How Technology Can Help Your Business
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Transcript of How Technology Can Help Your Business
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How Technology Can Help Your BusinessOctober 26, 2011
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Our Technology Focus Today
Obvious, well-known
technologies
Less obvious, less well-known
technologies
YESNO
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What We Won’t Discuss
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Nothing I Discuss Will Break the Bank
Low cost No cost
Free!
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Lots of Technology Buckets
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How Technology Can Help
Productivity
BI Better HiringEfficiency
Employee Retention
Customer Acquisition
Appearances
ProfitabilityFriday, October 28, 2011
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Reduce Costs
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eBay Business
• Launched 2003
• 10-15% of all eBay volume comes from SMBs
• Get new/used/refurbished equipment/stuff
• Often 20¢, 30¢, 40¢ on the dollar
• Small business owner’s secret weapon
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Cut Credit Card Processing Costs
• Processing fees can be huge cost for CC-reliant businesses
• FeeFighters is a comparison shopping site for CC processing
• Sort of like Lending Tree
• All processors vetted
• FeeFighters saves businesses 40% on average
• Annual saved sums can be as high as $50,000
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Portal-Based Discount Programs
• AMEX OPEN the grandaddy
• Discounts from 2,000+ partners for business card holders
• More and more technology providers building SMB portals with similar discounts
• Some will be adding “deal” programs
• AMEX OPEN also offers lots of BI and AMEX OPEN FORUM
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Better Hiring
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• Make your company discoverable
• Use for free to search and connect
• Pay $50 a month to get free InMails
• Use Groups and Answers
• Check out DIY text advertising
• Hire employees
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Business Intelligence
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Google Alerts
• Google Alerts is content detection and notification service
• Taps content changes in news, web, blog, video or discussion sites
• Matches set of terms users select and program
• You can monitor pretty much anything, no matter how granular
• Can be notified by email, web feed, or via iGoogle
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Twitter Aggregator Sites
• Business intelligence tools
• My main use of Twitter
• Know what’s being said on the “real-time” web
• Track yourself, customers, competitors, trends
• Tweetdeck, Hootsuite are the biggies
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IncreasedEfficiency and Productivity
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Google Docs
• Everybody should be using Google Docs
• FREE
• Ultimate in sharing and collaboration
• Spreadsheets, documents, presentations, forms, drawings
• Easy conversion of MS docs—and back to MS and PDFs
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Cloud Computing
• SaaS business apps found in cloud very compelling for SMBs
• You can now run previously “too expensive” solutions
• You can now run your business as efficiently as larger companies
• New SMB guide from Dell: Bringing the Cloud Down to Earth
• But security (malware, phishing, viruses) is one of top 3 SMB concerns
• http://www.dellcloudapplications.com/resources/ebook-bringing-cloud-down-earth
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Tablet/Smartphone Apps
• We all now use Apps...maybe a lot, maybe a few
• World of tablet/smartphone apps is vast...probably a million+
• Best aggregator/advisor is Chicago-based Appolicious
• Guide to iPhone, iPad, Android and newer video apps
• 2,500 apps alone reviewed in “Business” section
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Mobile Sites
• 58 million Americans browse the Web on mobile devices
• Almost as many shop the Web that way
• If we want to be fully discoverable online, no longer enough to have a website
• We all need an easy to read and navigate site on mobile devices
• Good news is, it’s faster, easier and cheaper than building websites
• Great SMB guide at: http://bit.ly/mQT4UH
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B2B Deal Sites
• B2B versions of Groupon
• Small business are the buyers (not sellers)
• Sellers are firms that provide products and services SMBs need ton run their businesses
• Generally weekly offers
• Products, services, software
• Our Bizy is one of 5-6 out there
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Skype for Business
• You may already use the basic Skype
• Skype for Business recently launched
• Added services: caller ID, Skype WiFi, voicemail, online number, SMS, group video
• Can load $$$ and assign to specific employees
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Cloud Back Up
• Cloud back-up essential today
• But adoption at small business level surprisingly low
• Data protection and security are key issues
• But anti-virus protection is not enough
• Cloud back-up eliminates hardware, software costs
• Generally, dirt cheap (as low as $59/year)
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Online Payroll Management
• Already a pretty low-cost service
• Convenience, affordability main benefits
• Chicago’s SurePayroll, now owned by Paychex
• Silicon Valley’s PayCycle, now owned by Intuit
• Traditionals...ADP, Austin Gregg...catching up
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Live Virtual Receptionist
• So many businesses have eliminated receptionists
• We call ours, the “Director of First Impressions”
• We’re bigger, so we can afford one
• Many very small businesses looking at virtual receptionists
• Providers are both off-shore and all over U.S. (Iowa)
• Especially useful to businesses where service is a priority
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CustomerAcquisition
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AMEX’s Small Business Saturday
• In 2nd year
• Nov. 26 in U.S.
• Encourages communities to shop at local businesses
• Google and AMEX also sponsoring “My Business Story”
• A tool to help Small business create professional quality videos
• Check out AMEX OPEN, too
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Using Social Media
• Facebook helps humanize your business and create community
• Fill your business page with more candid, personal, friendly content
• Save unique things like flash sales, special announcements, etc., for Facebook only
• Boosting "likes" is key because these people are more likely to buy or recommend
• Facebook polling is a secret weapon to get feedback from potential customers
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Telemarketing to Prospects
• For many, customer acquisition means cold calling
• How good are you and your staff at cold calling?
• Consider testing outsourcing services, including Office Goblins
• They’ll script calls, train employees or do it themselves
• You supply prospect lists, or they can find them
• Pay for effort or for results; plans vary
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Clone Your Customers
• From Experian’s Small Business unit
• Called “Clone My Customer”
• Upload data on your 50 best customers
• Get “X” similar prospects in your area in return
• Great for very local, store-based businesses
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QR Codes
• QR stand for Quick Response
• Originally designed by Toyota for vehicle tracking
• Now used everywhere and especially by people with smartphones
• Take customers directly to your landing page or site
• Use on flyers, store signage, trade show booths, business cards, ads, promos, etc.
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Video Sharing
• YouTube now 2nd largest search engine
• 50%+ of searches are b2b focused
• Video use by all businesses is exploding
• Lower production values OK these days
• Editing tools at your desktop
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Groupon Now!
• New service from Groupon
• Real-time consumer discovery service
• Works best for retail, store-based local businesses
• Schedule deals at slow times when you need them most
• Signed-in consumers see nearby deals while on the go
• Shopping, meals, classes, sales, etc.
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Employee and Customer
Retention
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Employee Feedback Tools
• Are your employees happy or have one foot out the door
• Replacement costs can be high
• Many employers scared or shy to seek direct input
• Input Ladder is an early warning system
• Helps employees convey feelings anonymously
• System gathers, analyzes and displays findings
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Customer Feedback Tools
• Customer research often expensive
• But we still need to know what our customers want and think
• Boxwire is the equivalent of an online suggestion box
• Gather and analyze customer feedback
• Does so privately and anonymously
• Online dashboards/displays
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What We Didn't Discuss, But Could Have
• Online banking
• Mobile payments
• Other VOIP solutions
• Other video conferencing solutions
• Email marketing
• Digital advertising
• Webinars and virtual events
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Thank you
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