Still trying to figure out how to take more advantage of the web and other related technologies to be more successful in your own private sector or public business? We've identified at least five key components that account for e-business success in our growing list of successful NWC customers who are now leading the pack:

1. Specific: They get specific about the needs of their existing and prospective customers and what it takes marketing-wise, content-wise, technology-wise, and project management-wise to uniquely address those needs.
2. Measurable: They aim for measurable results, and in the right order. They plan on counting real-world contacts, collecting opt-in e-mail addresses, and the amount of quality content they have ready to go for their full-color HTML e-newsletter campaign FIRST, before planning on counting hits and orders from their web site. They understand that success is all very
measurable, correlated and even more predictable if all their ducks are in a row...FIRST!

3. Achievable: They talk with people in the know about what is really achievable now technology-wise on the web smorgasboard - e.g. next-phase e-commerce for retail, wholesale and fund-raising, print-to-web publishing, web television for product/service promotion, online learning, HTML e-Marketing, Act! contact management, better point-of-sale and accounting system integration - as they make and implement their plans.

3. Realistic: At the same time they are realistic about the kinds of diverse skill sets and budget required to grow a successful e-business.The required skills invariably go way beyond mere knowledge of just knowing the technology. Today's more saavy e-business person now realizes that the web is not an "information superhighway" where people just happen to drive by, see your store, drop in, and do tons of business with you. Rather, it's more like a huge swamp with an infinite number of lily pads and a finite number of frogs whose needs and feeding habits all need to be better understood and intelligently addressed if frogs are going to jump on your lily pad and go for the offering there at all. In other words, people will not just do business with you just because you have nice looking web site with advanced functionality on it. Marketing communications understanding and related skill sets is also required.

4.Time-Actuated: Finally, these successful customers all realize that success doesn't happen overnite, but instead has be realized over time via taking quality-controlled steps that all build upon one another. It all has to do with finding the right technology consultant, making a sound business development and technology plan, managing contact information and collecting e-mail addressess, developing the web presence with the appropriate business functionality, developing and quality-managing the entire e-newsletter marketing campaign to promote the e-business venture, and continually "tweaking" and quality-improving all areas of operation through good project management.

This is the "S.M.A.R.T. way" that these more successful customers are going about doing business using technology, just in case you might be wondering how you could be more successful with it too. For more information contact us at: 425-844-8908