Hi: I was reading my issue of eMarketer today and shaking my head in amazement. I had to share this with you. According to the article, the "big guys" are finally clueing into how the Internet works. Here's a couple of excerpts; "...while visitors to Nestlé's Purina website can't download dog food, they can put Rover's picture on the cover of a 2006 pet calendar, figure out how old he is in dog-years, subscribe to podcasts on pet care and download ringtones of barking dogs, meowing cats or even the Purina theme song to their mobile phone. Those activities keep visitors interacting..." and "Tide.com is now the Tide Fabric Care Network, where standard product information is available, along with an interactive "Stain Detective" feature, an energy-savings calculator for coldwater washing, a message board and a list of current promotions..." Well, DUH!! Successful Mom & Pop and home based businesses have known the power of interactivity since the late nineties. That's why "small businesses" scooped 45% of the billion spent online during the holiday shopping period. See, in a small business, if you get an idea - you do it. In a big corporation, there's the board of directors to run it by and the shareholders to justify it to. And if someone with an idea manages to get past all that, then they get to deal with the IT guy, who's trained on IT systems, not Internet Marketing. Among "small" business, there's a lot of folks who think emulating big business is the way to go. So they're no competition either. What does that leave? The movers and do-ers. The group 3ers. (Read the "What the Bleep?" post if you don't know what a group 3er is.) And THAT is why it's so darn easy for a small business to do BIG business online. Because they don't have as many hoops to jump through. Because they can get an idea one week and DO IT the next. Thing is - now that the big dogs are catching on to "interactivity" online, the little dogs will need ways to stand out farther. And - we've already found them, too. Anyone care to guess what some of the ways the little guys use to stand out from the crowd? : ) Linda

Anyone care to guess what some of the ways the little guys use to stand out from the crowd? This is just my own opinion but one way could be the draw to handmade items, instead of mass production. The idea of more time and care being out into the creation of a product usually makes people more responsive to purchasing.

Hi: ========================================= This is just my own opinion but one way could be the draw to handmade items, instead of mass production. The idea of more time and care being out into the creation of a product usually makes people more responsive to purchasing. ========================================= Yup... that's one of the ways. And, there's LOTS more ways, too. What else can you get from a "little guy" that you don't get from the big guys? Anyone else have ideas? : ) Linda

Another way I can think of is the personal service that is provided by a small business owner directly. The customer gets to speak to the top dog when they have questions. The answers they receive are more genuine than speaking to someone sitting in a call center who can't wait for the next coffee break to come along. You are able to react immediately to your customers concerns. This close interaction also allows you to make immediate decisions that can greatly impact your business.

1. Training; ie. product applications can be done more quickly and cost effectively. 2. Sales; ie. commissions, bonuses and payments can be done at lightening speed. 3. Arrangements for personal and more direct interaction with prospects and clientel can be confirmed easily and quickly. 4. The integrity of the products can be verified by communicating the results more quickly than other ways. 5. Lines of communication to corporate leaders can be accessed with ease compared to the many minutes of useless waitng for his returned call or even just answering his phone. If he doesn't use email, then his secretery should follow up. 6. Any corporate tycoon who's worth his salt should use a cell or PDA of some sort. Everywhere you look these days people are on these things.