During the last few months I have started to train for a triathlon. This event will be the most that I have ever tested the abilities of my body to condition and perform. I knew there was a lot I needed to learn so I started to read about what others had written and talked to anyone I knew that had done triathlons. I quickly discovered that there was a lot to think about, and to focus on. Between workout times, training techniques, diet plans, fueling during the event and training, etc.
Needless to say it can be easy to get lost in everything trying to figure out everything that you need to take care of. Fortunately I do not have plans to be a competitor with the top triathletes involved, I am just a guy who has a life goal to complete a triathlon. What to do?
After diving into training and trying out a few things I came to the conclusion that I really only needed to focus on three things: Endurance, Strength, and Fuel. You don't want to hear all the details, but I will give a brief explanation of each.
1. Endurance
The biggest hurdle to a triathlon is having the endurance to last through the whole event. The process of developing endurance is a long and constant one, that allows an athlete to go strong through the whole race.
2. Strength
Strength conditioning allows your body to build up the necessary structure to avoid injury and gives you the strength to power through the uphill struggles of the race.
3. Fueling
Learning the right methods to keep fuel in your body is crucial to having the energy to make it through a long endurance race. Without fuel a racer runs the risk of hitting a wall during the race and possibly causing long-term damage to their body.
The Application
As you are starting with a marketing plan it is easy (even for an experienced marketer) to get caught up in all the things you can do to grow your business. More often than not a person ends up getting lost and isn't sure where to start.
That is when it is important to focus on a few key elements that will simplify your marketing, integrate it into your business, and focus on the most important aspects. These areas of focus are the long term, short term, and fueling growth.
1. Long Term
The long term focuses on developing long-time loyal customers. So many business owners only focus on how to get a sale immediately, almost like they want to trick a customer into a purchase. By looking at the long term you can focus on your core customers and how to best serve them.
2. Short Term
Of course, only thinking of sales in the future often means they will never come. The saying goes that 'cash is king' so ask for the sale, and know how you can get sales in the short-run. Combining short and long term focuses allows you to not only get the sale, but keep the customer as well.
3. Fueling Growth
Finally you want to look at how you can grow to new markets, new segments, or just serve more needs of current customers. Don't wait until it is too late to fuel growth, or you will stall and may not recover before it is too late.
So don't worry, by focusing on the right things you will get your business off to a good start, and by doing the simple things you will be able to grow into a champion marketer with time and experience.
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