Sunday, December 27, 2009
Why Product Demonstrations Matter
A key element in selling your product or service is demonstrating its capabilities. Potential customers expect company representatives to understand and know how to use the product and be able to show them how it works. Clients will also expect a company representative to be able to answer questions about the product and talk intelligently about its key differentiators, especially when compared with a competitor's product.
Unfortunately this expectation is not always met, as more often than not company representatives are ill-equipped and uneducated in terms of how to demo their own product. This inability will kill a deal quicker than just about any other individual or corporate weakness.
I've found that by following a few simple guidelines, a business can be prepared to really wow a potential customer and blow them out of the water with how cool its product is. I've listed these tips below.
1. Prior to selling the product to a customer, make sure the product development team is meeting with the entire company to provide an explanation and demo. Make them satisfy each individual in the company's curiosity and answer each team member's questions.
2. Develop a simple Frequently Asked Questions document that everybody in the company can have access to and use as a ready reference. Make sure to update this FAQ regularly as new questions come up.
3. Make sure everybody in the organization has practiced demonstrating the product and is comfortable doing so on a minute's notice. Advise your team to speak out loud when they practice, as that provides a completely different perspective on how their presentations sound.
4. Advise the team not to guess if they don't know the answer to a question. Nothing is wrong with telling potential customers you want to provide them with accurate information. They'll appreciate the honesty as well as the fact that you place a high level of importance on providing the right information.
5. If you a need to follow up with an answer, make sure to do it in the time frame specified. In addition, following up with an answer provides another reason to make contact after the initial demo. Doing it within the specified time frame demonstrates to the client a high level of professionalism and commitment.
6. When demonstrating the product, have your team explain the steps they're going through and why. They should point out features and specific reasons why the product is designed the way it is. Often a client may not know that certain features are cool or answer a specific need unless told so.
7. Don't be afraid to let clients try the products themselves. If they choose to do so, be ready to answer their questions and walk them through the right way to work the product.
A product demo sounds simple but is a critical process in closing a sales deal. If done properly, your company's chance of closing the deal increases exponentially. On the flip side, if not taken seriously, you can kiss the sale goodbye.
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Steve Jones
Steve Jones
General Manager and Vice-President of the Codec
Sys DivisionBroadcast International
Salt Lake City
Friday, December 18, 2009
Put an Information Management Policy in Place
Effectively using technology to implement an information management and archiving strategy is imperative to the efficiency and overall well-being of your small business. Not only can such solutions dramatically reduce storage costs and increase control of and visibility into information, but they can also reduce server procurement and administration costs and provide a means of cost-effective information retention and compliance.
Step 1: Create an information governance policy. Good information governance integrates business objectives with information management policies to address corporate mandates, regulatory compliance, electronic discovery, and privacy requirements throughout the life cycle of information. By ensuring that information is managed (archived, deleted, etc.) according to business value and policy, companies can improve business operations, gain a greater return on investment, and assume a competitive advantage.
Step 2: Find the right technology. An information governance strategy is most effective when policies can be carried forward consistently with enabling technologies. According to a recent study by AIIM, 54% of organizations with more than 10 employees have yet to implement e-mail management and 46% rely on basic mail-server functionality. Today, e-mail management and archiving technologies can be implemented as a standalone system or as part of a companywide enterprise content management or records management solution. Whichever you choose, be sure to find a technology solution that addresses your pain points today, while being flexible enough to address future requirements and help your information work for you.
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Whitney Tidmarsh
Chief Marketing Officer for Content Management & Archiving
EMCHopkinton, Mass.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Security Evaluation of Remote Users
Laptops are now the norm—making your risk of data loss significant even with the best of security intentions. Therefore, it makes sense to periodically review your security measures for remote users, taking steps to ensure that you are doing everything possible to secure your network from your greatest threat—your own users. Here are a few security measures to get you started:
1. Require that all remote users outside your perimeter firewall connect using a virtual private network.
2. Require all employees to use an antivirus solution on their laptop. This policy is easier to implement if you have issued company laptops. You should also maintain a written corporate policy that requires all remote users to verify that they are using AV/AS software on their personal hardware. Many AV vendors offer considerable discounts on software purchased through the employer for the home-user employee. Ask your AV vendor if it offers such a program.
3. Ensure that all laptops are regularly patched and updated. Many companies use patch and remediation software to ensure that their devices are frequently patched. In the long run, managed automation in the deployment of patches is really the best approach so you can carefully test patches before deployment.
4. Require that users change their passwords on a regular basis. We know it's a tedious task, but it's one step that will help increase your network's level of security.
5. Create/maintain a remote-access usage policy and set clear expectations. The remote usage policy should outline patching expectations of personal hardware and specify applications that are off limits when connected to the network.
Articles taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Jeff Hughes
Director of Solutions Marketing
Lumension
Scottsdale, Ariz.
1. Require that all remote users outside your perimeter firewall connect using a virtual private network.
2. Require all employees to use an antivirus solution on their laptop. This policy is easier to implement if you have issued company laptops. You should also maintain a written corporate policy that requires all remote users to verify that they are using AV/AS software on their personal hardware. Many AV vendors offer considerable discounts on software purchased through the employer for the home-user employee. Ask your AV vendor if it offers such a program.
3. Ensure that all laptops are regularly patched and updated. Many companies use patch and remediation software to ensure that their devices are frequently patched. In the long run, managed automation in the deployment of patches is really the best approach so you can carefully test patches before deployment.
4. Require that users change their passwords on a regular basis. We know it's a tedious task, but it's one step that will help increase your network's level of security.
5. Create/maintain a remote-access usage policy and set clear expectations. The remote usage policy should outline patching expectations of personal hardware and specify applications that are off limits when connected to the network.
Articles taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Jeff Hughes
Director of Solutions Marketing
Lumension
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Establish a Telecommuting Policy
More than 25% of small businesses use telecommuting. And while there are clear benefits to telecommuting, it's not necessarily right for every business. If you are thinking of establishing a telecommuting policy for your business, you should consider the following questions:
1. Does telecommuting help you achieve your operational business goals? Telecommuting can help reduce operational costs and improve employee productivity. Additionally, it allows businesses to expand employee searches beyond immediate geographical confines to find the most appropriate set of skills for each job.
2. Does telecommuting fit into your corporate values? Telecommuting can be used to help employees achieve work-life balance and, in some studies, even improves employee health by reducing the commuting-related stresses. For some businesses, it is also a way to reduce their carbon footprint.
3. Do you have the infrastructure to support telecommuters? For telecommuting to be successful, employees need access to the applications and files that are critical to their jobs. And they need access that mimics their experience in the office. Without the ability to provide that rapid access, the telecommuting experience will be unpleasant for employees. Additionally, businesses need to be able to protect their telecommuting employees from Web-based threats when they are outside the secured corporate network.
By answering the above questions, you will have a solid understanding of the benefits telecommuting could bring and whether it makes sense for your business.
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Dave Asprey
Vice-President for Technology
Blue Coat Systems
Sunnyvale, Calif.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Go Global to Increase Sales
Companies are looking overseas to tap into global trade for a number of reasons. Among these are avoiding the risks associated with focusing on a single market, capitalizing on new growth in emerging markets, and taking advantage of lower foreign costs as compared with domestic costs. If you are thinking of going global, consider the following tips:
1. Determine appropriate targets. Focus on one country at first. After things are happening there, then move to the next hot spot. Don't try and expand internationally too fast as some businesses make the mistake of spreading themselves too thin in their global expansion.
2. Make friends with the locals. Determine whether there are individuals and companies who you can align with to help pave the road ahead. Each market is different in regards to business culture. For example, what works in Japan may not necessarily work in the Philippines.
3. Leverage local currencies to drive the cash. Leverage the appropriate foreign exchange (FX) strategies that can take advantage of currency fluctuations. Don't view FX strategies as an operation function. When businesses simply look at FX as an operations function, often international transactions get treated by the accounts payable or accounts receivables department as just another payment that needs to be processed. This is dangerous as the foreign currency markets are volatile and if exposure is not actively managed, it can have a negative consequence for your firm.
Though your company may have many reasons to go global, the main motivation is usually to make more money. If your global business strategy is implemented properly, the benefits can be yours for the taking.
Article taken from : www.businessweek.com
Ryan Gibbons
Managing Partner
GPS Capital Markets
Salt Lake City
How to Repel Customers from Your Web Site
Having an online presence is imperative for small businesses to both attract and retain customers. But if you don't pay close attention to the design and upkeep of your site, you may end up repelling, rather than attracting, new customers. Here's how:
1. Hide your site. Sure, you've built your Web site, but let's make sure no one finds it! Not listing your business and site with GoogleMaps, Yahoo Local, and many others will make sure local customers can't find you.
2. Don't rush it. A Web site load time of 30 seconds or more leaves your customers wanting more. You don't want them to think you're desperate by providing too much content too quickly, do you?
3. Bury the treasure. Your customers come to your Web site seeking information on your company and products or services—make them hunt for it! Simple navigation and a clean layout makes it way too easy on them.
4. More is better. Clutter your Web site with pictures and lots of different colors and designs. Don't bother thinking about what kind of image you want to project or how you want your company brand to be perceived. It's not like your Web site will ever be the first impression you make on a customer.
5. Be shy. So what if you have something that customers want—make it difficult for them to purchase items or contact you. Making it easy to engage with your business and site with an obvious shopping cart button or an easily accessible phone number would turns lookers into customers.
6. Keep it stale. I know, getting your Web site up and running alone is a huge accomplishment. So updating it on a regular basis with your latest deals or new menu items to keep customers coming back is just too much to ask. Besides, fresh, relevant content will keep search engines interested in your site... and we know where that leads.
As you can see, repelling customers is easy—it's keeping them coming back to your Web site that is more challenging. Here are the top three ways to use your Web site to keep customers engaged and excited about your business:
1. Keep customers engaged. Make your Web site speak with them and not at them.
2. Get your Web site out there. Search engine listings like GoogleMaps and Yahoo Local, optimization, and advertising help make sure you are reaching the right customers.
3. Make it special. Give your customers content, coupons, and information that they can't get anywhere else.
Article taken from www.businessweek.com
Angus Thomson
Vice-President and General Manager,
Grow Your Business Division
IntuitMountain View, Calif.
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