As a lot of you know (or don’t know, but you do now) that I am currently pregnant. I am not much of a shopper, so when I have to go to the mall to buy a shirt for $50 that I will wear for 3 months max it really annoys me. Complaining about this (as I usually do) really paid off when one of my girlfriends recommended Kijiji.

For everyone who has been on Kijiji, you know that is has everything you can imagine – and some things you couldn’t. I, however, noticed a trend. Ads that had more pictures and clear, easy-to- read (got to the point) information had more views. Sounds pretty common sense I know, but you would be surprised at how many ads are just a sentence basically saying buy my stuff. Of course, the more views, the better odds of someone contacting you to buy.

I ended up finding a great ad with pictures of my size of clothing, with a set price. So I emailed. Within 20 minutes I had a response with my questions answered and a time of availability. Perfect! I confirmed and went and picked up. Probably took me half the time it would have at the mall for a fraction of the price. Double win!

This experience can be compared to small businesses everywhere. Is your product or service out there for everyone to see? Is it clear and to the point and easy to understand? When someone does show interest to you treat your new “leads” with quick, and convenient customer service? Or is your business like the ad with one sentence that just gets skipped over?

People everywhere respond to clarity, consistency, and expediency whether on the Internet or in real life. Ask yourself, how have you applied these, or similar, principles in your business?