Masonry Magazine November 2001 Page. 31
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The answer to two distinct possibilities:
1. We're cautious, calculated, detailed business professionals who scrutinize, weigh and analyze any and all alternatives before making crucial and capital-depleting business decisions.
2. We're panty-waisted chickens.
Ok, let's analyze our options. By utilizing the method known as (in high-level, inner scientific circles) as SUT-TERAM (Saucerman's Universal Theorem That the Earth Revolves Around Me), we can surmise without a shadow of a doubt that businessperson #1 doesn't exist because I've never met anyone like that (isn't science great?). By default then, we're left with #2: we're cowards. And it's true. I'm thoroughly convinced and have seen demonstrated in my own experiences - that most of us possess far more insight, creativity, and marketing savvy then we give ourselves credit. Over the years, I've noticed a recurring, natural (troubling?) sheepish tendency to mimic business risks that are based solely on no more than what the guy down the street is doing. We react instead of act. Our competitor's the cause and we're thrown into a sea-full of effects. And in our sea, we've missed the boat the singular opportunity to be truly unique and innovative-and in the meantime we bemoan our fate, scratch our heads (we've no hair in that spot now), and bitterly mutter about our competitor, "they ain't so great.... I thought of that last year... (pause) guess I shoulda' acted..." Then we retire back to our day and retreat to our familiar and safe distance from risk.
Can you say, "Baaaaaaaaa!"
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I Never Dreamed Being a Coward Had a Down-Side...
But don't go selling your wool for sweaters just yet. There's still hope.... and there's yet one more life lesson that can be realized. What did we learn? Well, of course we learned that our competition is now out in front in the marketing game. We also know that we jumped on the bandwagon too late. Momentum-integral in successful market surges - has passed and we don't need to be marketing gurus to know this is no way to become a leader in your market.
So we look to the past and our own experiences. We look for common denominators and lo and behold - we begin to discern a similar yet heretofore
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MASONRY NOVEMBER, 2001 31