web searches

a tip for selling to businesses

One of the great aspects of the Internet is its ability to let you make connections with a variety of companies and people in a relatively short period of time. Search engine technologies also enable you to brainstorm ideas that may lead you to companies and people that are good prospects for what you sell.

To do this, first identify a list of terms that are associated with your product and service. Think broadly here. Try to identify as many words, phrases, ideas, and concepts as possible. You’re going to let the logic of the search engine identify what seems to be relevant to those terms.

Next, conduct searches on these terms using a web search engine. Your purpose is to see what companies, associations, documents, or discussion boards are associated with the search terms. Also, pay attention to the advertisers when you conduct these searches. The advertisers could be new competitors to research further as described in tip #29.

Then, follow the links to see what new companies, directories or listings are available, and which are potential prospects for you.

You can get started at popular search engines, such as:

AOL
Ask.com
Google
MSN
Yahoo

Note that the companies listed as a “sponsored link” in a web search have paid for their placement and exposure for the keyword search.

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