Confidence Versus Misplaced Faith

We would have to living in a closet not to know that the use of the Internet and Web Sites that proliferate the now largest world "community" are still growing at a rapid rate...and more importantly the use of them. From Bill Clinton's 2007 book Giving, "When I became president in 1993 there were only 50 sites on the World Wide Web. When I left, there were 9 million. There are hundreds of millions today." As for use of the web...and for great purposes no less, again from Giving, "When the tsunami hit Southeast Asia, Americans quickly gave more than $1 billion dollars for relief. About 30% of our households contributed, more than half of them through the Internet."

If a business plan entails raising capital and/or a strategic marketing plan, how can they not include substantial reference and selected color page attachments of the Company's web site or a web marketing plan? If an existing company wants to have a comprehensive marketing plan to maintain or increase its market share and profits, can it do without a Web Site or Internet marketing plan component? Simple, they can't. Don’t forget, lots of people like me don’t buy online that much…but they shop on line and then reach out traditional ways…and buy.

Going one step further, how can a webs based business not take SEO extremely seriously? The maze of SEO consulting is confusing, with so many extreme options and promises, but there is clarity available so companies, particularly web based businesses do not undervalue this critical component or under budget for these costs in their business plan.

For virtually all businesses, a quality Web Site has become a must. But, what is a quality Web Site? It is certainly not ours…yet. Then again, all is relative. More so, business, like life, is a process…so stay tuned.

February 23, 2008 Confidence Versus Misplaced Faith I am a Christian and a spiritual being that cannot deny but must embrace all worthy beliefs as well as someone whose glass is always more than half full yet never to the Pollyanna brim, so I surely have faith. I am confident and am drawn to confident people, and people of faith, not always one and the same. Yes, when the combination of confidence, faith and a principal of a Company with a great idea, business concept and/or new technology that has somewhat limited business background (like engineer or start up/new career) that can doom a great but often incomplete plan.

We can only write plans and sections of plans based on the OK of our clients as time is money, so if they don’t want a market share and penetration analysis on a new product and all the research that goes with it, and want to proceed “on faith” that investors will buy into market assumptions, sales and forecasts based on general belief and confidence, that is what we must do. If they are “confident” that their leadership and resume, or maybe one or two others, is enough to generate millions in investment and many more millions in sales, then so be it. When they think they can reach huge numbers in sales without a talented and well-paid business development and sales team or a substantial marketing budget due their faith and/or over confidence, then we (and the business plan) must live with it.

I want our clients to be successful and I can be a nudge to try to make that happen, even beyond the old “three strikes your out” philosophy of suggesting inclusion of items in a business plan that are critical to its success. When deaf ears exist due to excess confidence or faith, the best intentions sometimes fall disappointingly short despite how lengthy the effort and best intent.