Excerpts

Listen. Get a grip. Lighten up. Little doubt remains that the Internet continues to change the ways we do business. Certainly it has changed how we obtain information. Trillions of dollars in annual online purchases underscore the changes in buying behavior. But where do those revenues go? Who is doing the selling? And how do you assure that you are part of it? Be part of the conversation. Faster and less expensive modes of travel developed during the last century enabled people to meet face to face with more people. Telephones--until the advent of call distributors and multiple layers of "Press one for. . ."--enabled people to communicate by voice more frequently and more easily. The Internet has added new dimensions to human conversation, extending the reach and personal networks of the millions of people online. Internet users are asking questions and answering them for each other. If your company doesn't learn to participate in the conversation, you probably won't be part of that selling. Participating in the conversation may require breaking out of some of the old ways--even the old ways that were successful. Mission statements and glossy brochures touting your glories do not, for the most part, convey what online users are looking for. They seek and require more than ivory-tower, self-important declarations. Your brochures are no longer sacred. Why? Because the online world knows more--much more--than the pre-Internet world that relied on you for the "truth" about products and services and business. The online world has unprecedented access to people who have used those products and services: people with opinions, complaints, praise, advice, information. Your secrets are secret no more. They're on to you. They know about spin. So, just how do you go about participating in this world? Recognize that your target market is full of people. Yes, you can still think about their group characteristics, needs, and priorities. But talk to them in "real" language. Drop the language of the hawker of wares or the authority from on high. Find ways to listen. (If you don't, someone else will.) And then respond in their language, without corporate puffery. LISTEN Recognize that your target market is full of people and the rest will follow. Ask these people what they know and what they need. If you listen, they'll communicate their ideas--for tightening your thresher's turn ratio, or making your claim form easier to use, or increasing the safety of your GK04692, or making better tasting biscuits. They'll tell you what they need and what they'll pay for. They'll tell you that the connection on your whats-it is weak, your bathrooms are too small, your Philly sandwich needs more cheese, your customer service department needs to add more weekend hours. And if you don't listen, they'll go and tell others. That's the point. They go. No time to answer your e-mail? They'll ask somebody else. No time to listen? They'll tell somebody else. No time to consider their ideas? Someone else will. Good-bye. Your clients and customers and employees and investors are loyal, you say? Loyalty? What loyalty? All gone loyalty. Online purchasers can change suppliers, channels of distribution, manufacturers, or bookkeeping services as easily as they can move a mouse or press a button. Listen. Talk. No time? Hear the click? GET A GRIP Take a hard look at who you are and what you do, your products and your services, and try to put them in perspective. If you do this honestly, some of what you see may be humbling. That's good. It will help you talk more honestly, more directly. It will help you listen. How's your company management philosophy working for you? Are you still functioning as a holy hierarchy? You risk moving from hierarchy to anarchy if you continue. Conversation is a great leveler. Your company's internal communications, whether you've noticed or not, are being corrupted and subverted. People are talking. Let them. Better yet, help them. And, while you're at it, help them talk with the people in your marketplace. Otherwise the marketplace will go elsewhere. Or your people will. LIGHTEN UP This book is intended for people who want to become part of the conversation or who want to help others do so. It includes practical how-to Internet marketing information in straightforward language. You don't need a college degree in the theoretical foundations of commerce to benefit from these chapters. The concepts are straightforward. The procedures aren't difficult. People who work as part of a marketing or customer service team will learn how to extend their effectiveness through Internet marketing. Those who are part of a nonmarketing team will learn why Internet marketing affects them, why they should care, and how they can help. Entrepreneurs who run a small business or an independent professional building, or who hope to retain a client base will find out how to derive maximum benefit from their Internet marketing time and efforts. Marketing consultants will discover a wealth of tools, tips, and insights to share with clients. Students preparing to enter the marketing workplace will acquire the analytical tools and the practical skills valued by today's businesses. If you read only this page, but take away the message that Internet. marketing is about people, about the conversation, and about taking yourself less seriously, we think you'll at least be headed in the right direction. INTERNET MARKETING It is the aim of Internet Marketing to avoid theoretical and highly technical discussions. We aim to provide useful, practical information in plain language. We also present the information in ways that make learning easy. The four parts of the book address: what e-commerce is all about m what Web sites should do and look like how to increase the likelihood that people will find your Web site how to use e-mail effectively Each of the four parts opens with a list of terms and their definitions, enabling you to preview some of the Internet language presented in that section. Each chapter begins with a section called "The Basics" and follows with more detail and explanation and how-to in a section called "Beyond the Basics." Various stops along the way--called "Try It," "Analyze It," or "You Decide" --provide activities to help learners evaluate their understanding or try out a technique or tool. Don't skip them. They're not difficult or time-consuming, and they really will help clarify understanding and improve skills. Each chapter closes with a short summary to remind you of where you've been, followed by a list of review questions. Possible answers to the review questions are included at the back of the book. There are two appendixes. The first is a checklist to help you plan and manage Internet marketing for your product, service, or business. The second is a list of Web sites that you might find helpful for various purposes. The book closes with a glossary of the terms presented throughout the book. Use it for quick reference, to test yourself, or to review the terminology. Excerpted from Internet Marketing by Barbara G. Cox, William Koelzer All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.