I love rollercoasters. I'm an admitted risk junkie - pilot, SCUBA diver, hang glider, skydiver - you get the picture. I love it. But there's nothing quite like a great rollercoaster to get the heart pumping. And it makes a great analogy to building a profitable business. For me to get to ride my favorite ride, I have to: Find a day my boys and I can go (they're my rollercoaster buddies, and if I go without them, it wouldn't be pretty) Drive four hours to get to King's Dominion (or more for Busch Gardens) Pay for parking and park the car in the expansive lot and try to remember where I parked (we usually get there before it opens, so parking is closer) Buy the tickets ($50+ bucks each) and enter the park Walk/run/sprint to the coolest coaster before the line piles up Stand in line at the ride FINALLY get to ride the rollercoaster (for about 60 seconds) FUN! Here it is in a sales funnel form: It's totally crazy when I break it down like that. Eight hours of driving, a few hundred bucks once you factor in tickets, food, and gas. All for about 20-30 60-second-or-less rides, depending on the crowd. But the park was built for me. And millions of others like me. It is a destination because they created the product I want to consume. Application to Your Business The same thing goes for our businesses. Some people have a more difficult time explaining WHY someone will want to experience what they offer. But let's break down the application to our businesses, because I think it's a great analogy: Identify the Need/Pent-up Demand. People have to know they need something to start searching for [...]