Within a small business, the primary decision maker is usually the owner or manager—a person who is primarily focused on customers and cash flow and who doesn’t generally want to think about technology.

So if you want to get new technology incorporated into a small business environment, how do you convince the owner?

The small business owner’s software purchases are influenced by:

• Fixing current pain points in the business
• Price
• Trust
• Compatibility with existing systems and noticable performance improvements

STEP 1 - Understand what influences the decision-maker and their approach to technology.

IT Light
Technology is not considered important and is used only when necessary. This group tends to buy based on price, upgrading only after several years.

IT Basic
Technology is somewhat important, and is used as a tool to save time on certain tasks. Technology isn’t seen as something that can set the company apart from competitors.

IT Dependent
Technology is critical, and is often used to manage information exchanged with vendors and customers. This group tends to have a larger investment in IT, but the business is conscious of this as a cost. They typically balance each technology investment against its potential return.

IT Strategic
Technology is very important, and is seen as a strategic asset used to help the company expand and develop. “Leading edge” is part of how these companies position themselves, and they use technology to stay ahead, proactively seeking to get the most out of the latest technology advancements.

STEP 2 – Know their personality types and characteristics to help define your approach. Each of the four small business segments have specific characteristics that help to define their needs and goals:

	IT Light	IT Basic	IT Dependent	IT Strategic
Unifying goals	Grow revenue and profit, reduce costs
Business priorities	Increase sales, better manage cash flow	Increase sales, better manage cash flow, enhance marketing efforts	Increase sales, better track costs and billable time, better manage cash flow, enhance marketing efforts	Increase sales, better manage cash flow, enhance marketing efforts, better track costs and billable time
Top purchase factors	Performance, price, compatibility with existing systems	Performance, trust of software company, compatibility with existing systems	Trust of technology brand and supplier, compatibility with existing systems,performance	Performance, trust of technology brand, concern over security breaches
Business Attitudes	Risk averse	Moderate risk-takers	Moderate risk-takers	Measured risk
IT Attitudes	IT not integral	IT tool to get job done	IT is essential to running business	IT is strategic and a competitive advantage
Type of message to deliver	Focus on how IT can improve life of owner/manager. Focus on appealing to owner/manager needs.	Be straightforward: What benefit will new IT provide? How much does it cost? Where do I buy? What if I don’t like it?	Focus on improving business processes and becoming more efficient, automation and interconnection of branches, suppliers, customers, integration of applications useful.	Growth is the key. Appeal to their desire to make money and grow the business. Highlight how benefits outweigh risks. Emphasize leading edge technology solutions to business challenges.

STEP 3 – Align with the profile of your buyer and determine which products have the greatest potential for approval within each of the four segments.

If you are convincing an “IT Light”:
The IT Light segment is least dependent on IT, therefore least likely to spend; technology needs are minimal.

• Microsoft products: Window7, retail POS.
• Additional technologies: Antivirus solution, firewalls, telephony systems and Windows Mobile
• What’s most important to these customers? Gaining new customers (52%) and up-selling existing customers (45%).
• What key business needs must be addressed? “We need to organize tasks better, so we can focus on our customers and the business—not our technology.”
• What’s the next step? “Upgrading to the latest software (Windows 7 and Office 2007 Small Business Edition) can help reduce the time we spend on our technology even further.”

If you are convincing an “IT Basic”:
The IT Basic segment contains the largest percentage of businesses; businesses in this segment want the basics to run their business.

• Microsoft products: Windows 7, retail POS, Office 2007, first server/Network Operating System upgrades such as Windows Small Business Server.
• Additional technologies: Accounting software, antivirus solutions, firewalls, telephony systems and Windows Mobile
• What’s most important to these customers? Gaining new customers (76%) and up-selling existing customers (67%) and protecting their data.
• What key business needs must be addressed? “We need to get more done, more efficiently, so we can please our customers and take the next step in business.”
• What’s the next step? “Jump-starting a more effective business process with a network-based solution (such as Windows Small Business Server) a Web store, intranet, or extranet, so we can please our customers.”

If you are convincing an “IT Dependent”:
The IT Dependent segment’s IT systems are the most complex to engage; they provide high demand for advanced technologies, and upgrades are often driven by customers and suppliers that they connect to electronically.

• Microsoft products: Windows 7, Office 2007, server/Network Operating System upgrades such as Microsoft Windows Server™ or Windows Small Business Server, CRM, ERP, financials.
• Additional technologies: Supply-chain management, CRM, interconnecting branch offices, VPN, broadband, intranet deployment and expansion, line of business applications, antivirus solutions, firewalls, telephony systems and Windows Mobile
• What’s most important to these customers? Gaining new customers (88%), up-selling existing customers (79%), tracking costs/time (66%), cash flow (64%) and protecting their data.
• What key business needs must be addressed? “We need to implement line-of-business and vertical industry solutions to operate efficiently and compete effectively while ensuring the security of our customer data.”
• What’s the next step? “We want to migrate from a proprietary system to a partner solution (such as an Office ERP solution or
  Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains®), so we can update our business to compete effectively.”

If you are convincing an “IT Strategic”:
The IT Strategic segment is most bullish on technology; this segment is willing to invest in technologies that enhance productivity and directly contribute to revenue goals.

• Microsoft products: Windows 7, Office 2007, server/Network Operating System upgrades such as Microsoft Windows Server™ or Windows Small Business Server, CRM.
• Additional technologies: Supply-chain management, CRM, VPN, broadband, intranet deployment and expansion, antivirus solutions, firewalls, telephony systems and Windows Mobile.
• What’s most important to these customers? Gaining new customers (86%), up-selling existing customers (80%), cash flow (75%), protecting their data, marketing (70%), tracking costs/time (69%).
• What key business needs must be addressed? “We need the flexibility to achieve our marketplace vision and seize the opportunity to grow our business.”
• What’s the next step? “We want the best IT solutions for propelling our business forward (Windows Small Business Server, a CRM solution), as long as there’s a good ROI.”

Once you’ve appealed to the core values of the business owner in the context of how they view technology in their business, the case you build for upgading these systems will be much easier.

If you regularly recommend solutions to customers as your primary business, look into obtaining a Microsoft Action Pack Subscription so you can familiarize yourself with the latest software technologies from Microsoft. Microsoft® Action Pack Subscription gives you a year of Microsoft software for just $299.

If you need some basic slides fom others who have convinced owners to upgrade, check out the SlideShare decks here:
http://www.slideshare.net/dphilippi/microsoft-small-business-server-2008 (and see related decks).

And, if you need quick coaching tips on selling and deploying servers in small business, visit HP and Microsoft’s “Coffee Coaching” Facebook community and get bite-sized tips and current promotions. Visit www.facebook.com and search within Groups, or click here.

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