Why Bother?
The advent of the Internet marks a dizzying tectonic shift which has transformed the ‘System of the World.’ It has revolutionized the way the world interacts with information in virtually every way. It has changed how we, as consumers, research, shop, interact, and make purchase decisions. As a result, the web has also changed the very nature of what effective marketing, sales, and client relationship management entail. Businesses today have no choice but continually to evaluate and align every aspect of their marketing, sales, and brand development in accordance with this new modality.
For businesses prepared to avail themselves, the Internet provides immediate access to exponentially greater insight into the proclivities of consumers, near limitless sales opportunities, an amazing array of real-time performance statistics, and the platform upon which to reach more than 6 billion prospects worldwide!
On the flip side, businesses that resist–choosing instead to continue operating upon outmoded ‘sensibilities’ and marketplace expectations of the last century–will find themselves moving ever more rapidly from the ICU to permanent life support in the coma ward.
The Internet, with its websites, search engines, social networking portals, exotic web and smart-phone applications, provides a direct-to-market sales channel greater than in any other medium. The web is like TV, radio, print, direct mailers, billboard advertising and more, all rolled into one. What more could Marketing Professionals ask for? The emergence of the Internet is a fantastic development for businesses, offering incalculable opportunities for profit.
Still, most executive decision-makers we encounter continue to struggle to understand the dynamic ins-and-outs of the online marketplace. While the business goals of the past remain unchanged (i.e., brand prosperity, recognition, and protection) the strategies to successfully achieve those goals are so radically altered as to be almost incomprehensible to those unfamiliar with the inner-workings of the web.
eProfitability is our attempt, as seasoned interactive veterans, to provide a clear understanding to executive decision-makers in this time of rapid change. Businesses that understand and adopt the eProfitability model will thrive. Those that do not will never realize the full potential of their marketing and sales efforts. Even in the face of today’s financial crisis, the web will continue to thrive as our socio-technological evolution continues unabated. Just because the rules of strategic marketing have changed does not mean that the underlying ‘Goal’ of business has changed – far from it! Right now, there are more opportunities to make money, to maximize profit, than anyone dreamed possible only a few decades ago.
The Goal of any business is profit, to more money than you are spending. In Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt’s best-selling and groundbreaking book, The Goal – A Process Of Ongoing Improvement, Goldratt puts this harsh but simple reality front and center. Essentially, Goldratt argues that profit is the only true manner in which a business can (or should) evaluate its progress and health. The more profit, the healthier the company. It is your job, then, as a business decision-maker to engage in high-return activities at the expense of relatively less-profitable endeavors. To do so, you must embrace the new reality of the online market space to the best of your ability. Applied eProfitability is one of the highest-return initiatives available to businesses today. Why? Because Applied eProfitability is relatively inexpensive, yet incredibly efficient. It is a business discipline in which modest, incremental changes can yield enormous bottom-line results.
Based on a quarter century of combined applied experience in the realms of interactive development, marketing, and management, the strategies detailed in this book will provide the direct means for you and your business to thrive in these exciting times. eProfitability professes a philosophical, conceptual, and practical foundation that will enable any decision-maker to seize and control the new opportunities offered online. In each chapter, we will guide you, illuminating common pitfalls, crucial best practices, and arming you with step-by-step implementation instructions on how to build a powerful and all-encompassing online marketing strategy.
After reading this book, you will have the knowledge, the tools, and the stats to create a holistic interactive marketing plan worthy of presentation to any Executive Board. Think of eProfitability as a “Why and How to Succeed Online” guidebook. Regardless of the size of your company, or what products and services you provide, this book promises to provide you with everything you need to flourish in today’s online marketplace.
We hope you enjoy the ride!
James Shore and Matthew Collins
9/18/09