Collaboration, Not CompetitionWritten by Stacey Hall and Jan Brogniez
The basic assumptions upon which traditional marketing approaches are built could use some updating. For example, what if we asked whether businesses actually have to compete for customers. Does that seem silly? The answer would be, "Of course, they do! What planet are you from? It’s a dog eat dog world—and it’s always been that way." But there may be an additional perspective, a way that can create a dramatic shift not just in way business is done but in how we treat our customers and each other.This is perspective of collaboration, which implies that each of us is unique, that no two people are exactly same. If no two people are exactly same, then it stands to reason that no two businesses are exactly same. It is simply not possible for two businesses to serve same client's needs equally. One will be a better fit than another; best fit produces a perfect client or customer working with perfect provider. Each of us, and businesses we've joined or created, exist for a specific purpose or mission. Our businesses have developed as a result of our own experiences and needs, and are simply tools for fulfilling that mission. Each business has its own mission to serve a particular group of customers in a particular way. That is why businesses have no need to compete with each other in way we’ve traditionally thought of it. Instead, business owners and managers could collaborate in ways that truly serve their customers' and their own interests. If this sounds heretical, then it shows how deeply concept of competition -- "survival of fittest" -- colors our views of way we do business. Today, when consumers have an abundance of choice in products and distribution outlets, businesses can shine even brighter—and be of greatest service to themselves, their organization, their clients, and their communities—when they are knowledgeable about products and services offered by other businesses in their own and related industries. Consumers value services that save them time, money and headaches. By becoming this type of resource through collaborating with others in your industry, you are increasing overall abundance of products and services and will ultimately bring greatest success to everyone.
| | Safe Bets for Start-UpsWritten by Jennifer Johnson
You run a start-up business and money's tight.Even though you may not have loads of cash to play with, you don't have to settle for minuscule traffic counts! Get most for your advertising dollar by following these suggestions: READY, SET, STOP!!! Your web site is like a vehicle. It will take you where you want to go, provided everything is in good, working condition. If your conversion ratio is low - in other words, if you don't convert browsers into buyers very often - your site needs a tune-up - BEFORE you flood it with visitors. A few places, such as NetMechanic , will check "nuts and bolts" of your site to ensure everything is correctly coded and loads quickly.Ideally, though, you want feedback from real people. Luckily, there are lots of folks out there willing to lend a hand - no charge. The benefits of this are twofold: you get a critique of your site AND a little free publicity to boot. The I-HelpDesk discussion list offers subscribers opportunity to submit for a free website review. Priority is given to those who've provided feedback on other sites, so sign-up, participate, and be patient; it's worth wait.Another place to visit is SiteCritique . There's no fee to join their community and members can submit sites for a freebie review.GO FOR THE SURE THING With a small advertising budget, last thing you want to do is plunk down a big wad of cash on chance you *might* get a good ROI (return on investment). A smarter move is to invest in advertising that's guaranteed to generate results. In my opinion, one of safest bets is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. If you're unfamiliar with term, PPC is normally used in reference to PPC search engines, and that's how I'll use it here. (FYI: if you look around, you can find PPC banner advertising, too) Advertisers bid on search terms. The highest bidder wins #1 position, next highest #2, and so on.
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