Já imaginou ganhar muito dinheiro vendendo pijamas de bolinha preta? Pensando em Brasil, podemos supor que 2.000 pessoas gostem deste traje. Mas amplie o horizonte para uma escala mundial. 50 mil, 100 mil potenciais clientes que podem comprar na sua loja on-line. Chris Anderson aborda este assunto de forma fantástica em seu livro A Cauda Longa.
Estamos mudando de uma economia de Hits para uma economia de nichos. As lojas físicas nos oferecem produtos que possuem um alto potencial de venda (Hits), pois possuem o custo com a prateleira e precisam ter retorno rápido. Não podem ocupar espaço com algo que possa demorar 30 dias para vender. Veja o gráfico abaixo:
Gráfico da Cauda Longa
Tomemos como exemplo uma loja de livros para exemplificar. A região vermelha representa os livros que existem na loja física A e na loja on-line B. A região amarela representa os livros que existem apenas na loja on-line B.
Na internet é diferente. Não há prateleira. Você pode exibir em seu site milhares de produtos. Com a redução dos custos de distribuição, seus clientes aparecerão naturalmente. Os sistemas de pesquisa melhoram cada vez mais a experiência do usuário. De acordo com Chris Anderson (2006) tais “filtros” são capazes de impulsionar a demanda ao longo da Cauda.
Na constante mudança da nossa cultura e economia, pode haver um futuro onde a grande quantidade de produtos de nicho existente no mercado possa rivalizar ou até mesmo superar os Hits.
Reading about Craigs list the other day I started thinking about business history and strategy. As entrepreneurs we often get fooled by the deception of history. And it’s easy to see why. All the business books and articles we read on success are based on what someone or some company we respect did. The problem with this is that the world lives in a state of flux, and what worked then, most certainly wont work now. This is where the Craig’s list example comes to the fore.
Would a 3 color page of hyperlinks which looks like the internet did in 1994 work today? Highly unlikely. Craigslist works now, because it worked well then. It had things working in it’s favour like the ‘in crowd’ in the Bay area spreading the word. That it was first to market with an on-line classified. Now these legacy issues become a strategic proposition which is worth maintaining. What it doesn’t mean is that it’s a strategic template worth copying for Startup X. It’s also less likely we’ll get the support needed from the web community or the investors needed.
The same can be said for pretty much any startup with an interesting history.
A social networking site which is set up for alumni of an Ivy League University probably wouldn’t work.
A trading website where auctions are used to develop the perfect market place probably wouldn’t work.
An on-line retailer which aims to sell every book available in the world probably wouldn’t work.
As entrepreneurs, what we are better off understanding is the insights into why things worked, and try and leverage human behavior in developing a strategic direction to launch our business.
M-Commerce Is Still in Its Infancy – eMarketer
Savvy retailers should not neglect this channel, because mobile shoppers are valuable customers. People who download mobile applications, including shopping apps, are a highly coveted consumer segment. Mobile buyers tend to be repeat purchasers with a higher order value than average consumer, and it can be important for them to complete transactions with ease even if it means spending more.
Download the “Mobile Commerce: Ahead of Its Time” report today
(tags: M-commerce mobile payment)
Mobile Payments Are Taking Off. But Which One to Use? | TechWatch | Fast Company
Impossible? No. But if you still haven't figured out that ALT + F4 closes windows on your PC, then you might want to stick with PayPal's user friendly iPhone app.
(tags: Paypal Mobile Banking payment)
As an amateur wildlife photographer I have always struggled to find opportunities to shoot the most interesting subjects, thinking surely that would be what everyone noticed about my pictures. However, most everywhere I went I would find deer and I would shoot them as well. The summer of ‘96 I did an internship at Wolf Park, working with… yep, wolves, I had a fairly constant flow of wolf pictures. In the year 2000, I moved to NY and got a job as a zoo keeper at the Utica Zoo, lots of fascinating animals. Everywhere I went though, I would see those white tailed deer and take their pictures. I have long been frustrated by the ability of random people to pick up a pile of my wolf photos and thumb half heartedly though them and stop suddenly, transfixed on a photo of a deer.
Recently, I set up an account on Red Bubble to start to showcase the Great Blue Heron photos I was working on getting this summer. Well, as usual I bumped into my deer friends and as usual I photographed them. When I put them up on my site an interesting thing happened, my first deer picture got featured in a group! I was frustrated at first, why don’t people just notice what I’m working on instead of the deer? I have now come to the conclusion that I take those pictures because I see the beauty right off the bat, and somehow I am lucky enough to catch that sometimes (I actually do have a lot of bad deer photos to) and that is what people see. I am now working on using the deer photos to garner interest in myself as an artist and hope that they will look at my other stuff as well. The point is, if you have a skill other than what you want to be known for, leverage it and don’t despise it.
Babette Burdick
Sales Aerobics for Engineers
Internet Business Development Strategies for Manufacturers, Distributors and Service Companies
www.salesaerobicsforengineers.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/babetteburdick
http://blog.salesaerobicsforengineers.com
Featured Guest Blogger: Babette Burdick Sales Aerobics for Engineers
Internet Business Development Strategies for Manufacturers, Distributors and Service Companies
Connect With Babette On Linkedin Read The Sales Aerobics For Engineers Blog
Are you comfortable providing solutions that impact your company both upstream and downstream from where you have a functional position?
Let’s face it. We are moving towards a new business and economic paradigm. Civil engineers providing the greatest value to their organizations may no longer be those engineers having expertise in only one area. Rather, the new business paradigm may place more value on engineers who understand how to translate their engineering expertise into the business language and perspective of audiences residing upstream and downstream in their organization.
How do you gain this ability? How effectively do you translate your body of knowledge to others in your organization? And no, this is not a glorified version of “sucking up” to your top brass or engaging in any form of Machiavellian politics. Who has time to play games and engage in office melodramas fueled by inauthentic, self-serving actions?
This guest post for CivilEngineeringCentral.com blog provides a list of areas you may want to develop and incorporate into your skill set so folks in your organization better understand “how you do what you do.” As you grow your personal style, knowledge base and ability to communicate, you just may find some new doors opening up for you.
Understand the national and global economic environment into which your engineering solution is being placed. Read newspapers online. Use RSS feeds to do industry- related searches. Read blogs on engineering topics.What are the local, state, regional and national conditions impacting your project, your expertise and that of your company? What are the competitive conditions impacting your company’s ability to win the work? Where’s the money coming from to fund these projects? What trends are being reported?
Look at Sam Richter’s website, which is based on his great book Take The Cold Out of Cold Calling. Sam provides recommendations for online resources for business and industry reporting. Work towards building a more well-rounded perspective about business development, economic trends and your area of expertise. Operating inside a vacuum is not an option.
Understand the mindset of the folks up and down the corporate food chain. Depending on where we sit around the table, we see the same things differently. Work towards developing an understanding of everyone’s mindset – not only in your own organization but also in your clients’ organizations. Rule of thumb: the higher up the food chain, the more focus on the bottom line. The lower down the food chain, the more silo-ed the thinking, the more loyal and risk-averse the individual.
Don’t get hung up trying to change mindsets or make folks “see things your way.” Rather, work towards communicating your messages using their perspectives, not yours. They will “get” what you are saying a lot more easily than you think. Develop a communication style that correlates your project outcome to the bottom line – from everyone’s perspective. Let those silo-ed individuals understand how your solutions may help them do their jobs better. You may start to become more of an asset to your organization than you already are.
Selling to VITO, a sales book by Anthony Parinello, focuses on the importance of understanding the mindset of everyone at every level in an organization. He succinctly breaks down each functional position’s mindset in terms of being a risk taker or risk averse, as well as being a decision maker or a gatekeeper. Incorporate some of these principles into your next project team meeting to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of decision making.
Develop the skills to confidently communicate your information during meetings with internal customers (your colleagues) as well as current and potential customers. This is the hard part, because so many engineers feel like they are “acting” or speaking a foreign language at this point.Understand that the best way of communicating information is by LISTENING and asking good questions. Round out your perspective and understand how the language of business varies from the language and mindset of engineering. In this global economy, treat each conversation you have with your colleagues as though you were speaking a foreign language – even if you both speak American!
I recommend reading Jill Konrath’s book, blog and website, all called Selling To Big Companies. Jill takes a no-nonsense approach to asking provocative and insightful questions that have upstream and downstream potential.
Take advantage of educational opportunities to bulk up your cross-functional skill set. HR at your organization can tell you about educational opportunities available if you are a displaced civil engineering professional. If you are an engineering student, take business courses on marketing and finance. You may end up starting your own business! There are continuing education courses and plenty of free webinars and seminars being offered online and via local networking communities. Many of these opportunities are free of charge or are offered at minimal cost. Online webinars and online courses often can be downloaded and accessed when it’s convenient for your schedule.
Whether you are a student, current employee, business owner or displaced civil engineering professional, review the value of what you bring to the table: past, present and future. Take an honest look at where gaps exist. Work towards developing the tools and techniques that can assist you in more effectively communicating what you bring to the table to upstream and downstream audiences. Your ability to build a more cross-functional, well-rounded perspective can assist you in career development and business development.
What are you waiting for?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion board
If you want to know what a true consumer insight looks like. What it is to have the ‘user in mind’, then take a look at this picture below. It’s one of the simplest and best innovations I’ve seen in a while. The key question is this:
‘Why did it take the industry more than 100 years to think of it?’
Startups: What simple user centric innovations are waiting to happen in your industry?
It’s Monday. I spent most of the day on marketing. Marketing and more marketing. Every site I joined, I wrote down all my login information to keep track of everything. It’s a lot of work, but fun too. Especially if you know you can make money.
As I mentioned yesterday, we need to make extra money for insulin, seizure medication and other medications. If you need help with something, please call your congressman’s office. They are there to help. They helped my husband with his Social Security issues. I emailed the office today to see if I could get help with his medication. I was given this nationwide website: http://www.pafcares.org . (check out the site if you need assistance) I called and was told they accept applications the 1st thru the 3rd of each month starting at 11am. Well, tomorrow is the 1st!! They asked for some information today, and my husband may qualify for some assistance, hopefully. I’ll keep you posted.
Anyone can build a simple website. But, marketing can be a long journey. There’s free and paid. Since we’re on a budget, I’m doing the free marketing. Craigslist.com is good. I have tons of free marketing information from my new website business. It’s geared for beginners and so easy to follow.
If you want to check this out for yourself, go to http://www.effortless-webcash-formula.com . To drive FREE trafic to your website, go to: http://www.trafficswarm.com/go.cgi?963502 . For a FREE screensaver to market your site, go to: http://www.screenswarm.com/h/14399 .
Marketing is time consuming, but surely worth it to make money. You learn so much, too.
Well, I have more reading to do from all the FREE downloads I got with my website. And there’s a lot!
