Selling to small businesses is damn hard. Here’s How.
seancoleman.net
seancoleman.net
About your article, "preferably even giving a call" - I've struck this one, and it cost me my job. Backstory: I'm hearing impaired, applied for a job at a small business as a PHP-dev and I spent about 40 hours working on planning the architecture for the system etc, then a few days later my friend who got the job with me, gets a phone call to tell me "not to come back to the office" because "I can't call him" ;( I can do everything else absolutely fine, e.g. email, listening, talking, conversing... and I never got paid either!
Maybe I dodged a bullet there, because my friend would get calls all the time, about random shit so he'd end up talking for hours (without pay).
TL;DR Small business owners can be evil
The observations up front apply to people in general, not just small business owners. People are busy, impatient, prideful, etc.
The recommendations are similarly lightweight. Be attentive, be nice, be patient. K, thx.
"someone who organizes a business venture and assumes the risk for it"
so small businesses are run by entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur has to go down in history with "irony", "literally" and "physically" as being the most misused words in modern English.
Small business owners are always concerned about revenue. Always. They know there are 2 ways to solve almost any small business problem: (a) Work like hell on 42 different things, or (b) Add sales. Find a way to show them new orders and you will get their attention.
Small business owners often feel like they must defeat someone else in order to win (whether it's true or not). Always leave a little wiggle room in price or terms so that they can enjoy the feeling of a victorious negotiation.
Small business owners appreciate simplicity. Confuse them with technology or jargon and they will move on to something they understand better.
Small business owners understand the importance of other people in their business. Show them that you do too and that will go a long way toward your credibility.
Every small business owner has a few pet peeves that drive them nuts. It might be the outrageous cost of something or how difficult it is to get something done. Discover and solve these things and you could go far.
Small business owners are especially sensitive to bullshit. If you're a poser, save yourself the trouble and move along.
Small business owners often have a bigger "real mission" for being in business. Find out what that is and help them achieve it. They will really appreciate you for that.
(in the context of the article)
A startup is a new venture which is trying to become a business.
Read drucker's "innovation and entrepreneurship" - he clearly describes the difference. Infact if you read this one book, you can skip every other business book including "4 steps to the epiphany", . It's incredible that his book was written in 1985!