4/29/2003
Use High-Tech Buzz & Create Opportunities
By Wendy Spreenberg, Site REsolutions Real Estate Consulting
Challenging: now there’s a word to describe our present circumstances. But circumstances don’t make the business, we do. We are likely in a dilemma between keeping up with the latest technology that our client base really needs while ensuring that we aren’t over-committing.

“If we build it, they will come” doesn’t always apply. Sometimes we must wait for sufficient demand in order to justify supplying the technology.

To get you off the fence, I have put down some thoughts to review all the high-tech BUZZ and tried to make some direct application to a revenue OPPORTUNITY for you. Finally, all the BUZZ and OPPORTUNITY go nowhere without planning for measurement of your results. I’ve indicated measurement areas for you at the end of this article.

Some of the latest high-tech buzz and revenue opportunities:

BUZZ: Wi-fi – new wireless capabilities - allowing Road Warriors to access the Internet from anywhere there is wireless capability.
OPPORTUNITY: provide wireless network cards to your clients with a nominal markup. You may also be able to work with the clients on the installation side – additional services for additional revenue.
BUZZ: Web conferencing services – technology that is cost-effective for conducting multi-site presentations and meetings. There is strong technology making it more streamlined and synced to the oral presentation and it is less expensive than video-teleconferencing.
OPPORTUNITY: Contact OBCAI Central for preferred vendors and ask for references from other members using this terrific technology. OBCAI’s own Virtual College Webinars are conducted using this web conferencing capability, and for those who have participated – this is a wonderful tool! (For further information, see the article in this newsletter titled Audio and Web Conferencing New OBCAI Benefit)For example: We are able to cross multiple time zones and create multi-lingual presentations from the original – all in sync with the presentation as it happens!
BUZZ: Intranet – specifically designed for your client base. Password protected site to share information among users.
OPPORTUNITY: Sharing of general and “welcome” information, how to use center services, news about the city, event postings at no charge to clients, leading to...
OPPORTUNITY: Subscription-only “chat” group (you will want to limit discussion options to a menu of 4 general categories), showcasing a particular client for the month in an “introduction” that your center has written about the client. Nominal subscription fee to clients allows only those most interested to participate in the chat, but the “intro” is the selling point.
OPPORTUNITY: Special articles of interest (link to your local chamber?) written by your clients featuring a specialized topic tied to their business. You may also choose to invite vendors to write/post articles to the site, in exchange for a one-time fee. Vendors may then pay a monthly subscription, enabling them to post a hotlink to the vendor’s website.
Per Troy Fabish’s, Big Bang Low Bucks webinar presentation, through the OBC Virtual College committee - remember to measure measure measure results! To know how you are doing, you have to keep score!

What to measure:
how many vendors subscribe to the list each month?
how many clients opt in/out of intranet subscription “chat” each month?
solicit for and track any testimonials from clients/vendors who have increased awareness or closed new business as a result of any of the new contacts made through the intranet, ability to go wireless, or due to enabling web conferencing and, with permission post the testimonials to your website.
So, take the challenge! Use this time to seek out new opportunities in what may be a new direction for you. Don’t let circumstances control your business choices – the center is you, your staff, your clients. Create your own BUZZ and make OPPORTUNITY!