Change is inevitable. Most business-to-business firms have done well over the change from a brick and mortar business entity to having some degree of dot com ability; and most have discovered that the high-touch of the traditional business works just a bit better than dot com. The challenge is in answering the question: “How do I not just survive, but how do I grow in this dot com world?”

You have prided yourself as being a top-notch sales-oriented firm, delivering the best products for the lowest price to your business customers. Now one of your competitors, making or distributing essentially the same product, has been gaining share in the market at your expense by telling customers they are "different" from you because they offer dot com in a way you don’t. This just isn't true. You offer essentially the identical product at a similar price, and you have a dot com order system probably just as good (or as ineffective) as they. What recourse do you have?

CHANGE HORSES
Yes, the current might sweep you away if you change horses in mid-stream, and that’s more-or-less what the myopic view of changing to a dot com business is turning out to be. On the other hand, changing from a sales-oriented firm to a marketing-oriented firm and including some of the dot com is more like going back to the shore and discovering a ferry two miles downstream!

Chances are, your sales oriented firm has been focusing on getting customers to select, buy, and pay for products you and your competitors already mutually offer. Most often, the tactic used is price, stocking, or delivery. We suggest you change your focus to a marketing orientation; focusing first on what current and potential customers want or need, and then on providing these products and services at competitive prices with outstanding service. The outstanding service part is critical. Without it you’re just another supplier. With it, you are the preferred supplier. This does not mean you can ignore the dot com part of your business; it just means you absolutely must find a better way of satisfying your customer, and that includes changing focus from sales to marketing.

The five interrelated steps to accomplish the transition from a sales firm to a marketing firm include researching your customer base, determining your distinctive competitive advantages, modifying your products and services where necessary, communicating the distinctions to your present and potential customer base, and most critical, changing from a supplier to a helper.

ASK YOUR CUSTOMER
It's amazing! All you have to do to discover what your customers want from you is to ask them! In one-on-one interviews (preferably conducted by your senior management), ask your major customers what benefits they get from your products or services. Listen for key words such as faster, cheaper, larger, better storage, more attractive, and other "buy" words. If you don't seem to be getting many words of praise, swallow your pride and try asking your customer what benefits they would like to receive from you no matter what it would take on your part. If you want the truth, try a question similar to this: “What can we do to help you enhance your business, make a better product at a better profit, and provide more satisfaction to your customer?”

COMPARE
Make two side-by-side lists. The first list should contain all of the distinctive "buy" or "want" words identified in your customer survey. The second list should show features of your products and services that address the customer needs and wants in the first list. Don’t play games … if you don’t have it, don’t fake it. By the way, you don’t need to hire a survey firm to design a multi-question survey that no one fills out; you need to ask questions! Ask lots of questions!

CHANGE HORSES
It’s inevitable that you are going to discover areas of customer wants and needs not addressed by your products or services. They may be price related or dot com related; but chances are they are people and procedure related. Right now is the time to correct these deficiencies. Your immediate choices for product or service additions and expansions may be limited; but in the long run you are going to have to supply what is wanted and needed or forever lose your customers to competition.

COMMUNICATE
You now have a list of wants and needs and a corresponding list of requested product or service features that meet these needs and wants. Get busy and develop an action plan to solve the problems. Don’t do this alone, use the loyal part of your customer base as a sounding board by keeping in constant communication as you proceed. Test and evaluate, then test and evaluate again.

FOLLOW THROUGH
This is the tough one. You’ve actually got to do something. As you come up with great ideas that actually work and that you can afford to implement, let your entire customer base know what is coming and when. A newsletter would be an excellent vehicle for this. Don’t promise anything you cannot deliver, and don’t try to snow your customer. Your competitor is watching.

Paul Tulenko is a Small Business Success Consultant based in New Mexico. Additional tips and suggestions are available at www.tulenko.com or call (toll-free) 1-866-TULENKO.