know how important review and opinion articles tend to be for most. People do often rely on reviews from other users to make purchasing decisions. I know I sometimes do. But I treat reviews and opinion differently than most. I use the information to essentially engage in my own research to determine how viable a product is and whether it fits my needs. But a growing number of people tend to take reviews and opinions at face value. They do not have time, or simply do not care, to research. So they make decisions based on potentially biased reviews and opinions. 

I wanted to start an opinion series where I respond to articles I read where the message is extremely biased. I try to level the playing field by providing an unbiased response to the article and bring more of a neutral view of the issue to light. There are many amazing products out there I often find people trashing when they have never even used it simply because a friend had a bad experience. We cannot force people to change their perceptions... their reality. But I think it is unfair to force such on the masses just because someone with a bad experience needs to justify their belief.

So, welcome to my first in the opinion series broadcast.

 Consumers today have more options to buy a product or service than ever before. But having too many options often causes more problems than it solves. When there is saturation, selling a product or service must take a different approach. Everyone sells something. A product or a service. We do it all the time and not even realize it. When you go to a job interview, you are selling yourself... your skills. Even when you are playing the role of a consumer and are buying something, like a car, you are selling something to the actual seller to negotiate a better price. All and all, you are always selling something.

Sometimes, you are selling the product to yourself. This applies when you are trying to justify the purchase of a high priced ticket item. Justification is really the key to selling. It is that last example I used, When you are trying to convince yourself there is a need. Professionals use this all the time when selling. This is why some are more successful than others.

While some try to sell a product or service, others sell you solutions. What this product or service has to offer. The best example I can use is within my field of website design. There are countless website designers and developers out there. Bargains can be had. And you can save even more when you outsource the work overseas. Individuals are now even able to build their own website with some do it yourself website hosting companies. So selling a website is not as easy as it once was. It is no longer based on who can offer you the best price. The attention is slowly shifting to who can offer the better service. And price is sometimes not even the determining factor.

Case in point? Sites like Weebly and Wix offer do it yourself solutions at amazing deals. But notice they are actually selling a solution. They are selling new businesses and small companies with limited budgets a solution to having a website presence for pennies on the dollar. And yet, there are still countless agencies offering websites at premium prices. Why? because those offer a different kind of solution.

I have always felt that educating the customer is also part of providing a solution. Many times they are not exactly sure what a website really is. Today I still educate my clients. Which is why I still manage clients I acquired back in 2003. When you can retain a client for 15 years, it says a lot about you. Selling solutions instead of a service or even a product is a very good approach because it offers more value. While there are still clients who tend to look at services or goods based on cost alone, many are recognizing that value is more important.  The way they approach value is by seeing significant return on their investments, even if it means spending more. This is why you can get websites ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, despite the fact that they are very much identical in features. The key is how you market the site. 

So when you want a leg up on the competition, focus on selling solutions instead of services or goods. Find out what the client's pain points are and sell them a solution to that pain point. You will be surprised at how effective this concept truly is.

 The origins of MiAGon was created out of necessity.

When the Internet started to boom, and I do not mean AOL, Prodigy or CompuServ, but more like, true Internet Service providers like Earthlink and Mindspring back in the day, the race to grab your identity online began. This is why today it is so difficult to get a name or domain with standard words and we must get creative. The options are not really there, unless you are willing to pay a premium.

When I tried to establish a common username across multiple services and set my identity back then, I soon realized what having a common name was all about. You see, my name is as common as the English version of John Smith. Miguel Gonzalez is an extremely common hispanic name. And I could not make any variation of it work. 

I also could not find words I liked to setup my identity. So I reverted with acronyms. This was a quick solution for me. Grabbed parts of my first, middle and last name to make up MiAGon. And that is how it was born.

I first used this identity when I started building websites back in 1997. So it has been in used for over 2 decades now. It is like a brand, actually. Another thing I found small businesses struggling with was the development of a logo. I decided to employ my services as a logo designer and offer that as well along with my website design services.

 What are my views about perception? How does perception tie into reality and how that differs from facts.

 People often say "perception is reality". I hated the phrase. Was confused between perception, reality and facts. Scientific in nature and was all about the facts... generally accepted facts. Perception was like an opinion.

 I soon realized how they played together: Reality is what our perceptions create; the reality is ours and may not be seen by others; we find it factual in our reality; but may not be necessarily a fact. In the end, there is really no such thing as right or wrong... to a certain degree.

 Take a concert, for example. Place 10 friends in the best seats in the house. Ask them what they thought of the concert when it is over. You will get 10 very different opinions. Ask to rate them and chances are high that you will get different ratings. Why? It was the same concert!

 Emotions, experiences, memories and a host of other factors influence our perception thus, creating our reality. The facts? It was a concert, they had the best seats, etc. All 10 friends created their own realities.

 The key for me was not to judge. We do not have the full picture of the other person. Perceptions are in fact judgements, too. Besides emotions, experiences and memories, which alter how we perceive in a specific time, there are other factors.

 Our upbringing, the environments we grew up in, all set the stage for how we perceive. If you are brought up in a household that has always struggled and always complained about it, you will perceive your surroundings with that fundamental perspective.  If you are brought up in a household that had the opposite views of things, your perceptions will be more positive. But materialism is not the key. Wealthy people can still have negative perceptions. And people with limited income can be very positive. I learned that value of life, and not money or material possessions was the key to real happiness.

 Poor people become rich all the time. And that is because they realized that their environment does not define them. They define their reality. Be aware of your thoughts... entirely. Learn to identify when you are judging. Learn to let go of the ego that has kept you trapped where you are. Accept constructive criticism from others... it is the best free tool to improve ourselves. Improve yourself daily... even if it is just 1%... over time 1% increments add up and you will achieve all your goals. Practice gratitude. 

 This shifts the focus from what you want to what you have and appreciate. It gives your life value. Practice random acts of kindness. Stop thinking of lack.

 Now, just go and do it!