It's ten years into the future and search engines have evolved to such a level that every search only produces the absolute perfect single result. There is no need for more than one result as any additional result would be less than perfect. The search engine knows exactly what resources you have available, your timeline, required services and even matches you with compatible personality types. The search is perfect. Imagine what that would mean for business.  We would finally be spending time on perfecting our service, as opposed to perfecting the pitch for it.

We are in the era of truth and transparency, whereby business practice has evolved to making honest promises and delivering on them. Yet our markets are still overrun by copy and marketing speak. We are in the process I believe of evolving to the point where convincing each other to do business is no longer needed; where the perfect search is always right. If that’s the case then maybe we should start looking at our businesses a little differently. Maybe it’s time we start offering real value.

Here are some other sources to help you change your business perspective:

In the book Built to Sell, John Warrillow explains that you should run your business as if you are planning to sell it. That means ensuring your business can operate smoothly without you. I’m not saying you should sell your business, but you should be running it as if you could at any time. Every element of your business should be streamlined and running smoothly. If you operated your business in such a way that a team of MBA types could perform due diligence on your business, and you pass that evaluation with flying colours, then you know you have a strong business.

Another great book on changing your business perspective is Likeable Business by Dave Kerpen. In this book he considers the business from the client’s point of view.  By breaking down what makes a business ‘likeable’ it becomes apparent that as businesses go we have a lot to learn when it comes to providing our clients with the best service. Our emphasis needs to shift from convincing everyone our service is the best to having the best service. 

We are constantly changing our businesses to fit the game, stuffing keywords when keyword stuffing was still cool, creating constant fresh content and so on. Yet I believe eventually there will be no game left to play and if your business is not doing things right you’ll need to start soon. Will your business be ready for the search engine of the future?

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