But that’s not the point, is it? Rob wants to attract a certain client — and he does it with his site. His clients have had slick — and been burned. They want real solutions, and in your face, unabashed expertise. And Rob’s got it. And the site shows it –not slick — no siree — and proud of it!

But with a TON of media outlets endorsing Rob by featuring him as an expert, heck, why not call him –maybe he actually is the world’s best brander for the right client.

I think Rob’s whole website strategy is inspired.

I’ll also bet he doesn’t have to spend a ton of time and $$ on web design and maintenance — can put his efforts into building opportunity-generating visibility / credibility. Seems a good trade to me.

In fact, I’m feeling a lot better about my own “unslick” website now. Thanks, Rob

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be the best inthe world, as long as you remember that doing so also means wanting to be the best for the world.”

Let that marinate on your mentals.

For that reason alone, my breed of client wants someone who is NOT flashy. In fact, they want to move away from the great looking sites to someone who understands how brand strategies affects their bottom lines.

At that point, my site transforms from Rosie O’Donnell to Jessica Alba.

In fact, I applaud Brad for that last line, which move often proves the rule: “I’ll look over what Rob has to offer and I’m sure I’ll get some excellent info or thought provoking ideas.”

THAT’S how it works.

Ugly website, you are too kind. The bobble head at the top of http://www.robfrankel.com certainly is interesting. You know with my retail background my reaction to the site was “polyester leisure suit” You are correct that you don’t need a “flashy” website and I’m glad “there’s a reason” for the design but does that include the spelling error.

“I mainly do consulting, usually for companies who sink zillions of dollars into a website or a business and then scratch their heads wondering why it just sits there like a lox.” Is that smoked salmon, liquid oxygen or supposed to be log?

That said, I don’t believe you can really have an “excellent brand” as you say with such bad packaging. Remember you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Maybe the intention is that a strong brand can overcome bad marketing but why start out in a hole? I kept looking for the link to buy Ginzu knives.

How many people stop by, glance at the site and then leave? I know the argument that “it’s their loss” for not digging more deeply on the site but Twinkies aren’t purple for good reason.

Thanks to you, Jason for going beyond the warts. I’ll look over what Rob has to offer and I’m sure I’ll get some excellent info or thought provoking ideas.