The perils of a small business marketing collateral

Things are quite different when you are a small company and you are looking forward to pitch to clients that are quite bigger than any business that you have ever done before. In this post I am going to point out my 3C test that has to be part of your marketing collaterals in order to maximize your efforts

3C stands for the three most important and obvious things that your client wants from you. These are so obvious that one can rather take them for granted and miss the opportunity.

Credibility: Have you done such things before. Whats your track record. Are there any known client stories that you have already worked on.
Competency: Can you do the stuff. Are you comfortable with the required technology
Completeness: Can you provide me solutions for all my needs for present and future. Do you have plans to scale up with my demands of future after I implement your present solutions.

For a small business, one needs to comprehensively answer these 3Cs throughout their communication with the client. i.e through their online presence as well as in their client presentations. Just ask these 3 questions honestly to your self before you get into the market.

1. How am I going to show that I am credible
2. How will my client believe in my competency over others
3. How am I going to show my completeness in terms of providing end to end implementation.

These 3 Cs are a benchmark for you when you plan to meet a new client or make a plan for your future marketing communication. Always make sure that your efforts pass the 3C questionnaire satisfactorily. Spare a thought or two on these obvious factors before every client communication opportunity.

Why Linkedin will push job search sites out of business

Yesterday I was filling a web form to apply for a position in an organization. Those same questions and those long answers to write every time. ' What additional information would you like to add'? Had it been 6 months back, I would have to spend an hour or so, weaving a story around my experience and success but today I had a prompt and succinct reply to it. I just wrote

'Please refer to my linkedin profile at http://in.linkedin.com/in/ayushj
to get a more holistic view about my capabilities'. That’s it. No more stories, no more fear to miss on a important point . Linkedin does that all.

I have been using Linkedin since quite a while. To express how much it amazes me with its power I will refrain myself to just one adjective - Disrupter. As Friedman's flat world evolves to 2.0 version (just like technologies increment in numeric each time to indicate improvisation), and continues to break convictions, market disrupters continue to break and make the shape of the industries.

The disruption that I am talking about is the same what publishing industry is facing today when surge in online reading habits mean falling demand of a age old habit, or what impact growth of Facebook had on Orkut. Although end users have the same product in terms of definition (newspaper or sharing with friends), the packaging and the end user experience creates a large rift. Same is the fate that I predict for job search websites in the next 3 years. Linkedin will just change the present business of job search via internet and may even push job search sites out of business even sooner if strategic steps in the right direction are not taken by these companies.

Today its no hidden secret that potential employers go through your Linkedin/Facebook page before hiring, but still people tend to ignore what could become their greatest weapon in their quest for job. Imagine you missed to elaborate on one of your success stories during the job interview, the same can be illustrated in a dazzling manner on your linkedin page. Success has always been and will always be about communicating the best information in the most succinct, convenient and presentable manner. Hence job web portals going out of business seems obvious

Linkedin gives you everything that you always wished your job search site to deliver on your free account- credibility, contacts, extra information, customizable search that can filter out companies for you and above all a platform to showcase your expertise to your potential employer.

So if you are one of those who are wondering about how to get through the boardline numbers of a company and reach the HR, or how to add more pitch points in a single mail to the potential employer then these are must to do immediate steps.

Sign up on Linkedin, complete and embellish your profile with recommendations, achievements and participation on groups. Join groups of your interest, Follow companies and people who you think could be of help and start forwarding your Linkedin profile link in your signature.

While we sit at the advent of Jobs 3.0 market (1.0 being before the advent of internet, 2. 0 was before social networking phenomenon and 3.0 is beyond 2010 when social networking gets serious). Lets take advantage of it, before it becomes too common to benefit!!

Edit on 29/09/2010- Another nail in the coffin of job sites. Linkedin introduces job board as an added facility to all groups. Now can job sites do other other way round. Make their job portals like Linkedin..NO!!

Initially I had said 3 years, changes should be apparent earlier.