A few years ago, I bought a toaster oven at a large discount store. When I tried to bake a potato, I turned the temperature dial to 350 F. Nothing happened. Yes, the plug was in the wall. Yes, the outlet worked for my coffee grinder. So, I concluded, the toaster oven was defective.
The Customer Service rep kept a straight face. "See this knob here?" she said politely. "You have to set it for toast or oven."
Oh. I guess I was toast.
I remembered this story when I experienced a sudden drop in subscribers to my Your Next Move Ezine.
My first thought was, "They don't love me!" Should I rush out and hire a web designer and perhaps a high-powered, high-priced specialist in web marketing?
My second thought was, "They can't find me!" Maybe I need to hire a search engine specialist to manage my keywords.
Fortunately for my budget, my readers wrote to me. "I tried to click on your submit button and nothing happened." Or, "I tried your 'subscribe' address and got a 'DOES NOT EXIST' message back." Or, "The link to your subscribe page is down."
If you find yourself thinking, "This will never happen to me," you haven't owned a website very long -- or you're exceptionally meticulous and I want to know how you do it.
These glitches happen outside the website world.
One client kept sounding out resumes, wondering why she was getting no response. We revised her resume. She began to consider finding a whole new career. However, we realized, others in her profession were finding jobs. Bad references? Too soon: employers usually call first.
You're probably guessed what happened. One day I tried to call her at the number on her resume. A frantic female voice said, "I've gotten fifty calls for this person! Who is she?"
My client had reversed the last two digits of her phone number.
Sometimes a simple mistake means your intuition is trying to send you a tough message. One client kept running For Sale ads for his beloved house. Each time he'd omit a key detail or run the wrong price, contact information or time to call.
Finally he realized, "I don't want to move." And we began to talk about how he could start a business right where he lived, so he could keep the house (and his happiness).
Anyone can make these kinds of mistakes -- especially when you're busy or you've embarked on a life transition. I recommend paying it forward: help anyone who seems unaware.
And now when I buy an appliance, I do a trial run right in the store, before packing up the car. You'd be amazed how many places they can find to hide the "on" button.
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Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant.
Your Next Move Ezine: Read one each week and watch your choices grow! mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com
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mailto:cathy@cathygoodwin.com.
505-534-4294
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