I was doing my weekly shopping over the weekend, and something grabbed my attention. While I was looking for some kitchen cleaner spray, I noticed that the most any of them kill is 99.99% of household germs.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that’s a pretty high strike rate, but what then is differentiating them from one another? What is setting them apart from their competition? For the most part, it’s brand loyalty that’s driving it. I’ve always used Mr Muscle, so chances are I will buy it.

But imagine if a one of them developed a household cleaner that killed 100% of the germs. When you’re talking about something that matters to people, this extra .01% can give you a massive competitive advantage.  I know that there is probably a major scientific explanation as to why that extra .01% is so hard to obtain for household cleaners (given they got to 99.99%), but I think it illustrates an important point.  Read more...

So last week I spoke about the things you claim your business to be, and this week I want to talk about how people perceive your business.

I was waiting to cross the street yesterday afternoon and noticed this picture taped to the light pole.

So, consider this. You are looking for a home business opportunity that will allow you to make money. This ad promises it. It also promises enough part time money to overtake your full time income. It promises more from life.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Will you tear off one of the little tabs at the bottom and text your first name to the number listed? Probably not.

Why? Because this ratty photocopied ad is taped over the top of another ratty photocopied ad, which is in turn taped to a light pole.  Read more...

Hey everyone, welcome back! A new year, new possibilities – I’m excited!

I wanted to lead off this year with something I noticed while I was on break. It’s about the claims you make as a business about your product. More specifically, the ability to back them up.

My example comes from a drive I was on, where I passed through a small grove of shops. In the same town, there were two bakeries both with shingles out that proclaimed their pies “the best in the world”. What are the chances? The world is a big place, and here we have not one, but two stores virtually next to each other proclaiming their product to be the best.

Now, obviously this is hyperbole on the part of the bakery, but it illustrates an important point when making claims about your products – particulalry when your business exists online.  Read more...

Well, it’s finally here. The end of the noughties, and what an amazing decade it has been. The technological advancements that have fundamentally changed the way we do business are now within the reach of everybody to take advantage of and create an online business.

My mission this year has been to share the knowledge and advice that I have to give to help give you the best chance of success. Next year, I have two business resolutions that I am making. One of those is to be more personal, which I covered in my last post. The other – take bolder actions. 2010 will be the time to make the most of the moment in order to get ahead of your competition.  Read more...

For my penultimate post this year, I’ve been inspired by something Chris Brogan published yesterday on his blog about The Visible Media Maker. It’s a great post about being a personality while sharing stories.

One of my main goals for 2010 with Online Business Adviser is to make it more personal. When I say personal, I’m talking about injecting not only the blog, but also my social footprint with more information that is specific to me as a person in an effort to start more conversations.

In looking to achieve the goal, I’ve outlined 7 things that I believe are beneficial to any online business owner who wants to be more personal and build their brand. Some of these I have been doing all along, and some I am yet to do, but all are activities that should be a sooner rather than later project.  Read more...