What is B2B?

What is B2B?

B2B stands for Business to Business. B2B e-commerce is the most cost effective way for sellers to reach buyers around the globe.

B2B Marketplace

A Business to Business (B2B) marketplace is an Internet marketplace where exporters, importers, traders, traders, brokers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and other business communities from around the world meet for buying and selling. From meeting the customer to fixing the deals along with the payment is held online with no physical interaction. This is the biggest advantage of a B2B marketplace. So a B2B marketplace is a place where B2B trade is carried on. Visit our Home page to have a look at such a marketplace.

B2B trade

B2B trade includes posting an offer (trade offer) by company to find buyers for their products. This trade offer includes the details of products that a company is offering and is posted. Then an interested buyer replies to this offer and the online B2B trade is completed with payment from the buyer and delivery of the product from the selling company.

B2B Auctions

This is done in the same way as Trade Offers companies post their products to sell them through an Online Auction. Interested buyers place their bids for the product. When the bidding time closes, the buyer with highest bid gets the deal and the Online B2B Auction is completed with the payment from the buyer and the delivery of the product from the company.

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devendra jaiswal (SEO Professional) B2B Blogspace Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Devendra_Jaiswal

Is B2B Selling Different to B2C?

Many of my B2B clients voice the concern that a B2B organization cannot benefit from the same sales, marketing and ultimately copy writing techniques as a B2C organization. Most are already convinced that this is so.

Lately, I've seen a lot written for copywriters on the subject of the B2B market. It's being pushed as a market that provides a nice, steady source of lower key, lower pressure projects. As if it is a less demanding and easier market well suited to those who can't quite make the grade as a B2C direct response writer.

Having been involved in both B2B and B2C sales, marketing and copywriting for more than 20 years, I have made the following observations:

1. The B2B market is different to the B2C market in perception more than in reality. B2B purchasers are still human and are still swayed by human emotions when it comes to making purchasing decisions. The major difference, for the most part, is that B2B organizations have completely underutilized the sales, marketing and copy writing opportunities available to them. They are literally sitting on 'hidden assets'.
2. Although the 'packaging' of sales and marketing messages should be different for the B2B market than they are for the B2C market, the same basic underlying principles apply to both as far as crafting messages, offers and motivations is concerned.
3. Most marketing opportunities in B2B are overlooked - whereas in B2C, every available opportunity is exploited by strong marketers. For instance, most of my B2B clients, prior to working with me, had never looked at printed collateral such as brochures, white papers, annual reports etc as sales opportunities. They were surprised to discover that these low key items present amazing scope to multi-task as strong sales tools if created with that purpose in mind. In my opinion, nothing that is done by a B2B organization should be left unexplored as a possible opportunity to create an additional marketing tool.
4. More B2B sales people resist this type of approach than B2C sales people. For some reason many feel that it threatens their professional image - a fear which is totally unfounded.
5. B2B markets are often less volatile than B2C markets and thus results are correspondingly more difficult to track as they may be spread over a far longer time period. Dips and peaks in the economy affect B2B markets after they affect B2C markets in most cases. However, B2B markets may also recover from dips later than the B2C markets. On the upside, sometimes the lag is long enough that the B2B market passes through this period with far less impact overall, especially if they have been diligent in their marketing efforts before a slow-down happens.

My advice to B2B organizations based on my experience with current clients in this economy is:

1. Examine everything you do from answering the phones to shipping your product - there are usually many ways to promote hidden in every area of your business. If no one else in your industry is making use of these opportunities it simply means they are stuck in a rut. I often find that once my clients begin adopting a new approach, they're quickly followed by others who suddenly awaken to the opportunity.
2. Pay far more attention to staying in touch with, educating and encouraging your customers. Set up an ongoing and consistent communication system immediately. This system can include emails, letters, newsletters, white papers, articles, press releases, interviews and blogs. This list is not finite, there are many other techniques that can be added. My advice is: get one up and running at a time. Make sure it's running smoothly then add the next. Soon you'll have a network of communications strategies working on virtual 'auto pilot'.
3. Create a two way communication system that allows you to tap into your customer's mind to discover what motivates them and what could help them meet their challenges. Position your business as an adviser rather than only a supplier. Make opportunities for your customers to tell you about their challenges and their needs - don't assume that you already know what they are.
4. Find ways to offer better value - whether it's by improving your the product itself or by offering added-value services or additions to the product. Often bundling a combination of products or products and services can provide the edge you need to both keep your customer engaged and stay ahead of the competition.

Following these simple guidelines will help your business pull out of the doldrums and be well positioned to outperform your competition both immediately and long term.

Jackie Cooper
Direct Response Copywriter and Marketing Consultant
http://www.jackiecooperwriter.com

Jackie Cooper is a veteran direct response copywriter and marketing consultant with both B2B and B2C clients. Her goal is to help her client articulate their message in a way that has an immediate positive impact on their bottom line, whether it's using powerful direct response or other proven marketing strategies. Jackie also offers a free initial marketing consultation for those interested in finding out more about ways she can help them improve profitability and positioning in the market. If you'd like to have a free consultation, email her at at the email address you'll find at the blog. You'll find more interesting articles and insights on her blog http://www.jackiecooperwriter.com which also features the video series: "How to write for maximum return."

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How Buyers and Suppliers Gain From B2B Marketplace

Ever growing Business-to-business marketplaces, popularly called B2B marketplaces are changing the ways of doing business. These online marketplaces have immense potential, both for buyers and suppliers, thanks to their smooth transaction processes and global reach.

What is a B2B marketplace?

B2B marketplace is an Internet based online platform where buyers and sellers can communicate and do business transactions. The buyers here are not consumers, they are businesses and can be anyone- wholesalers, retailers, and other traders in a specific industry. These marketplaces act as vertical search engines. Vertical search engines contain information about a specific industry or industries. For example, a fabrics B2B marketplace will contain information only about fabric manufacturers whereas a beads B2B marketplace will enlist beads manufacturers only. There are certain bigger marketplaces like indiamart.com that include manufacturers and suppliers of various industries. Thus, a B2B marketplace means serious business and is different from B2C platforms that connect businesses with consumers.

Why a B2B marketplace?

Many researches and surveys have been conducted about the search behavior of business and professional users. These studies say when the professionals use general purpose search engines like Google and Yahoo, they don't get specific information about their work related queries. A keyword based search can give diverse results in the form of scattered information contained in various websites, blogs etc. not necessarily useful for business purposes.

On the contrary, the vertical searches on B2B marketplaces or B2B trade directories (B2B trade specific Web sites) give the required business related information needed by the professionals. If we take the earlier example of a fabrics marketplace, we can relate to other professionals say a ribbons wholesaler. It will be much easier for him to search ribbon suppliers on a narrow fabrics B2B marketplace. These specialized websites have at least two advantages over general search engines. In the first place, they exactly know what are the needs of their targeted community and have complete knowledge about their requirements. Secondly, they can make hard assumptions based on their sound knowledge and make the search activity a fruitful one through expert organization of the product contents.

B2B marketplace and its Potential

B2B marketplace uses its potential for the benefit of buyers and sellers. It gives them instant access to a global audience.

Benefits to the Buyers:

• A B2B marketplace removes all the geographical barriers and buyers get access to a number of new suppliers.
• Access to user friendly and smooth online transaction processing lowers the transaction costs and saves time.
• Buyers can compare the products and services offered on a marketplace for efficient purchasing decisions.
• Delivery tracking is also easier apart from assurance of quality by established B2B marketplaces having their own brand value.

Benefits to the Suppliers:

• When a supplier does business locally, his market is limited. A B2B marketplace gives an opportunity to do business globally and explore new markets.
• Online sales processing minimizes the need of other human and material resources thereby reducing overhead costs in a significant manner.
• The listed products are combined with the eCatalog (suppliers' directory) and seller's Web Store which helps in converting a potential buyer into an actual buyer.
• Apart from product listings, B2B portals also include many other features such as discussion groups, latest industry news, and other business oriented information that can be used by the companies to expand their business.

In fact, B2B marketplaces have proved to be one-stop business solutions for buyers as well as suppliers.

DeepaRc, an experienced writer on business related textile issues, recommends visiting fabrics manufacturers marketplace and textile furnishing blog for insightful articles on textile and its online business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deepa_RC

A Business Platform to Ultimate Productivity

If somebody tells you that your present corporate website can be converted to a B2B portal which will help you significantly improve your company’s productivity in both of the two primary factors: Revenue Growth and Cost Saving, and that the portal can be launched in a matter of months with a very reasonable investment, what will be your reaction? Read on to learn how corporations all over the world are missing an opportunity, which can revolutionize the way they manage their businesses.

What is a B2B portal?

A portal is defined as an access point to World Wide Web. A portal is a combination of web pages, features and services which become a primary destination for users. The word was first used to describe the sites of popular Internet access providers or search engines such as AOL, MSN and Yahoo! At a later stage, the word “portal” evolved into something bigger covering business websites, where a corporate portal or enterprise information portal acts as a base for employees, customers, suppliers and other associates of a company to access corporate information and web services. A B2B portal is a distinct kind of website with features to conduct electronic business and manage significant parts of corporate business processes.

Benefits of having a B2B portal

Today, B2B portals are not just a fancy idea! They are an absolute necessity for all enterprises of any type and size. The advantages of having a quality B2B portal are massive. Implementation of a true high quality B2B portal could have immediate impact on company productivity.

Revenue Growth

Revenue Increase from Existing Clients
Existing clients get faster and easier access to product information, quicker response to their requests, get better customer support and are able to buy products online.

Revenue Increase from Value Added Services
Once a B2B portal is set as the primary sales channel, spared resources can be used to create more value added services for clients. Some of the services that the portal may offer also could be utilized to generate more value.

Cost Savings

Order Processing Cost

If the B2B portal integrates supply chain management solution, it will reduce the cost of processing orders drastically. Studies show that similar solution can reduce cost of processing a purchase order from US$ 70 down in average to US$ 6 only.

Sales and support costs

Automated sales and customer support features integrated in the solution is capable of reducing overhead costs up to 30 percent.

Inventory keeping costs

Clearer visibility and forecasting ability thanks to various features of the B2B portal may help companies considerably reduce inventory keeping costs.

Other key benefits include:

Low customer acquisition cost

Effective portal branding on the Internet will help to attract customers from new sources. The cost of acquiring customers through online channels is always cheaper than other traditional methods.

Improve customer service

Ability to have constant interaction with customers through the B2B portal helps companies serve customers better. The B2B portal solution allows tracking the whole ordering process from payment to delivery and brings greater efficiency in customer service.

Reduce sourcing time cycle

The customers can select products from the integrated marketplace of the B2B portal and either sends purchase orders or directly buy products using the shopping cart. Buyers handle all their procurement related correspondence from a consolidated working page, which helps them react instantly and reduce time in document processing.

Community participation

Company buyers and sellers can create communities surrounding the B2B portal’s discussion board. This helps getting valuable feedbacks on time, building new partnerships using the networking ability of a community, and disseminating important information to members easily.

Real time access to current product information

Current information of a product is vital for an accurate buying decision. Updating product content and other information using customized forms as it is necessary, the company can help buyers and other associates to take critical decision promptly.

Control rogue spending

Consolidated and automated procurement and approval method stops maverick buying in a company.

Main components of a B2B portal

Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management solutions can deliver great values to company’s existing systems. Implementation of these solutions will help achieving incredibly high return on investment and will have tremendous impact on company’s business, which include: better productivity, faster order processing, greater visibility, the elimination of maverick or unplanned purchasing, etc.

Marketplace

This is the venue where the enterprises can post their products for sale. A sophisticated shopping cart will be integrated into the electronic marketplace in order to automate the buying process.

Auction

Electronic auction system can use both English and Dutch auction methods. For convenience the auction component can be integrated into the electronic marketplace.

Online auction helps liquidate surplus goods easily.

Reverse Auction

This solution allows the company to automate electronic procurement, where suppliers compete for business real time online.

Storefront for Participants

Each associate of the B2B portal will get a Storefront that may reflect profile of the company, its products, services or other information.

Forum

A Forum or a Discussion Board is an organized, on-line interactive message board where participants conduct discussion on a set of topics by posting questions, comments and responses.

Internal Messaging System

Elaborate Messaging System allows a participant of the B2B portal send and receive messages from other participants and the company. Since the messages do not leave a secured server, participants would not be worried about sending sensitive information over the Internet.

Classified

Catalog based bulletin board allows company associates to post important notices in various predefined formats.

Directory of Companies

This is a listing of all registered associates of the B2B portal either by business category or by alphabetical order. An advanced search engine tool is incorporated in order to find a company based on data provided.

E–catalog

E–catalog — a hierarchy of product and service categories based on UNSPCS, a global products and services classification method that covers the broadest collection of industries and commodities available today, and designed to facilitate e-commerce transactions by providing geography-independent common nomenclature system.

Product Content Adding System

Product adding mechanism based on either easy-to-use wizard or simple but detail forms allows users to integrate products or services with accurate and up-to-date information.

Product Notification

The system can generate an alert and send by email to a user, who requested to inform once a particular product or service gets added to the E-catalog.

Numerous other features could be incorporated to an existing B2B portal depending on requirement, such as: News Aggregation using RSS feed, Contact Management, Electronic Journal, Press Room, Document Repository, etc.

Time needed to set up

Using ready made B2B Portal components from a provider like Rusbiz.com a medium size portal can be built or integrated to existing website within three to four months.

By developing a B2B portal ahead of your major competitors you can give your business a significant boost and make your company stand out from the crowd.

Nowshade Kabir is CEO of Rusbiz.com, a global B2B portal for small and midsize companies. Our distinctive web stores along with many outstanding features like e-marketplace, e-catalog, supply chain management solutions, and trade leads section will allow you to build robust Internet presence and manage key business processes online. Rusbiz also develops Corporate B2B portals.

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Select a Suitable B2B Platform

It is well-known that nowadays more and more small and medium enterprises take part in the B2B platform. But do you know why they choose B2B platform? What does the platform bring to them? How do they choose a suitable one? What are the problems when choosing B2B platform? That's the point I want to talk about today.

1.Why do the small and medium enterprises choose B2B platform? What are the benefits?
The e-commerce not only brings many new opportunities and challenges to the small and medium enterprises, but also solves many difficulties and problems for them. Since the growing importance of information competition, small and medium enterprises can compete against the large enterprises through B2B platform. The specific effects and benefits are mainly as follows:

First, the B2B platform brings them the opportunity to join in the international competition. It gives them more opportunities to sell their products all over the world, that is, globalize their markets.

Second, the B2B platform enables them to timely respond to the changes of international market. Small and medium enterprises can get large amount of information about the international market, meanwhile, the platform simplifies the traditional trade process and trade methods. It overcomes the problem of long geographic distance and shortens the marketing chain so as to quicken the development of small and medium enterprises. Thus, the enterprises can find a proper method to adapt to the international changes positively and correctly.

Third, small and medium enterprises can get high profits with lower cost in the foreign trade activities through B2B platform. The platform largely increases their efficiency. The enterprises can carry out all the operational procedures online such as negotiating with customers, making orders, signing contacts, booking charters and paying taxes etc.. So it shortens the transaction time and makes the transaction much more convenient. In addition, it reduces their costs. With the lower cost of network communication and management, small and medium enterprises can get the storage swapping and information processing, through which they can save a lot of money.

2.How do small and medium enterprises select a suitable B2B platform?

Since the B2B platform is beneficial to the small and medium enterprises, how to choose an appropriate one becomes an urgent problem. In my opinion, the small and medium enterprises should solve the problem from the following aspects.

First, the B2B platform should be both in Chinese and in English. Meanwhile, the English website should list real and reliable information in a reasonable way instead of the simple accumulation of information. Further more, the B2B website should have a right development model which enables small and medium enterprises to avoid unnecessary problems, save more money and gain large amount of profits.

Second, the B2B platform should be in mature condition at home and abroad. But how do you judge its condition? I think the key point is the search engine technology, in that the customers always pay much attention to the products search when they are purchasing on the B2B websites. The advanced search engine technology makes the customers search the products much more conveniently, rapidly and accurately so that they have a great sense of satisfaction. As we know, almost all the people who intend to buy products online want to enjoy their shopping freely. So, will they be happy when they are searching products in a slow search speed? Of course not, instead, the impatient customers will give up the website. Moreover, the content of the website should be another respect that you'd better to consider about. That is to check whether the product description is specific or not, whether the company introduction is reliable and whether the product has a good photo to show etc.

Third, the B2B platform should be strongly promoted both at home and overseas. Besides of Canton Fair, the B2B websites should participate in some other international exhibitions such as China International Consumer Goods Fair, China Hi-Tech Fair, China-Asean Expo etc. which can not only raise their profile abroad but also lay a solid foundation of overseas visits and accumulated information of international buyers.

Fourth, the B2B platform should have a reasonable pricing model. Take Alibaba as an example, it is very famous, but the cost is also much higher than any other B2B website. As a small and medium enterprise, the most important principle is to increase income and economize on expenditure. So, you should consider the cost performance of the whole B2B website. At present, ECVV introduces a new pricing model that is paying for performance. It is paid according to the inquiries acquired but not the service time like annual fee. Firstly, you prepay a certain amount of money so that you can look over some information of the inquiries but not all the contents. And then whether to check through the whole information of the inquiry depends on yourself. If you decide to see the whole content of one inquiry, it will deduct 30RMB from your prepaid money. You can check the inquiries until you spend all the prepaid money. According to this new kind of pricing model, you only need to pay for the effective inquiries you think and you can avoid the disturbance of the fake ones.

Fifth, once you choose a B2B platform, remember to persist to it. What you should keep in your mind is that you can gain a lot only if you adhere to it by seriously following the principles of B2B platform. And also your promotion in the B2B website tells the buyers that you are developing in a stable speed in that field. Especially nowadays, suffering the financial crisis and economic downtown, you should do such low-cost promotion online to get the limited orders and keep yourself far from the elimination.

3.What are the problems when choosing the B2B platform?

When selecting the suitable B2B platform, there are many problems. And now I want to talk about the basic two mistaken ideas you should avoid.

One is lack of planning. Many small and medium enterprises only pay attention to the short-term benefits. It is wrong. It should have a specific process, such as collecting and releasing the information, establishing the information platform and completing the supply chain management system etc.

The other is not to select the B2B platform blindly. Some small and medium enterprises only pursuit for the reputation of the B2B website without combining their actual development situation. There probably be some problems. It is likely that the reputed B2B platform already has had many members of your industry and dozens of pages of products. Given that you were a customer, will you click all the pages even tens of pages? Therefore, you can get nothing from the B2B platform where there are excessive suppliers and you can't list your products in the first several pages.

All in all, to choose a suitable B2B platform, small and medium enterprises should try your best to free yourselves from mistaken ideas, analyze the problems from the correct and rational perspectives, and combine the B2B website with your real development conditions.

http://www.ecvv.com is an innovative and comprehensive business portal in China, dedicated to saving costs for Chinese SMEs to find buyers and export to overseas markets.

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