Everything has potential to one extent or another. My hammer at home has the potential to be used as a screwdriver, which I have tried on occasion when frustration got the better of me. But I still seem to get a heck of lot more out of it when I use it as it was intended.
The same with the net. When you look at the have's and have-not's, the difference is startling. What kind of companies are making hay on the net? When it comes to ecommerce (just looking at one area...) the companies that combine good, old fashioned off-line lead generation techniques with the net's ability to grant (additional) information quickly and it's ability to process orders more cheaply are winning the day in a number of categories. Dell. Land's End. LL Bean. 1-800-Flowers. Bass Pro Shop. Harry & David.
And not only are these companies experts when it comes to lead generation, which is a skill I see missing in many entrepreneurs, they are also king's when it comes to servicing the customer. They fully understand that sales are the result of successful relationship building.
Richard Koch, who many consider to be one the top business authors of the last decade has said that sales are the result of a merging the right product/service with the right environment and if your sales aren't what they should you've either picked the wrong horse to ride or have picked the wrong track to run him on.
Take care,
Mike Winicki
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