drive2

Piecing together segmentation

Remember those old Publishers Clearing House mailings? It was a big deal when they came to our house. Having an uncommon last name, we invariably got to see our name misspelled many times throughout the mail-piece. They contained wooden sentences like “Just imagine when you, [your full name], appear on the TV and in newspaper headlines in [your city] because you won our sweepstakes. Every member of the [your last name] family will celebrate winning the $10 million prize.”

We used to laugh at those corny campaigns, but the truth is that prospects now expect to be communicated with using what your organization knows about them. Don’t believe me? Answer honestly: how fast do you hit ‘delete’ when seeing an email from a retailer (even if you like them) that’s not relevant to you?! What’s a marketing group to do?

The first thing is to admit that your target audience isn’t one big homogeneous group. Do a top-to-bottom appraisal of your buyers, noting the differences among them so that you can do some good old-fashioned segmentation. For me, segmentation involves communicating a single message in the way that’s most appropriate to an identifiable audience. This post won’t go into the many copywriting tactics used to achieve ‘appropriate,’ let’s just say it’s improved since Publishers Clearing House’s time. Here we’ll focus on the amazingly new twist that the internet has brought to segmentation – it can be done remotely and, if warranted, automatically. If you’re a Salesforce user, look at apps like Postcode Anywhere and you’ll see what I mean.

Starting at the lowest level, let’s say you get a work email address from a web contact form and you need firmographic/demographic data so you can send them the appropriate follow-on email. There are some great online tools to help you flesh out their information, whether you’re looking for Company-level or individual-level data.

Company-level Data

Company-level segmentation can be done with fields like: number of employees, SIC code, annual revenue and headquarters location. Big, public companies are the easiest to get information on – they’re trackable on sites like EDGAR. Those that aren’t publically traded companies still have a lot of research sources available. Here are some websites that let you search by company name:

SIC Code Directory

Thomas Register

Dun & Bradstreet’s Selectory

Hoovers

The Fortune 500, Business Week

The Software 500 database, for US-based software firms

GoogleNews (media coverage is often peppered with facts.)

You may have to pay to access some of these, but the information’s worth it.

Individual-level Data

If you have the persons name and contact details, you can do more segmentation by supplementing: professional designations, title/scope of responsibility, job function, years they’ve held role, gender or location (letting you derive timezone or size of city/town they live in). How do you find these fields? It’s getting easier, now that so many people are publishing their own online profiles. But even without, there are many sites that will yield great data to help your segmentation. There are social media sites that can help here too: twitter and BlogPulse are just two of them. Some sites you can search by name are:

Spoke

Forbes People

Jigsaw

Plaxo Pulse

If the organization is already your client, you can blend in even more data from your corporate records, such as: key contacts, total sales and other transactional information by which you can group them with similar clients.

In summary, it’s easy to see how these tools have made segmentation not only relevant, but an essential part of your marketing and sales arsenal. Start using this extra data and communicate smartly with your prospects, they’ll thank you for it.

What’s past is prologue

The saying 'hindsight is 20/20' could've been coined by a marketer. Why do I say this? Pets.com's Superbowl ads, Van Halen plugging Crystal Pepsi, '90s law firm Canter & Siegel's global spam campaign. There's another type of campaign that's just as bad too – the kind that may be innocuous, but generates almost no sales.

The troubling part is that there WILL be more moments that deserve to be in the Marketing Hall of Shame. Some of these will be the victims of poor timing or uncontrollable events, but many could be prevented by simply looking at our own past efforts. Sure, looking at past activities may bring an uncomfortable reminder of that screw-up from a few years ago, but it can also spark memories of successes. You may find yourself dreaming up new campaigns once you've subconsciously stewed over the performance of past campaigns.

Some practical ways that looking back can help you look forward:

• Before you launch a campaign, imagine yourself standing up a month from now, presenting the results and rattling off lots of metrics. Eyes closed, ask yourself whether those metrics are all traceable today, because this is your last chance to put those measures into place.
• Don't try to sell people on you if it flies in the face of what they perceive. I worked once for a service business that was experiencing capacity problems. Coincidentally, marketing rolled out a campaign saying "Trust the company that handles the biggest volumes." Shortly after, an ex-customer who'd received the promo piece left a voice mail that said these exact words: "I can't believe you're asking for more business! Your biggest problem is volume - you can't handle the sh*t you've got now!"
• Look at anything that stands out from the norm (or for you quant heads, your control group). Look at bounce rates, both those that are much higher and lower than the average, and ask what you can do to bring them in line with expectations.
• Google Analytics goals, for example, let you trace back a conversion to see where that visitor started on your site. By looking at the page paths, you may see a trend among visitors that you never intended. You could also carry this analysis over to the conversions goals that aren't working.
• Where you have an apples-and-apples comparison with an old campaign, set your benchmark. The grueling process of campaign execution is not a good time to try setting objective forecasts. Going back to prior campaigns will prevent you from stabbing at an unrealistic number, as well as bolstering your confidence that you know what you're doing.

Looking back may not seem like the most productive use of time. After all, there are many new initiatives coming along all the time. The truth is that most of these are just bright shiny objects that Marketing could fritter away time on. I'm not saying to be so heads-down on current work that you miss the boat on a game-changing trend in your business. I'm saying you should ask "what's worked?" and learn the lessons of the past so that your future marketing activities can all have a good return on investment.

 

B2B marketers aren't scared of the big bad economy

MarketingProfs has just released their B-toB Marketing in 2008 report, their latest survey of B2B marketers. In it, they asked which tactics will be most important in the 2009 marketing mix. According to the results, they are: 
1. Websites
2. Email campaigns/newsletters
3. Webinars
4. Inside Sales
5. Blogs
6. Social Networks

63% said the top tactics they named have changed significantly in the last year. Some of that is certainly due to current economic austerity, but that’s not slowing down marketers adoption of new tactics. Consider that items 5 & 6 have only come along in the last 5 years, and items 2 & 3 barely existed 10 years ago. If I had to say, the shift is being pushed just as much by tight budgets as it’s being pulled by the power of online technologies. 

Of course, those of us who love demand creation find it inspiring to see “Inside Sales” made the list. We believe that no matter what the business cycle or the technology curve are doing, using a person to build leads into real prospects never goes out of style.

A level playing field for all marketers

Let me first say that I’ve never ever done B2C marketing. Yesterday I spoke with a non-marketer about what “B2B marketing” is. He kept trying to understand it by comparing it to slick consumer marketing tactics he’s seen. I found myself repeatedly saying “No, B2B can’t do that because it costs too much,” or “B2B hasn’t caught up to that level yet.” But as I thought more about it, I came up with many B2B tactics that have revolutionized our jobs. Here are a few of them:

REMOTE SALES
15 years ago, I was a marketing analyst for a services company in which ‘sales calls’ involved several people disappearing from the office for several days. Now the need to connect in-person was, is and always will be a vital step for B2B sales, but that’s not the way one software company sold me. I’d called them about their statistical analysis program and received a floppy disk (!) in the mail. Shortly after, an inside representative called and asked me to run the program. In that one call, we walked through some demo data and ran some reports; I echoed his actions and he magically described everything on my screen. Well since then, web-demos, demos using real-time data and mobile apps have all become standard staples for B2B teams. But looking back, we should be amazed at how far we’ve come and how much we can accomplish without meeting in-person.

CRMs
Say what you will about it, but the adoption of Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) has improved client service and prospect engagement.  Years ago, when you ordered something from a Manufacturer, you needed to know your customer #, the catalog SKU, your receiving department’s particulars and your PO number. It was once commonplace for several sales reps from the same company to hassle you – sometimes VPs tacitly encouraged this practice. Thank goodness CRM’s have made these problems a thing of the past. CRMs have now burgeoned into profiles, which allow users to generated content that they share with their vendor as well as with other like-minded members. Constant Contact and WordPress have forums that are banding users together and slashing support costs all at the same time. I can’t wait to see where online interaction will take us next.

ONLINE DIALOGUES
In the corporate world, most people who use (or are candidates to use) a product make themselves known to vendors. This trend, called permission marketing nowadays, began when companies started opening their email systems to ‘outside’ senders. Judging by the number of corporate newsletters, RSS feeds, listservs and online forms that exist, I’d say this development has been largely positive. In my own experience, I can point to email communications that brought in a major upsell, drove a sudden change to a user conference that was weeks away and re-opened talks with a client who wouldn’t talk to our sales rep. There are still improvements to be made in segmenting and personalizing emails – our bloated inboxes demand it, but the technology to do this is now within almost every business’ reach.

So getting back to the conversation I had yesterday, I ended up upholding B2B marketing as every bit as potent in reaching its market as B2C is in reaching consumers. It seems that marketers, regardless of their target audience, are being put on a level playing field. There’s no longer two camps of marketing competing for dominance, but this levelling has put us all into one big training camp where all marketers can sharpen their skills and learn from whomever has the best ideas.

The right way to write B2B Marketing pieces

[This blog was inspired by many good posts out there about copywriting, such as this post by David Orban from O&Y.]

Attention everyone, class is now in session. I know some of you have taken this course because you major in related fields. Judging from your transcripts, I see a lot of ENGL, JRNL and of course some ADMN backgrounds. That shows me that you have some written communication skills, but it doesn’t automatically make you good marketers. Fear not, I’m going to give you some handy hints on how to write every item you send to business prospects. Here they are:

Avoid the words “we, us, our” as much as you can. While your company is no doubt really interesting, it’s not the one that the reader is keenly interested in. They’re most interested in solving their own issues or achieving more milestones. If you can talk to them about how they can do that (with some help from you), then you’ll have their attention.

I realize you rarely meet the end user, but try to imagine their environment and how they talk. Now match their communication style. If, for example, you’re writing for a buyer of industrial machinery, don’t use writing that looks like it came from an investment banker.

Don’t use exaggerated phrases, like those typically used in B2C marketing. Your target audience isn’t going to choose you because you put a “50¢ off your next purchase” coupon at the bottom of your collateral or used a cutesy rhyme. You’re not writing a newspaper flyer, you’re writing something that demonstrates your understanding of the prospect’s need and provides a solution whose value is beyond question. For these reasons, I forbid your assignments from saying: “Don’t delay, act today”… “You’ve tried the rest now try the best” … “This category-killing, breakthrough product” … here’s a good list of gobbledygook phrases to avoid.

I know most of you make your writing assignments as long as possible and ensure that you don’t leave out any explanation. But your prospective reader wants to read as little as possible, so help them by being brief. Remember that they want to find the quickest possible way to solve their problem – and they’ll listen to you if your piece clearly tells them that you can solve it.

I’ve been asked, “What happens if my piece is longer than it has to be?” and my answer is “nothing, meaning that the prospect will do nothing with your company, because they didn’t read your collateral.” So with all this in mind, I’m dismissing class to let you get on with your writing. By the way, I won’t be grading your assignment, your prospects will. Good luck!

Buyers are just not that into you

By Matt Massey, Managing Director, drive2 Inc.

I was stunned by the results of a poll done a while ago by the Business Products Buyers Survey*. They asked a panel of 478 B2B buyers to specify the percentage of their purchases where the vendor found them. Astonishingly, these were in the minority. These buyers claimed that 75-80% of the time, 'We found the vendor.'

Am I saying we should throw in the towel on outbound campaigns? Do I believe we should abandon direct marketing and let buyers assign themselves to our sales funnels? Absolutely not.

Let me point out some inaccurate conclusions people draw from these results:

• The 20-25% that were found by a vendor most likely bought from that vendor.
• The 'We found them' faction formed their own impression of the vendors in the space, based on…whatever information they came across and put credence in. In other words, it's anyone's guess whether they heard the marketing pitch the vendor had painstakingly created for them.
• Given that B2B prospects are fairly easy to identify, I don't believe that vendors missed 75-80% of the target audience. We must conclude that those who claimed they found the vendor must have forgotten any of the vendor's attempts to reach them. How many times have you heard your rep say, after a rival snagged the business, "I had them in our CRM, but they never moved past the suspect stage."

What I am saying is that if we want to have visibility on more than 25% of our sales, we have to shape up our sales & marketing processes. It's not something either sales or marketing can fix on their own. We have to integrate the message that they first responded to with later lead nurturing messages we give them. Our sales process has to incent reps to regularly check in with prospects. Our outbound activities have to entice them to introduce us to other stakeholders, instead of betraying their trust by going directly to the stakeholders ourselves. We have to politely create urgency for them and give them a business-case rationale that proves our value, not a gimmicky promotion.

As the vendors, we only have so much control over the buying process. We have to work as hard as we can to stay relevant to the buyer, over prolonged periods of time, in the hope that they'll involve us when they decide to buy.

*Results reported in MarketingSherpa's B2B Lead Generation Handbook, 2008 edition.

What to do when the economy is blowing up around you!

By Matt Massey, CEO drive2 Inc.

Recognizing that it's been quite some time since my last blog, admittedly drive2 has been busy – really busy, which has left me remiss in my blogging duties. That being said, I couldn't stay quiet any longer. Across the US and Canada, mainstream media is painting a bleak picture on the state of our economy. Now, I could go on about how mainstream media is perpetuating the downturn and lowering consumer confidence but that rant is best saved for another blog…

Yes, it's bad, really bad, but the reality is business hasn't stopped and why should it?

A few weeks ago, the CEO of a well-respected technology services company, asked me what my thoughts were on building demand and sales in the current economic "crisis". My question back to him was what to you do when the economy is blowing up around you?

He didn't have the answer, but I believe I may have a big part of the solution – you tell me.

There are two trains of thought in times of economic uncertainty; Duck and Cover, or Stand and Fight. Well, Duck and Cover has never been the solution to any problem unless you are an ostritch. Yes, conserving cash flow and avoiding major corporate expenditures are vital to maintaining the regular flow of business, but in the B2B world, this won't guarantee your survival.

Stand and Fight - To me, Stand and Fight means you need to get Aggressive, you need to get Dirty and you need to get Strategic.

Aggressive

Getting aggressive is about ramping up your marketing – not broad-based marketing spend, but aggressively pursuing your customer targets with much more emphasis on business development activities and minimizing new technology R&D. It's been proven that companies that get more aggressive during downturns and slow periods in business, realize significant gains when business starts to ramp up again, they are much further ahead than competitors that took the Duck and Cover approach.

Dirty

You know that old saying, there are NO FRIENDS IN BUSINESS, take that to heart. In the current economic situation, you will undoubtedly see allies and partners suddenly become very selfish and self serving and virtually disengage or even disappear overnight. If your company, technology or services are not recognized as "mission critical" you need to make it so. This is where demonstrating your business value beyond your technology or services is vital and making sure that key decision makers are fully aware of who you are and why you matter to their company. In some cases you may need to go above, under or around those people in a business that may be inhibiting your progress, that means stepping on a few toes, or in some cases knocking them over the head with a 2 X 4, but if your company's survival is dependent on getting a little (or a lot) dirty, just keep in mind that it's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Keep that in mind if you're worried about making up with the people you knocked down in the process!

Strategic

Getting aggressive and getting dirty means also getting smart. Having a plan and executing flawlessly while minimizing distractions is integral to surviving. Here is your reality. Most SMEs are sub 500 headcount businesses. Most VC-backed technology firms are smaller, sub 100 employees, and that means that your relevance in the big, bad world of business is minimal at best. You need to plot a course that maximizes your exposure to as many key customer opportunities as possible, with a strategic plan to build demand quickly and effectively. With the downturn creating even longer sales cycles as business decisions are analyzed even more closely, you need to UP your engagement level and exposure throughout your target customer universe. This is where focused lead gen. and a solid demand creation model supported by an airtight marcomms infrastructure needs to be developed and honed to guarantee your survival.

 

My underlying message is don't stop marketing. Just get smarter and do what you need to do in order to guarantee your survival. It's a bit of a war zone out there right now, and usually the general with the best strategy, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, comes out a winner. History has proven that altruism, time and time again. Just keep your helmet on!

 

 

 

 

 

The Software Isn’t the Solution

By Matt Massey, CEO drive2 Inc.

Question. What lead generation, CRM, marketing automation, web analytics, lead management, data aggregation tool(s) are you using right now?

Next question. How did you evaluate the acquisition of those software products or solutions? Were they based on your overarching vision of what your sales and marketing infrastructure, sales and marketing strategy and tactical programs are or will be?

Overwhelmed? You're not alone, a lot of CEOs, VPs, Directors of marketing and even small business owners are as well!

There are a pile of software offerings out there right now. Too many vendors with too little differentiation. Over the next few years, I believe we are going to see a consolidation of companies and some stabilization in the market offerings.

This process will effectively level the playing field and lessen the HUGE confusion for marketers trying to evaluate the "right fit" solution for their organization.

But hold up a second. I'll be brave and say that the Software Isn't the Solution.

Companies need to put the infrastructure in place and refocus the organizational mindset, then define their process for tactical execution of marketing programs, THEN make the investment in technology to support tactical execution of marketing programs.

I believe the companies that will succeed in the lead gen/demand creation world will come from one of two verticals.

1. Software Companies that offer a one stop CRM, LEAD MANAGEMENT, MARKETING AUTOMATION, DATA AGGREGATION/ANAYLYTICS.
2. Services Companies that understand the infrastructure and process pieces - then as channel partners for the software vendor will implement the appropriate technology to support the infra and process components.

The services play for my two cents is where it's at! More companies need help to tackle the infra issues first, then the tactical execution second.

We work primarily with technology companies here in Canada. In virtually every instance, the primary challenge within the organizations we talk to is bandwidth - not tech bandwidth, people bandwidth.

Who has time? There just isn't enough time in the day for marketing and sales folks to build the vision, the infra, the programs, evaluate the software vendor offerings and implement all of the above. This situation is repeatable in small, medium and large organizations – trust me, we see it all the time. That's why we are placing our bets on the outsourced services model.

drive2 is a demand creation company. We develop performance driven, results-based lead generation and demand creation programs for technology and services companies. For more information on demand creation on how drive2 can work with your company, visit www.drive-2.com.

Stop selling your technology now!

By Matt Massey, CEO drive2 Inc.

I know, telling technology companies to stop selling technology is like asking; "Is water wet?"

What I'm really saying is stop marketing the technology and start selling the business value. According to Business 2.0 Magazine, in 2008, there are more technology companies appearing on the landscape, with market-ready technology, than ever before. We've gotten past the boom, bust and rebound of the .com bubble and these are tech companies ready to go-to-market.

The challenge for almost every technology company is to rise above selling to the IT departments of target customers and start selling to the business line decision makers.

Why? What's the difference?

Selling your technology to IT, engineering or technology departments of target customers poses a significant challenge for small and medium tech companies. Primarily, it results in elongating the sales cycle by first trying to get on the radar screen of already over worked tech departments of a target customer. Then immediately enter into a long process of technology evaluation and fit then eventually moving up the line to determine fit within the existing business model. Add to this challenge if you are small or medium company with low brand awareness, having an even more difficult time because they've never heard of you.

The Business Line Sales Focus –

Sell your business value to the Business Line of a target customer. It's a top down strategy. Engaging at the C-level, Board-level or VP level of the business line, will in most sales processes, qualify your opportunities better and achieve buy-in from senior executives who can drive the process internally and expedite the sales process. Conversely, it can earn you a solid No more quickly and allow you to move on to the next target customer without the issue of having prolonged the sales process, only to arrive at a negative outcome.

Yes, there is the still challenge of getting on the radar screen of the senior executive and demonstrating your relevant business value, but once you've entrenched yourself with the target customer decision maker, its smoother road to a PO and you can drive faster to get there.

drive2 is a demand creation company. We develop performance driven, results-based lead generation and demand creation programs for technology and services companies. For more information on demand creation and on how drive2 can work with your company, visit www.drive-2.com.

This year I will... 10 resolutions for your company and its technology

I borrowed this from Backbone Magazine excellent read for anyone in working in the technology world. Matt Massey, CEO drive2 Inc.

In January our thoughts turn to resolutions. Exercise more, work less, spend time with family and friends, read a book, take a course: the month is replete with good intentions. To help give your business resolve a head start this year, Backbone presents 10 resolutions you will actually want to keep. 1 Find your data by Danny Bradbury How much time do you spend searching for information on your desktop or on your company network? Are you an obsessive filer, with obscure sub-folders for everything, or a systematic dumper, putting everything into a single location to be sorted later? Either way, you probably have information languishing on your hard drive that is difficult to retrieve. Thanks to enterprise search and desktop search tools, however, your problems may be over. Tools such as Google Desktop and the new integrated search function in Windows Vista are making it easier to find those mislaid files. They work by indexing files you store on your hard drive as you create them. These products index not only by filename but also by content. This means you can search for someone mentioned in a Word document, for example, without remembering where that document is or what it was called. And these systems often support third-party plug-ins, enabling users to search content created in different applications. For those who require more sophistication, products such as X1, from the company of the same name, include tailored searches using Boolean operators plus range searching: finding files that were created between particular dates. X1 can also search across the network, so you can find files located on a central server. Network searching becomes particularly important in workgroup settings, where multiple people may be uploading files to a single location. Hardware appliances contain search features embedded into a sealed box that sits on the network. Examples include Google’s Mini and Search Appliance products, aimed at small businesses and medium to large enterprises respectively. These provide a browser-based interface that doesn’t require software. It is difficult to calculate a return on investment for search tools and appliances such as these, but gauge how much time you spend swearing at your screen as you try to track down missing information and use that as a starting point. If they don’t save you money, these tools may at least save your sanity. 2 Investigate Software as a Service by Issie Rabinovitch One of the fastest growing segments of information technology is Software as a Service (SaaS), the current name for what used to be called hosted or on-demand applications. In the SaaS model, users pay a monthly fee to access applications running on a provider’s servers. The applications can be used on any computer with a Web browser and a broadband Internet connection. There’s no upfront cost because there’s no purchase and no installation, and you can begin using the applications as soon as you establish an account. The SaaS provider keeps the applications updated and your data backed up and secure, eliminating two of your largest corporate headaches in the process. The quality and number of available applications is on the rise. Eventually, most types of software will be available via SaaS. CRM, ERP, e-commerce and accounting are popular categories, but a better starting point may be Google Docs and Spreadsheets, two capable and free Microsoft-compatible office productivity applications. At a minimum, Google’s offering will meet the basic word processing and spreadsheet needs of the majority of users. Existing files can be imported and edited and files created are compatible with Microsoft Word and Excel. Google doesn’t provide all of the advanced features of Word and Excel, but users get increased collaboration functionality as a trade-off. Files can be shared with other users and there’s never an issue about using the latest version of an application. All changes are preserved, even when far-flung users edit a file concurrently. 3 Explore 2D bar codes by Ian Harvey First came the bar code, then RFID tags. Now, get ready for 2D codes to take product packaging and social networking to a whole different level. Think of 2D as a square or rectangular label with black pixels and white space, just as a bar code (Universal Product Code or UPC) is a series of vertical lines. Using a 2D code requires a smartphone with a camera. Snap the shot, process it through free downloadable software and presto, you’re directed to a Web site with more information about that product, person or service. Like regular bar codes, 2D versions can be printed on packaging, but unlike their predecessors, they can also be published online or on TV and displayed on giant stadium screens, telephone poles, business cards, in store windows and on billboards, opening up a whole new marketing channel. Say you meet someone at a bar. Snap her code symbol and use it to access her Facebook profile, for example. Or, want to know if that veggie product was made with beef fat? Snap. Buy tickets online from a concert poster? Snap. Watch a video of the winning goal you read about in this morning’s paper? Snap. However, there is a Blue Ray/HD-type war going on. On one side, the big guns of the Mobile Code Consortium (aka MC2 at mobilecodes.org): Hewlett-Packard, Nokia, KPN and Telefónica O2 Europe, Gavitex, NeoMedia Technologies and Publicis. They are working to establish standards in much the same way as the group controlling UPC. On the other side are the upstarts: Hookcode, Qcode, Paperclip, Shotcode and Nextcode, looking for traction and critical mass to win market dominance. The potential is there, now we’re just waiting for the right entrepreneurs to move on this. Unfortunately, that may have to wait for one standard to emerge. 4 Make business systems one by Danny Bradbury You are a small business with 10 employees and you have a problem: none of your systems can speak to each other. Shipping doesn’t know what the accounts department is doing and marketing’s systems aren’t talking to customer support. Your sales people are cold-calling customers who are already fuming about late product shipments. The CEO must make four phone calls to get a snapshot of the business, and that gets particularly difficult when she is on the road. So that needs to change. One option is to buy an integrated business software package you can run locally on your own computer. Such packages either store all information in a single database or include different modules that can talk to each other, linking your business functions. Several exist, varying with the size and sophistication of your business. For example, Microsoft offers Dynamics NAV, which integrates functions including financial management, distribution, purchase and payables, and sales and marketing. Sage sells a suite of products that can be integrated to carry out different functions, and SAP produces Business One, an integrated system targeting small to mid-sized businesses with revenues starting in the millions. Another option is to take your business management functions online. NetSuite provides integrated functions including customer relationship management, accounting, enterprise resource planning, payroll and e-commerce using an online service. The advantage is that you don’t have to worry about buying or maintaining your own server, which can represent a significant management and security overhead. The disadvantage is someone else has your data and you have to rely on your Internet connection to get it. Nevertheless, it has worked for organizations like Guelph, Ont.-based Saffron Rouge, which distributes organic cosmetics. CEO Jeff Binder likes the system’s dashboard, an interface that displays all his business metrics on a single Web page so he can easily see what the business is doing and match inventory to incoming customer orders. “It’s relatively cheap and you can start off with one user,” said Binder, who has been using the system for five years and advocates having all business data in a single database that can serve multiple business functions. “Having everything at your fingertips is far more advantageous in the long haul.” 5 Be seen as green by Ian Harvey Look green and act green in every deed and step. It’s not enough to launch a new product, you must also formulate how you are going to recycle the thing at the end of its life. HP, Dell and Lenovo, for example, have recycling programs that pick up and dispose of obsolete machines, while Sun Microsystems is betting on low-energy servers to attract customers who don’t wish to fork out big bucks for water-cooled power-hog Blue Rooms. Even building a new corporate headquarters needs green thinking. Can you get LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification? Will there be a green roof? How will water be recycled? What about bike racks? And it’s not enough to recycle—you also must buy recycled or green-friendly products. Xerox has a digital printing paper that consumes fewer trees because it uses material more efficiently, requires less water and power, has fewer chemicals and is lighter, thus cutting shipping costs. Overall, Xerox claims a 75 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the stuff is Canadian made. Sounds like a no-brainer. Finally, even if none of the above apply to you or your venture, there’s always the option of making a carbon credit purchase to cover emissions generated by your driving, flying and lifestyle habits. The money raised goes toward developing sustainable energy and helping you sleep at night, even if you drive an SUV the size of a city bus. 6 Get virtual with video conferencing by Paul Lima E-mail and collaborative workspaces are great, but sometimes you still have to meet face to face to solve a problem or close a deal. With video conferencing over dedicated IP networks or the Internet, you can cut travel time and costs yet still grab a little face time. If you are rolling your eyes or getting ready to skip to the next entry, you probably tried video conferencing when it first hit the market, back when it was expensive, complex and of lower quality. But video conferencing has come a long way. To get started, call your telecom provider or a dedicated company like BCS Global Networks, a Canadian provider of managed video conferencing solutions over dedicated IP networks. On the other hand, if you run a small business and want to conference with customers, vendors, suppliers or remote employees, you can test online video conferencing at Canadian company Vbuzzer.com. At the site, click on “video conferencing” to schedule a free video conference with up to three others. Vbuzzer is browser-based so anyone can use it without downloading additional software. For $100 a month, you can hold online meetings and add video, audio and collaboration components through VlinkLive. com, another Canadian company. Barebones online conferencing requires only a webcam, microphone, speakers, a high-speed Internet connection and a Web site that enables it, so get your feet wet and see where the current takes you. 7 Upgrade to Vista by Gail Balfour Some will be skeptical about this one, and many are quite vocal in their resistance. Microsoft Windows Vista’s interface is significantly different than XP’s and that means there’s a learning curve. Critics say the OS is a hassle because it doesn’t let users install applications without verification and it eats up more RAM. So why do it? One word: security. “We have a bit of a Catch-22 here because people complain about Microsoft and their perceived lack of security but as soon as they try to do something to make it more secure, the users don’t want that,” said Bruce Johnson, principal consultant with Toronto-based ObjectSharp Consulting. “They are resistant because it keeps them from doing all the things that they have always done,” he said. Johnson said that, as an IT person, he sees a lot that’s good about Vista. “It does a great job of keeping people from being able to browse certain sites, it protects from viruses because there are a lot more things that will get locked down and the lock down tends to be tighter. You have a tougher time having things happen ‘accidentally.’ Probably the biggest hassle from a security perspective [in the past] is users tended to run as administrators. In Vista, that’s not the default anymore.” It’s rare for users to clamour for any new OS unless the old version prevents them from running the latest software. Most programs don’t yet require Vista but this is only a matter of time, Johnson said. “It’s likely inevitable that you will make the move to Vista eventually. So why wait?” 8 Or try Linux instead by Peter Wolchak Linux is an open-source operating system that can do just about everything Windows or the Mac OS can do. Linux can run your personal computer and supports an office suite similar to Microsoft Office, e-mail similar to Outlook, a photo package similar to Photoshop, a solid Web browser, and anything else you’d want. Linux can also run your company’s main server and its Web server. And all this is free: there are no licensing costs for Linux or its associated software. More importantly, Linux has moved out of its parents’ basement. Matured beyond the domain of hardcore techies and Microsoft haters, the software is now easy to install and use, and any computer user can sit down at a Linux desktop and be productive in short order. To give it a whirl, head over to www.howtoforge.com/wubi_ubuntu_on_windows. This tutorial walks you through installing both Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution, and Wubi, a Windows installer application. Wubi lets you install Linux on a Windows computer and then choose which OS to use each time you start the PC. Choose Windows at start-up and your PC will work as it always has; choose Ubuntu and you’re working in a full-on Linux environment. And if, after trying Linux, you decide it’s not for you, simply uninstall Wubi like you would any other Windows application. For further proof that Linux is now mainstream, consider Whitelaw Twining, a Vancouver law firm. Lawyers are known for maximizing billable hours, not for burning time playing with technology. But the company recently moved all its Windows 98 and 2000 PCs to Novell’s SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, and when it comes time to get PCs, entry-level (cheap) Dell boxes run Linux just fine. The result: Whitelaw reduced its hardware costs by 30 per cent, reduced desktop maintenance time by 20 per cent and has seen an increase in both stability and security. 9 Get a (second) life by Paul Lima Get a life!” How many times have you heard that? These days, however, you are more likely to hear, “Get a second life!” SecondLife.com, a virtual reality social networking site, has become popular because visitors can interact using avatars (graphical representations) in dance halls, city squares, shopping malls, restaurants and, yes, bedrooms. Avatars humanize interactions and marketers have discovered they can be used to virtually demonstrate products. For instance, if you create a new line of designer clothing, you can sell it to avatars from your Second Life boutique. If purchasers like your virtual goods, they can then buy the real product. IBM also uses Second Life for meetings, training and recruitment. However, the company is also eyeing virtual business revenue. In the same way that IBM helps companies pursue e-commerce opportunities, Big Blue has started to help them conduct virtual business. IBM has more than 230 employees spending time on Second Life. The company set up a simulation of the Wimbledon tennis tournament and held a virtual IBM alumni reunion. It’s also developing an in-house virtual world where global employees and clients can meet, interact and collaborate. If virtual reality can add a human touch to that long-distance feeling, that makes for better business. If lawyers like Linux, it might be time to check it out in your own company. 10 Revamp your Web site by Peter Wolchak If your corporate Web site hasn’t seen a substantial refresh in a few years, it’s time to step back and ask if the current iteration still serves your needs. It’s possible you’ll review the site and conclude “Yep, everything’s fine,” but that’s unlikely. Business simply changes too fast. Step one is to start with your customers and, more importantly, the people you want as customers. Is the site serving their needs? Is information easy to find and relevant to today’s business interests? Look for outdated buzzwords in particular. A term that looked hip a few years ago or whose meaning has changed may now be dating you. “On demand,” for example, may now suggest watching movies more than it does dynamic software usage functionality. Next, if you don’t have a content management system (CMS), look for one. Have an old one? Consider an update. A good CMS facilitates frequent online updates while still maintaining the clean look and organization of your site, and this is important because to be seen as a thought leader you need to get smart employees to post their ideas and advice. If you’re new to content management, start with the open-source Drupal (www.drupal.org). It made CNet’s 2007 Webware 100 list of best apps: “Drupal is a powerful publishing and content management system. Users can add all sorts of content to Web pages through a system of modules. The software itself is free and open-source; users need simply pick out which site elements they want, and then put them together.” The last step is design elements and technology. The quick rule is don’t use too much. No one is going to buy your product because you have the best Flash animation, and in fact, making customers wait 30 seconds while your designer shows off his/her mad coding skills will likely diminish your business.