E-Commerce -Marketing Your Business to the Government and Corporations Presented to: Candler County Industrial Development Authority EC Arthur L. Brown

“To cost effectively build profitable organizations through a solid foundation of business, marketing and economic development expertise.” LeScot’s Mission

LeScot Enterprise Services Marketing Development Training, Seminar and Other Communication Services EC Business Management and Technical Assistance Services Economic Development

The electronic exchange of business/technical information using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), , Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and other similar technologies. Electronic Commerce Defined (EC)

Business Climate CHANGE NowNow ForeverForever

Why/Uses for E-Business?  In order to sell goods and services  Time-saving business communications  To easily share necessary information with other staff members/businesses

Why/Uses for E-Business? (cont’)  To purchase required goods and services  Create data once and use it many times  To reduce costs of traditional operations

Why/Uses for E-Business? (cont’)  To be electronically linked to the rest of the business community (world-wide)

Electronic Commerce Benefits q Benefits to Suppliers/Vendors q Reduced time to market q Improved operating efficiencies q Improved product quality at reduced cost q Improved payment process q Expanded number of customers

Economic Forces Driving Electronic Commerce Cost of Labor Telecommunications Costs Computing Costs

Research Your Market to Find Answers To:  Who are my customers  Where are they located  What does/will make them by my product/services  What is my optimum selling price  What should my advertising/promotional message consist of  How do I get to them

Market Research Methods  Primary Research u Provide online surveys, questionnaires, online focus groups u Study your traffic logs u Example: ex.zgi

Start by Defining Your Business Classification  North American Industrial Classification (NAICS) Code - /  Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code -  Federal Supply Classification (FSC) Code -  National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP) -  Commercial and Governmental Entity (CAGE) Code -  Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number -

NAICS Codes of Attendees  Janitorial/Custodial Services  Emergency Medical Transportation  Caterer  Contractor (Single Family Contractor)  Florist  Home Improvement  Apartment Rental531110

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Market Research Methods (cont’)  Secondary Research Sources u Company Data u Industry Sources/Associations u Governmental Agencies u Universities/Libraries u Search Engines u Trade Journals u Investment Industry Analysis u Internet Analysis

Procurement Personnel Need to Know (Public Sector)  Small and Disadvantaged Utilization Specialists (SADBUS  Small Business Liaison Officer  Users  Contracting Officer  Competition Advocate  Program Manager u

Procurement Personnel Need to Know (Private Sector)  Buyers  Purchasing/Procurement  Supply Chain Managers  Supplier Diversity  Program Manager

Who’s the Competition  Who are your competitors  Where are they located  What are their strengths/weaknesses  How does my product/service compare

Marketing Strategy Development G A marketing strategy is a target market and a related marketing mix G A target market is a similar group (market segment) of customers to whom you wish to appeal G A marketing mix consists of a group of controllable variables (product, place, promotion, price) which are put together to satisfy a target market

Target Market Profile Parameters  Demographic u Geographic u Cultural and ethnic groups u Economic u Power u Industry Type  Psychographic u Values, attitudes, beliefs u Lifestyles

Target Market Segment Examples  Homeowners with homes valued at $1million and over  Professional athletes  Colleges and Universities  Families between the ages of 20 and 45 years of age  Federal, state and local governments

Sources to Identify Target Markets/Commercial u Build/Existing Contact Database u Access/Purchase Database  Reference USA   Yellow Pages  Yellowpages.com  Thomas Register 

Sources to Identify Target Markets/Government (cont’) u U.S., State and Local Governments  Federal     &returnAddress=fuseaction%3Dpx2%2Ephx%5Fmain &returnAddress=fuseaction%3Dpx2%2Ephx%5Fmain  State and Local 

Construction Contractors in Candler County

Banks Located in Candler County

Procurement Research Sources  Historical Purchases u E-Procurement Database –  Current Purchases u Fedbizopps - u NECO - cfm u Army Single Face to Industry  Projections u Agency Procurement Forecasts -

Purchases of NAICS for FY 07

Contracting Preference Programs  Small Business  SBA 8(a) Program  Small Disadvantaged Business  Woman Owned Firms  Veteran Owned  Veteran Owned Service Disabled  GSA Schedule  HUBZone Certified

Controllable Variables-4Ps  Product  Promotion  Place  Price

Product/Service Strategy  What the customer gets to satisfy a need  Most time spent in this area perfecting  Giveaway for site visitors (not everything)  Product/Service often misunderstood phenomenon

Promotion Strategy (Advertising)  Most applicable to e-commerce of the 4Ps  E-Commerce has revolutionized how products/services are viewed (Ex: )

Internet Promotion Tactics  Internal visitor registrations  External website registrations  Website Linking  Advertising/Publicity

Internal Visitor Registrations  Generates contacts for your “contact” database  Used to develop proactive marketing campaign  Request permission to receive marketing material  Specify on your page your privacy policy

External Website Registrations  Search engines extremely valuable in getting traffic to your website  Corporate/Industrial sector primarily using Electronic Data Interchange as a tool for conducting business electronically  Government and particularly, the Federal Government farther ahead in website registrations than the private/industry sector  Must continue to be proactive in marketing efforts

Web Site Registrations  Central Contractor Registration Dynamic Small Business Search  Kudzu.com  Thomas Register

Form Associations with Like Organizations  Link to other web sites and request visitors to your site to add a link to their site  Ask your visitors to bookmark your site  Develop an affiliate/associate program  Include your company in other industry/association group lists

Place (Distribution) Strategy  Process of getting the product/service to the customer  Traditional distribution model – manufacturer/provider to wholesaler/distributor to retailer to end user  With internet, target is manufacturer/provider to end user  Can be a major factor in customer satisfaction

Distribution Strategy Realities and Considerations  Christmas 2000 was a major fiasco for some retailers  Supply chain/Fulfillment must be continuously revisited  Must make every effort to be customer “sentric” since limited customer interaction

Customer Requirements Now Include:  Forming Alliances  Joint Ventures  Partnering  Teaming

Pricing/Payment Strategy  Electronic payments to include EDI, credit card payment/acceptance  In the non-internet environment, pricing is quite speculative  In the internet environment, a more open process  Tends to be a negative for the business  Auctions/Reverse Auctions becoming a trend

Securing The Payment  Business Concerns u Security Considerations u Credit Cards u "Electronic Money"

Internet Marketing Requires Another 4Ps  Persistence  Perseverance  Patience  People

What lies behind us versus what lies before us are only tiny matters compared to what lies within us. …..Ralph Waldo Emerson