Success = Consistency

There are two elements to success. The first is that you have truly achieved something of merit. Second is that people know and understand that you have made such a contribution. In other words a combination of your commitment and the customer's realisation of that commitment. Sounds simple? Well it is. That is, the concept is simple.

Many 'overnight' sensations claim it only took them 25 years to achieve. And why is that? Because more often than not it takes time to convince people that you're credible and trustworthy. So the occasional 'article here or business analysis there' won’t convince people that you have any more than a lot of potential.

Remember potential plus two dollars is worth exactly two dollars. The key is that you need to stick at it, and apply yourself to a task, project or mission until the job is complete.

So why are some people seen as successful and others not? Easy. Those who are industry experts or business leaders stay on task. Year after year they are seen as leading opinion and people. Yet do they always have the right answer? Not at all. No-one can. But leaders deliver commitment and consistency year-in and year-out, gathering resources together in a fashion that inspires to action. In the case of the online customers the action to purchase and re-purchase.

Can anyone be a leader? Absolutely! Michelangelo is quoted as saying ‘You chip away the stone that doesn't look like David.’ In terms of leadership anyone can rid themselves of bad habits like coming late to meetings, poor listening, or intentionally acting outside of agreed values or practices. Sounds simple, and yet it is.

For the most all of us live within a behavioural framework that ultimately we choose. We can choose to keep the chip on our shoulder that we gained from teenage years, or the memory of a perceived slight that occurred in a board meeting or social occasion. These are choices we make. Equally we can choose to say that what other people do or say is really their business, and equally what ‘I’ do or say is my business. It’s really that simple.

The big temptation for new entrants to web-ownership is to believe you can 'knock the socks off' potential customers with a great look and a powerful message in one go. And yes there are first-look purchasers. But for the vast majority of your business you will need to be credible with consumers. Especially if they are providing credit card details. And credibility comes from delivering a cogent and consistent message that states (in a number of different ways) that you are what you say you are, and that you will deliver what you say you'll deliver.

There is much that can be written about this topic, but suffice to say that your site should look like you have thought about your business, and have an excellent understanding of your customers, and how to communicate with them. To gain a further understanding of this aspect of web delivery you may care to review

www.sitepoint.com/.

One other aspect of consistency is not to re-invent your...self from one year to the next, dramatically changing your look. Think of your online customers as friends, perhaps even family. And we know that a degree of certainty is critical to trust and friendship.

As part of your business plan set your target for capturing a significant base of online customers over a period of months and years, not (highly fluctuating) weeks or days. And if you follow the plan you will be a sensation. It just might take some time.

Concept: the greater the commitment the higher chance of success