One of the most important things about being an Internet marketer is knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are. Believe it or not, we all can't be experts in everything. I certainly am not. So we need to recognize where we may be lacking a bit and do our best to either minimize those weaknesses or find other ways to take advantage of them, while at the same time focusing on our strengths. In this article, I am going to try to explain what I mean.
I've been marketing online for over five years now. Still, I am not an expert at everything. There are many areas of Internet marketing that I am not so great at. One of them is graphic design. It certainly doesn't help when you are color blind. www.perpetual-traffic-generator.com Well, in order to minimize this weakness, because I do have an ability to use software, I make my graphics as simple as possible. My ecovers are not flashy but they are functional and do look good enough to present a professional appearance.
Now, if you're absolutely horrible at something and even by keeping it simple you can't get it done right, then your other option is to outsource. Let's say that I couldn't even use the software to make a decent ecover. Well, there are plenty of people out there who can. Say you can't afford the service. Well, there is always bartering. That's right. Offer something of yours, either a skill or a product, that the other person can use. Many times other marketers will offer their services for something that they themselves need.
For example, let's say I couldn't make graphics at all. I am a pretty decent writer if I have to say so myself. Well, many graphic designers don't have very good writing skills. Maybe they're first starting out and need a sales page. www.website-convertion-secrets.com You could offer to write them one for a graphics package. Certainly something can be worked out that will be in both of your best interests.
In the meantime, while you're having others do the things that you're not very good at, you can be spending the time doing the things that you are good at. This is a much better use of your time and in the long run will make you more productive with your business.
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is key to running a successful
Create Scenarios to Reveal Your Level of Capability
Most businesses can address three or four scenarios successfully at the same time. In testing for skills, these scenarios can give you a dry run on the kind of actual changes you may face in the future.
Using the scenarios will help reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your current skills and experience. Here are some ideas for scenarios that will test these factors for you:
What scenario can you investigate that will be the most challenging for your group to adapt to?
Think of this approach as a variation on the Nth-degree test (looking at extreme forms of irresistible forces). Try to identify the most difficult aspects of organizational resistance to change, a particularly knotty irresistible force.
What scenario can you study that will create the most potential confusion in implementing a new direction?
Many companies unknowingly select strategies that depend on a certain business environment, such as the growth of one channel of distribution at the expense of another. Should these trends reverse for some reason, a lot of organizational thinking quickly becomes obsolete.
For example, the old rules of thumb for one part of the market may be a disaster for the other market segment. Value-added resellers of computers need a high selling price on their equipment to make money. Direct sellers of computers need a low selling price to offset their lower value-added. If you suddenly choose to compete in both channels, how do you price your computers and be successful in both channels? What scenario can you examine that will be most dangerous to your organization's health and vitality?
Imagining such scenarios is helpful for focusing people's minds on survival, something that they usually care about. In that context, concerns will be more realistic about where to make changes in skill levels and incentives. Such a scenario could be one whereby your company's reputation was harmed in some fundamental way such that customers were inclined to shun your products and services.
What scenario would cost you the largest number of your critically skilled people?
Many firms suddenly collapse because of the loss of one or two people. Creating a scenario that causes widespread loss of skills helps focus attention on the need to back up those skills in other people, and what may be currently lacking in the learning environment. For many companies such a situation could be triggered by a continuing collapse of your own stock price while the stocks of competitors stayed high. Highly capable executives and technical people would see that they could earn vastly more money from the same efforts elsewhere.
Copyright 2008 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved
Both Sonu Sharma & Donald Mitchell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Donald Mitchell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Education, Insurance and Internet Marketing. Donald Mitchell is chairman and CEO of Mitchell and Company, a strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is coauthor of seven books including Adventures of an Optimist, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The Ultimate Competitive Advant. Donald Mitchell's top article generates over 33100 views. Bookmark Donald Mitchell to your Favourites.