Companies that have traditionally sold their products to wholesalers are finding the Internet useful in making the process easier, as well as in reaching individual consumers, and that reach is global, he said. Another entrepreneur, Carol Dunn, who recently started her own business, Dunn Deal Realty in Rensselaer, N.Y., is now developing a web site where buyers can take virtual tours of homes she has listed. The SBDC helped connect Dunn with a web developer who created her site. I was very impressed with the whole organization. When I discovered how many services they provided, and for free, it made me wish I had struck out on my own sooner, she said.
Some clients are able to put their whole product line on the web.
One, Line Ski Boards, an Albany-based manufacturer of ski equipment, set up a site that allows potential customers to download a demonstration of maneuvers that can be done with the trick skis it sells. Their web site turned out to be very successful, and their sales grew tenfold over a three-year period, Brigham said. Line Ski Boards recently moved its operation to Burlington, Vt., after merging with a cross-country ski manufacturer. Brigham and his staff of nine advise clients to look at such issues as how much their target customers are actually using the web and whether any new companies have recently established themselves as competitors which can happen quickly. Often, the center will refer clients to other entrepreneurs who can help them get a web site up and running.