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| Ok, maybe not this simple Image by superciliousness |
This may be my last post for a week. My wife is about to have our second child and I may have to skip a week of posts. I promise to be back shortly providing great content we can chat about.
I can’t stress enough the importance of keeping things simple – in everything you do.
Why?
Because if you confuse your customer, they’ll say no.
This doesn’t mean you can’t put together a complicated website or a chef can’t whip up a spicy dish with tons of ingredients and prep time. It means the end result for your customer must make sense to them. They must know how to do what they need to do with little effort. There can be no distractions or confusion.
As a real estate investor, many times I can find ways to put a deal together that would ultimately net me the most profit while also giving my buyer or seller what they really are asking for.
It is unlikely, though, that a seller would understand and accept a deal where I handed her a 2nd mortgage as a down payment and for the rest of her equity, I’d offer her a Zero-Coupon Municipal Bond, a great investment.
If she was knowledgeable in investments, then yes, I might try to persuade her to accept a more complicated deal, otherwise my best bet is to keep the deal simple.
How about websites?
Ever click into a website and say, “huh?”
Websites and online human behaviors play by a whole different set of rules. You have a maximum of 30 seconds to capture your visitor’s attention and even if you do capture it, you’re content, graphics, site’s usability, and everything else is on watch. Confuse them and they’ll click away faster than my son cries every time I turn on Mad Money.
Users online want to be told:
- where to go
- what to do
- how to do it without having to think
So give them what they want. Tell them what to do, but keep it simple. Your site’s navigation is an absolute must to keep simple.
How about life?
Ah, to live a simple life. Sounds nice, doesn’t it.
But we get so caught up in “things” we many times don’t stop to consider what our necessities are. Imagine for a moment if you lived below your means and only bought or used necessities.
Would you be less stressed?
With all those things you own come responsibilities, credit card payments, and worries.
Oh, and you’d probably be wealthier, too. Yup, that’s right; simpler can equal wealthier. Instead of spending money on 50 useless things that sit in your closet and never get used, you could invest that money in a Roth IRA or the best investment out there, land.
So what to do?
I could go on and on about the benefits of simplicity, but I think you get my point.
The thing to do is start analyzing yourself, your business, and your surroundings. Is your desk cluttered? Do you buy shoes you never wear? etc.
Analyze your website. Have friends and family who aren’t as Internet savvy as you navigate through it. Do they understand what your purpose is? Can they easily find what they need?
So keep things simple and don’t confuse your customer, because a confused mind always says no.
What do you think? Is there a time and place where things shouldn’t be simple?
April 14th, 2008 at 8:46 am
That’s a good thing to remember! I find that I’m happiest when I keep to the necessities – it keeps me from feeling like I’m living paycheck to paycheck.
RLD: Taekwondo Happiness’s last blog post..Whoops!
April 14th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Hey RLD -
I know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, it sucks. If you can, live below your means and after a while you’ll find you probably will have less stress.
It’s harder than it sounds, though. I sure struggle with it at times.
April 14th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Re: Your comment on Copyblogger – “The Entrepreneurial Learning Curve.” Sounds like that’s what you’re going through right now.
Definitely! And to be honest, it’s a little scary!
Wow! John, I am so glad I subscribed to copyblogger’s follow up comments earlier, or I might have missed the link to your website and your excellent blog! I have spent a while reading posts on here and look forward to reading more … after the birth of your second child! How exciting, wishing you and Lindsey a healthy, happy week (and both little Hoffs too, of course)!
Thank you for all the great advice on your blog (will check out your website tomorrow, been a very long day here) I love this post about simplicity, it’s so true that the simpler life is, the less stress we have to deal with (‘bad’ stress, anyway) I have enjoyed reading things on Zen Habits and Leo’s Write to Done about simplicity and productivity … still working on it!
Warm regards
)
Dianne Murphy-Rodgers’s last blog post..Towards 2011
April 15th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Hi there Dianne, nice to meet you. Thanks for stopping by and the nice comments about the blog.
I just write about stuff I know and experience. Who knew anyone would care? LOL
Anyway, warm welcomes to this site and hope to see you around
April 15th, 2008 at 9:47 am
John,
Very refreshing site. Took a spin around too and can echo Dianne’s sentiments. Breath of fresh air. Congrats and good luck with the pending birth. Will explore again soon. All best, Jan
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..What Happens in Vegas
April 15th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Thanks Janice. I’ve put so much time and effort into WP Blog Host.com and to hear someone say it’s like a breath of fresh air . . . I can’t think of a better compliment.
We are a hosting company who’s website reflects my personality. More personable, more friendly, not boring.
Thanks for stopping by and subscribing. I’m working on my next article as we speak.
And thanks for the congrats. Our son was born last Tuesday, April 8th. My wife and I both share a birthday, April 4th and we thought he was going to come on that day. Now that would be just weird!
At least this time around I knew no sleep was part of the deal! LOL
April 29th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Oh! Great job!
Very good and useful post.
Thx, your blog in my RSS reader now
May 1st, 2008 at 11:54 am
Thanks George. Hope to see you around and welcome to my blog