Anybody Home?

The old way used to be having a nice, glossy company brochure to give to people inquiring about your business. Then white papers came into vogue. Everyone is an expert at something and sharing that knowledge draws attention.

If you put the white papers on your Web site so they could be downloaded, you could get a sense of how many people were interested in a topic.

The first web sites were online brochures, designed and written like brochures, only you could turn the pages with a mouse. I've seen several software applications that will allow you to read a magazine and book online. Many companies still use static, brochure-like web sites -- and there are reasons why in some cases, this still works.

We figured out that online meant we could use dynamic content, so we updated more frequently. And with the updates we also learned to write for a new medium: shorter and more to the point. We also learned to have forms and contests to drive traffic to extranets and gain permission to send more information to customers and prospects. Yet all of these activities were one way.

Quick poll: how many of you have received a personal, topical response from an inquiry posted through a company web site?

Today we have an array of tools at our disposal to interact more with customers, partners, and colleagues. So why is it so much harder to speak to a real person? Have we forgotten that all of these tools are but ways to start conversations and the potential relationship(s) are still our goal?

That is one of the reasons why small consulting groups and teams will continue to have a competitive advantage over large conglomerates. You get to talk to and work with the principals: there are no second teams. The power used to be inside the ivory tower. In a marketplace that demands more authenticity, honesty, and contact than it ever did before, the power resides at the meeting of the minds. Now, let's talk about business...

Comments

[mvellandi]

Rapid response in a concise, unbureaucratic, barrierless communication environment is what I value when shopping for a vendor/product. Businesses that do this, display their respect for my time...and their straightforwardness turns me on.

[Joe Raasch]

I had a somewhat unsettling experience while shopping for some simple team-building exercises. I was viewing various websites. One that I accessed had an instant pop-up "Live Greeter" that asked me what I wanted and how they could assist. There wasn't a way to say 'just looking' without leaving the site. I left the site.

Better would be to have the ability to get to a "Live" person - the 'push to talk' feature on other sites.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Mario -- I also think it depends on the nature of the product or service. I tend to like straightforward and helpful consideration as well.

Joe -- that is spooky! It's just like the staff at a store who will greet you and follow you as you walk in, before you look, and then disappear when you need help.

[Lewis Green]

Valeria,

While I agree that small business has the capability and ability to be more responsive to their clients' and customers' needs, giving us what should be a compeitive edge, I still see mid-sized and large businesses choosing mid-sized and large vendors over small.

Perhaps it's because I'm on the East Coast, where big often is perceived as better. On the other hand, I think people shop from those they understand, and big understands big.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Lewis:

That's very interesting. I've worked in large and mid-size corporations and had no problem hiring small businesses to partner with us.

Perhaps more than an issue of capability, it is a perception of capacity: does this business have the bandwidth to handle our workflow?

On the other side, the side of the small business, the question is one of not becoming overly dependant on only one customer, albeit large as that business might go away suddenly if there is a change in the corporate structure.

Which gives me an idea for today's post...