<p>In the classic biblical tale, David was a young shepherd who threw a single stone from a sling killing the nine-foot tall giant, Goliath. This was 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&mdash;a power mightier than Goliath.</p> <p>Let's assume that you (David) have a fitness gym and want to take the business online. You remember all the "<em>Cyberhype</em>," you remember how all Web companies have an equal opportunity to compete and succeed and feel now is the time to jump back in the dot.com market. Take a quick inventory of your size and your weapons: you have a 30-page Website and $3,000 a month allocated for advertising. Now let's check your competition (Goliath): their name is <strong>24 Hour Fitness</strong> and they have over $10 million dollars of investment capital, which can be spent freely on advertising, marketing and lead generation efforts and sponsors a very popular TV show. In the Bible, Goliath was about 5 times bigger than David. Right now, <strong>24 Hour Fitness</strong> 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! As a small business owner...it's just you!</p> <p><strong>How Many Goliaths Can There Be?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;(<strong>Answer: <em>Not Very many</em></strong>)</p> <p>The little guy's ability to beat the big guy echoes many parables from history. However, in every main business category-- large, well-financed leaders are emerging and taking the biggest chunks of the market share. In retail, they're called "</p> <p><strong>Athletic Stores:</strong><br /> Foot Locker<br /> Just For Feet<br /> The Athlete's Foot</p> <p><strong><strong><strong>Fitness Gyms:<br /> </strong></strong></strong>24 Hour Fitness<br /> Gold's gym</p> <p><strong>Toy Stores</strong>:<br /> TOYS "R" US<br /> K ▪ B toys</p> <p><strong>Home Improvement</strong>:<br /> Home Depot<br /> Lowes, etc</p> <p>There are successful athletic shoe stores, fitness gyms, toy stores and home improvement stores that aren't well known national brands. There are mom and pop stores, local chains, and regional stores that do quite well. But only a few in each category can wear the title "<em>big boy</em>" or Goliath.</p> <p><strong>You've Got A Chance To Win If You<br /> Aim For Goliath's Weak Spot-</strong></p> <p><strong><em>Poor Marketing!</em><br /></strong></p> <p>Your ability to survive and thrive in business depends on your ability to see the big picture and understand the "unique" strengths that your business offers over these large, sterile organizations. While it may feel like the impossible task, every customer-focused business has a chance to both compete with and beat the Goliath's of this world. However, to make it happen, you will have to put together a marketing plan that is built on good, solid fundamental principles that will allow you to educate a greater number of prospects for a minimal cost. This is done by identifying your customer's needs, innovating &nbsp;your business to give it to them and systemizing your marketing so that the message is the same every time...down to the very last detail.</p> <p>And remember, have confidence because your chances to succeed is BETTER than ever... even if you're a David-fighting against a Goliath.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> 2009-04-23T22:51:25Z -8.76093 232 4312 true 2 22373 check-between-goliaths-toes-for-a-bunch-of-squashed-davids 5 2009-04-24T16:07:58Z 2009-04-24T06:09:12Z

In our day - in business competition - the odds aren’t always as favorable for the little guy.

1 2009-04-24T22:28:52Z