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Small Business is Big Business
(reprinted in its entirety from American Venture Magazine)
They may be small, but what they lack in size they make up for in number. According to the American Small Business Administration, small businesses and entrepreneurs account for 99.9 percent of the over 25.8 million businesses in the United States. Similarly, over the past ten years, small businesses have created between 60 and 80 percent of new jobs in the country. That is why an increasing number of corporate giants, such as Microsoft and IBM are beginning to recognize the value in marketing to their smaller counterparts.
In 2003, AMI-Partners reported that U.S. small business owners spent just over $10 billion on off-the-shelf software. It also estimated that by 2008, that figure would reach roughly $16.4 billion. As a result, Microsoft and its competitors started a campaign to saturate the market. And, this increasing interest in the small business market is not limited to the software industry. Indeed, from technology to insurance, larger companies are looking to the little guys to turn their next profit.
While small businesses may represent a wealth of opportunities, they also pose a number of unique challenges, the first of which is finding them. According to a recent study by Small Business Trends, 83 percent of vendors attract their small business customers through referrals – twice the number that uses other methods such as direct mail and cold calling. In the online world, 73 percent of vendors attract their small business customers through search engine results.
Small business owners are considered by many to be the world’s toughest market. “Entrepreneurs are a busy breed,” says Carmichael. “With a company’s entire operation often resting on the shoulders of one or two people, entrepreneurs have very limited time and resources. What they want are real solutions to their problems.”
To this end, Carmichael suggests the importance of knowing your small business customers. “A big mistake large firms often make is in thinking that they understand their customers when they really don’t,” he says. “You cannot assume that all businesses function in the same way, with the same goals or processes. Put the textbooks away, because small business habits are quite unique.”
In addition to understanding the client, Carmichael stresses the necessity of both maintaining a consistent message in marketing to a small business, as well as resisting the temptation to ‘sell’. “Entrepreneurs are not your typical customer since they live and breathe business,” he says.
“They need to be approached in a respectful way, with marketing that helps educate them instead of talk down to or try to trick them. Keep it simple but keep it smart.”
According to GW Equity, 35 percent of entrepreneurs who have been approached to sell their business in the past year declined because they anticipated continued growth. Similarly, MasterCard International found that 60 percent of small business owners think the outlook of their business in the coming year is optimistic.
“Entrepreneurs are passionate people who are devoted to their company and willing to do whatever it takes to make it succeed,” says Carmichael. “As a marketer, if you can show entrepreneurs how you will help make their dreams come true, you could be on your way to reaping the shared benefits.”.
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"In the development process, we wanted a site that could be updated in real-time. Internet Office provides a module where we can literally update the site on the back-end and in seconds it is live on the front-end. Since none of our employees can write HTML, it is also nice that the back-end is user friendly. If you can use Microsoft Word, you can handle maintaining the website."
Cyndee Wooley
PBS Construction, Inc.
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Internet Office News, Naples Technology News, Southwest Florida Technology News, Naples Florida Technology News, Technology News Florida
Internet Office provides professional technology news stories, tips and trends to the Naples and Southwest Florida Business Leaders to help communicate and convey technology news that will ultimately impact their business, team and bottomline.
Internet Office, Inc. Software as a Service Article, Lessons from the Past, Lead to the Future
It’s a smart part of life to stop, look and listen to lessons from the past, learning where the future may take us. Over the past 8 years, technology and internet technology in particular, has had such a profound change on societal, business and family behaviors that future generations will surely be studying and writing about our present – their past – for generations to come, deciphering this defining point in history.
What our past teaches us today – is that it took 50 years of trial and error, pain and high cost to find the holy grail of “better computing.” Ultimately, the lesson learned was that the wisdom of yesterday – the Mainframe era - is still the best way to “compute.” Information Technology has since come full circle, returning to its very roots and again providing centralized and managed Software and Infrastructure Services.
According to analyst firm IDC, “In 2006 the software-on-demand delivery model represented $3.7 billion in revenue,” and “IDC believes this opportunity will reach $14.8 billion by 2011, representing a compound annual growth rate of 32%” (IDC, “Worldwide Software Business Strategies 2008 Top 10 Predictions,” Doc # 210334, January 2008).
SaaS, which stands for Software-as-a-Service, is a software application delivery model where a vendor develops a web-native software application and hosts and operates (either independently or through a third-party) the application for use by its customers over the Internet. Customers do not pay for owning the software itself but rather for using it, similar to phone or cable television billed as a low monthly payment.
SaaS is generally associated with business software and is a low-cost way for businesses to obtain the same benefits of commercially licensed, internally operated software without the associated complexity and high continued cost. Internet Office, Inc., a local Southwest Florida technology leader, recognized this shift and developed a SaaS solution for small businesses that significantly decreases their year-over-year IT cost while increasing efficiencies and productivity.
Many types of software are well suited to the SaaS model, where customers may have little interest or capability in software deployment, but do have substantial computing needs. Application areas such as Customer Relationship Management, Contact Management, Human Resources, IT Service Management, Accounting, Web Content and Email are just a few of the initial markets showing great SaaS success.
SaaS is a significant shift to the software delivery and maintenance models that have been architected over the last 40 years and will affect most business in years to come. Its impact is felt across today’s software deployment models of Desktop, Server, Virtual, Client Server and Intranet technologies. It directly affects Network Infrastructure by “becoming the network” and eliminates or significantly reduces network equipment and support costs. SaaS is returning the IT community to yesterday’s roots providing a proven and solid framework for tomorrow. Ultimately, its benefits will redefine future computing practices and at the same time help GO GREEN because of the reduced energy consumption and heat output from today!
Internet Office Solutions: Web Site Design, Web Sites, Web Hosting, Domain Names, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization
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Naples Florida Technology News, Technology News Florida and Naples Technology Trends
Technology is a broad concept that deals with a species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. In human society, it is a consequence of science and engineering, although several technological advances predate the two concepts. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek "technologia", "τεχνολογία" — "techne", "τέχνη" ("craft") and "logia", "λογία" ("saying").[1] However, a strict definition is elusive; "technology" can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils, but can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include "construction technology", "medical technology", or "state-of-the-art technology". People's use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.
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