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If You're Not Ready for Business,
Don't Open the Doors
by Bob Frank
Editor’s Note: The following
article is an email I received which makes an excellent point. I present it with Bob’s permission and have inserted a few editorial comments in bold green text.
Since our factoring web site was going to be listed on the Factor Listings page on SmallFactor.com, I thought I should take a look at what the competition was doing.
The first thing I found was that 3 out of the first 4 links on the Factor Listing page weren't actually links. They were blue and they
were underlined, but they were not connected. Obviously a minor error in coding the web page. While this was an error under the control of who ever maintains the Factor Listings page (...that would be me...ed.), it is really the responsibility of the web site that is being linked to
who should verify that the link works.
I also found one link that didn't go to the intended site.
It linked to a health club site. Again a minor web page coding error, but one the owner of the referenced site should have checked (...again my boo boo that I will happily share with the web site owner).
I discovered that several of the web sites on the Factor Listings page were "Under Construction" or "Coming Soon" or
just
"Error -- This site not available." Why would someone want their web site address listed publicly when there was no web site for potential customers to go to? In this case it is very likely that the potential customer will not return.
My next discovery was very interesting. I have often visited web sites where one or two links didn't work. But here I found a
site where there was not even one link on the home page that worked.
There was a very obvious gross error in the web page coding. How someone could publish a web site without checking any of the links is beyond me. The first thing that should be done when a new web page, or an entire site, is uploaded is to click on every link on every page.
And I've saved the worst for last.
One of the sites had been set up using a web page template. Now, there is nothing wrong with this. I am certainly among the "artistically challenged." Here was the problem with the site. The home page was almost OK. There were some subject headings with no text under them, but there was some contact information. The big problems showed up when I clicked on some of the links, which simply showed the words of a blank template.
Approximately 1/3 of the sites listed on the Factor Listing page were, in my opinion, not ready to be listed. You might wonder why I'm
concerned about this. After all, if a competitor's web site is broken or not ready why should I care?
The Factor Listing page is a valuable resource. We should treat it with care and respect. Imagine an eager broker/consultant
would think if he had just obtained 5 really hot prospects. He goes to the Factor Listings page and starts looking for a small factor. He clicks on a link and it's dead. He clicks on another link -- Under
construction. He clicks another link and finds a template with no useful information.
Again he clicks on a link and finds a unusable web site. Now, before he gets to your site, or mine, he gives up in disgust. Says to himself, "What a bunch of incompetent losers are on this list," and we all miss a great opportunity.
I hate to use cliches, but one fits all too well here.
"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression." If your web site is not ready for the world to see, don't publish the web site address. If you are still designing the ultimate all singing, all dancing, all talking, ultimate web site, then at least put up one or two simple, informative pages. That will be better than having your web site showing "Under Construction" or "Coming Soon."
Very well put, Bob. I have deleted
all the links to Under Construction and Error-laden sites from the Small Factor Listing and in the future will be far more diligent in my scrutiny of web sites of factors requesting a listing. As you said, this is a valuable
resource and deserves to receive proper care.
To those factors listed...if your site’s link was deleted for the above reason, I’ll be happy to put it back in as soon as you have a functioning site with all the necessary
links. No link is better than a bad link or a link to something under construction for many months.
- Jeff
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