| QUESTION: | | | | point: I am not saying that you should put all your |
| My business is very small, just me and two | | | | efforts into selling your wares over the Internet, |
| employees, and our product really can't be sold online. | | | | though if your product lends itself to easy online |
| Do I really need a website? -- Robin C.ANSWER: | | | | sales, you certainly should be considering it.The point |
| Congratulations, Robin, you are the one millionth | | | | to be made here is that you should at the very least |
| person to ask me that question. Smile for the | | | | have a presence on the World Wide Web so that |
| cameras, brush the streamers and confetti from your | | | | customers, potential employees, business partners, |
| hair and listen closely, because I'm about to answer | | | | and perhaps even investors can quickly and easily |
| for the millionth time what has become one of the | | | | find out more about your business and the products |
| most important and often-asked questions of the | | | | or services you have to offer.That said, it's not |
| digital business age.Before I answer, however, let's | | | | enough that you just have a website. You must |
| flash back to the very first time I was asked this | | | | have a professional looking website if you want to |
| question. It was circa 1998, during the toddler years | | | | be taken seriously. Since many consumers now |
| of the Internet, just after Al Gore laid claim to having | | | | search for information online prior to making a |
| given birth to the concept a few short years before.I | | | | purchase at a brick and mortar store, your website |
| was giving a speech on the impact of the Internet | | | | may be the first chance you have at making a good |
| on small business at an association luncheon in | | | | impression on a potential buyer. If your website looks |
| Montgomery, Alabama. My motto then was: Feed me | | | | like it was designed by a barrel of colorblind |
| and I will speak. I have the same motto today, but I | | | | monkeys, your chance at making a good first |
| now expect dessert to be included in exchange for | | | | impression will be lost.One of the great things about |
| the sharing of my vast wisdom.In 1998, which was | | | | the Internet is that it has leveled the playing field |
| decades ago in Internet years, the future of | | | | when it comes to competing with the big boys. As |
| electronic commerce or "ecommerce" as it's come to | | | | mentioned, you have one shot at making a good first |
| be known, was anybody's guess, but even the most | | | | impression and with a well-designed website; your |
| negative futurists agreed that all the signs indicated | | | | little operation can project the image and |
| that a large portion of future business revenues | | | | professionalism of a much larger company.The |
| would be derived from online transactions, or from | | | | inverse is also true. I've seen many big company |
| offline transactions that were the result of online | | | | websites that were so badly designed and hard to |
| marketing efforts.So, Robin, should your business | | | | navigate that they completely lacked professionalism |
| have a website, even if your business is small and | | | | and credibility. Good for you, too bad for them. You |
| sells products or services that you don't think can be | | | | also mention that yours is a small operation, but |
| sold online? My answer in 1998 is the same as my | | | | when it comes to benefiting from a website, size |
| answer today: Yes, if you have a business, you | | | | does not matter. I don't care if you are a one-man |
| should have a website. Period. No question. Without a | | | | show or a ten thousand employee corporate giant; if |
| doubt. Thank you, drive through. Now serving | | | | you do not have a website you are losing business |
| customer number one million and one...Also, don't be | | | | to other companies that do.Here's the exception to |
| so quick to dismiss your product as one that can't be | | | | my rule: It's actually better to have no website at all |
| sold online. Nowadays there is very little that cannot | | | | than to have one that makes your business look |
| be sold over the Internet. More than 20 million | | | | bad.Your website speaks volumes about your |
| shoppers are now online, purchasing everything from | | | | business. It either says, "Hey, look, we take our |
| books to computers to cars to real estate to jet | | | | business so seriously that we have created this |
| airplanes to natural gas to you name it. If you can | | | | wonderful website for our customers!" or it says, |
| imagine it, someone will figure out how to sell it | | | | "Hey, look, I let my ten-year old nephew design my |
| online.Internet marketing research firms predict that | | | | site! Good luck finding anything!"Small Business Q&A is |
| online revenues will range between $180 and $200 | | | | written by veteran entrepreneur |
| billion dollars in 2004. They also predict that the | | | | and syndicated columnist, Tim Knox. |
| number of online consumers will grow at a rate of | | | | Tim's latest books include "Small Business Success |
| 30-50% over the next few years. These numbers | | | | Secrets" |
| alone should be enough to convince you that your | | | | and "The 30 Day Blueprint For Success! |
| business should have a website.Let me clarify one | | | | |