Threats It is now time to dig into the threats that any of the internal or external circumstances/ realities may be causing to your company in general and its online presentation in particular. The following questions should help you compile your list of threats. Just remember to stay focused and as objective as possible. Your ultimate goal is to make your company better, and this phase is similar to the work of a surgeon. Just as a sur- geon who works on removing a life-threatening tumor, you may have to induce pain in order to heal the areas that may otherwise kill your business. · · · · · · · · H ave there been any recent shifts in consumer tastes that resulted in consumers drifting away from the company's products/services? H ave any new competitors emerged recently? W hat threats do the current competitors pose? A re there any existing or expected trade barriers? A re there any other external trends that amplify any of your weaknesses? W hat obstacles do you face? W hat is your competition doing? A re any changes in the online space threatening your position? 39 T H U R S DAY: P R E S E N T YO U R A N A LY S I S T O YO U R B O S S / C L I E N T Once you are done with the list, you are ready to move on to the final phase of the analysis, where you will put all pieces of this big SWOTT puzzle together. Thursday: Present Your Analysis to Your Boss/Client Whether you are an in-house marketing person who has been commissioned by the company to look into a possibility of starting an affiliate program or you are an out- sourced agency or affiliate marketing consultant, there will come a time for you to present the results of your analysis to your boss or prospective client. Now that you have the SWOTT analysis in your hands, you want to present your case for the introduction of the affiliate program into your marketing mix, being guided by the following five principles: · · · · · B uild on your strengths. R esolve weaknesses. E xploit opportunities. T ake advantage of trends. A void and/or mitigate threats.