Close your eyes and imagine a world with no internet. Not only no Facebook which most working folks can remember, but no email, no google, no Wikipedia, no on line marketing, etc. For most baby boomers, this is not a question of imaging, it is a question of remembering. Would you want to go back?
Why do I ask? I see 3 distinct problems with company behaviors around sales and marketing that have to do with the internet.
1. Companies that were founded long before the internet, continue sales and marketing techniques that were standard practice BI (before internet) but are no longer worth the investment. Further, they have been slow to adopt new marketing techniques, often because that would require the Leadership to get out of their comfort zone and test new ways to reach the customer. Are companies getting there? Yes, but they are too slow.
2. Companies founded in the last 15 years have come and gone because they had first mover advantage using the internet but didn’t follow up with the next new idea or product.
3. Newer companies only using the internet and not having face-to-face conversations or real live communication with their target market. This causes serious issues when a potential buyer has a question or a buyer has a problem.
All the buyer wants is for you to make it simple to connect in whatever way they want to connect at whatever time they want to connect with a great product or service at a fair price.
No problem, right? While you might think I’m being facetious here, ask yourself:
WIll someone want your product or service in 5 years?
Will they get it more easily from some one else?
WIll someone make it cheaper or faster?
Will they be easier to buy from than you?
Next time you are up in the middle of the night, pull these questions out and contemplate them. You aren’t going back to sleep anyway.
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image courtesy of laskilab.com