A ship in harbor is safe ? but that is not what ships are built for. ?John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928
If you must brave the elements of any venture, doesn?t it make sense to become an expert in all skills required for the successful completion of that venture? ?Does the Captain of a ship need to know how to set a sail, just as well as navigate?
He may have in his crew specialists in each skill, but?should he not first be expert in that skill before delegating it? ?This analogy is not far from the perspective I argue when working with businesses attempting to dominate the online space of their business.
I am not an expert sailor, but I have sailed. ?I consider myself an Internet Marketing Speacialist. ?But I am not expert in every business I am delegated the responsibility of successfully promoting on the Internet.
I am rather a fan of Arctic and Antarctic Exploration. ?Polar exploration was primarily, but not exclusively perpetrated by sailors in those days. ?All those we read about today were certainly experts, but those explorers soon found that they needed to be skilled at more than just sailing. ?Navigation nearer to the poles negated the navigation skills they had learned to date ? they learned new skills in order to succeed. ?And those that did not have the?expertise, did not plan accordingly, and further, did not adapt to a new environment, perished. ?In retrospect, all successful polar expeditions had one glaring attribute in common; the group communicated all their concerns without subterfuge, thus building a trusting environment which enable efficient teamwork.
Do you think that among all your competitors, they are all equally skilled in the methods of online business? ?And do you think they are all?equally?knowledgeable?about how search engines work;?the ships of the Internet? ?Do you think that maybe the successful competitors are those that become most skilled in the ways of online business before delegating tasks?
Notice I do not say ?absolute expert in the ways of online business? but rather ?most skilled?, because all business leaders need to?delegate?tasks to maintain efficiency. ?It is my?experience?that the most successful are those that have at one time or another, rolled up their sleeves and gotten their hands dirty running a Google Adwords campaign, etc.
Once you?ve done it, delegating the task to an expert results in a multiplier effect (leverage). ?The expert in the business (manager or business owner) has unique knowledge that the Internet Marketing Specialist does not. ?The Internet Marketing Specialist can leverage that knowledge if it is made available. ?If the business owner does not know how to communicate to the Internet Marketing?Specialist, the execution of an online marketing venture may be sub-optimal.
A business principal wants to expand (or create) their business online. ?They have a vague understanding of what it entails. ?From this point any number of?probabilities?will determine the results of the venture. ?However, failures often share the same attributes. ?Expectation that don?t match reality. ?Tasks that are foregone due to cost are almost always a lack of understanding (knowledge), and the consequences thereof.
The take-away for a successful Internet Marketing endeavor:
- Take the time to learn skills first hand ? then delegate
- Communicate ? build a team of trusted experts
- Plan for the unknown ? do not assume business will unfold online as expected
- Adapt ? try things and discard those that don?t work
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