When Ray Kroc bought the rights to McDonald’s from brothers Dick and Mac McDonald’s in 1960, he didn’t immediately add menu items and upgrade the dining room. Instead, he bought land, and lots of it.
Kroc famously said, “We are in the real estate business, not the hamburger business.” Kroc realized the importance of location, and he knew that even if he sold the best burger on the planet, if they were only sold in a small town in the middle of Nowheresville, McDonald’s would never achieve the greatness he dreamed of.
In order to sell, you have to be seen. More than that, you have to place yourself in a position of convenience. Why does McDonald’s sell so many hamburgers (more than 75 every second)? Because you can get off almost any highway, anywhere in America, and be at a McDonald’s in minutes.
But location isn’t just physical anymore, and there are other kinds of real estate that are just as valuable as land. You don’t have to be a major global company with stores all over the world to compete with those that are. If you have the right kind of real estate – Internet real estate – you can be just as powerful without ever messing with the brick and mortar.
I want you to try this: Go to Google, and type in 2-3 keywords that describe your brand or business. (Don’t just type your name — that’s cheating.)
If you’re a 5-star boutique hotel marketing to some of the world’s richest travelers, try “Top 10 hotels on the planet.” Does your hotel come up? Try “25 of the best hotel and resort locations in the world.” What about now?
If your website doesn’t show up on the first or second page then guess what? You need to invest in better Internet real estate, because I guarantee you that no one is going to look past the first couple of pages of Google results to find your brand.
Remember, you don’t have to be first everywhere in the world. As long your targeted customers see you as first, it doesn’t matter if someone halfway around the world knows you exist.
Need help improving the value of your real estate? Talk to my good friend Aaron Pitman, who is an expert at acquiring some of the finest Internet real estate. He also has a phenomenal story of how he became a serial entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, millionaire, Angel investor and SEO expert at the ripe old age of 26.
If you’re not using a real estate agent like Aaron, what’s driving buyers to your location – i.e. the first page of Google results?
What were your experiment results? Hit reply or comment below to share!
*Image courtesy PT Money
As a speaker and author, Curtis Zimmerman has impacted over one million people with his life-changing messages and award-winning programs. Curtis is an expert at transforming organizations by inspiring individuals to live their lives at performance level.
Want to be inspired? Check out his podcast The Next 24 Hours.
