It’s one of those huge color-coded maps that you see at the mall.  There are two hundred and fifty one stores on that map – but the truth is – you only need to know where the new Apple store is located.

So what do you need to know?  Well, you need to know where the Apple store is – the destination.   But it would also help if you knew where you are now – the starting point.  It’s almost like that game that you play with your children – Where’s Waldo?

And that’s the way it is with marketing.  You have to have a definite destination in mind.  But you also have to know where you are to get where you want to be.  I’ve had this conversation at least ten thousand times in the last thirty years.  But I don’t recall a single prospect in all those years that knew both pieces of the puzzle – where he was – where he wanted to be.

Obviously, we do need to know both variables in order to be successful.   But the simple truth is – too many businesses have no clue about which way to go next.  Is yours one of them?  Then, what you need is a clear picture of your destination. You need A VISION.

It’s the vision of one day crossing the finish line at Daytona that drives the young person in his homemade go-kart.  It was vision that drove Olympic gymnast Kerry Strug to perform that final vault in the 1996 – knowing that her ankle was seriously injured.  And when Michael Phelps touched the end of the pool in the race that finally gave him his 8th Gold Medal – you can rest assured that he had already successfully run that race in his head ten thousand times before. It’s Vision.  Don’t leave home without it!