Tuesday, January 17, 2006
The Key to Getting Better Than Average Results
Want to get better than average results? The secret to it is so simple you'll slap yourself on the head. Simply don't do what the average business does. Do things smarter, more efficiently, better.
Direct marketing guru Dan Kennedy has a phrase for that. He says, "You know what it takes to hit the industry norm? Simply do what everybody else is doing." But the industry norm is the industry average. And average results are just that: average, ordinary.
Think you'd be pleased with average results? Then consider this.
I did some research on a manufacturer that sells its products through dropship arrangements with retailers. The retailers take orders through their websites or auctions. They then forward the orders on to the manufacturer. The manufacturer ships the order directly to the customer. The retailer gets the difference between the retail price they set and the wholesale price the manufacturer charges them.
Dropshipping is definitely a sweet deal for the retailer! No inventory to store, nothing to ship. But here are the stats for that manufacturer.
Of all of the people who inquire into becoming a dropship retailer, only 10% even bother to take the next, basic, step of providing their tax ID. In other words, only 10% of those businesses even take it beyond the tire-kicking stage of starting a business. And only 10% of the 10% who take that step are currently on the manufacturer's books as having forwarded any orders.
That means that 10% of 10% - a paltry 1% - of all the people who approached this manufacturer and said, "I'd like to start a business and resell your product in it," have gotten their business far enough to as much as obtain one order.
Still think that "average" results sound good?
Now, granted, this is results from one manufacturer, but from what I've seen, I don't think it's too far off from the norm for those starting a business online. But those kind of results are why you can't afford to do what the "average" businessperson does.
Where the "average" person zigs, you need to zag. Where the "average" person gets bogged down in the details of starting a business, you need to cut through the details and take action. Where the "average" person painstakingly follows all the "rules" that multiple experts tell them, you need to look at all the advice with a critical eye and determine for yourself the straightest line to take you from where you are to where you want to be.
Because in a world where the "average" businessperson bails out within a couple of years, simply being "average" won't get you where you want to go.
Jeff
Want to get better than average results? The secret to it is so simple you'll slap yourself on the head. Simply don't do what the average business does. Do things smarter, more efficiently, better.
Direct marketing guru Dan Kennedy has a phrase for that. He says, "You know what it takes to hit the industry norm? Simply do what everybody else is doing." But the industry norm is the industry average. And average results are just that: average, ordinary.
Think you'd be pleased with average results? Then consider this.
I did some research on a manufacturer that sells its products through dropship arrangements with retailers. The retailers take orders through their websites or auctions. They then forward the orders on to the manufacturer. The manufacturer ships the order directly to the customer. The retailer gets the difference between the retail price they set and the wholesale price the manufacturer charges them.
Dropshipping is definitely a sweet deal for the retailer! No inventory to store, nothing to ship. But here are the stats for that manufacturer.
Of all of the people who inquire into becoming a dropship retailer, only 10% even bother to take the next, basic, step of providing their tax ID. In other words, only 10% of those businesses even take it beyond the tire-kicking stage of starting a business. And only 10% of the 10% who take that step are currently on the manufacturer's books as having forwarded any orders.
That means that 10% of 10% - a paltry 1% - of all the people who approached this manufacturer and said, "I'd like to start a business and resell your product in it," have gotten their business far enough to as much as obtain one order.
Still think that "average" results sound good?
Now, granted, this is results from one manufacturer, but from what I've seen, I don't think it's too far off from the norm for those starting a business online. But those kind of results are why you can't afford to do what the "average" businessperson does.
Where the "average" person zigs, you need to zag. Where the "average" person gets bogged down in the details of starting a business, you need to cut through the details and take action. Where the "average" person painstakingly follows all the "rules" that multiple experts tell them, you need to look at all the advice with a critical eye and determine for yourself the straightest line to take you from where you are to where you want to be.
Because in a world where the "average" businessperson bails out within a couple of years, simply being "average" won't get you where you want to go.
Jeff
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