Fumbling on the 'Business' Goal Line

If you've ever watched your favorite football team in aSuper Bowl game, you can readily relate to themaddening frustration of the below example with,hopefully, some exclusions contained herein...maybe...There your team is...4th quarter, 4th and goal. Theopposing team is leading with a score of 21 to yourteam's 20. Instead of using a bit of insurance byelecting to punt for the extra point to, at least, tie theballgame and buy some "overtime," some bright ideais circulated throughout your team to, instead, run theball into the end zone."No! Don't do it!" you yell.However, your yells and screams at the television golargely unheeded. You have an instant premonition ofMurphy's Law coming into full effect. In fact, Murphy'sLaw is now upon you.The quarterback cries, "33! 46! 33! 27! Hut! Hut!Hu-..."Crash! Boom! Knock!"Ouch! Oomph! Ugh! Get off my finger!"This sudden interruption in the quarterback's final "Hut!"was largely the result of several very LARGE men, witheven larger uniforms, piling atop him."Well, on the final 30 seconds, a brick wall was awaitingthe quarterback," the television announcer comments.Oops! Ye olde Quarterback Sneak just ain't what it usedto be...the linemen are much smarter today.When America's team, the Dallas Cowboys, would losein this ostentatious manner, in my house, you had betterbe long gone from the room, and out the front door, lestan unexpected trip to the Emergency room awaited you.For my brother, who was a wee bit more than simply anavid fan, would literally cry, curse, slobber, breakfurniture, hurt innocent bystanders and, subsequently,seek a small caliber handgun for full effect (it is trulyawful to witness a grown man react in this manner).Several minutes later, about a mile down the street,and from behind a tree, I would yell back, "Mickey!They're getting millions of dollars to lose the game! AllYOU'RE getting is acute hypertension! Can I comehome now?"While this article isn't about football per se, it is abouta game...the serious game of "Business." The goals oneach end of the field are called "online" and "offline."The main player is you. Your opponent is "publicity."One of the widely held misconceptions about theInternet, is that it is an alternative, a replacement, a"savior," from the traditional processes of the businessindustry.I often wonder how many business owners, uponlearning the 'Net could be used for promotion anddistribution, executed the "middle finger salute" totraditional offline processes.I can hear them say, "Ha! I don't need you! Away withyou! Be gone! Look at me NOOOOW! I built it, andthey are a-coming! Check out MY piece of the world!Ha!"Any online business owners who believe the surefireroad to maximum business sales success is strictlythrough allowing the Internet to replace any offlinepromotional efforts, are certainly misleading themselves.And, the reason it is misleading is, primarily, due to thefact that the greater number of consumers (and potentialbuyers), for whatever reason, are still without Internetaccess. Though that is difficult to accept most times,nevertheless, one certainly can't afford to ignore thisparticular sector of the population.But, the same is, otherwise, true of business operatorswho are still functioning, primarily or exclusively,WITHOUT promoting their businesses via the Internet.What this particular group sacrifices in its promotionalefforts and successful results by NOT using the Internet,is time and the ability to quickly establish businessrelationships in the long-term promotional process.Now, a detour for a moment in translating the abovefootball elements to your business:4th quarter = You are almost there...poised for success.4th and goal = You're poised to overtake your competition.Opposing team leads = Your competition is still ahead.Run the ball instead of punting = You make a wrongdecision that is not considered smart, possibly, due toa state of greed."No! Don't do it!" = Your common sense attempts atall costs to intervene and save you from disaster.Your yells and screams go unheeded = You throwcaution to the wind.Murphy's Law premonition = "Uh-oh..."Murphy's Law is upon you = "Oh, no! What have I DONE?"Resistance is futile...disaster is imminent.Crash! Boom! Knock! "Ouch! Oomph! Ugh! =Dare I utter, "Translation complete?"What BOTH of the above types of business operatorsneed to understand is that, in order to get the maximumyardage out of the whole business playing field, theymust utilize BOTH ends (online/offline) of the field,together and effectively. Learning to utilize both ends ofthe business field today equally well, in regard tomarketing, promotion and, distribution, is the only wayto score a business touchdown and, ultimately, a win.