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