Doing the Homework before the Meeting...

[LD]

I'm just wondering if there is a way/source to discover info on Canadian prospects before attending meetings with them. I'm not talking about large companies, companies who have been around for years and years, or companies with existing websites. I'm talking about small businessess and mostly new.

I'd like to use the first meeting as a way of discussing my perception of their business, ask if they concure with my homework and then make suggestions on how I can help. Rather than use the meeting as an info gathering session and then kind of "wing it".

So if there is a source to disclose the type of business, longevity, size of the company etc I'd appreciate the input. Low cost or free is always best (if possible).

[incrediblehelp]

How about this company:

Goliath: Company Profiles, News, Business Reference Information, Lead Generation, Business Contacts

[ornamentlady]

LD, You can try D & B at dnbexpress.ca They, however, provide primarily financial information and generally for larger companies. You could check the Registry office for business registration but that would only give registration date, address and principals. For small and new, I think you need two meetings. The first meeting is to ask questions. Then after you've researched the industry, the principals, competition, etc. meet agian with your proposal.

[TrafficProducer]

For Individuals you may have to check what any legal issue may apply.

In th UK, data protection act, for example.

Sometimes just searching on a persons name can return some results

Google Canada

[Webconomist]

LD; there is no financial reporting required for small businesses in Canada, therefore finding accurate and in-depth information is hard. You can always by a list from a list company; do a search and you'll find them. Some sell by the thousands, others you subscribe for a year and they range in price from $0.50 a lead up to $15K for an annual subscription. You can try D&B, but even then, unless they've paid to be in there, not much will likely be available. D&B is really only useful for bigger businesses ($4M+ in annual revenues.)

You're in an extremely competitive, overfilled, price sensitive space and targeting small businesses means a lot of education time up front. You're competing with 1&1 who offer simple DIY sites for $5 a month. What is your differentiator? Remember, 97% of Canadian businesses have a website, as ugly and so Web 1.0 as they may be!!! Small businesses are very price sensitive.

[LD]

Originally Posted by Webconomist

You're in an extremely competitive, overfilled, price sensitive space and targeting small businesses means a lot of education time up front. You're competing with 1&1 who offer simple DIY sites for $5 a month. What is your differentiator? Remember, 97% of Canadian businesses have a website, as ugly and so Web 1.0 as they may be!!! Small businesses are very price sensitive.

I can appreciate your point. Yes things are very competitive, however 97% of Can business have websites? I am running into small biz owners all the time that haven't gotten into the game yet and another segment with crappy designs done 3-5 years ago or more! Most small biz owners have limited budgets, however, referrals are a good portion of our business. You are also correct with respect to how low priced DIY sites can be, however, you would be surprised at how many people aren't comfortable with the process of building and maintaining their own sites - even through an online wysiwyg interface.

While we offer a database of over 3500 designs (all are PSD's we modify and then slice/dice and convert to HTML) they are far more professional looking than most build-your-own sites which is an advantage. Looking good is what marketing is all about - on the web, in print and on television.

Having said that we will be introducing our own DIY module with some very professional designs - as soon as we increase and reach a specific number of designs available. Fancy menu's, asp coding and database connectivity won't be available - at least with the first release, however the product will be very economical.

Sorry - I have digressed. I have read articles where becoming educated about the business, confirming the research with the owners and then offering a solution at the first meeting can be a very successful approach. Once you leave the meeting to process the info gathered, you are one step closer to the next meeting to present your findings, but not as far ahead as if you can present your solution at the first meeting. I really like that formula.

I was just looking for something on the web that might offer some biz insight - not overly detailed, but something to take to the first meeting - some source perhaps I have overlooked.

[Dubbya]

You can search the Provincial Companies Office databases to find out who's registered the business, where it's located, who the principals are, how long they've been in business, etc.

You can search through Provincial court databases to see if they've been involved in any legal proceedings.
Links to Canadian courts | LegalTree.ca

This is always a long shot, but you can also check them out through the Better Business Bureau in their area.

In addition, Strategis offers free info about any registered company.
Strategis: Canada's Business and Consumer Site

You might simply be best off to use Google to search for information using the company owner's name and see what pops up.

In addition, you can use reverse telephone lookups to find their addresses and Google maps to find out where they're really working out of. If you've got the phone number, you can also Google it to see where else it appears on the web and under what circumstances.
Yellow.ca

In any case, if you can, find out who their present and past clients and/or suppliers are and contact them, you'll find out pretty quickly who it is you're dealing with and what to expect.

I've found that while you may have a tough time getting documents, facts and figures due to privacy concerns, most clients and/or suppliers are quite helpful if you ask them for their personal opinions off the record.

All of this info is free for the taking and every bit as good, if not better, than anything you'd get from a paid source.

Good Luck

[LD]

Thanks for the great info Dubbya. I was surprised how much info on the web is tied into just a phone number. I never thought to search with that type of search query. I will spend more time looking at some search results of small biz owners I know and some i don't. I originally but briefly looked through strategis and occasionally thought I was on to something, but ran out of time and had to let it go until I have more time - I will have to further investicate that and the other links you suggest. Thanks again!

[ornamentlady]

Hi, Dubbya did a good job of listing sources of possible information. But, the information you can glean about a business without sitting down and talking to the owners is minimal. My backgound is in business (commercial lending and business consulting) and I have operated a small business for fourteen years. I don't agree with the concept that "....you can present your solution at the first meeting." LD, I'm assuming your proposed solution would be a web site package.

I'm looking at it as a small business owner. If I provided you with financial statements, sales breakdowns, etc., I still don't know how you could come up with a proposal geared to my business. You wouldn't know how many products I have, if they are unique, whether I wanted to concentrate on the wholesale market or maybe a certain demographic. There could be potential shipping problems due to nature of goods, size or weight and the list goes on and on. I think you need to work with the potential customer and then make your proposal showing them how you can help them achieve their goals.

To impress your potential customers I suggest going to the meeting armed with a package of information they will likely need. This could include shipping rates, minimum and maximum container sizes, weights, etc. from Canada Post and some courier companies, a list of suppliers of shipping cartons and supplies, beneficial software programs and prices, etc. Just my thoughts for what they may be worth.

[LD]

Good points made ornamentlady. I really didn't mean that I'd expect to have a final proposal at the end of the first meeting. However going into the meeting prepared and at least being able to talk about how I could help them promote their specific products/services and consider some fundamental goals at least gives the impression of being assertively interested in creating a business relationship. Rather than using the first meeting solely for information gathering.

Again, this is the just the first step, but first impressions are most important and this strategy may give the advantage to those who are most the most prepared.

I like your ideas pertaining to shipping, material suppliers and software etc. More homework! :>))