ThomasNet performs

For those of you still watching Thomas Register/Net, they have been able to get top listings for a lot of industrial terms, including my keywords. But are people using the site? Well, in the last week, we've received two bonifide 'hot' leads from their site. The prospects used TN's ability to send out an RFQ to multiple vendors.

Being number 2 can be better...and more profitable

One of my favorite finds last year was a post at Origins of Brands Blog that told how being the number-two in a market means positioning different from the leader. This article I found at the Max Blumberg's Positioning Game Blog is an example of HP doing just that, and looking for higher profitability as a result.

HP: How being second can be more profitable

Recent evidence, however, suggests that market share is not necesarily good for profits. In general you are better off meeting many needs in a smaller market than meeting only a few needs in a larger market.

Business.com is filtering click-fraud...but wow!

I complained a couple months ago about Business.com hammering me with click-fraud. I called them to complain (to deaf ears), but clicks did drop dramatically, so I decided to let things ride.

When I was looking at my site stats for December, I was ready to hit the roof. Business.com was the top referring domain, even over Google! One product page in particular jumped dramatically in traffic. Seething, I hit my account on their website to find me billed for only about 6% of those click-thrus.

It is good to see them filtering the click-fraud, but the activity is throwing off my tracking. The heavy traffic shows they have a big problem to deal with. But, busy guy that I am, I will let my account continue to be active.

Types of CRM users

As we've been using Goldmine CRM for a month, I've been able to observe how different people interface with the software, and technology in general. Here's a summation:

• Power-user: One who wants to make the most of the tool they've been given and are willing to explore its capabilities. Symptom: "I think I screwed something up." Thankfully, I'm not the only one.
• Power-ignorant: Those who use the software, but aren't aware how the software is there to benefit them and make their lives earlier. Symptom: "I didn't know you could do that."
• Power-less: Those who simply don't understand what to do. Most likely these are field salespeople somehow. Symptom: "Can you show me that again?"
• Power-trip: One who understands the software and its capability but takes short-cuts or does it the old way. Symptom: "I'll figure that out later."

A customer story

I had a new customer order a couple of our units just before New Years. The equipment needed an option installed, and because of the holiday and subsequent year-end inventory, we couldn’t ship it last week as he desired. I had been trying to keep him informed but getting the equipment out was out of my hands. Friday our shipping manager sent the customer an email telling him his units would ship on Tuesday. We received emails in response after 5pm on Friday asking for expedited delivery.

Monday morning at 9am, unannounced, his lab manager showed up in our lobby asking for his equipment! He had rented a pick-up and drove up from Maryland to Michigan over the weekend. He inferred from the email that the equipment was ready, and we were just waiting for a regular pick-up on Tuesday, when in fact we still had to prep for shipment. The shipping manager and I were both talking to him, and we knew that we couldn’t commit to getting the equipment ready. We also both knew that it wouldn’t be smart to get the person who could commit in front of him (and there were no other authority figures available for him or us to appeal to).

He said he would just wait for his equipment. So, we asked him to have a seat in a conference room while we investigated our options. “While your waiting, can I get you a cup of coffee or something?” I asked. “No, I just want my equipment,” he replied, thin-lipped. Is this guy going to sit in this room all day, I wondered.

Once I was able to tell him the equipment would be ready later, I was able to break the ice. We sent him off in search of loading straps while he waited. After lunch, we had his equipment on his pick-up truck. By the time he pulled away, he was all smiles and very thankful for all our help.

How to get "up north" on Google

My Google AdWords used to occationally earn the coveted "up north" position (above, not on the right) on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) but recently have been pushed down to an average of #5. But I don't think I've updated my CPC (Cost Per Click) in three years.

So, how do you get to the top listing? This post by a Google representative explains it very clearly:
Search Engine Watch Forums -- Top position? Impossible?

Here are two basic facts worth knowing:

• Rank number = Max CPC x CTR. Thus Max CPC and CTR have equal weight
• Ads go to the top when they have met an additional performance standard, which focuses on the relevance of the ads to our users...This is measured by CTR.

There is additional discussion from people in the forum about this information but no one discussed how to boost CTR (Click Thru Rate). And the only way I can think of doing so is to improve your ad. Once again, I haven't touched my AdWord ad in years. I think the only way to do this is by adding gimmicky copy. Right now, I have a couple promotions starting that I could list in my ad which would boost CTR. And afterall, isn't click-thrus why we are using AdWords?

My old guard unit ships out

Off-topic. Just wanted to share that my old National Guard unit, the 3/126th Infantry is shipping out of Michigan to Fort Dix to get ready for duty in Iraq.

I was a truck driver and later worked with ammo supply. It's been almost eight years since I dropped out of the NG, and I'm sure the unit has changed a lot since. Should I feel glad that I quit or like I cheated them? Either way, my spirit is with them and so are my prayers.

How to save the shrinking trade magazine

I was talking with someone today about the shrinking size of trade publications. This time the subject was Laboratory Equipment, which was 24 pages and 26 advertisers (5 full page).

So it was interesting to find an editorial in the new Circuits Assembly (pdf) acknowledging the shrinking magazine. What Mike Buetow lamented is that as ad-pages shrink, so does editorial content, only further diminishing his magazine's relevance. But this is a guy with a plan...

First, he makes a rather bold step in saying..."wouldn't (readers) be best served if we packaged each issue as if they paid for it?"

Then he creates an action plan to cram more content into his magazine by providing abbreviated content that continues online. This actually gives him the freedom to publish longer articles and provide more data. This creates room to address more of his nine key technology areas each month. He echos what I've said is the continuing job of trade publications: "Our role is to act as a filter, screening the noise from what's truly crucial."