One Size Does Not Fit All

It's true in the clothing industry and it's even truer in the business world - one size does not fit all. Though the percentage of small business has increased vastly over the last ten years, many big corporations are lost when it comes to reaching these companies. They create a marketing approach and expect it to work for all clients. But they're wrong. Small businesses have special needs and special concerns, says Larry Deaton, CEO of Technauts. His company is creating a new category of products called Internet appliances. Meant for companies that need easy, cost-effective solutions to their communications problems, these appliances allow small businesses to use the net without having to hire an IT manager. Deaton knows small business. And what he knows can help launch you to a more small business savvy strategy too.

Use Grassroots Marketing

Small businesses are more likely to listen to a friend than a marketing campaign, Deaton says. The company that wants to succeed in the small business market will heed that maxim. "Small businesses really rely on word of mouth. They rely on relationships to make decisions," Deaton explains. "You have to look at the market from the bottom up, look at the influencers of small businesses and determine how you're going to influence influencers. We've adopted what we call grassroots marketing strategy. We determine who influences small businesses in making their technology decisions and then determine a way that we're going to reach those influencers and influence them

One Design Does Not Fit All

One of the biggest problems with big businesses selling to small ones, Deaton says, is that they don't cater to the special needs of small businesses. One-size-fits-all marketing will not work for small businesses. "A good example of that is Microsoft Word," Deaton posits. "It is a tremendous word processing package. It is very robust in its function. But yet I, as a professional, as an executive, and probably you as a professional as well, use less than 10% of Microsoft Word. Of course small businesses, what they're looking to do is to put out correspondence, simple letters to go to their customers to collect money, to sell product, to do things like that. At Technauts we looked at the marketplace through their eyes when we first did our product design and went from there."

Work With Small Business Limitations

If you want to sell to small businesses, you've got to understand their perspective, Deaton claims. They won't be impressed with a big name or new technology. Instead, they want to understand what the technology can do for them. "Small businesses need problems solved," Deaton says. "Does the technology help me get my payroll out quicker? Can I do correspondence to my prospect list faster? Can I get my receivables in faster? Those are the types of things a small business is worried about." Marketing to small businesses isn't harder than marketing to big ones - just different. The savvy businessperson looking to make a dent in the small business market knows that one size does not fit all. Small businesses have special problems. Learn how to solve them and you're on your way.