Is it right for you?

Can you picture your business on the Web?

Products that require little or no physical examination have proven to be wildly successful on the Web. The most obvious examples include computer related products, books, music CDs, office supplies, etc., and services, such as, photo processing and travel agencies.

However, don’t fall prey to the notion that if your business does not fit into one of these categories that all is lost. On the contrary, products as diverse as antique furniture and swimming pool supplies are also finding a receptive audience online.

To help you decide whether the Web is right for your business, consider the following:

	Would you gain a competitive advantage if you improved customer service and expanded your company’s visibility?
	Would customer feedback better help you to meet customer’s needs and increase profits?
	Do your products or services require substantial consumer education or after sale support?
	Would improved communication with your customers help obtain new or repeat business?
	Would you expand into new (geographically unrelated) markets if you could do so cost effectively?
	Does the opportunity to offer your products or services internationally appeal to you?
	Do any of your products have niche market appeal?
	Do you desire to extend database access to your outside staff or partners when they are out of town or away from the office?
	Because the “barriers to entry” are minimal, would developing a website permit your company to compete with other leading companies that offer the same product or service, but have large overhead costs?
	As your cost of marketing via traditional channels continues to rise does it have a reciprocal impact on your profits?
	Does the possibility of providing sales and customer service 24 hours a day using no additional personnel, sound cost effective to you?

These questions were designed to make you think about the benefits of using Internet technology. There are no right or wrong answers except how they pertain to your business and your long-term marketing plan.

A rose by any other name…  What is the difference between a company that sells millions of flowers on the Internet and your business? What about a company that virtually markets antique furniture, or wine, or CDs, or tee shirts, or office equipment, or automobiles, or plumbing supplies? What makes your business different from theirs? What do they know that you don’t? What steps have they taken that you haven't?

	They have already established a business domain online.
	They have developed a well designed, easy to navigate Web site that appeals to their target market.
	They have positioned their Web site properly in most major search engines, portals and content aggregators.
	They promote their Web site through conventional advertising channels.
	They sell their products online.

Do I have to be a computer programmer to create a Web site?

No. Since the early nineties, there have been enormous improvements in software-Internet-integration areas that have simplified Internet communication and Web site creation. Also, small business owners now have the benefit of owning a fully integrated computer system by using software such as Microsoft’s Office Suite and FrontPage 2000. 

Because of stories that have reached the media involving security breeches online, most people have questions about Internet security that we will address next.