What if Sitepoint hosted an apprentice-type competition where Sitepoint users could create a business plan and develop it over 1 year?

We could see a culmination of business plans and assess which ones really went well at the end of the year. It could also serve as motivation for those of us who are trying to “work hard in 2006″ to work even harder. The competitive spirit usually brings that out in people.

Would anybody be up for this? Perhaps Sitepoint might be willing to donate a prize package of books for the grand prize.

Anyway I’m obviously sold on your approach. Nonethless, Point 1 and 3 are after thoughts, its all number 2.

I have to agree with him.
But still nice post, Let the game come to you, or When the game come to you.

- Customers contact you, so you don’t have to chase them.

- You are known as the go-to professional in your marketplace.

- When you do reach out to prospects, they see your value and are happy to speak with you.

Points 1 and 3 are entired based on Point 2. Your whole marketing strategy really is just establishing Point 2 and everything just naturally falls into place from there.

The key is choice really. When you seek business or approval from people (ie. push) they immediately respond by pulling away and putting up their guard. This obviously makes selling that much tougher. When you are the expert you create the impression that you know what you are doing, but more importantly you become the expert by using techniques like educational articles and seminars that do not seek their approval (money). This creates attraction. It leads to people going with your products sooner then they would otherwise need to and makes it so that you can charge twice as much as the combination becomes they don’t really want your product, they want you.

Anyway I’m obviously sold on your approach. Nonethless, Point 1 and 3 are after thoughts, its all number 2.

Unfortunately, strategy is not something you can patent or trademark. So you have to keep raising the bar. If your approach is good, people will “steal” it and — if it isn’t copyright or patent — there is nothing you can do but be better.

For instance, I met with the top execs at Oracle once (during the late 1990s). They thought of strategy as a ladder, and always tried to be one rung ahead of the competition. They would anticipate where the competition would go to get up the ladder, and be sure to be one full rung above the competitors.

- Describe your business in ways that set you apart as having a specific edge (and have raving clients do the same on your behalf).

I’m affraid of someone ’stealing’ my approach. Has this happened to anyone?