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When You Get Ready To Go Into Battle...Check Between Goliath's Toes
For A Bunch Of Little Squashed Davids

by Rich Harshaw, CEO

Marketing & Advertising - 53 Strategies: Y2M TIP 6

In the classic Bible tale, David was a young sheepherder who threw a single stone from a sling killing a nine-foot tall giant named Goliath. This is amazing because Goliath was girded with a sword, a spear, and a shield. Of course, if you believe in the Bible, then you probably believe David had the backing of a higher power - a power mightier than Goliath.

But in our day - in business competition - the odds aren't always as favorable for the little guy. Let's assume that you (David) have a pet store that you want to take online. You hear all the "Cyberhype" that all web companies have an equal opportunity to compete and succeed. Take a quick inventory of your size and your weapons: you have a 40-page website and $10,000 a month allocated for advertising. Now let's check your competition (Goliath): his name is PETsMART.com and has over $100 million dollars of investment capital, which he can freely spend on advertising. In the Bible, Goliath was about 5 times bigger than David. Right now, PETsMART.com is about 830 times bigger than you. If our 5 foot 6 David challenged a Goliath 830 times bigger than him, Goliath would be nearly one mile tall. At least David had a higher power on his side!

How Many Goliaths Can There Be?

(Answer: Not Very Many)

The little guy's ability to beat the big guy online echoes most myths. The online world has become this mirror image of the bricks and mortar world. In every main category, large, well-financed leaders are emerging and taking the biggest chunks of the market share. In retail, as well as online, they're called "category killers."

Athletic Stores:

Foot Locker

Just For Feet

The Athlete's Foot

 Pet Stores:

PETsMART

PETCO

 Toy Stores:

Toys R Us

KB Toys

There are successful athletic shoe stores, pet stores, and toy stores that aren't well known national brands. There are mom and pops, local chains, and regional stores that do quite well. But only a few in each category can wear the title of "big boy" or Goliath.

You've Got A Chance If You Aim For Goliath's Weak Spot - His Poor Marketing

Your ability to survive and thrive as an online business depends on the same things as a bricks and mortar business:

Your desire to become a big player

Your financial backing

Your people

Your systems that allow you to meet and beat customer expectations.

Did we mention financial backing? With the frenzy of Internet companies, venture capital, and IPOs, it's even more likely that your competitor will have more money to spend on advertising than you do. It was bad enough running a local pet store and trying to compete with PETsMART with their enormous advertising budget, but not even PETsMART had $100 million dollars to drop - until the birth of the Internet. Put together a marketing plan that is built on good, solid fundamental principles that will allow you to experience growth at a rapid rate. Your chance to succeed is BETTER than ever.even if you're a David - fighting against a Goliath.