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Surveying SMBs: What Not to Do
As a small business, we receive a lot of surveys. As market researchers, it's interesting to see how many of them miss the mark in terms of yielding objective, actionable insights into SMB needs, attitudes and perceptions.
When surveying SMBs, follow these guidelines to get results you can act on with confidence:
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Ask questions
that the entrepreneur can answer. Sound
obvious? A recent survey asked us to compare our
bank's online banking service with that of local
competitors. Is it realistic to expect an entrepreneur
to have tried more than one online banking application? |
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Ask impartial
questions. Again, seems intuitive. But
another recent bank survey asked us whether we
would "like" or "dislike" it
if, for example, the lending officer did not reveal
all loan application fees. Who's going to answer
that they like this? |
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Ask questions that are easy to answer. Double negatives, if-then statements and jargon can slow down or confuse respondents, yielding poor data. |
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Ask a reasonable number of questions. We plead guilty to this one – you have the entrepreneur's attention; why not just throw in one more question? You'll get better data if you respect the entrepreneur's time and make it clear how long the survey will take. |
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Test your survey. Try it on a small segment to ensure clarity before rolling it out broadly. If you're asking questions by phone, listen in on some calls to ensure the participants (and interviewers) understand the questions. |
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>> New York Times Launches Small Business Resource Site
NYTimes.com launched a section that aggregates news and resources for small business owners. It includes online-only columns, features from New York Times journalists and articles from third-party providers including AllBusiness.com, Inc. magazine and SmallBusiness.org. Launch advertisers on www.nytimes.com/smallbusiness include American Express, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard and FedEx.
>> Wells Fargo Hosts Small Biz Webcast Series
Wells Fargo is hosting a series of advice-focused webcasts for small businesses. Each webcast features a panel of experts presenting on a particular business topic, along with a live Q&A. The initial sessions looked at "protecting your business" (insurance, online security, legal advice) and financial strategies (obtaining and managing credit).
>> UPS Takes "Out of the Box" Contest Global
For the third consecutive year, UPS is holding its "Out of the Box" small business contest to reward the most creative and original business concepts. This year, however, it has opened up the event to businesses in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, China, the Philippines and Singapore. Applicants must submit a 500-word essay explaining why they're original and how they've been successful. First prize is $25,000 cash and $2,000 toward the cost of a computer from co-sponsor IBM.
>> Dell Building a Channel Program
According to published reports, Dell will soon announce a formal channel partner program to reach SMB customers, a change of direction for the company that pioneered the direct model of PC sales. While the company has always sold through partners (generating $4 billion in sales annually), it has kept this program low-key. Also, beginning June 10, Dell will sell two desktop SKUs through Wal-Mart.
>> AT&T, Cisco, Microsoft Sponsor Site for Women/Minority Small Businesses
As co-founders of the Technology Partnership for Small Business Task Force, Microsoft, Cisco and AT&T have launched an online tool that provides technology training for women and minority entrepreneurs. The site – Biz
Tech-Connect – was launched with the Information Technology Association and the Minority Business Development Agency and aggregates information and advice from other online sources.
Send us your news. |
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Increasing Channel Sales
How do you support your channel partners in their SMB sales efforts? For a major technology vendor, we manage a monthly webinar series to improve the marketing effectiveness of their value-added resellers. We identify and recruit recognized experts as presenters; draft compelling, interactive presentations; and provide post-event follow-up. The result? More enthusiastic and loyal reseller partners who are better equipped to sell to SMBs. Contact
us to discuss how we can develop creative ways to support your partner enablement efforts.
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BBI helps Fortune 500 and emerging companies achieve their
SMB marketing goals through research, strategy
and communications. Contact us to learn how we
can help you. |
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