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How to monitor your competitorsSales managers need to know what competitors are doing. Lacking this knowledge, it is risky to maneuver in the market. Start by making a strategy for online market intelligence. Here are some practical hints:
Can you get everything through the online media? Of course not! Do not expect to find production data, production formulas, detailed outlines of a company's pension plan, or the number of personal computers in a company. Such information rarely finds its way to public databases. Using the net as a marketing toolMany companies - large and small - use the networks as a marketing instrument. Some set up inexpensive bulletin board systems to provide technical support to customers. McAfee Associates, Inc. in California is one example. They offer technical information, help, upgrade software, list of agents, technical bulletins with lists of products, and new products through agents' support BBSes all over the world. To keep in touch with customers all over the world, Microsoft, Toshiba, Quarterdeck, Digital Research, Tandy, Novell and hundreds of others have a presence on the Internet. The Internet provides an unparalleled way to present the image it wishes to project, and to communicate all its messages to a diversity of self- selecting, interested audiences. Businesses can also use their Internet presence as an intelligence-gathering device, a valuable feedback loop, and an early warning system for itself - at an amazingly low cost. Microsoft's Knowledge base is one example. Their database collection of case-study examples, tips, updates and related articles about Microsoft products is available on the Web as http://www.microsoft.com/. Here are some other interesting examples to check out:
Mind you, having a Web page has no value if nobody visits it. Make sure you send information about your site to the net's announcement services! First, study the FAQ-document "How To Announce Your New Web Site" (at http://ep.com/faq/webannounce.html), WebCom's "Publicizing Your Web Site" (http://www.webcom.com/html/publicize.shtml) - which also includes "Registration to Spanish Indexes" - and the Internet Advertising Resource Guide (http://www.admedia.org). For discussions about Internet Advertising/Marketing techniques, join the I-Advertising mailing list (http://www.internetadvertising.org). Other interesting places include the Online Advertising Discussion lists (at http://www.tenagra.com and http://www.o-a.com/), and The Internet-Sales Moderated Discussion List (at http://www.mmgco.com). For a long list of Marketing-related Discussion and Announcement Groups on the net, visit http://www.wolfbayne.com/lists/. Then, find a service that can help you submit your Web address widely to the net's search engines and directories. Here are some ideas:
Finally, browse "The Executive Guide to Marketing on the New Internet" at http://www.industry.net/guide.html, and study ActivMedia's focus look at online marketing trends (http://www.activmedia.com). Strategic considerationsThe Americans have a gift for marketing and sales by modem. You meet them in online forums all over the world, in person or through agents, and especially in computer oriented conferences and clubs. Their main strategy is reference selling. Make key customers happy, and make sure they tell others. One common sales strategy is to be constantly present in relevant conferences, and spend a generous amount of time helping others. This takes time. By proving competence and willingness to help, you build a positive personal profile. This profile is the key to business, information about competitors and other benefits. To drop quickly into a conference to post an "advertisement," is a waste of time. The message may be read by some, but chances are that you will be criticized (in public) for having "polluted their environment" with a commercial message. On the Internet, it is considered inappropriate to send out unsolicited information. A North American business person tried this approach. He posted a long sales letter to all conferences and newsgroups that he could find. The text started like this:
Subject: Court Ordered Liquidation - Computer Memory
- CPU's & DSK Drives
Choice Trading Company, Court Appointed Liquidators, have been
assigned to liquidate the following Multi-Million Dollar inventory
of computer Memory Chips, CPU's and Hard Disk Drives. All items are
new and come with applicable manufactures warranty. Prices quoted
include all state and local taxes plus shipping and handling.
Order Cost
Number Mfg. Description (EACH)
Memory
1524 Toshiba 30 Pin Simms 1x3 70ns 1 meg $ 25.00
1525 Toshiba 30 Pin Simms 1x9 70ns 1 meg 25.00
etc.
Three days later, his mailbox was closed. Furious users had bombarded it with everything from hate mail to megabytes of rubbish. His access provider had to close down the account to avoid serious operational problems. Another reason for not using the "advertisement" strategy is that the volume of information in the best conferences for your marketing effort probably is too high to make traditional advertisements worthwhile. When you distribute commercial information, preface it with a concise summary that can be followed-up with more detail if requested. Also, make sure that the information provided is of significant value to readers. If you're an entrepreneur running a home business, visit the Usenet group at misc.entrepreneurs. International tradeThe International Trade Network is on the IntlTrade mailing list. It is for advertisements of exports, imports, services, and direct investments. Trade advertisements may be posted gratis by anyone, and are relayed worldwide by email to subscribers in a daily digest. For information, send email to majordomo@world.std.com with the following in the body of the text (leave the subject blank): INFO INTLTRADE , or check out the mailing lists' Web site at http://www.intltradezone.com/. You'll find a glossary of terms used in the business of trading at http://centrex.com/terms.html. Electronic mailHere is a list of other useful applications of electronic mail:
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