Target,the,Little,Guy.,This,Co ecommerce Target the Little Guy. This Could be a Reely BIG Shoo!

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Out once again to illuminate the dark corners of internet showsfor the tiny shining light of small business tools, I have justreturned from AIIM 2002 where they describe the show thusly: Enterprise Content Management creates successful SYNERGIES between paper, document, and web content. It focuses your best marketing on the best opportunities. It streamlines processes. Cuts costs. Edges your competition. Boosts customer loyalty. Spurs growth. And sustains innovation. But only if you have the know-how and the tools to set up your BEST ECM Solution. Would anyone argue those goals and values apply to the smallbusiness? Without a doubt! Is anyone there interested in thatcustomer? Not a chance! They prefer BIG (enterprise) customers.I use a now familiar introductory line when speaking withsales representatives on the show floor at major conferences.As I approach with my "Press" badge prominently displayed toalert them to the potential of that coveted "free promotion"that is so vital to growing companies and say, "I'm coveringsolutions of interest to the small business. Does your companyoffer anything targeted at that market?"They usually stare back blankly and respond with confusionsaying, "Not really." They look me over quickly noting the lack of the corporate uniform three piece suit, I wear insteadblue jeans and polo shirt. "Who are you with?" Meaning, ofcourse, "Are you BIG enough for me to care?" They inevitablyshunt me over to the "Marketing Director" because, "She'll beable to answer your questions better."As Miss Marketing Director approaches, all smiles, I ask againadding, " . . . or do you partner with any resellers or offerhosted applications to microbusiness?"Inevitably she'll stumble, steady and then with furrowed browoften makes it clear she is thinking, "No, but what a greatidea! I'll have to propose that in the business developmentmeeting on Monday!" And sometimes she'll even say it directly,"Not currently, but I sure do wonder why we're not persuingthat market!"I recently stumbled across a wonderful application for smallbusiness through affiliate tracking firm, Commission Junction.It was promoted via their in-house forum to members of otheraffiliate programs who use their tracking services. Oddly,it is offered by one of the MONSTER's of ebusiness, Oracle.Just as strangely, it is one of the most powerful and yetaffordable programs I've ever seen for the small businessowner online. It's called "Small Business Suite" and it'sbased on their Enterprise Customer Relationship Managementsoftware. (That's ECRM for you corporate geeks.)I'm baffled at why it takes so long for the BIG boys to finda way to offer hosted solutions like this Small BusinessSuite to what amounts to 50% of the economy, microbusinesses.I have to admit that I attend these shows partly as agitatorfor the cause of the little guy. Nobody wants to "find" thatsector of the market as it is inevitably fragmented and hardto reach. But Oracle has seen the light and Microsoft is afterthe little guy with their own suite of tools through theirsmall business portal, bCentral.com offering a far less power-ful suite of solutions broken up into modules to appeal tothe penny-pinching needs of small business owners.As for the AIIM show, I found an email solution offered byone company AIIMing at BIG boys of ecommerce who became VERYinterested when I suggested they seek out a partner to buytheir software and offer it as a hosted solution to smallbusinesses. Fifty percent of the economy? Yeh! That's worthpersuing! Damn! I gotta mention that in the business devel-opment meeting on Monday! This could be BIG!I'm so glad he thought of that! Damn! Why has BIG businessmostly abandoned the small business market? Some of themost successful corporations rely primarily on the smallbusiness market to become the megalithic behemoths they are.Staples, Office Depot, Costco, Home Depot and dozens of BIGcorporate discount stores got huge by offering solutions(read, cost savings) to the small business person. Where isthe ecommerce superstore? How about eDepot.com? (The name has been reserved, could it be the small business ecommercesuperstore arriving at last?) Shopping carts, payment gate-ways, merchant accounts, web hosting, site development, SEOservices, ebusiness software, do-it-yourself-ebooks andtutorials. I wish I'd thought of that! Wait, I did!Oooooh, if only I had some venture capital or angel investors!Not to say that this idea hasn't been badly attempted by somewell-meaning small busines portals. The problem has always been that they partner with BIG businesses who insist onimmediate, BIG growth and vast volumes of business beforelosing interest and pulling the plug on 50% of the economy.How BIG a market is 50% of the ecommerce pie? Must BIG dogseat ravenously at the market before the scraps are left tothe little guy scavengers? Go for the vast quantity that isrepresented by the little guy and stop relying on premiumprices and the rare BIG single purchase by monopolisticcorporations. Why just rely on the fortune 500 when youcould just as easily tap the Fortune Five Million?Let me see now . . . 157 Billion dollars in Ecommerce divideddown the middle is just under $78 Billion for small business.Market worth persuing? Doh! Article Tags: Small Business