Guest post by Ronan Keane
November 21, 2008

Since our new strategic relationship with the ASBDC in September, we’re excited to announce that MyBizHomepage.com has launched over 100 private label SBDC MyBizHomepage.com financial dashboard websites. SBDC Centers are invited to sign up for their free financial dashboard website here. Your MyBizHomepage.com website includes online financial tools for small businesses and SBDC centers.

SBDC centers should sign up for their free online financial dashboard tool at http://asbdc.mybizhomepage.com.

Top Requesting Regions

Georgia became the top requesting state for the 4th quarter followed by Virginia and Ohio respectively. After those states, the highest demand came from the regions outlined below.

While many people are coming to know terms like SEO and SEM, Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing, respectively, we have forgotten about the tried and true art of Public Relations as an web communications medium. The web, in many ways, makes this much more easy than to do than in the traditional way. Getting articles from websites is much easier than searching newpapers and video on the web is a just as easy and costs next to nothing when compared to the high cost of getting something carried by television. With the emergence of Web 2.0, more and more sites let people add their own comments and exchange information to yield endless possibilities. Try guest blogging on popular or related blogs, starting Facebook, Myspace, or Hi-Five pages and then ask your family, friends and co-workers to add it. Write articles about yourself on online encyclopedias, like Wikipedia or go to forums and answer questions and link back to your site or answer questions on sites like Yahoo! Answers to create positive impressions about your organization.

Jarrett Byrom is the Web & Marketing Coordinator for the SBDCNet.org; He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Don’t fix something that isn’t broken. That is a saying that everyone has probably heard a thousand times in their life. What if you do not know if what you have is broken? For the longest time, the economy was looking good as sales were on the upswing. Within the past few years, sales are leveling off for many and in some unfortunate cases sales are declining. Many small business owners are feeling the crunch and tightening their hold on their business. As times get more hectic, the problems that you did not know you have will start to come out for you to see.

It is definitely time to get back to the basics in all areas of the business. Entrepreneurs are cuttings costs and making sure that their spending is at a minimum. Many businesses (small businesses included) are bracing for a slow holiday season that normally pulls companies out of the hole. I was in a retail store before Halloween that was already offering 50% holiday discounts!! This was certainly not a good sign of the times.

One thing I ask you to do though is focus on your customers too. When I say that, I mean the right customers. Marketing and advertising dollars are close to an all time low as many companies just do not have the time or sometimes energy to market. Here are a few ways to help you find your market and customers. When you do advertise, make sure you do it to the customers who will eventually buy from you. I know that sounds easy to say but hard to do. Hopefully for the past few years when times were good, you were tracking where all your sales were coming from. Did you notice that maybe you sell to one type of industry or set of customers more than others? If you did, do you know why? Once you find out who buys the most from you, try to sell to that industry or customer. That customer group must have a need for what you are trying to sell, or maybe you have a reputation in that industry that may lend to helping you find similar customers. It is always easier to sell to someone if you have expertise selling to a group similar to them.

Make sure that you are also being efficient in your communication; I have clients who use Google Talk to communicate with their customers if they need immediate help. Other forms of technology can also aid your customers in being able to reach you, or for you to remind them that you are out there. Your time is valuable, and you need to make sure that you and your employees are being not only effective, but efficient in your efforts.

Start focusing on the basics again; focus on a group of customers that you know will buy from you. Track where your sales come from, this would be a good way to find your niche if you did not know it already. Make communication an essential part of your mix that is beneficial for you and your customers. Streamline communication, but make it easy for your customer to get in touch with you. Frustration by the customer will just lead them to go the competition that needs the sales just as much as you do.

When you make it through these rough times, you will be even stronger and you will have processes that will hopefully lead to growth down the road.

Kyle Hensel is the Area Director of the Clayton State University SBDC in the Georgia SBDC Network. For more information, please go to www.georgiasbdc.org.

by Jimmie Wilkins

Market analysis involves both a broad analysis of the business environment and market forces, and an in-depth analysis of the business, competitors and customer base in order to understand where each is today and where each will be in the future. Before you can begin your market research, you need to understand your market. Generally, there are three stages to market analysis: customer, distribution channels and competitor analysis.

Customer analysis:

Defining and understanding the customer starts with understanding market segmentation (or target marketing). This is the process of dividing your market into smaller, more manageable sectors that contain customers with similar characteristics, such as:

Demographic: age, gender, family size, income, occupation, religion, race, nationality, etc.

Geographic: region, state, county, city, population density, etc.

Psychographic: lifestyle, attitudes, values, social class, culture, etc.

Behavioral: user status, usage rate (heavy, light, nonuser), loyalty, innovativeness, etc.

The next defining process for customer analysis is identifying the set of needs, wants, risks and barriers a customer might consider in the purchase of your product. A “need” is being able to use your product to solve a problem. A “want” might speak to the style or color or creativity. A “risk” could be that the product would fail to meet the expectations of the customer. A “barrier” could be a price-point sensitivity that is unacceptable in your marketplace.

Distribution channels:

Channels are the means by which products get from your company into the hands of your customers. It may be mail-order, direct sales, resellers, trade shows or even the Internet. Options vary by company, product line and industry.

Channel analysis follows the same needs/wants/risks/barriers method used with customer analysis. Look at the strengths and weaknesses of channel alternatives to determine the best route to your customer.

Competitor analysis:

You need to take a serious look at the overall competitive environment to gain an understanding of the business environment, market forces and long-term trends. Then, you need to take an in-depth look at selected competitors to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Awareness of strengths will keep you from trying to complete where there may be no room to succeed.

Once you understand your market, you can begin to do market research for your new-business/new-product roll-out. Define your market in a customer-oriented way. A common mistake is to be so product-oriented that you cannot define your customer. You don’t need to sell to everyone. Be clear on who your customers are; vary your message to match the needs and wants of the different markets you have identified as your “ideal customer.”

From here, you begin market research that is focused specifically on your true market.

2008 Copyright - Jimmie Wilkins

Not a day goes by that I do not hear a complaint either about working with younger generations, or trying to reach them. The millennials as they are called are a section of “Generation Y” that are currently in the early stages of our workforce or about to leave school. So many people talk about how they do not have an attention span, they use cell phones alot and they play on the Internet more than they should. We need to face it, this is a brand new form of generation that we have not seen before. So many companies have talked about how their customers are not in this generation so they do not need to know how to reach them. One thing to keep in mind though, these customers are getting older and will soon be part of your customer base. There are also many people, not just millennials who are embracing the new forms of marketing and technology.

So what are all of these forms of new promotion? With all of the new forms of technology, there are many new ways to reach customers. It all depends on who your market really is. One of the keys is to be creative and to diversify where and how you are sending it. With the use of smart phones, restaurants are even marketing themselves with the use of GPS and how long the wait is at the restaurant. Social Networks, blogs, smart phones, internet connected televisions and social media are ways that companies are now reaching their markets. The world is now connected online more than ever before. According to the Harvard Business Review’s Working Knowledge Blog, of the 6.5 billion people in the world, about 1.5 billion have Internet access, more than 300 million have broadband access to the home, and 3 billion have cell phones, a growing number of which offer Internet access. The interesting thing about mobile technology is that many people never let it get more than a couple of feet away from them. I am one of those people.

I am not telling you to go out tomorrow and use social media and wireless technology to reach everyone out there; I just think that every business owner should start trying it. It is definitely here to stay and people are using it. The number of users is also growing every day. Soon it will just not be to reach the millennials, it may be close to everyone.

If you need assistance implementing new strategies into your marketing mix, contact your local SBDC office. They will be more than happy to help your business grow to the next level.

Kyle Hensel is the Area Director of of the Clayton State University SBDC in the Georgia SBDC Network.

by Jimmie Wilkins, SBDC director, Oregon

There have been volumes written on e-mail etiquette (Google “e-mail etiquette” if you want more and more and more), and I would hazard a guess that you could write your own book.

I wanted to share a few tips, thanks to Chemeketa Vice President Liz Goulard, Chemeketa Dean, Ron Bassett-Smith and an original author unknown, that we received at a recent meeting. Some of them drew an “of course” from me. Others caused me to blush and rethink some of my own practices. Some helped me see that we don’t all have the same expectations. Still, each one caused me to seriously review this critical tool and its impact on my ability to communicate with colleagues, clients and family.

Don’t use “Reply to All” as your default response. How critical is it that I’m included in your response? Consider sending the originator an e-mail that says “I didn’t need to see this.” It’s sort of like sending junk mail back to the place it came from.

Proof your communication before sending to avoid needing to send it again, missing attachments, or having to send another e-mail to clarify something ambiguous.

Don’t bother to write back to me to say “got it” or “thank you.” I will assume you got it and that you are appreciative unless I hear from you. (This is a hard one for me still!)

Think about whether this communication is best done via e-mail or by phone or in person. If we’re e-mailing more than three times about the same topic, it’s time to walk over and see me. Most communication experts agree that communication is 55 percent nonverbal, 38 percent tone and only 7 percent actual words.

Don’t overuse the high priority flag.

Keep e-mails to one screen and one subject whenever possible.

Use separate paragraphs, bulleted phrases and numbered lists to make your text easier to read.

Don’t respond in anger. Save a draft and review it later or ask another person to look at it before sending. Conflict is seldom, if ever, resolved through e-mail.

Use CC’s sparingly, only when you’re sure the recipient really needs or wants to know.

Please avoid sending chain letters or other junk from the Internet. I get enough of that at home.

Be thoughtful about sending on communications that you have received from listservs. It helps if you provide some analysis of the information or a summary so that I don’t have to try to guess why you forwarded it to me.

Copyright 2008 - Jimmie Wilkins

Special post to the SBDC National Blog by Christine Adolf of Brownbook.net

Whenever we are looking for a new product or service, we generally ask our friends and family for recommendations. We trust that our social network will give us their honest opinion and that they are not being paid to endorse a certain product or service. Consumers place a higher level of trust in word of mouth marketing than they do in other promotional activities such as ads because they don’t see it as a marketing activity, but as a recommendation from a personal connection they trust.

With the internet enabling word of mouth to travel faster, farther and to a greater number of people it is crucial that small businesses understand the importance of creating positive buzz for their business online. How can small businesses use word of mouth marketing to reach potential customers? There are several things small businesses can do to leverage the voice of their satisfied customers online. Here are a few things you can do to engage customers and utilize in word of mouth marketing online.

• Use Social Networking Sites

  While it is easy to become overwhelmed by the number of different social networks out there today, they provide a huge opportunity for small businesses to create free buzz online. It is not necessary to join every social networking site, but popular and easy to use sites such as Facebook, Flickr and YouTube can help you to interact with your customers and spark a conversation online about your product or service.

• List your business in online directories

  It goes without saying that in order for people to buy what you are selling, whether a product or service, they need to know it exists. Online business directories are a great way to have an online presence and to provide potential customers with your contact information and a description of your business. At Brownbook.net, you can list your business for free and increase awareness of your company whether it is a restaurant or a dog walking service.

• Listen to your customers and respond when appropriate

  There are many tools available that facilitate tracking what your customers are saying on the internet about you and your industry. Google Alerts is one of my favorites because it is easy to use and allows you to track mentions of your company and related keywords from both websites and blogs. One of the simplest and most important things you can do is listen because you will gain valuable insight that will help you better serve your customers.

• Solicit customer feedback online

  If your company has a website, make it easy for customers to provide their feedback, preferably in a public forum such as a company blog. Even if you do not have a website or blog for your business, urge customers to write reviews on third party websites. While you might worry that negative comments will surface, you get the opportunity to transform an unhappy customer into an advocate for your business.

Creating and encouraging word of mouth marketing online can accelerate business growth and create awareness of your company in an internet age, even if your company does not have its own online presence in the form of a website or blog. According to a global Nielsen survey of 26,486 Internet users in 47 markets, consumer recommendations are the most credible form of advertising among 78% of the study’s respondents. (Nielsen, “Word-of-Mouth the Most Powerful Selling Tool”) Clearly, word of mouth marketing is an important marketing tool for small businesses.

Durham – The New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC), an outreach
program of the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics, launched Friday at the
Executive Council Chambers at the NH State House in Concord its new, online program for NH
business owners: e-Learning for Entrepreneurs, OnLine, AnyTime, found at
www.nhsbdc.org.

Thanks to underwriting by premiere sponsors Citizens Bank Foundation, NH Department of
Environmental Services and Public Service of New Hampshire, as well as Daniel Webster
College and TD Banknorth, e-Learning for Entrepreneurs’ twenty-one 3-hour courses in
business management, finance and marketing are offered at no cost and are available 24/7. New
and experienced business owners may take a course in one sitting, or over time, depending on
their schedules. During six months of beta testing, over 500 courses were taken by entrepreneurs
in 125 rural and urban NH communities. Course titles include: Crafting Your Business Plan,
Accounting 101, Creating Buzz: Small Business Marketing, and Finding and Attracting
Investors.

“NH SBDC is continually looking for ways to help New Hampshire businesses be sustainable,”
remarks Mary Collins, NH SBDC State Director. “e-Learning for Entrepreneurs utilizes
today’s technology to provide knowledge, tools, and resources for the state’s business owners. In
this uncertain economy it is even more important that businesses statewide have access 24/7 to
management tools that will help strengthen their firms. ”
“We more than doubled our outreach to NH business owners during our e-Learning for
Entrepreneurs beta test,” states Heidi Edwards Dunn, NH SBDC’s Educational Program
Coordinator. “We believe that www.nhsbdc.org’s e-Learning for Entrepreneurs will be an
invaluable resource for NH entrepreneurs, and I encourage them to watch for future additions to
the program.”

The NH Small Business Development Center provides confidential business management
consulting and educational programs to New Hampshire’s small businesses. The NH SBDC is
the only NH agency that has full-time certified business advisors providing one-on-one, longterm,
management consulting to small businesses. NH SBDC is a cooperative venture with the
U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of New Hampshire (DRED), the University
System of New Hampshire, and the private sector. For more info on NH SBDC, visit
www.nhsbdc.org.

November 4, 2008
Ways to visit the cost of personnel include cutting jobs that don’t contribute to the bottom line and lowering the cost of the remaining work force. Also consider the following strategies:

-Review non-direct employment costs.

If times are tough, there’s no excuse for excessive expenses for travel, entertainment and other special advantages. Another financial drain is from “company cars.” If the expenses are not bona fide business expenses, you need to reconsider. Examine health care, life insurance and related compensation costs. Explore various alternatives including employee contributions, higher deductibles and possibly reducing some benefits.

-Lead by example.

Don’t exempt yourself from cuts. You must participate in any round of cost cutting for a number of reasons. It may not be the case forever, but if you don’t cut now, you may never get to — ever. Equally important is the need for you to show leadership on the issue of belt-tightening.

-Encourage and reassure those who remain.

Be sensitive to the insecurity that remaining employees may feel. With limited personnel resources, it may be difficult to set up face-to-face meetings and communication systems your employees may need. But you need to be aware of what they are feeling and give them a chance to express their thoughts. Do not adopt the attitude that they are lucky to still have their jobs. You all need each other at this time — act like it.

-Be sure of conditions before you increase size of staff again.

If overstaffing has been a problem, don’t fall back into the same pattern. The decision of how deep to cut personnel is tough, and you will probably second-guess yourself several times after initial cuts are complete. You may see a temporary increase in business and begin to believe that you need to start to hire (or re-hire) again, or it may slow a bit more and you feel you should go into another round of cuts. Absent any tangible evidence of change, don’t take any action. As the workload begins to grow again, you must be aware of the pressure everyone may be under to continue to meet deadlines and serve your customers. Ask for input and give serious consideration to the opinions of your staff. Rebuild slowly. Hire part-time workers before going on to rebuild a larger staff. Contract with outside services. The time to begin hiring again is after you have exhausted most other ways of getting the work done. Be sure of your stability before you begin to rebuild.

It is a hard time and a harder process. Be caution but plan well and carry out your plan with confidence. Good luck.

Jimmie Wilkins is the director of the Chemeketa Small Business Development Center. The Small-Business Adviser column is produced by the center and appears each Tuesday. Questions can be faxed to (503) 581-6017, e-mailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or phoned in to (503) 399-5088.