| Watching wild animals in Africa hunting for food, is | | | | sustain your cash-guzzling overheads, not unlike |
| an extremely educative experience for marketers | | | | the lion? |
| and those who want to dramatically increase their | | | | This lesson came down hard on me a few years |
| sales. The big cats are especially fascinating in | | | | ago when I created a selling system that |
| their different hunting methods. | | | | surpassed all expectations and grew a small |
| The lion usually has lots of difficulties hunting. This | | | | magazine from a circulation of less than 500 |
| cat is built very big, strong and heavy. The result | | | | copies to 120,000 copies weekly, in a few short |
| is that it is no match for the speed and agility of | | | | months. The simple system employed the use of |
| the antelope, its' favourite meal. So the lion relies | | | | teaser flyers. |
| on stealth, surprise and the quick short dash - not | | | | The mistake I made was that whilst basking in |
| unlike that of a well-built 100 metres sprinter. The | | | | the glory of sweet, sensational success, I did not |
| lion's advantage is in its' strength which enables it | | | | realize that the business had dramatically changed |
| to kill fairly large prey that would give smaller cats | | | | in size and therefore urgently required a NEW |
| like the cheetah a lot of problems. | | | | drastically different selling system. It was a classic |
| The cheetah has a totally different hunting | | | | case of the cheetah that grew into a lion but still |
| method. This cat is light, agile and built for high | | | | wanted to hunt like a cheetah. |
| speeds. No problems catching that small antelope | | | | What system is best suited for your business |
| in the herd scampering for safety. But unlike the | | | | right now is a critical question you will have to ask |
| lion, the cheetah cannot go for bigger prey (more | | | | and answer if you hope to implement a |
| meat) like the zebra or even larger antelopes. | | | | successful selling system that will make a |
| You now fully understand why the lion cannot | | | | difference in your business. |
| wake up one morning and decide that since it | | | | Even before you get into something as detailed |
| admires the cheetah's sheer speed, it wants to | | | | as a selling system, just looking at popular |
| hunt like a cheetah - or vice versa. | | | | traditional marketing methods proves that one |
| That should be obvious, should it not be? | | | | has to know what is appropriate for them. I have |
| Then why is it that businesses make this mistake | | | | seen many small businesses reap mediocre results |
| every day? | | | | from an expensive television advertisement run |
| The type of selling system (it's actually a hunting | | | | during prime time. Where the same slot for a |
| system you know) you choose will depend a lot | | | | larger business would probably have broken the |
| on what you are. Are you an agile, small young | | | | bank. |
| business with no bureaucracy or long-decision | | | | This is a lesson that's easy to forget. The |
| making process, not unlike the cheetah? Or are | | | | remedy? Every time it looks like you are |
| you that larger recently-prosperous-business | | | | forgetting, just find a way to watch the different |
| struggling to maintain enough sales growth to | | | | wild cats of Africa hunting. |