1. Be Your Own Boss.

Nothing can be more frustrating than taking orders from the same person all the time. Even if taking orders is okay, what happens if your life depends on taking orders? Failure to obey your boss can kick you out of your job.

2. Work at Your Own Schedule.

Having a 9-5 job can be very stressful, you have to leave for work 9am every morning and you have no choice until 5pm in the evening, being an entrepreneur helps you overcome this and you can decide if you want to be working from 2pm in the noon till 6pm in the evening, it depends on you.

3. No Limit to Your Progress.

As far as working under someone is concerned, there is a limit to what you can be. You can never exceed your boss. Being an entrepreneur helps you overcome this limitation and whether you want to be a CEO or a sales representative, it is yours to decide.

4. Determine Your Location.

As an entrepreneur you can also decide if you want to be changing your location every month but a 9-5 job won’t afford you that, the final location can only be determined by your boss.

5. Vacate When You Want.

Being an entrepreneur also affords you the ability to vacate when you want which a 9-5 job can’t afford. You can easily decide if you want to be at home every thursday and friday of the week but a 9-5 job will never afford you that.

6. Determine Whom You Work With.

Choosing whom we work with is sometimes very important for the growth of a business because you can decide to work with other like-minded people who also have an entrepreneurial spirit and are ready to help you grow, there is just no restriction to whom you can work with.

7. Unlimited Earnings Potential.

There is a limit to what you can earn while working your 9-5 job, it doesn’t matter if your company doubled its income that month you will still be paid the same amount you are supposed to be paid but as an entrepreneur, since you own your business there is no limit to what you can earn, all you need to do is be very creative and look for various ways to improve your income.

8. Freedom of Speech.

When working a 9-5 job you can’t just talk to your boss anyhow because talking to your boss anyhow can lead to you being fired (Go call your boss a jerk if you don’t believe this!) but as an entrepreneur it doesn’t matter if you are talking to the CEO of one big company or a 12-year-old boy you still have right to the same words, you are simply not afraid of anybody.

9. Automate Your Income.

Another great advantage of being an entrepreneur is the ability to automate your income. You can easily employ people to help you manage your business while you tour the world but this isn’t possible in your usual 9-5 job, trying to do is you signing your sack letter.

10. Passive Income and knowledge Stream.

One great advantage entrepreneurs have is that they can create passive income streams and also improve their knowledge in so many ways. You can decide to have a big company under your belt while at the same time doing some other business, you are not restricted by anything.

As online shopping gains momentum, shoppers are looking for online retailers to provide them with more personalized shopping experiences. Marketers can tailor these experiences to specifically defined target audiences by understanding the shopping personalities and buying behaviors of customers. Because when you’ve discovered what drives specific shoppers to buy, you’re able to increase sales and margins.

Shopping behavior data derived from a behavioral commerce analytic platform used by several prominent online retailers was analyzed to determine the 10 most common shopping personality profiles.

1. The distracted shopper: “When I shop online, I often begin the check-out process but for one reason or another I don’t always complete the purchase.”

Note: This type of shopper is frequently distracted and is prone to multitasking while shopping.

To close the deal: Offer 10 percent off the next order if she completes this one. You can also show her the types of products she was browsing to remind her to return and complete the purchase.

2. The premium shopper: “I only buy the best. I want premium name brands with the latest features and most advanced technology.”

Note: This shopper is a trendsetter who doesn’t mind showing off or inciting a little jealousy in her friends.

To close the deal: Show this shopper the newest products that have just arrived. Increase the average order value by throwing in a small offer if she reaches a high order value threshold.

3. The determined shopper: “I always research before I buy. I’ll view the exact item I want multiple times, looking for a drop in price, or a special offer.”

Note: This shopper wants to be absolutely certain she has made the right choice before buying.

To close the deal: Provide positive reinforcement during her shopping process. Let the shopper know that this is the right product by showing positive consumer feedback on the items she’s browsing and, if necessary, provide an incentive like $10 off to write a product review .

4. The active shopper: “I’m always browsing but not always buying. I’m not looking for incentives, but they can help me convert when I’m window shopping.”

Note: Active shoppers like the positive psychological effects of browsing products online across different sites.

To close the deal: Try secret sales, daily deals, or flash sales to get these shoppers over the finish line. Try offering additional items that complement what they’ve been browsing.

5. The free shipping hunter: “I like to buy online, but if the retailer doesn’t offer free shipping, I’ll leave and find a website that does.”

Note: This shopper is turned off even if shipping costs are minimal.

To close the deal: Offer free shipping to these shoppers to ensure that they complete the purchase.

6. The thrifty shopper: “I like to buy used or refurbished items. If I can get the same product used for much less, I’ll buy it.”

Note: For this shopper, the amount of savings can be more powerful than the product need itself.

To close the deal: Make used and returned items visible to them. Show her overstock and clearance items based on what she’s been browsing. Those products might be just as attractive to her based on the savings.

7. The loyal shopper: “I only purchase if I can join a rewards club or special rewards program. This often leads to me purchasing at the same stores.”

Note: This shopper likes to build up and then cash in points from loyalty reward programs. This type of shopper will generally spend more than others in the pursuit of rewards points.

To close the deal: Remind her how many points she’ll get for buying certain items. Provide extra points for items you’re trying to clear out. Offer loyalty club deals so club members feel they’re getting something in return for their loyalty.

8. The methodical shopper: “When I shop online, I like to browse for the exact product I’m looking for. I often use site navigation until I find that perfect match.”

Note: These shoppers are tenacious and don’t like being distracted by marketing messages or product fluff. They follow site navigation and site maps to find the right product.

To close the deal: Present a message to these shoppers asking if they need help or have product questions if they seem to be getting lost within your site. Provide additional product suggestions combined with offers based on what they’ve been browsing to help generate sales.

9. The impatient shopper: “If I don’t find what I want immediately, I look somewhere else.”

Note: These shoppers are antsy to buy and be done with it. Making the navigation and checkout process fast will increase the likelihood of closing the sale.

To close the deal: Create a bold offer to grab their attention and maximize conversions. If they leave without purchasing, quickly present an offer combined with what they were browsing to try and win them back.

10. The wish list shopper: “I like to shop online, but I don’t always purchase. I add everything I like to the shopping cart to see what the total price will be.”

Note: This shopper needs help moving from fantasizing about products to actually purchasing the products.

To close the deal: Daily deals, flash sales, and secret sales work well for these shoppers. Add to their shopping excitement by showing additional items that complement existing items in their cart. This completes the visual picture for these shoppers and can drive them to purchase everything.

When retailers factor shoppers’ personalities and buying behaviors into their marketing decisions, everyone wins. Shoppers find products they’re looking for and are rewarded with incentives that mean the most to them, and retailers don’t waste money giving away huge discounts across the board.

By using a behavioral commerce platform, retailers can have a more thorough understanding of the shopping personalities of their site visitors and can maximize sales and margins by making strategic offers.

1. Make a profile before someone else makes it for you. 

There are plenty of cases of businesses ending up online without actively signing up themselves. As clearly stated in google’s FAQ section, “[it] license[s] basic business information from third-party data providers…and from [its] users” to set up certain pages. Instead of leaving yourself blind to former customers and clients that could be reviewing your services, take control of your Internet real estate and set up a social profile before a stranger has the chance.

2. Manage your front-office staff. 

First impressions are, more often than not, everything. When writing a social networks review or choosing between three or four stars, clients will remember the faces who greeted them first – be it receptionists, nurses, or assistants. Even if the doctor’s visit went smoothly or you helped a client win a case, the overall disposition of your office is powerful enough to turn a shining review into a lackluster one. Communicate the importance of etiquette and accessibility to your entire staff in order to leave clients with something positive to relay.

3. Build a robust profile.

 When building a business profile, social networks offer countless fields to fill in – and they all deserve some attention. Even seemingly basic details, such as photos of your office or explanation of payment methods, are worth including. social networks pages get premium placement in Google search results, increasing the likelihood that potential clients may see your social networks profile before your actual website – so it should be just as informative. Take advantage of more advanced profile widgets including “Meet the Manager” and “Recommend Like-Minded Businesses,” which help give your firm a richer online personality.

4. Encourage reviews from current or former clients. 

Once your work with a client or patient is complete, there is no harm in asking them to consider reviewing their experience online. This is the easiest way to rack up credibility and, if you’re confident that the service you provided was a success, you’re likely to see plenty of positive feedback. Even if the reviews you receive aren’t all five stars, they’re still wins; take comments as constructive criticism and use them as foundation for improvement. If you’re uncomfortable asking for reviews outright, include a link to your online profile on your website and in your email signature instead.

5. Interact with Networks. 

Many businesses assume that social networking is a one-way venue for consumers and clients to voice praise or bad experiences. The beauty of online networking, however, is its interactivity. As a service provider, you should take the time to publicly and privately respond to reviews – both positive and negative – on a regular basis. Some professionals worry that replying to negative posts sheds an unnecessary spotlight on the blemish, but if done tastefully, an owner response can take the edge off a scathing review. Letting clients know that their opinion matters puts you in the proactive spot. While it may be too late to rectify the precise problem, you can still salvage a relationship (or potential referral) and make changes for the future.

1. Believing people care about you and your website.

This women is laughing at you. Why? You designed your website for your needs, not hers. It gets worse. After she stops laughing, she’ll go to one of your competitors’ sites to buy something.

Here’s an email I received about the topic:

Powerhouse is a UK electrical goods retail store. We knew they had a nice bread maker at an even nicer price, so (we) went to their website to see if we could buy it.

Because we use Firefox, we weren’t allowed in. (Note: The site has disappeared. Did a Firefox-free environment cause this to happen? I don’t know, but I’m sure you don’t want to find out what happens if you keep potential customers out of your site. — vf)

Comet’s website worked a treat and they have our money now!

Nobody cares about you or your site.

Really. What visitors care about is solving their problems. Now. Most people visit a website to solve one or more of these four problems:

1. They want/need information
2. They want/need to make a purchase / donation.
3. They want/need to be entertained.
4. They want/need to be part of a community.

Too many organizations believe that a website is about opening a new marketing channel, getting donations, promote a brand, or increase company sales by 15%. No. It’s about solving your customers’ problems. Have I said that phrase enough?

2. A man from Mars can’t figure out what your website is about in less than four seconds.

You should be able to look at the home page of any site and figure out what the site is about in less than four seconds. If you can’t, the site is a failure. A current example of a site that would confuse a man from Mars is Genicap.

People who make Mistake #1 often end up making Mistake #2. An example of a site that fails the Four-Second Test is an older version of the Mars Hill site (shown below).

Is this an African sewing cooperative? Are they trying to sell us something? What is this site about? Who knows? Who is going to care enough to stay around and find out?

The name of the organization (Mars Hill) and the “tag line” (we are beginning a new season of covenant) tell you nothing. Non-profit organizations are the worst offenders when it comes to names and tag lines. Here’s a typical non-profit organization’s name and tag line:

      Big Hands of Hope
– It’s all about compassion

No. It’s all about solving your visitors’ problems. Nothing in the name or tag line tells you this organization helps African children

Here’s an over-the-top example of a name and tag line that’s better:

      Save the African Children
– We keep them from dying a horrible death

Yes, you must tone down the tag line, but at least you understand the mission of the organization.

3. Contrast

According to Wikipedia: “Contrast is the difference in visual properties that makes an object (or its representation in an image) distinguishable from other objects and the background.” According to Vincent Flanders: “Without proper contrast, visitors to your site can’t read the text and if they can’t read it, they will leave it.” Here’s a website that explains the need for contrast — and it’s done visually.

Of all the 16 mistakes, this one is the most mystifying. How is it possible not to notice you can’t read the text on a page?

The image at the left is a look at a piece of the menu on one of the subpages at Tampax.com. If you click the image, you’ll see a full-size version. (The file was saved at 99%, so there’s really no loss in quality.)

Can you read it? Not really.

Harmony Central had an excellent forum entry called Why Do Web Designers use Light Gray Type on a White Background? The second comment (by “Slight Return”) hits the nail on the head—designers know their content so they can read it even if they can’t really see it.

Many otherwise excellent web designers fall victim to Gray, Light, and Bad Type or “GLBT.” One site, that will remain somewhat anonymous, had an article about an interesting use of PHP (he’s a programmer, not a web designer). Right away, I knew I was looking at a GLBT site.

Click the image below to see what I saw.

I ran the page through AccessColor and if you click the image below, you’ll see how badly the site failed to have sufficient contrast.

73.93% of the text fails to meet one of the contrast standards.

More bad contrast

Another example of bad contrast comes from The Wedding Lens (click picture for original size image).

Do you see the problem? If not, maybe this screen shot will help. If not, maybe a screenshot of the online Colour Contrast Analyser’s results will help.

Learn About Contrast

There’s no excuse for contrast problems. If you won’t take my word for it, take Alistapart’s. Between the two of us, you’ve got the omega and alpha of web design telling you to wo/man up and make your site readable.

4. Using design elements that get in the way the sale.

Would you do this?

You’re a fundraiser getting ready to make the ask for a large sum of money. You’re the best fundraiser on the planet because you have a pitch that can move the heavens.

You walk into the donor’s office, introduce yourself and place an information packet in front of the donor.

As you start to make your big pitch, the donor reaches into the packet, extracts the pledge form you hope he’ll sign and grabs a pen.

As the donor starts to sign the lucrative, long-term pledge you reach over across the table, grab the donor by the throat and yell. “Not so fast, jerkface! I haven’t finished my pitch!!!”

You wouldn’t do that, would you? Then why are you using design techniques that keep the visitor from getting to the sale? These design techniques are the web equivalent of grabbing someone by the throat because they violate the golden rule of doing business on the Web — “Don’t do anything that gets in the way of the sale.”

Here’s an example of getting in the way of the sale — literally — as performed by Jakob Nielsen. Well, somebody at the Nielsen Norman Group. As the person who sent this mistake in to me said in his email:

So I get this link on a newsletter that informs me that Dr. Nielsen will be holding usability conferences around the globe – one in a city only a few hours drive from where I live. Clicking the link that’s 2/3rds the way down the newsletter, I find myself on a nice, concise and easy to navigate page that provided me with all the information I need.

Sold on the idea of attending, I see and click one of the links on the left column menu under each conference city entitled “Registration” for the locale of my desire – only to find that I can’t register.

When you click on the link, you’re given the ubiquitous basic authentication username and password dialog with no instructions on how to enter said page. They want me to register for their conference, but they’ve thrown down a frustrating step into the process that forces a user to come back some other day.

I suspect this occurred by not testing all the links on a machine that wasn’t already authenticated. Even if this encumbrance occurs for some other reason, it’s not the best way to show one’s expertise in the area of usability.

Some of the many, many other techniques that get in the way of the sale: Splash Pages, FlashSplash Pages (Video), animations, lack of focal point on the page, too much text, too little text, too many pictures, etc. See any of my books or any article on this site for more examples.

When people arrive at your site, it’s because they’ve made a commitment. They’ve clicked a link or an ad and now they are at your site so you don’t have to try to seduce them. Let them in your site.

On the other hand, seduction is necessary when you buy ads on other sites and search engines. You have to seduce people before they click.

5. “My (blog / website / Facebook fan page / Twitter account) is everything.”

I was hanging out at a non-web design conference and two of my friends sat down and wanted to talk about their websites. One of them kept loudly saying, “My blog is everything” until he got tired of me trying to tell him otherwise.

It’s possible that his blog “is everything,” but you can only make that statement when you’ve tried a website, Facebook fan page, Twitter account, and whatever other marketing activities are appropriate. For all I know, his “everything” might actually be Google ads and a simple landing page. Believing there’s only one, true path is dangerous.

5a. Thinking your website is your marketing strategy.

Unless you’re an online shop selling t-shirts, cameras — you get the picture — your website is not your marketing strategy. Your website is part of your marketing strategy.

If you take orders over the phone, don’t get rid of your phone banks. If you’re successfully using direct mail, don’t stop. Heck, if the Yellow Pages are working for you, continue to use them. The trick, and the hard part, is to find where your website fits in your marketing strategy.

Here’s an email I received from a dear friend who was consulting for an organization that was going to put all of its eggs into one web basket:

 I have to tell you that I attended a board meeting today for the organization whose website you checked out for me.

The board consists of high-end people who had flown in from all over the country! When push came to shove, they asked me what I thought about their ability to raise money by driving people to the website.

I shared your response with them. Silence in the room. And then a couple of other board members acknowledged that it needed work, affirming that they had the same impression but didn’t have the expertise to say anything..

You can’t put all your eggs in one electronic basket.

6. Navigational failure.

All web navigation must answer these questions:

Where am I?
Where have I been?
Where can I go next?
Where’s the Home Page?
Where’s the Home Home Page?

Navigation must be simple and consistent.

Common mistakes include different types of navigation on the same site, a link to the current page on the current page (home page link on home page), poorly worded links so the visitor doesn’t know where he’ll go if he clicks, no links back to the home page and confusing links to the home page.

7. Site lacks Heroin Content.

In his classic book Naked Lunch, which I read when I was 15, William Burroughs described heroin as the ultimate product. Why? Because people would crawl through the sewers and beg to buy it. In the non-drug world, there are very few products that can be classified as having heroin’s appeal.

How many web sites have Heroin Content?

Heroin Content’s characteristics vary by type of site — but you’ll know it when you see it. One global characteristic, though, is frequently updated content. The best way to get people to come back to your site again and again is by having content they need, and then updating this content on a regular basis.

How do you create Heroin Content? The answer depends on the likes and dislikes of your audience. Remember, it’s what your audience wants that counts. What I consider Heroin Content is somebody else’s Quinine Content.

Here are some thoughts about web content.

• Does your content solve your customers’ problems or does it create problems?
• Does your content match your audience’s expectations?
• Have you determined the purpose of your site?
• Do you know your target audience?
• Ask yourself: “What content do I have that would cause anybody in their right mind to visit my site a second, third, or fourth time?” This is extremely important. You might con (seduce) someone to visit your site once, but why would they want to come back a second, third, or fourth time? If you can’t answer this question, you really shouldn’t have a web site.
• Is the content technically correct?
• Does your customer need to know the content you’re presenting?
• Is the content current and updated frequently?
• Can people find the content they’re looking for?
• Does my site have Heroin Content?

I just got through reading that Bill Gates wants to start a blog. Why would anyone in their right mind want to read it? Do you think it will contain Heroin Content? As Seth Godin brilliantly points out, blogs only work when they meet four of the following five conditions:

1. Candor
2. Urgency
3. Timeliness
4. Pithiness
5. Controversy

Content Trumps Design. PostSecret is poorly designed. You have purple links on a black background, small text that doesn’t contrast well with the background, lime green headers, a page that goes on and on, content that only changes once a week and a poorly designed logo. The postcards are often hard-to-read, especially on a small monitor.

The content, however, is extraordinary and ever since I discovered the site, I’ve visited it every week. Well, every week but the week I had brain surgery <painful grin>. This site is proof that content is much more important than design. Yes, my comments about the design are accurate, but meaningless because the site has Heroin Content.

Before you start saying, “My site also has Heroin Content so I don’t have to worry about the design,” let me point out a small fact. Your site doesn’t have Heroin Content. Digg.com has it, YouTube borrows a lot of it, and Google is another site that has Heroin Content.

8. Forgetting the purpose of text.

After ten years, you’d think web designers would understand how to use text, but they don’t. Here are some helpful hints.

Text is Text. Don’t use graphics or Flash for text. The first reason is it increases the size of the page; the second reason is it isn’t search engine friendly; the third reason is the graphics are often of poor quality and are aliased (jaggy); and fourth, mistakes are hard to correct as this example demonstrates (it was originally created in Flash).

Gimme contrast. Web designers have fallen in love with creating text that doesn’t contrast with the background.

One of the strangest set of text contrasts I’ve ever seen was at the University of Idaho Children’s Center (it’s been fixed), with blue and black text on a green background. It certainly hurt the eyes. They also alternated the color of their links — now that’s a bad design technique you’ve probably never seen before.

9. Too much material on one page.

Yes, it’s called a web page, but that doesn’t mean you have to cram all your material on one page — just like this page does <grin>.

It’s very easy to keep adding material to your home page until it gets out of control.

With so much content vying for attention, it’s difficult for the eyes to find the focal point. People get confused and they leave. A long web page means you have failed to organize your site properly — probably a combination of not planning your site and poor navigation. An example of too much material on one page is Arngren.net.

Oh. Yes, this page is too long. You’re learning good web design by looking at bad web design.

10. JavaScript

This is the most controversial of my selections because JavaScript is more often used for good than evil.

The Number One problem with JS is security. Many of the browser exploits— especially with Internet Explorer— can be traced to JavaScript. Microsoft’s solution to many security holes is to “turn off scripting” (JavaScript).

The second problem is JS bloats up your page. My home page goes from 31,803 bytes to 71,488 because of the JavaScript I’ve added to track visitors to my page and what they do. Then, there’s the issue of all those ads on this site. They’re run by JS. No ads, no money. The benefits make JavaScript so wonderful, but there’s a cost. I know, I know. I’m getting a lot of benefit out of JS, which brings me to problem three.

The third problem is that JavaScript, until recently, has been a browser resource hog that page take longer to load. Fortunately, all the browser makers are making inroads on rewriting their JavaScript engines. Microsoft rewrote, Firefox rewrote their engine, Google rewrote their JS engine, as well as Opera and Safari.

The fourth problem is all the widgets in use today. All these widgets use JavaScript and most of these widgets are poorly written and cause delays in loading web pages.

The fifth problem comes from JS conflict. So many JS programs say they want to be the last item before the BODY tag. Who wins? Does it make a difference? Then there’s the problem of other JS programs in the HEAD of the page. Most of us don’t write JS so we copy and paste elements from scripting sites. I have had conflicts and it takes forever to find the problem when you’re not the programmer.