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bCentral Services
Microsoft� bCentral� asked small businesses what they
needed to get online and succeed on the Internet. Their responses helped in
designing the three bCentral services: Start, Market and Manage. You can use one
or a combination of these services to make your e-commerce venture successful.
Step 1:
Taking the first steps to
developing an online presence can be a major hurdle for some companies.
Use this section of the Microsoft bCentral Web site to get online and develop a
compelling Web sites.
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Get
connected:
Connect to the Web with an ultrafast DSL connection, enabling you to
download e-mail messages and files in seconds. DSL omits logging on and off
PCs to keep phone lines free. |
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Set
up an e-mail account: Stay in touch with customers 24 hours a day by
e-mail. |
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Register
a Web domain name:
Find an available domain name for your company and register it online. You
can also register Internet keywords so that shoppers
don�t have to remember URLs. |
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Establish
a Web presence:
Create
a Web site with the bCentral Site Manager application and have the site
hosted by Microsoft bCentral. Choose from a selection of 40 themes and
background colors that you can use to personalize your site.
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Step
2:
Attracting online customers can be one of the biggest
challenges of e-commerce, and one of the biggest benefits of bCentral. bCentral
market services help you reach up to 40 million viewers and attract 65 percent
of Web surfers to your site�and keep them coming back. How you use these
services will be key to your success.
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Get
listed on search engines: Post
your URL on more than 400 search engines with the bCentral SubmitIt! tool,
including search engines specific to your market and location. |
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Advertise
your company: Use
the bCentral Banner Exchange Network to post your online banners on sites
specific to your products and services. You can also track how many visitors
have seen your site and measure the effectiveness of your advertising. |
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Save
on advertising on major Web sites: Use
the bCentral AdStore. For just $50 you can start ad campaigns on major Web
sites such as MSN� and/or place ads on more topic-specific sites. |
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Pick
up shoppers from other sites: Set
up your own affiliate network using the bCentral ClickTrade service.
ClickTrade handles all the tracking and affiliate payments. |
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Keep
in touch with customers: Collect
and maintain lists of shoppers� e-mail addresses with the bCentral ListBot
tool. Send mailings to these customers to advertise sales and other special
deals, and create multiple mailing lists of customers with specific
interests. For example, a sporting goods store could maintain separate lists
for tennis players and runners. |
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Find
buyers online: Market
your products and services to other businesses with the bCentral Request for
Quote & Auction (RFQ) service. Like an auction, RFQ allows you to post
your offerings online and connect with other businesses. bCentral will
notify you daily with
any new buyer requests.
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Step
3:
Once you have customers, you can use bCentral services to
help you save time and money with a central location to handle your day-to-day
business tasks. bCentral is the one place to go to take care of your business
problems.
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Manage
business finances: Manage
finances, customers and taxes using Microsoft Money 2000 Business and
Personal, and apply for credit, loans and leases from well-known financial
institutions. You can also research tax law changes and do credit checks on
potential business partners. |
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Purchase
supplies online: Save
money with low prices on more than 6,000 products. Search and compare
products from leading manufacturers before making purchases. |
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Recruit
employees: Find
employees and advertise job postings in an online employment database. Then automatically
sort, evaluate and route resumes to everyone involved in the hiring process.
bCentral can also help you select a preferred provider organization for
employee benefits. |
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Keep
on top of legal matters: Download
tax publications for small business owners and keep abreast of tax law
changes and how they affect you. |
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Book
online travel: Save on business travel and
check frequent flyer information at Microsoft Expedia.
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Visit the bCentral website: www.bcentral.com
� 2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Microsoft, bCentral, and MSN are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Expedia and Expedia.com are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Expedia Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual
companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their
respective owners.
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