Life of an Internet Entrepreneur

One major indicator of the health of our economy is the state of the automotive industry. Since cars are one of the largest purchases we will make in our lifetime, we tend to put a lot of thought into it, and can generally afford a new car only during good times.

Being that times are not so great for the Detroit 3 and car sales are dropping, let’s look at some strategies that can help dealers sell cars more efficiently. This will hopefully be interesting to everyday people, and vital to car dealers to read.

I was recently reading Ari Herzog’s post about how avatars changed online, and I thought he brought up some excellent insights that you would enjoy.

According to Wikipedia, an Avatar is

 a computer user’s representation of himself/herself or alter ego, whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games, a two-dimensional icon (picture) used on Internet forums and other communities.

In the early days of the internet, there was much fear of the internet, and the openness of it.  Additionally, slower modems handled small avatar graphics much better than large graphics. These were also the days where internet dating was laughed at because of the unreliability of the photos people did post.

When President Obama unveiled Cash For Clunkers, a government program to trade in old inefficient cars at dealerships in exchange for new efficient models, many people applauded the effort for its laudable goals:

• Lowering pollution in the air by having newer, cleaner emission cars taking the place of older cars with worse emissions
• Jump-starting the American auto industry, which had been selling so few cars that dealers, factories, and suppliers were shutting their doors.

How often do you find yourself contemplating a task, only to avoid getting started on it and move on to something else?

Procrastination is a major problem for everyone, but especially dangerous for entrepreneurs. After all, when you work for yourself, YOU set the pace. If that pace is slow, profits will be slow as well. Beating procrastination, however, can be accomplished with a few simple tips.

1. Baby Steps

If you find yourself struggling to get started on a project, consider breaking it down into the smallest tasks possible. Then complete one (or a few) of these tiny tasks. You’ll gain momentum with each micro-task that you complete, allowing you to knock out procrastination quickly and painlessly.

Each year, I play a fun guessing game on which day(s) will be the biggest online selling days of the year. My “bet” for this year is going to be mid-day Dec. 12th -13. Why that particular day and a half? Allow me to explain:

Paycheck syndrome

In bad economies, we are less likely to have cash sitting around. This particular recession is no exception, and because this recession is partially caused by the credit crunch, we are certainly less likely to have cash. Therefore, we are more likely to spend based on our paycheck date. We are especially more likely to purchase something expensive near the time we are getting a paycheck (thursday evening) in anticipation of having the money, or when we have an actual paycheck in hand (friday).

The BrandingWire blog had an excellent discussion about auto dealers, and how to improve the customer experience. Few topics conjure up instant feelings like thinking about car dealerships, and I am often fascinated by what occurs in that retail location. One response by a commenter named Janet, was particularly interesting, since it was written from a car dealer’s point of view.

If I might, I’d like to explore Janet’s comments.

It’s easy for either side to complain - dealers about customers, and customers about dealers.

Marketers have always wanted to know what you are thinking, and thanks to several tech companies, they may have just gotten a step closer to having their wishes fulfilled. In December of last year, the Wall Street Journal reported on how Emsense sensors were being used to extract feelings toward candidates in the political race.

That same company, Emsense Corporation, has used their technology to give marketers a step up on the competition (such as other advertisers - and you, the consumer).

Back in the good old days way before I was born, people were fairly self-sustaining. They planted their own food, made their own clothes, and had a wide range of daily tasks just to survive. While life in those days certainly was harder, I believe it also led people to develop greater confidence and happiness. In contrast, the modern workplace is all about compartmentalizing, specializing, and repeating.

People are Special

One of the things that sets humans aside from other animals is our unrelenting interest in novelty, and learning. Indeed, one of the best ways to keep our brains sharp is by challenging it with crossword puzzles, “brain games”, and constantly demanding new solutions from our brain.

I’ve been hearing friends and family complain about dealing with their wireless providers for years, and I’m sure you have too (or maybe you were the complainer?).  This is not uncommon, since many of the policies of cellular providers are unethical and designed to trick you. This post will investigate their incentive structure, and how to turn it around for your benefit.

Some of the more common unethical practices by cellular providers:

In a previous post, I explained how to manage your sleep. The seventh step I discussed was hypnotizing yourself into a deep relaxed state to be able to enjoy your sleep, and in this post I will discuss the method for doing so.

Once you get the steps memorized, you can do this nightly, weekly, or just when you are feeling particularly stressed.

Steps:

1) Lie down on your back in a dark room.

2) Close your eyes and try to focus on the shapes of light that you will “see” when your eyes are closed.