I don’t have a single phone book in my house.  I don’t subscribe to any newspapers.   Local small businesses definitely try to get my attention in other ways. I am mostly annoyed by companies that put magnets on or tape fliers to my mailbox, not called to action.  The worst are those that put fliers in plastic sandwich bags with a few stones and toss them onto my driveway. Really? That is how you want to get my attention?

Long ago, in a small town it was easy for a proprietor of a small business to let his/her customers know what goods or services they provided. Everyone in the town passed by the shop window or come in to visit.  And because everyone talked to everyone else, even if Jane didn’t know Bob could sharpen her knives at his hardware store, when she bemoaned her dull kitchenware to Sarah, SHE was able to tell Jane that Bob had the answer to her problem.

In her blog post Back Noise is so 1880′s Diana Baldwin likens online social media outlets to the local store where everyone gathered and shared information and gossip. I think that is an interesting analogy.

So if there is no local store and no yellow pages and no one reads a news paper, how do you as a business owner get my attention, especially at the all important time when I NEED YOUR SERVICE?  Like when I had to have my fence repaired?  Or when my oven quit working?  Or when my basement is flooded?

I have come to the point in my life where I want to find goods and services online, preferably with local companies. In addition, I want as many of my interactions with these companies to be, you got it, online. This is a problem for small businesses and it is a problem that will only get worse.   After me is a generation that has been brought up completely in a digital world; together we will insist on doing everything online.   We will require more than a brochure-ware website and email address that isn’t monitored. We will require that you do business online.  Completely.

I can hear you now. You are saying “I am in the relationship business and the Internet is so impersonal”. Or “I am in business to serve those in my neighborhood, not folks around the world, so why do I need to take the Internet seriously?”. Or even “All the technology is so expensive, it can’t be cost effective.”.

Right now lots of people use the Internet as a replacement for the phone book. We use it as mechanism for asking others for recommendations for goods and services.  We use it to shout out our wants and needs to any service provider that is listening.  The businesses that know and take advantage of this will prosper in the future.

What does this mean to a small business?

• It means, of course, that you have a website and use (and check) email. It means that I have to easily find your website. If I don’t know the name of your company I am going to search for “Atlanta appliance repair” – will your website show up?

• It means that if there is a local business finder site I will be using it. There are several of these around the country – are you on yours? Does it link to your website and have accurate contact information, at a minimum?  Have you proactively enlisted the help of your raving fans to make sure that there are good reviews on it?
• It means that you need to know what your customer does online. Do they Twitter in frustration because their oven doesn’t work? Do they look at recommendations on local business finder sites or Yelp or any other site? Do they become fans of companies on Facebook?
• It means that businesses need to be prepared to deal with leads that come from online channels and to reciprocate by serving customers online. Based on the needs and wants of your customers, your company needs the processes and systems to transact as much as possible online. Someone needs to respond to their emails and be available to chat. You should consider providing online methods for setting up an appointment, providing quotes, paying invoices, and responding to customer service needs.

None of this is new. Your competitors will be doing this soon, if they aren’t already.  Are you ready?