How to gain new perspectives (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – August 7, 2009)

“…you know what I’m craving? A little perspective. That’s it. I’d like some fresh, clear, well-seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that?” – Anton Ego, “Ratatouille”

Coming right up, sir! There’s nothing like a little fresh perspective to clear the mind and point you in the right direction. Fortunately, we’ve got just the thing on today’s menu:

• Seth Godin’s always good for a new way to look at things. And while I love Seth’s latest idea, I hate the name. “Bear shaving” is when you address a symptom, not its cause. Seth’s notion is an uglier coinage than “The 5 Why’s,” but – sadly – memorable and worth looking into all the same.
• Another type of perspective: Take a look at something we all have seen before – a cheesy, info-mercial-esque approach to selling – and see why it works. Jeff Sexton at GrokDotCom does just that, looking at “on-target” copywriting on a silly, silly site and examining why it works.
• And I love this tip from Kevin Hillstrom on tagging customer attributes to measure the value of those attributes over time. Entertaining read, too. You should check out the whole series for incredible insights and, yes, Mr. Ego, fresh, well-seasoned perspective.
• And, finally, here’s a great little bit of perspective from George Michie at Rimm-Kaufman – with an assist from Kevin Hillstrom – about taking a fresh look at your PPC customers. Now that’s a real nice way to spice up this Friday.

I hope you enjoy these tasty morsels today. I suspect they’ll add immeasurably to your perspective. Oh, and I almost forgot the good wine. Try the 2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Indian Wells. It’s nothing fancy – only $13-$15 a bottle – but it pairs well with a hearty meal, such as the dish above. Bon appetit!

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