across as rushed
  • cold
  • disconnected
  • or like you don’t really care

And people pick up on it instantly.

💡 Why This Matters More Than Ever

You can have:

  • all the features
  • all the tools
  • all the bonuses

But if people don’t feel good being there…
They won’t stay.
They won’t engage.
And they won’t support you.

🌱 What People Are Really Looking For

It’s not complicated.
People want to:

  • feel seen
  • feel appreciated
  • feel like they matter

That’s it.

😊 A Little Thought to Leave You With

You don’t have to be perfect.
You don’t have to do everything right.
But how you show up?
That matters.
Because even online…

👉 People can still feel you.

I had a conversation today that reminded me of this…
People don’t always say it directly…
but you can tell when they feel comfortable… and when they don’t

💬 Final Thought

Life can get in the way…
We all have things going on.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t still be decent with people.

Treat others the way you would like to be treated…
Even if that isn’t always what you receive in return.

This isn’t about perfection.
It’s about presence.

You Don’t Have to Meet Someone…
To Feel Them

Basics of Your Online Business

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It’s really been strange over the years listening to people wanting to earn online but yet they are looking for the BIG RED EASY BUTTON and that does now exist.  Having run an offline business for more than 25 years and online business for more than 10 years – I want to explain what I feel is the Basics of Your Online Business.

It’s sad listening to people complain about not making any money but yet when you ask them some questions and find out that they are not really treating what they are doing like a business.  So I’m going to run through some of the basics that I think anyone reading this and wanting  to earn online needs to hear.

Think about it – in the offline world if you wanted to earn money and have your own business – what would you do first – you would need a NAME, building, budget for the utilities, budget for advertising, inventory, customers, etc. – you get the idea

Now keep this in mind with your online business and the NAME – that is your domain name of your business.  How do YOU want people to find YOU  you could buy the domain of yourname.com and become a blogger.  If you want to invest in a script and have a traffic exchange, mailer, safelist, etc. then you need to still get your domain name.

You bought domain and now what – well you need to get your site out on the internet and this is no different than paying for a building for your offline business – see I relate the online this way – you need HOSTING – your online building

Now that you have your building you have to have a budget for the utilities and in my “zaney” mind – to me that was the autoresponder, tracker, etc.  As you are growing your business you need a way to talk to your members (customers) and you need to a way to track what is working for you – otherwise you are just throwing money out the door.

Talking about budget for advertising, I don’t know if you have ever dealt with offline advertisers but ads are prime real estate with the prices they charge,  This is where graphics come in for your site and where you are going to advertise.

AND if you think that having your own business is rolling in money – think again and thus the reason for this article.  If you are serious about having your own business, then you need to have money to invest in YOUR business.

Without these things you are going to be one of the people wondering WHY I’m not earning.  Remember this is just my way of looking at things but if you want to earn online these are things that you need to think about.

ONE more thing as I’m see that I’m getting long winded – you have your business open for business – don’t just open the doors and expect people to flood in without getting the word out AND don’t leave the doors open and never be around.

OK ONE more thing – people want to see the owner, they want to get to know you and see that you are serious about your business.  So take the time to update the default pages that came with your script – otherwise your members are just going to think this is same ole same ole.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT is not something you ignore – this is how you build that relationship with your members.  Bottom line, you are going to have to learn to wear many hats and some can handle it but if you think you can’t then maybe you should just become a shopper (affiliate) and yes offline people do earn money for just being a shoppers.

Hope this opens some eyes and you – ONLY YOU – have to decide do you really want an online business.  Remember online businesses are open 365 days a year – 24/7