Several readers who saw yesterday’s blog post on The Sales Vortex contacted me to ask how to begin this type of internet marketing process for their company. As with all successful ventures, its starts with a plan based upon a desired outcome.
First things first. Are you committed to moving your brick and mortar business to one that competes with an internet marketing plan? Or do you first need to know what all of this entails before you decide? If this issue is in your mind right now, I would suggest you step back and look at the bigger picture.
You have to decide whether or not you believe that your business, your niche, your industry belongs on the internet. Personally, I think the internet has become ingrained into so much of what we do that I have a hard time imagining a brick and mortar business that is exempt from competition that is or will be lurking on the internet. I think you need to decide whether or not your business has a NEED to transition to the internet, otherwise, there is not way to perform a serious analysis on how to get started creating a sales vortex that draws business to your company from the internet.
If you find that you are questioning your company’s need to be shifting its focus to the internet, I would advise that you read the definition of The Internet Squeeze and how this whole book writing venture began. It is my strong belief that most businesses are going to need to compete on the internet and that early adopters are going to have a significant advantage in their markets during the early years.
Assuming you recognize this need, then the process for getting started creating a sales vortex for your company begins to look a lot like the process of building a business plan. Start with a SWOT analysis to determine the general scope of your plan and how you want to apply your internet marketing plan in the application of your business.
- Strengths – What is it that you do better than all of your competition? Is this sustainable and can you build a marketing plan emphasizing your strong points to draw consumers to your business?
- Weaknesses – Where does your business fall short compared to the competition? Are these points that need to be improved upon, or can we “sell around” them to demonstrate their insignificance?
- Opportunities – What trends are occurring in your industry that can be acted upon to increase the successes of your organization? New products, services, methodologies and changes can help you take a giant leap to the future.
- Threats – What is going around your business that could threaten what you have and work against the growth that you seek? Threats are not only the competition, they also include environmental factors that work against your industry.
The SWOT analysis is only the start to developing a sales vortex that draws consumers to your website. Without have a clear picture of the direction of your company, you cannot develop an internet marketing plan. Take this important first step, and then come back to the Internet Squeeze and we’ll guide you down the road to having a giant Sales Vortex that makes you a force to be reckoned with in your industry.
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