The document outlines essential insights for CEOs regarding the importance of a web presence, emphasizing that a website is crucial for business operations. It details ten key principles for effective online customer engagement and emphasizes the need for measurable goals, understanding customer needs, and treating a website as a dynamic project rather than a fixed task. Furthermore, it highlights common pitfalls in website management and stresses the value of ongoing support and communication within the organization.

1. 10 things every CEO
needs to know about the web
Eric Reiss
IA Summit
April 9, 2010
Phoenix, AZ

2. Why do you have a website?
“Because everyone has one.”

3. Why do you have a telephone?
“Because everyone has one.”
“Because we can’t do business without one”

4. Why do you have a website?
“Because we can’t do business without one”

5. Fact #1
The majority of business leaders
Now turn to the internet as their
first source of information
Source: Gartner Group, 2007

6. Fact #2
B2B is now the fastest-growing
internet segment
Source: IDG, 2008

7. Fact #3
Over 18 billion searches for commercial
information are made each month
Source: SEMPO, 2009

8. 1. Don’t confuse marketing
1.
with communication.

9. A Awareness
I Interest
D Desire
A Action

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11. Make your website part of your
customer-service package

12. Customer Experience Management
Off-line CEM On-line

13. 10 things customers will tell you
1. Don’t tell me how great you are. BE great!
2. Go the extra mile.
3. Don’t get in my way when I’m trying to shop.
4. If I know what I’m looking for, help me find it.
5. If I have questions, I want straight answers, not a salestalk.
6. Tell me if you’re going off to look for my size. Don’t just turn and leave.
7. If you expect me to buy something, tell me what it costs
8. Are your own affairs so important that you feel justified in ignoring me?
9. Don’t make me feel stupid.
10. If you make a mistake, admit it.
Sources: Paco Underhill, Eric Reiss

20. 10 things customers will tell you
1. Don’t tell me how great you are. BE great!
2. Go the extra mile.
3. Don’t get in my way when I’m trying to shop.
4. If I know what I’m looking for, help me find it.
5. If I have questions, I want straight answers, not a salestalk.
6. Tell me if you’re going off to look for my size. Don’t just turn and leave.
7. If you expect me to buy something, tell me what it costs
8. Are your own affairs so important that you feel justified in ignoring me?
9. Don’t make me feel stupid.
10. If you make a mistake, admit it.

22. 10 things customers will tell you
1. Don’t tell me how great you are. BE great!
2. Go the extra mile.
3. Don’t get in my way when I’m trying to shop.
4. If I know what I’m looking for, help me find it.
5. If I have questions, I want straight answers, not a salestalk.
6. Tell me if you’re going off to look for my size. Don’t just turn and leave.
7. If you expect me to buy something, tell me what it costs
8. Are your own affairs so important that you feel justified in ignoring me?
9. Don’t make me feel stupid.
10. If you make a mistake, admit it.

26. 10 things customers will tell you
1. Don’t tell me how great you are. BE great!
2. Go the extra mile.
3. Don’t get in my way when I’m trying to shop.
4. If I know what I’m looking for, help me find it.
5. If I have questions, I want straight answers, not a salestalk.
6. Tell me if you’re going off to look for my size. Don’t just turn and leave.
7. If you expect me to buy something, tell me what it costs
8. Are your own affairs so important that you feel justified in ignoring me?
9. Don’t make me feel stupid.
10. If you make a mistake, admit it.

28. 10 things customers will tell you
1. Don’t tell me how great you are. BE great!
2. Go the extra mile.
3. Don’t get in my way when I’m trying to shop.
4. If I know what I’m looking for, help me find it.
5. If I have questions, I want straight answers, not a salestalk.
6. Tell me if you’re going off to look for my size. Don’t just turn and leave.
7. If you expect me to buy something, tell me what it costs
8. Are your own affairs so important that you feel justified in ignoring me?
9. Don’t make me feel stupid.
10. If you make a mistake, admit it.

33. 10 things customers will tell you
1. Don’t tell me how great you are. BE great!
2. Go the extra mile.
3. Don’t get in my way when I’m trying to shop.
4. If I know what I’m looking for, help me find it.
5. If I have questions, I want straight answers, not a salestalk.
6. Tell me if you’re going off to look for my size. Don’t just turn and leave.
7. If you expect me to buy something, tell me what it costs
8. Are your own affairs so important that you feel justified in ignoring me?
9. Don’t make me feel stupid.
10. If you make a mistake, admit it.

41. 2. Don’t view your website as a
1.
software development project.

45. Dell specifications
2.4 MHz processor
160 Gb RAM
CD/DVD writer/reader
15” screen
Built-in speakers
3 hour battery life
Portable

47. > >

51. Whenever possible, purchase software
from single-focus vendors

52. 3. Don’t couple unrelated
1.
initiatives.

53. CMS
CRM
ERP
DM
KM

54. CMS = Content Management System
Publish to the Web
CRM = Customer Relationship Mgt.
Track, use, and maintain customer data
ERP = Enterprise Resource Planning
Optimize use of people and materials
DM = Document Management
Electronic filing system
KM = Knowledge Management
Share expertise internally

56. Interesting facts
Dr. Scholl doesn’t make cutlery
Georg Jensen doesn’t make wrenches
Bahco doesn’t make pens
Parker doesn’t make nail-clippers

57. Deal with your website
(and just your website).
Then take care of the other stuff.

58. 4. Don’t be afraid to set
1.
measurable goals for your
website.

59. “If you build it,
they will come...”

60. What are the
customer service metrics
for an airline?
“Flying on time.”

61. What passengers say:
“Why publish schedules if I can’t use them?”
“I plan my meetings according to arrival times”
“I book connecting flights based on your promises.”
“I have people waiting to pick me up when I land.”
“Faster check-in. Now that’s service!”
“Better food. I’d like that.”
“More legroom. I’ll pay extra for that.”
“On time? That’s your damned job! So do it!”

62. Three god-awful metrics
We want more hits
We want folks to spend more time on our site
We want people to write to us

63. What are the “right” metrics?
Better lead qualification
Shortened sales process
Streamlined logistics
Increased conversion, conversion, conversion

64. Insist that your website become an
integrated part of your company’s
business activities

65. 5. Don’t confuse your personal
1.
needs with those of your
visitors.

66. The Creation
(of a meaningful experience)

67. Owner-visitor relationships
We want to tell I got what
our story I came for
We want to be I got the
understood message
We want to be Valuable I think it sounds
believed reasonable
experience
We want to be I’m ready to
trusted deal with them
We want to
I will come back
build loyalty

68. Fact #4
If you do not meet the needs of your visitors,
you will never meet your own business needs.

69. Four common errors
“We need pictures of ducks. I like ducks.”
(Executive ego)
“Look what they just did this”
(Competitor envy)
“We should talk about ‘innovation’”
(Strategy by buzzword)
“That change doesn’t fit our standard design”
(Form over function)

70. Encourage research. Accept surprises that
go against your basic assumptions.

71. 6. Don’t view your website
1.
as a fixed-term project.

72. 7 A’s
Allocate > Analyze > Architect > Apply > Accumulate > Assemble > Adjust

73. Once you start the process,
make sure to keep it going.

74. 7. Don’t confuse print
1.
design with web design.

82. Brand
Content Function

83. “Do you want art?
Or do you want your
goddamn sales to go up?”
Rosser Reeves

84. Acknowledge and embrace best-practices
that run counter to your design guide.

85. 8. Don’t let your personal
1.
opinion cloud your focus.

89. Seek out proven experts and
support their work.

90. 9. Don’t be afraid to ask
1.
stupid questions.

91. Fact #5
There are no stupid questions...
the first time you ask them.

92. Fact #6
But there are lots of stupid answers...
the ones you don’t understand.

93. „Es hört jeder doch nur,
was er versteht.“
Goethe

94. Fact #7
Two-way communication
must work two ways.

95. “He hears only that
which he understands”
Goethe

96. If in doubt, ask. Always.

97. 10. Don’t hide in your office.
1.

98. Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge

99. A British Airways timeline
1983 1986 1999 2004 2009
Willie Walsh
Colin Marshall
Colin retires can’t meet
joins BA
BA has world’s payroll
largest fleet of Boeing
BA named
747-400s
“Airline of the Year”

100. Demonstrate your
active support for the project.
Keep the whole team inspired.

101. You can (usually) find Eric at:
The FatDUX Group ApS
Strandøre 15
DK-2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
www.fatdux.com
Office: (+45) 39 29 67 77
Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44
er@fatdux.com
skype: ericreiss
twitter: @elreiss