Who’s wasting time on the Web?
In a recent survey the CMI reported that 'cyber cynicism' was hindering engineering companies. Employers were failing to capitalise on the business benefits offered by new technology. The Chartered Management Institute report confirms a long held view that Internet policing is getting in the way of product development and that the vast majority of employers in engineering view the web as a “massive timewaster” Well it's true isn't it?...more
The Web/Internet is evolving and does take up a lot of time, that much is true, what isn't true is the suggestion that the web is not an important part of future business. Because it is.
As a marketing man much of my time is absorbed in looking for cost efficient ways of delivering client messages to their potential customers. Often I am faced with specialist markets and an array of people from users to choosers, to budget holders and ultimate decision makers. As we all know spending money gets more complicated the larger the sum and therefore the more members of a team become involved.
For me the Internet is the ultimate carrier of messages, it will convey pictures, data and ideas swiftly and cost effectively. Nothing else comes close. Not only can a complete sales pitch be directed to a particular individual it can also be placed on the web to be found on a 'search' conducted by those seeking such products/services. It's no different to leaving an expensive brochure on the corner of an even more expensive exhibition stand. Except it costs much less.
Younger managers have of course been brought up with Internet access and treat it as a part of their lives, both private and professional. It is hardly surprising that employers are sometimes described as dinosaurs by frustrated young people. Now the crunch. Who's wasting time on the web and who is using it well? The answer to this comes as a company embraces the opportunities if offers, how it structures the way an organisation accesses the web and the reasons for doing so. This is a management mind set.
The Internet may well prove to completely revolutionise the way business is done. As competing businesses develop they continually cross borders for better services, improved manufacturing, cheaper raw materials and better value for a given spend. They also search to increase their markets and a seek opportunities that offer growth and future advantage. If the web delivers all this it is not 'best practice' to treat it with scepticism.
The development of products and services is directly parallel to the needs and demands of the marketplace, a marketplace that searches and questions everybody and everything that is relevant to their needs. The Web has become a source of answers for these people. Learning what questions are being asked is the first step to developing new products, new sales angles and new markets. The last important bunch of cynics was the Luddites and we all know where it got them. Maybe the answer to the question at the top of the page is – nobody.
Mike Farmers, Verso Marketing.
Headed up Blaze, the second largest specialist agency in the UK, he moved on in '99 to launch a new product and a new brand into Europe, establishing a network of distributors. Today he assists SME's to grow their businesses effectively and cost efficiently.
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