Gihan Perera How Google has destroyed your Business.........
Way back in the 20th century I used to run workshops to teach people how to find stuff on the Internet. There was no
Google and the leading search engines included Yahoo, Alta Vista and Ask Jeeves. My workshop participants had to
find the answers to questions such as the time in Toronto, the weather forecast for London and the current
performances at the Sydney Opera House.
In 1998, it wasn’t easy to find these answers quickly on the Internet! They had to decide which search engine to use,
what words to type in and how to then drill down through the results to find the answer.
Then Google came along and destroyed my business
Now, you can find the answers to all these questions by simply typing them – word for word – into Google. As a result,
Google completely wiped out that part of my business.
Has Google destroyed your business as well?
I was lucky because I knew my workshops had become irrelevant. But many businesses are limping along, knowing
something has made their life more difficult, but not knowing what or why. You might not realise that Google or
another online service has changed your business forever.
Here are just a few examples ...
- Leadership speaker:
You’re a leadership speaker and trainer, helping organisations with their new and emerging leaders and managers. But
now, instead of booking you to run another workshop, a client uses their internal L&D people to run a workshop,
where participants watch TED.com videos and facilitate a discussion about implementing their ideas. - Customer service trainer
You offer customer service training for front-line staff. But the Internet has made it easier for your clients to outsource
or offshore services – and suddenly the audience for your workshops has disappeared. - Real estate agent
You’ve been attractive to vendors because potential buyers come to you to see what’s available. But now, with online
real estate sites, buyers are no longer automatically beating a path to your door. Suddenly, you’ve become a lot less
attractive to vendors, who are increasingly turning to private listings. - Travel agent
You give your clients your expertise and insights about the best ways to travel, best places to stay, and how to make
the most of their experience in an unfamiliar place. But they can now find this on Google, Trip Advisor, Expedia and
other online services. What’s more, they are increasingly making their own bookings as well.
Could this be happening to you?
When faced with these scenarios, some business owners say, “Ah, yes, but ...” followed by a reason why they are
different, their clients are more loyal, or their business is indispensable. Don’t fall into this trap!
I’m not sharing this to depress you, but to inspire you. See, here’s the point:
If the Internet can disrupt your business, why can’t YOU?
These examples also create opportunities for you – as long as you’re willing to look at your offerings differently. Don’t
just be a speaker, trainer or service provider, genuinely understand your customers and clients and be willing to solve
their problems and help them achieve their goals.
Don’t ignore the threat – or the opportunity
It’s easy to do what you’ve always done, blissfully unaware that the Internet is going to pull the carpet out from under
you.
Ignorance isn’t bliss; it’s bankruptcy.
Gihan Perera is a futurist and an expert in helping leaders understand how the Internet has
changed their world. Forbes magazine rates him the #5 social media influencer in the world
in his area of expertise. Visit GihanPerera.com for more about his speaking, consulting and
mentoring services.