Picture the CEO of a major corporation. Say his office andthose of his principal staff occupy the top two floors of thebuilding they own in New York.
When a major decision is to be made, the CEO calls togetherthe key people on his staff most likely to be of help. Then heasks for their views. Will these experienced, talented, andwell-paid people provide the information required to movedecisively?
It's unlikely. Here's why.
Gathering A Consensus
Suppose the inherent political in-fighting characteristic ofthis level of enterprise is absent. Suppose each person at thetable really wants to get it right. And suppose the CEO is agood listener, a person who seriously wants to make the bestmove.
To the extent the issue relates to the core business, viewswill differ. Reconsidering the goals of the advertisingdepartment, for example, is nearly bound to bring disagreement,even argument.
Opinions Rule
We can't know it all. Nobody can. To fill in the gaps,we have opinions. And they're handy, when hard info islacking. The more complex the problem to be solved, themore likely opinion will best define much of the input.
In the end, the CEO must decide. It's a lonely positionto be in. First he must separate fact from opinion as possible.And he must consider what he knows of the person who voiced eachview. And he must seek to retain the support of these people hedepends upon, whatever he decides.
It's unlikely there is anyone close at hand to help evenin sorting out his own thinking. Let alone in the evaluationof the information provided. Not a fun position to be in.
You And Your Business
While you probably have not given yourself a title, you arethe CEO of your business. And at times, it's a very lonelyposition. The same position ascribed to the hypothetical CEOabove. Loaded with the same elements of uncertainty.
You also have solid information. And you also fill in theblanks with opinion. But if what you have is not sufficientto deal with a specific problem, you'll need to hunt up furtherinformation.
Since you don't have a team of qualified people handy,you'll likely turn to the Web and poke about as possible. Ifyour concern is the need for better advertising results, youmay see things such as ...
> At $299 per year, Yahoo provides the best ROI on the Web.
> Let Overture.com double your sales in six months
> Banner ads are making a comeback; don't be left out
> Paid submissions at Inktomi are the only way to go
> Ezine advertising gives the best return on the dollar
> Forget advertising; build link swaps
> Sign here. I'll get you N thousand hits a day.
So Choose, Already
How can you do so? Each of the above largely contradictsall others on the list, relative to a "best approach." If youread the supporting arguments, you undoubtedly found some factsto support the view. But opinions included added to theuncertainty of conclusions.
To be in a position in which you are forced to reevaluateany major aspect of your business, is one in which you standalone. You're fortunate if you know even a single person withwhom you can chat about the dilemma. And in the end, you alonemust make the decision, execute it, and live with theconsequences.
I don't know of a tougher spot to be in. A strugglingbusiness can be made or broken by a single decision. And evena successful business may take a heavy hit given a bad one.
Give It Time
Unlike the hypothetical CEO above, you do not need to makeany major decision today. This week. Or even by the end of themonth. If it's your ad campaign that is floundering, cancel it.Then get on with business. Add fresh content. Seek new productseasier to sell. Improve your newsletter. Stay on top ofsupport. And so forth.
And, of course, begin dealing with the problem. But notthe whole of it. Nibble at it in little bits and pieces.And let results show you over time what will work best for you.
Break The Problem Into Manageable Parts
For example, focus on what you're read about banners, andlay all other advice about advertising aside. Explore as timepermits. If you become convinced it won't work for you, moveon to another item. But if you decide this is something youmust try, do it.
But only as an experiment. Don't for a moment consider10,000 CPM at Yahoo, for that's utter foolishness. Begin small,test carefully, and do so over time. Given anything resemblingpositive results, maybe try a different banner. And monkey withother variables, such as location. All in hopes of betterresults.
Little Decisions Are Easier To Make
The key is in making small moves and tracking results withcare. Each action will succeed or fail. You only need to giveit time. Move on to a different element of your plan forimproving your overall advertising campaign, only when you'reconfident of your decision on the latest move made.
Let time help you make the decision. And you can spare it.For the element being considered is sufficiently small thattotal failure will not have significant impact on your business.Success, however, is one more positive step toward achievingyour goal.
Never, Ever Release Any Of Your Rights To Anyone
One of the grandest scams on the Web, which goes largelyunnoticed, is for a web-based bookseller or publisher to requiresome rights to your work in exchange for the service to beprovided. Many demand the electronic rights, for example.
How Well Do You Know Your Perfect Customer?
Your Perfect Customer is real only in your mind. He or sheis the one individual most representative of your target. Theone to whom you always speak one-on-one in your newsletter andon your site.
Who Are Your Visitors, Really?
Marketers and others are fond of categorizing people intosubsets of the general population. If you know the type ofperson your potential customer is, you have a better notion ofhow to make your sales presentation.
