How often do you hear the word "traction" when talking about growth in market share? "All we need is to get some traction." Does it matter what kind of "traction" you get?I was speaking to a colleague about this and the notion of those 4x4 Rock Crawlers came up as the most common kind of traction in early-stage companies. Its not ideal, its hard to get, and you might fall over. This type of traction is often seen by companies whose growth is due to the fact that their product solves a pain, but their growth is ultimately stymied by inability to accurately convey that message to their clients. In other words, their clients have figured out their value prop, even if they haven't!
I got this picture from Off-Road.comThis type of traction is often the result of failed marketing (or lack thereof) within the organization, but the fact that there is any traction at all is enough to encourage the team to keep moving forward as they have been. Ultimately, this type of traction is not sustainable and should be avoided.The other type of traction would be that of a dragster... you smoke your tires at first to make them sticky, but from then on its a straight shot down the track. It is not without its risks of course... if you veer off course, even a little, you might quickly run into a wall. Or, if you take your mind off of what you are doing for just a second, you could run out of track and crash at the end.

I got this picture from here... its not in English so I don't know what it says
In other words, don't be fooled by this type of traction... it might not be as great as it seems. Ensure that the traction you are gaining is profitable or you could run out of track before you know it.Finally, while I was searching for pictures to accompany this post I was reminded of yet another kind of traction... the kind that you endure in recovery from a neck injury! If you are unaware of the dangers of the other two types of traction, you might just end up here!
I got this picture hereLabels: entrepreneurship, marketing, traction