By the time you read this edit, the verdict will be out and we will know who will be our next Prime Minister, or will we?
Meanwhile, I attended an interesting Web 2.0 seminar mid-week, and have brought home some interesting facets that I want to share with you.
And these facts have come from the horses’ mouths – meaning marketers who had some wise words for service providers. Say for example Pavan Verma from Google India shared interesting facts, one of them being people are still searching for laptops.
Verma has spelt an opportunity for the channel to regularly learn about the current market trends and needs. It can be easy if partners surf the net including their own websites, carefully observe user behavior, see what the user is asking for, and communicate. There are many leads waiting to be picked up. Our understanding of the need/demand/query will enable us to translate it into a business opportunity.
All you have to do is follow a few simple steps:
Be net and tech savvy: This is to help you keep abreast of your competition on the current trends and demands in the market. Besides, who is doing what, new schemes, pricing policies, etc. It will give you an I am the first to know advantage.
Do not let go: Once you have somebody surfing your site, bear into your minds that the person can be a potential customer. Be pro-active. Communicate, chat, and ask if s/he would like to see a demo of the new product you have.
Do not hurry/rush: Allow the customer to relax. Make him/her feel comfortable. Once the customer is in sync with you, take him/her through your site, and products. DO NOT rush a visitor who has just logged on your site into immediate products and demos. The time to breathe is very important.
Stay true to your brand message: Do not make promises that you cannot fulfill. Do not speak about things that go against your brand image. Customers do appreciate this kind of honesty. And even if they may not buy anything from you, they will certainly refer your name to friends and colleagues.
Be Flexible: Flexible SLAs, on-demand scaling, used-based billings, multiple choices, platforms, infrastructure elements, etc. Services and support are your true blue cards.
Remember these are the things that will distinguish you from your competition:
How fast can you react?
How do you define criticality?
And how can you enable migration?
I returned home with some interesting lessons, and thought should share those with you.
. And so till the next weekend .