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While it may sound strange, one of the key motivational factors for me is the knowledge that I am helping someone. This doesn't mean I am disinterested in ecommerce it simply means that my interest in helping others becomes a facilitator of ecommerce.

Something radical happens when you shift your focus away from the sale and place it squarely on the individual making the purchase. This will alter the way you conduct business, the way you conduct customer service and the way you interact with present and future customers.

Social isolation or isolation preferences make the Internet a place where many customers can feel most at ease. Dr. Roberta Hestenes at Eastern College indicates, 'Today we are seeing the breakdown of natural "community" network groups in neighborhoods like relatives, PTA, etc. At the same time, we have relationships with so many people. Twenty percent of the American population moves each year. If they think they are moving, they won't put down roots. People don't know how to reach out and touch people. This combination produces crowded loneliness.'

The Boston Globe reported these telling statistics:

* People who are isolated but healthy are twice as likely to die over a period of a decade as those not isolated. A study showed that the more isolated men are up to 25% more likely to die of all causes at any age versus non isolated men. The odds for women are 33%.
* Living alone after a heart attack significantly increase the risk of dying
* People with heart disease have a poorer chance of survival if they are unmarried or do not have a partner to assist them.
* Women who are alone and have breast cancer live half as long as those who do not.
* People with malignant melanoma who participate in group intervention live longer than those who do not.

When you connect with individuals either online or through an ecommerce business you may likely become a solid connection in the midst of personal need. I don't mean that in a negative way, I simply point this out because the Internet has become an unlikely place for individuals to connect with others in the midst of personal isolation.

You business can have a profound influence in assisting your site visitor. If customers already feel isolated, your genuine caring will speak volumes.

Interestingly the standard brick and mortar sales approach will not work very well online. You are only given an interactive voice if the consumer requests it. You will not have the same 'close the sale' potential that face-to-face interaction will allow.

The best alternative in online business is to realign your motivations. By placing the customer first, last and only, you will discover a greater level of loyalty and a quicker level of trust in your products and services.

Understanding loneliness and adapting your online business to really reach out to consumers may be the best business advice you will read today.