Discussing Cazbah, an Internet marketing services company, to business owners in manufacturing and industrial distribution recently reminded of the “Peter Principle,” which states:

“Employees within a business will rise to their own level of incompetence. Beyond that point, they will not be particularly effective inside the organization, and will not contribute as they once did.”

Well, business Web sites need to be considered like an employee – they are an internal resource that needs to be utilized as effectively as possible for the ultimate growth of the company. Like any resource; it needs to be kept current, relevant and in synch with the business goals.

Unfortunately, many businesses neglect their sites so they remain a static listing of products – lethargically posting information to its point of incompetence, running rampant inside many vertical markets; such as healthcare, food production, bio sciences, and others.

I talk with many business owners who do not fully understand the fact that the Internet – regardless of their market and industry – needs to be a dominate factor in their marketing and sales strategy to drive business growth. Business owners I speak to inside industrial markets still believe the Internet is not important to their own customer base. It’s just for kids, or those buying retail. These company leaders are falling way behind with regards to sustaining business relationships, and leveraging the Internet to grow revenues, year in and year out.

Having a static Web site is no longer a viable means to grow your business. Like your sales person, your site is about interacting with real people, ensuring they find you based on what you offer in terms of a solution to their problems. People searching on the Internet are looking for someone to help them and then, deciding if they want to engage with you before they ever pick up the phone to speak with you.

So what does that mean? Your potential customer is coming to you (inbound marketing) and is pre-qualifying you as a potential vendor.

That is how business to business is done on the Internet. For manufacturers, distributors and dealers who understand that the Internet is such a powerful medium which must be embraced and used to its fullest, they are taking actionable steps to use it. Why?

Over 74 percent of the U.S. is now on the Internet at some level. 74%!

That is three out of every four people you talk to – and transact business with every day. Doing business with people on the Internet is not just about having some product listed in your business site and hoping they pick yours over someone else’s. It’s about helping to solve a problem they have. New customers come from those who are seeking a partner to provide a solution, the right solution, for their own business. You need to be found so you can be that solution provider.

Yes, Internet marketing can be daunting. But, it’s a brave new world where business gets done. And what about business owners who dismiss the significance of the Internet: not preparing their organizations to strategically leverage it to their own fullest advantage?

Those not recognizing the Internet as the viable and essential business tool it is may be classified as the “Peter Pan” Principle.

Like Peter Pan, it appears they would rather remain in a more comfortable place.
Not try something new. Set aside plans to use the Internet fully – and maybe, just maybe – they won’t ever have to leave Never -Never Land!

As Peter Pan said… “I’ll teach you to jump on the wind’s back, and away we’ll go!”

However, I think a better lesson from Peter Pan – with regards to strategically growing your business – would be to fully utilize a wide array of Internet technologies (supplied by your friends at Cazbah of course) and generate better business results and more revenue.

I say…. “Let’s jump on the Internet and away we’ll go!”

If you are going to succeed on the web, be it as a manufacturer, retailer, dealer / distributor, consultant, coach or whatever, it is essential that you identify, as specifically as you possibly can, who your prospective customers are. This is the foundation upon which Target Marketing is based.

An easy way to tackle this problem is through the development of a Customer Composite Index (CCI). Your CCI is a detailed list of characteristics that very specifically and succinctly defines your customers. Ask yourself the following questions: who, what, where, when, how and why.

An example of some of these types of questions are; who are our customers, what do they do, where do they live, (in the case of consumer products)? Or, where are they located (in the case of businesses)? Does their location have any significance to the product or service I’m offering? Does how they live have any bearing? What business are they in – product, service, specialty, commodity? What’s their annual income or revenue? How many employees do they have?

Additionally, are there customer personality or lifestyle traits that are important to your business? And, who are their customers? This is especially important, because if you understand their customer’s needs, you truly know what makes them tick! What are their interests and hobbies? I am sure you can come up with many more relevant questions that will help you to define your CCI. The point is, if you know who your customers are, by virtue of your CCI, then you know what you are looking for in a new customer.

If you have trouble with this exercise, visit an existing customer (or five) and ask them these questions. This gives you the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. 1) You will meet with them and get some face time, for a very legitimate reason. Which means you can continue to build your relationship. 2) In your questioning, you will inevitably communicate your concern through your interest in understanding your customer better. You never know, you may just uncover an unmet need or two that you can convert into a sale!