Selling to Small Businesses

We all know that one of the most cost effective ways to reach large numbers of small business owners is through the Web. I happened upon an excellent site today that consists of lists of resources you may need to run your online operations for online marketing.  The lists are some of the most comprehensive I’ve seen anywhere.  They cover [...]

Nick Carr writes about the “bad ad fad.”  He’s referring to user-generated ads, pointing to a campaign by Heinz that he claims is backfiring.  The New York Times wrote about the campaign, which enables consumers to create and post video ads about Heinz ketchup, pickles and other products. I agree that user-generated ad campaigns – besides being expensive [...]

Some bloggers get really annoyed with PR people.   They don’t like receiving pitches. I have a different attitude — I encourage PR people to contact me.  What could be better than to have people bring news and interesting stuff right to my office via my computer?   Sure I might have found the news on my own.  But [...]

Back when I wrote the Selling to Small Business column for BNET.com, one of my articles was about how “entrepreneur” could be a dirty word in certain parts of the world, especially Europe.  Here in the United States we associate “entrepreneur” with startups and innovators — outsiders who buck the existing business establishment. To us the [...]

Experian, the credit reporting agency, conducted a study of the small business market, dividing it up according to incorporated businesses and unincorporated businesses.  The study covered 1.2 million small businesses with no more than 25 employees and $10 million in sales. The picture it painted was of business owners being wealthier than the general population.  Business [...]

All too many sales pitches involve someone who wants to come in and spend a few hours of your time to “explore your needs.”  If I have an overwhelming problem, then I may want to have my needs explored.  But like most small business owners, I have so many needs that I couldn’t possibly afford [...]