Advancements in technology have always confounded those who were well acquainted with the status quo. However, what would life be like today if there were no early adopters of computer technology?



We would likely find reports constructed on a typewriter complete with whiteout marks. We would find a hand written ledger that would manage the accounting side of a business and we would find all correspondence with customers and business associates being done face-to-face, by phone or through letters.

Cell phones would not be used, video conferencing would be the stuff of sci-fi and many opportunities would be largely missed.

As technology changes we need to learn to harness what positives we can from the process in order to maximize potential earnings. For instance technology has simplified the art of communication. In a business-to-business scenario it is possible to make immediate contact through instant messaging with associates around the world. Email blasts can happen with short notice and total connection time is reduced in some cases by days.

If time is money then computer technology has the ability to save business owners a lot of money. We have product to move, time on our hands and we need the ability to drive sales NOW.

The concepts we have come to use regularly in online business were developed by computer geeks we all made fun of many years ago when they huddled in high school computer labs writing code for things we thought were irrelevant. Today these men and women command our respect because they bought into a bigger picture we couldn't see.

So as the methods of business change so, too, does business. In many cases the storefront has been abandoned in favor of an office at home. The role of business has been relegated to the imagination of the business owner. There are rules, but there is more flexibility and innovation than many have previously experienced.

Online business has abandoned the notion that only the rich and powerful can create business. The Internet has brought a sense of business equality to the masses and this notion is being embraced far and wide.

In many cases the delivery side of business remains unchanged, but the execution of business and the development of clients has seen a radical departure from even twenty years ago.

There has to be an understanding that the methods of business will change, but the end result still needs to be a successful business.

Marketing skills will need to be adapted or newly developed for an online environment. We won't have the opportunity for face-to-face sales so high pressure techniques may need to be set aside for the sake of improved consumer response.

Where once customers could simply ask us for advice on a product or service now we must be proactive and deliver quality information before they even ask. We do that online through ezines, ecourses and email.

In many cases the consumer demands more of ecommerce and we need to be prepared to give it to them. The cyber pool is much larger than a local storefront so treat it with all the respect you might give a five star hotel. If you treat it that way chances are pretty good your customers will think of it more highly as well.