More and more companies have discovered the vein of the self-employed, the SME and the entrepreneur as a customer. Not surprisingly, it represents almost 95% of the Spanish business fabric. It is a public with common features, similar needs and problems that require a solution.
It is not yet a general trend, but there are those who have already known how to detect them and make a differentiated offer for them. We wanted to know first-hand what those who are its main suppliers think of this segment of the population. These are their common traits:
- You misjudge your expenses. It is a group that, in addition, searches, compares and analyzes all the proposals that are put on the table and it takes a long time to decide to hire a service or buy a product. At the same time, it does not carry out a rigorously rational analysis of its expenses. According to Francisco Escanellas, general director of Expense Reduction Analysts, a company specialized in cost reduction, “it is difficult for them to identify if they are buying the product or service they really need or if they buy what the supplier sells them and they do not bother to analyze whether that same service or product can be better used ”.
- Lack of control in your purchases. Related to the above, the lack of time prevents the self-employed and the SME from allocating time to better organize their time and purchases and it is common to find in this group a concern to save in what is the heart of their business, neglecting the section which would be included in what is generically called general expenses.
“It is common to find the owners of a restaurant analyzing a lot what they spend on the products that they are going to put on the table and, nevertheless, neglecting the expense in laundry. Or those who look at spending on heating with a magnifying glass and then leave their computers on all night, ”says the coordinator of Financiera Activa, Domingo González, as an example.
WHAT CONDITIONS YOUR PURCHASES?
Although we are talking about a heterogeneous segment, it is true that the selection criteria (not their decisions) of SMEs and the self-employed are quite similar.
- Functionality. "It is not enough to offer good products to SMEs, but it is necessary to explain to them how they can apply these products to their businesses and how it can benefit them," acknowledges Elba Fernández-Novoa, director of the Unmanaged Channel of Microsoft's SMEs division.
- Business profit. They are not sensitive to technical arguments, but to those that explain to them how a product, an application or a service improves their profitability or is going to facilitate the way of doing things. This argument is especially significant when it comes to hiring technology, information technology and communications. "In a recent study, the 38% highlighted that the main barrier for SMEs and freelancers when it comes to acquiring technological solutions is the ignorance of what they are buying for," says Francisco Ojea, manager of the Everis consulting firm.
- Easy to use. They do not want to depend on third parties to manage their business, so they want any product they buy or hire to be easy to apply to their business and even easier to use. In technological applications, for example, "they prefer those that they can install themselves and that are very intuitive, than better ones, but more complex," says Rodrigo Gallardo, Product Manager at Goldmine.
- All in one. They are looking for a global supplier to solve all their problems in each area of activity. In other words, if they hire a telephone provider, they prefer that the same provider provide their fixed telephony, mobile and Internet. And exactly the same happens with consultancies or agencies, and with companies that offer them technological services.
- Comfort. It is not very proactive when it comes to looking for its suppliers. They often hire the courier services around the corner because it is the closest one, or buy the pencils at the bookstore next door, not realizing that they can save costs by ordering larger orders at specialty stores.
- Price question. This is one of the basic selection arguments for entrepreneurs. According to Jorge Casals, founder of Haztuenvío.com, the first thing all his potential clients ask him is: "How much is it going to cost me?"
Source
entrepreneurs.es
Isabel garcia mendez
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