Today's Issue
- Editor's Take: Bells and Whistles
- SME Special Report: SME.com.ph converges with BusinessMirror!
- The 5th National E-Commerce Congress and Exhibit E-Business Made Easy
- Testimonial Callout
- Events: Corporate Culture: Filipino Values in the Workplace (Tuesday 13 March), Basic MS Word for Beginners (Tuesday 13 March), ISO/IEC 17025 Standard for Laboratory Competence (Wednesday 14 March), National Trade Fair (Wednesday 14 to Sunday 18 March), Developing an Effective Purchasing System (Thursday 15 March), The 5th National E-Commerce Congress and Exhibit (Thursday 15 and Friday 16 March), and 5S of Good Housekeeping (Friday 16 March)
ON February 13, at BusinessMirror's headquarters on Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City, PDB SME Solutions Incorporated represented by Roberto A. Buhain, president and Adonis C. Yap, general manager officially inked its partnership with the broadsheet represented by Anthony C. Cabangon and Lourdes M. Fernandez, the publisher and editor-in-chief, respectively. Through PDB SME Solutions' bid to empower today's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) via winning technologies, the tie-up with the country's most exciting business daily is expected to boost the sector's competitive edge both in the local and global scene.
"We are privileged to partner with BusinessMirror in building a stronger character for our SMEs and providing them the necessary tools to advance in our ever-changing times and be at par with the rest of the businesses abroad," Buhain shared with much enthusiasm.
Yap, SME.com.ph's publisher, also sounded quite positive in working with the paper: "Given the vision that our site has been rallying since its inception, the affiliation we have developed today is one of a milestone. It is not just a reason to celebrate, but a commitment we choose to pursue in order to reach and address the needs of the growing SMEs in the Philippines."
To read more, click here!
Testimonial Callout
For those who want to share their thoughts, just simply send us an email to info@sme.com.ph and place on the Subject header: SME Testimonial. The best testimonial will also be featured in our SME.com.ph Web site.
Editor's Take
In a crowded marketplace, bells and whistles certainly draw attention. Gimmicks can entice prospects to walk through your door but can your business deliver? Take the mobile phone market.
Mobile phone maker Nokia became a big hit in Asia and is the leading mobile phone brand in the Philippines. Competing brands invested in bells and whistles to dislodge Nokia. But there were few takers because Nokia's competitors failed to roll out a 'user-friendly' product.
It may be too much to say that a manual is necessary to familiarize yourself with your mobile phone features. Yet using a Nokia phone remained a cinch. If there is one thing Nokia mobile phones are known for it is 'user-friendly' interface, a feature the company has consistently promoted.
Competitors have since realized that the end-users' experience is essential to product success. They have since followed Nokia's route, mimicking and improving on the features and capabilities of this top-selling brand. Today, more mobile phones are becoming 'user-friendly'-with or without the bells and whistles.
If you think bells and whistles just hamper your customer's total experience, cut them out. To achieve business success first get the basics right. Then it will be easier to hook customers with attractive features or come-ons.
Russelle S. Trinidad
SME BizLink Editor
P.S. Let me plug E-Business Made Easy!
The Philippine Internet Commerce Society stages its 5th National e-Commerce Congress with its theme: E-Business Made Easy. The event is also named after the official Internet roadmap for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) written by Joey G. Alarilla.
This year’s congress is a power-packed 2-day single-track conference that reveals the latest opportunities, secrets and business trends in the global marketplace of the Internet. Aimed at empowering our country’s businesses, especially small and medium scale enterprises which comprise 99% of Philippine commerce, it will showcase model companies which have harnessed and extremely benefited from the power of e-Commerce for both local and international business transactions.
To learn more, click here!
