The Power To Change Anything

Local Local Local – How to increase the bottom line…

What’s all the hubbub about local, cloud computing, social media, and the web? It is all about increasing the bottom line.

Why are so many searches going local? Simply put, many people are looking for products and services that are close to where they live and do business. Not only for ease of proximity but if they are ordering any products or services online they either want to go pick it up themselves or simply keep the shipping costs down. It’s really that simple.

There isn’t an industry out there that couldn’t benefit from the scalability of the cloud… especially if implemented within the parameters of an online marketplace. But again, the paradigm must shift from business first, products and services second… and trying to compete alone in the vast Cloud. There is strength in numbers where a pool of local small businesses can create a much bigger pie. Merchants must learn to step out of the way of the sale and let the transactions happen organically. Consumers want what they want and they want it immediately. Scalability really is a key factor in the consumer experience. If the product or service doesn’t exist for them (because of a lack of scale), they simply move on. All of us as web users have the attention spans of gnats. The great e-tailers embrace this and use it as a competitive advantage when providing their services and products on the web.

The “Great Equalizer” for small businesses is to market their products and services in a collective process using the cloud, thinking local with search engine optimization, and to transmute an electronic brochure or yellow page web site to increase revenues and to increase the bottom line. Walking the walk is harder than talking the talk. Using simplicity, speed, and spontaneity in a revenue model can covert skeptics into powerful opinion leaders and influencers through social motivation.

The real trick here is Google. Google is for all intents and purposes in complete control of the merchants’ and shoppers’ destiny. There is definitely some competition, but for the most part, if people want to find anything they go to Google.com first. Which means merchants should do the same. (at least in terms of getting their products and services found). You don’t even need to know how (the technology) works; you do it for your bottom line.

The Skeptic Conversion Model

Still a skeptic? Read on… (true story)

When we first came to present our marketplace system to local merchants’ business associations in Auburn, California (www.Auburn-Marketplace.com), there were plenty of skeptics. One old-school merchant in particular asked many great questions, but was determined to hate the web and anything tech. So as a direct challenge, we took a few of his products (many of them pricey crystal pieces) and uploaded them into our marketplace system for free. Within two weeks his merchandise was selling… including one of his most expensive pieces (over $ 2300) to a collector in Chicago. (talk about the power of search engine optimization) We sold one of his most expensive pieces on a Sunday… and he wasn’t even open on Sunday.

Needless to say, we have yet another Local Marketplace ™ believer!

The Search:

The Results:

The Marketplace Product Detail:

The PayPal Payment:

Posted in Shopping Local |