The process of evaluating risk in any venture, decision, or daily activity is primarily based on our own individual experience. That experience teaches us to either move forward because we have a comfort factor with the expected outcome or to run the other way because the risk is undefined and therefore represents danger to us.

My own team of Technicians, SEO Specialists, Copywriters, Web Designers, Bloggers and Database guys have their own personal definition of risk and because they are for the most part young. They have never paid for a wedding, funded college for a child, dealt with a debilitating medical issue or cover payroll every other Friday.

In the search marketing business there is a responsibility for all participants to better understand that what they do each day “represents risk to any CEO or CFO” mostly because these senior managers don’t get the SEO process, don’t understand the Social Media Marketing world and certainly have no concept of the dynamics, preparation or complexity of building an effective web strategy. Even though that strategy, if well conceived, will likely change their business forever; in ways that they have no concept of at the early decision making stage. They therefore are naturally skeptical until the concept sinks in or is proven on an income statement.

In any presentation of a product or service each of us has the responsibility to understand the person across the conference table, big oak desk or phone line. If you don’t take the time to understand his or her perspective you do so at your own risk. The psychology of any “SALE” is the same as it has been forever. Understand me as a person, give me enough information to make an intelligent decision and then provide me with a solution that makes sense and I can afford. If you do these things you will probably have a new client. Our world of bots, algos and viral campaigns is not immune to this process.

It is no wonder why so many start up SEO, PPC, SMM and SEM firms come out with guns blazing, advertise heavy, spend recklessly to get their message or technical capabilities out in front of as many businesses as possible, carelessly assuming that XYZ business would be “nuts” not jump on their offer. Unfortunately many of these companies chew through their investor provided capital fast or find their angel investors pulling the plug on the business because the results represent continued risk to them. (Remember our definition of risk varies based on personal experience levels)

I have a simple theory - before I do anything on a corporate level that could potentially be risky, I send up a trial balloon to see whether the venture will be successful or not. If the results are positive on the trial then additional capital comes out to take it all the way. If however the test is not positive then I have risked little and am not hurt by packing things up and going onto the next project.

If we each understand this fundamental process, our results have the potential to be absolutely mind-blowing. The reality is that every business, every where will eventually be forced to come to us to assist them in managing through the muddy and ever changing realities of the Internet.

Good luck to all!