Engine on a Horse

In Larry Kramer's new book C-Scape , Larry relates how he was once asked "If you put an engine on a horse do you have a car.

This is his analogy for taking your existing business model and trying to do exactly the same thing on the Internet.

The point is having a web site that doesn't provide the interaction or services that your customers expect will not work. You need to create a strategy before you deploy technology.

I couldn't agree more.

I think the best way to figure out your strategy is to ask yourself "What business am I really in?"

You may think this is obvious, but there is a very long history of businesses that thought their answer was obvious but were absolutely wrong.

Railroads thought they were providing railroads but their customers were buying transportation. Landline phone companies thought they were providing phones but their customers were buying voice communications.

So what business are your really in? Maybe you should ask your customers what they are actually buying.