Re: SMB Linux approaches?
DV Henkel-Wallace <[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | gmane.comp.misc.free-software-business |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
On 19 Mar, 2004, at 16:02, Karsten M. Self wrote: > I'm preparing materials for approaching SMBs for GNU/Linux-related > services. ... > Interested in what others are doing in this space. I'd also like to > know / share ideas on pitching GNU/Linux.... > The [brochure] front is "What can Linux and Free Software do for > your Small /Medium-Sized Business". I would talk with some of your potential customers and show them the brochure. See how they feel about it. They'll generally say "oh, that looks good" but if you ask a few questions they may give you something more insightful. The one thing that jumped out at me is "your Small /Medium-Sized Business". I don't know how many people think of themselves as having a "small/medium-sized business." They have a dry cleaning store / nail salon / insurance agency / restaurant / consignment store / steel shop / nuclear-weapons-manufactory (OK, maybe not the last one). If they don't think the right way (or alternatively: think they fit in but don't) you're not going to connect with the customer. This is one of the reasons there are so few products aimed at the SMB sector: they're so hard to reach. Whom _are_ you trying to address?