July 19, 2008
How to Lose My Business - Unfortunately, probably only Part 1
I wanted to find someone to build a website to very specific requirements. I was referred to a person (we’ll call him Idiot Jerk, a pseudonym for his real name) and I went to his website, www.idiotjerk.com. I looked for a button that said “contact me” or something, instead I found this sentence:
“To reach Idiot, think about the URL of this site and how it might relate to his email address.”
Gee, I get to puzzle this out prior to giving him work! How fortunate for me, the time-starved entrepreneur! Let’s try some variations! Let’s try some permutations!
Let’s try someone else.
Cheryl Antier said,
July 19, 2008 @ 10:46 am
Isn’t it amazing how far some people will go to keep from being successful? Better luck finding someone who actually WANTS to get new clients and be successful! I’m enjoying reading you on Twitter!
Warmly,
Cheryl
Carol Deckert said,
July 19, 2008 @ 1:12 pm
Every day, just when I think I’ve seen it all, another one pops up! How would anyone ever think they could get business by such an a**? I agree - not getting my business either!
Hope you are enjoying your new home!
Happy Netweaving,
Carol
P.S. If you are still looking for a great web designer - a fantastic web designer, let me know - I’ve got one and you won’t look anywhere else when you see the awesome work he does!
admin said,
July 19, 2008 @ 1:34 pm
Thanks Cheryl - I am enjoying twitter myself! For those who tweet, I’m marymcd…
Hey Carol, I agree - you think you’ve seen it all, then bam! Another Idiot Jerk comes along. And yes, enjoying the new digs very much!
Dr. Sally Witt said,
July 19, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
Hi Mary,
I am constantly amazed on the rude and squirrelly behavior that some people show online. It is the one place where you can usually take your time to make sure that you are putting your best foot forward, and still they don’t care!
Or they are blatantly rude.
On the other hand, there are thousands of wonderful people on the web, providing great services, customer service, and being generous and kind with newcomers to a group.
Good post!
Sally
http://www.drsallywitt.com
Alisa Ugalde said,
July 20, 2008 @ 11:48 am
I don’t think he’s an idiot or a jerk. I think he’s a web site developer and therefore possibly not a marketing or sales wiz. He knows so much about computers that he’s afraid of the harvesters that may easily find his e-mail address if he posts it on his web site. THis will cause him a spam overload. So it seems he made a mistake. While he was just preventing himself from being over run with spam, he also is preventing customers from easily finding him. Maybe he makes beautiful web sites. Unfortunately, the world will never know.
Have a great day!
Sophie said,
July 20, 2008 @ 12:18 pm
Wouldn’t it be simply “IdiotJerk@idiotjerk.com”? Or rather, [person]@{domain]? Just curious.
Merlyn said,
July 20, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
I don’t think he’s necessarily an idiot or a jerk, he’s probably just clueless. Perhaps as Alisa writes, he’s techno savvy but not sales and marketing savvy.
That’s why we should stick to our strengths! Maybe Mr. Clueless should have had some friends and colleagues review his site before he alienated his prospective clients!
admin said,
July 20, 2008 @ 5:37 pm
Sally - I agree with you - there are great folks out there who do a wonderful job. What amazed me is that this was a web designer, who (I would hope) would know the importance of people being able to get in contact with him via the web…
Alisa - thanks for your balanced comment - it made me think, and rethink my initial reaction. You’re right, he’s probably not a marketing whiz; and, he may be afraid of being harvested, but that’s why folks write out an email - info-at-mcdcg-dot-com, for example, isn’t it? At least, that’ why I do it sometimes… I was told a harvester can’t find me as easily that way.
Sophie - actually, I DID play around with the permutations, combinations, etc. and it was “idiot-at-idiotjerk-dot-com” - or was it “idiot-at-jerk-dot-com”? Either way, my initial instinct, which was yours, was ‘firstname-lastname@’ which was incorrect. It just reminded me of the original Batman TV series, where Frank Gorsham as the Riddler would say, “Riddle me this, Batman…” and Batman would have to figure out what the clue meant before he could stop the crime.