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A Toast to Small Businesses
Ernest Hemingway said, “Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.”
This weekend, my husband and I will open the doors to our wine store business in our town, but the work that went into opening Off the Vine has been anything but civilized.
Fifteen-hour days spent scrubbing, painting, lifting boxes, and stocking shelves has sent me straight to my chiropractor’s office. And while I’ve learned a lot from my sommelier husband about the different wine growing regions, varietals, and the correct way to taste wine, I’ve also come to understand the inspiration and perspiration involved in opening a business.
Most importantly, I’ve learned how the small business sector is underserved when it comes to customer-focused marketing efforts and CRM technologies. Imagine my surprise when my husband’s rep for Microsoft’s Retail Management System, a POS software, seemed startled when he inquired about CRM-related functionality, saying no one ever asks about such features. In fact, I don’t think the rep had even intended to bring it up. It helps that my husband is married to someone who writes about such topics. In addition, my husband also threw the website developer a curveball when he asked about investing in search engine optimization and adding blogging functionality to the site.
This story serves as only one small example, but it might indicate a kink in the marketplace. I think the challenge going forward, then, is for vendors to better educate their VARs and selling partners for small businesses, as well as their customers, about the benefits of customer-focused and automated technology to effectively manage their businesses and create steady streams of profit through loyal customers.
Opening Off the Vine has given me a new-found respect for small business owners as well as a yearning to convey to them what enterprises have come to understand long ago about the benefits of implementing customer loyalty strategies.
I'm excited to begin our own marketing journey to building life-long customers, but even more thrilled to be first in line to test the product.
Art, I'd love to chat with one of those SMBs about its in-house solution. Are you willing to send me the names of any?
Thanks for the well wishes!
It is a shame that SMB's are snuffed by CRM providers. Mila, to your point - the SMB segment is an underserved market that requires immediate attention from solution providers based on the unique CRM needs and the explosiveness of the market. As a result, many SMB's are developing an in-house CRM solution to meet their specialized needs.
Congrats to you & your hubby opening Off the Vine! I am sure it will be a major success!!!
Not sure where to point the source of that disconnect. VARS on one hand should take on the challenge of not being a "siloed" provider and be able to see the whole picture and not just a spot solution. Vendors on the other hand also should play a part in providing their VARS with all solutions that touch such as a POS solution to a CRM solution for instance.
I have seen first hand the lack of knowledge involving the total life cycle and how each touch point matters.
SMB's should also take the time to map out their business strategy and the soup to nuts process with their customers forcing the VARS to know all of their business and not just one component.
It goes back to the mistake of focusing strictly on technology and not the all important people and process aspect.
As a Technology Manager in the SMB space - I have been wondering that for far too many years :-)
I sincerely hope attention from folks such as yourself that it will begin to change!
Regards