Ylliks

In june of this year I wrote about my experiment in online income. The experiment is running now and one of the first things I learned is that I need to learn a lot. The experiment itself is a blog and it has been obvious from the start that just providing quality content isn’t enough to attract visitors. And it’s become clear to me now that I’m lacking in knowledge when it comes to attracting visitors.

I think the overall quality of the writing I’ve done so far is good and could be of value to my readers. But I’m lacking in both execution and knowledge when it comes to other subjects:

• SEO: or Search Engine Optimization. Since I’m using WordPress with a theme that has SEO build in, my on-site optimization is pretty good, but far from perfect. I also have to make sure that my content is optimal for both search engines and humans. Off site optimization is non-existent, except for some incoming links I’ve put up. I have a general understanding of the concept now and are applying some of its rules, but that needs to be better.
• Social Media Strategy: I’ve already have some strategy in place with an accompanying Twitter account to the blog, where, besides the posts on the blog, I share things related to its subject. This needs to be build upon further and I especially have to make sure that I use the different channels to their strength.
• Marketing/Promotion: when it comes to marketing/promoting the site there’s still a lot of work to do. Partly this is because I want to make sure that before I start with this I have quality content already up and partly because I still need to learn how to do this effectively.

There’s still a steep learning curve for me here and I know that. I’ve started to learn SEO now and will move to social media strategy after that. Marketing and promotion will be last on the list. I’ve chosen this order because I think it’s the order of most importance.

Since I want this experiment to work, I really don’t mind going about this. I have to admit it’s a bigger challenge then I first anticipated, but that makes it worth while.

Last week I send out this tweet about my experience with the business division of KPN (For non-Dutchies: the guy I talked to at business support told me that if I wanted to know the phone number of our newly closed contract, I should call someone close so he/she could see the number). I was amazed about the fact that a company that had communicated every step of the process so well thus far, pretty much stumbled on the last piece of information. And such an important piece as well: knowing which number to communicate to your customers/contacts to be able to contact you is crucial in being reachable.

Reason for contacting KPN in the first place was the fact that I had to arrange a new mobile contract for a new account manager at my job. So, after comparing the offerings of the 3 largest mobile providers, I decided to go with KPN. The ordering side was pretty straight forward: go to the site, create an account (email received with account details), log in, place the order. After that I received an email with the order confirmation and a mention that we would be contacted by a courier to make an appointment for delivery of the phone. Within 2 hours we were called and delivery was scheduled for next day between 9 and 11 in the morning and received a confirmation of this by email as well. Next day, at 9:45 the phone was delivered. We received a confirmation mail of this as well. So far so good.

I opened the box, took out the packaging with the phone and the sim card. Also enclosed were a packing slip and a summary of the mobile plan. Nowhere was the phone number mentioned. Before I called support I rechecked the contents of the box and the emails I received. No mention of the number whatsoever. So that’s when I made the call and got that reply I mentioned above. He did also say that maybe because of the fact that the contract would be activated at the end of the month (our choice) I would receive an email when the number was activated. That might have the number on it.

So in summery: they send you an email with the details of your account, they send you an email to confirm the order. They send you an email to confirm date and time of delivery. They send you an email when it’s delivered. But they “might” send you an email when it’s activated which “may” hold the information of your phone number. Why would you gaff on the last step of the process? I cannot believe that a company like KPN isn’t capable of doing this right. What first started as a positive experience with a company I haven’t had many dealings with before, now left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

I think this is a great example of how a company could improve greatly on their communication to their customers by just adding/sending one small, extra (essential) piece of information. KPN isn’t the only company I’ve dealt with that has this problem, but it’s the most recent one I came across. Customers shouldn’t have to contact a company to receive essential information. They should get it automatically.

In Holland there’s this expression that roughly translates to “You have a no, but you can get a yes”. This means there’s no harm in asking for anything. However Dutch parents often use another expression when children (who are bound to do this alot) ask for something: “Children who ask, will be passed over” (it sounds better in Dutch since it rhymes as well). This of course sends a mixed signal when you grow up so you’re often hesitant to ask for something you want. However it’s much better if you do.

Besides having a great holiday in september, I also did a small experiment: I asked for what I wanted. Whether it’s about some extra perks you can get in the hotel/hostel you’re staying, a more personalized dish in a restaurant or better seats on a flight. There are a lot of possibilities out there which are not willingly advertised, but are feasible nevertheless. And all you have to do is just ask.

It’s also a trick of wording your question just right. When booking a rafting trip I thought the price was a bit high. So I asked him if any type of discount was available. When the answer to that was no, I asked if there were any combination trips available which would lower my price. When it turned out that I could also book a personal driver for a day there, which would help me get from Sanur to Ubud AND look at some sights along the way, which would half the price of the rafting and get a 25% discount on the ride I booked immediately.

I did have one rule though: when the definite answer was no, I didn’t push further. I hate it when people nag about something not being possible (especially when you notice the person you ask is trying to help but just can’t) so it would be wrong for me to do it myself. When something just wasn’t possible I thanked them for trying and let it go.

Asking for what you want is a bit of a trick and for me a change in mindset. You often think that when it’s not advertised it’s not possible, but that proved to be a wrong assumption in some cases. As said, the wording of the question is important and if you do it right the benefits can be great. I know it helped me enjoy my holiday more than I already did.

It’s been 4 days since my return from Bali and am still enjoying some time off. My visit to Bali was the first to an Asian country and I have to say that if the entire continent has the same atmosphere as that small island in Indonesia, it’s a continent where I would love to spend more time. Here are some of the things I noticed on my visit there.

The people are extremely friendly. In large part this has to do with their religious beliefs and search for good karma. Staff will go out of their way to help you with any inquiry or wish you might have and even people who don’t want to sell you anything will go the extra mile. I’ve heard numerous stories from other travelers of locals who will bring you to the place you want to go when you’re lost without wanting something in return or point you where to go when you make a mistake in traffic (side note: the traffic rules seem to be something of a suggestion as well there; just stay on the left, honk your horn alot and all will be good). It’s quite a change to the sometimes unwillingness of people in my knack of the woods.

The food is in one word: delicious. I’ve known Indonesian cuisine for some time now due to the large amount of Indonesian restaurants we have in Holland, but no matter how good it gets here, there’s no substitute for the real thing. Whether it’s going to a small warung (my prefered choice) in the countryside or a local restaurant the food is going to be fresh, (if you want it) spicy and delightfull. I especially liked the Padang kitchen, bbq-ed prawns and the Balinese roast pork.

Nature has gone all out on Bali with luscious green hills and forests. Then there are the rice fields that seem to be going on for miles and miles. With the beaches, lakes and vulcanoes Bali has some magnificent sights. Cities and villages however are another story. Because there’s no real waste disposal system in progress on the island, people just throw it out on the side of the road, often setting it on fire. With the ever growing consumption of plastic, this is very harmful to the environment. Hopefully the government will see this and will provide a service soon before the island has turned into a garbage dump. It’s nowhere near as bad yet fortunately, but a solution must arise sooner than later.

Locals have turned to tourism for jobs and this leaves the local farming community in dire need for workers. The Balinese youth have realized that working in tourism isn’t as hard as working in the fields so aren’t willing to do so. Since the local farms provide for the food on Bali there’s a chance that in the future they will no longer be able to provide the necessary goods and food will have to be imported. This of course will mean a rise in prices and according to some locals I’ve talked to inflation already was high. Luckily some NGO’s out there are promoting local farming and are trying to deal with the situation.

Tourism also has caused the introduction of multinational chains to open up branches on the island. You can get all the fast food you want, especially in the larger cities, but I often wonder why you would do such a thing. As said above, I loved the food, but besides that, for me the beauty of travel is meeting locals, see their customs and try their food. I could have fast food every day of the year when I’m not on holiday if I wished, so why would I do so on holiday? Really baffles me to see people who do.

The overall sentiment on the island can be described as easy-going. Locals are sitting around a lot, talking with each other. Time of appointments are more a suggestions (it’s a courtesy to be late) and locals seem to have all the time in the world with their motto of “Sin Ken Ken” (roughly translated: no worries) . This of course leads to a relaxed atmosphere which makes vacationing there easy. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to the fast-moving western world.

I’ve had a great time in Bali and enjoyed my time there immensely. As stated the people are friendly, the sights beautiful and the food mouth watering. As my first impression of Asia, I couldn’t have gone to a better place.

If you want to get an impression of the island you can take a look at my holiday pictures.