Education....

Hi Vondre,

It's true that people want quicker and quicker "instant gratification". I have this funny feeling that if they ever develop a "Star Trek" teleporter - one of its first uses will be to instantly "teleport" products from the online store into your living room! (Maybe that's the next step towards "instant gratification" after the internet...!)

The fact is, though, that's what people want. When someone orders something - it could be a hamburger, a book, a car - they are "hungry" for that product. They want it "instantly" so the "hunger" will go away - and they can start enjoying the product.

I think it's a good personal trait to learn patience - but I don't really think it's the job of the entrepreneur or marketer to force their customers to learn "patience" by making them wait for products longer than they have to!

I've received some interesting feedback from my occasional eBay auctions.... (I sometimes sell on eBay - it's an interesting "experiment" and it can be quite profitable too.) Anyhow, due to an eBay sale I sometimes ship items to the USA from Australia.... And some of my feedback raves about how they've received the item quicker than when they've bought stuff from within the USA! Anyhow, it looks good on my feedback form. :)

(It's not really my doing of course - I just put it in the mail, and how long it reaches its destination is up to the postal service.... Sometimes to the USA from Australia it can take a couple days, and on occasion it can take up to 2 weeks.... However, I always put it in the mail by the next business day after payment is made at the latest.)

The customers always seem thrilled when they receive an item quickly. :)

The fact is - if people WANT things instantly, then you will be better off (in a business sense) if you can give it to them as quickly as possible. I just see it as a fact of life.... You can take your time, but if you do, it could mean lost customers.

I'm not always the best at this.... Sending off a product is easy. Sometimes I'm a little slow in replying to email because I like to think about things before I write - which can slow me down. This is a "flaw" I need to overcome (I need to speed up my brain!)....

- Dien Rice


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