【TEXT／Prof. Don Bathie】

不景氣正影響著每個人、每個地方。為了生存，經營事業的方式應該要有所不同。台灣中小型製造商和貿易商的業績大部分是在各種商展中締造的，過去數十年間，參與國際性展覽是這些企業進入全球市場不可取代的方式。

以前，大型國際組織及公司會派遣整團的採購專家、進口部經理和決策者到商展。但是在飽受不景氣之苦的世界裡，可以預見2009年來參加商展的買家定會減少，這迫使台灣企業必須重新思考他們的銷售及宣傳策略，確保對每一次參展的昂貴投資可以收到最大效益。企業必須慎選可以發掘最多潛在客戶的適當商展通路，而非其他成效不彰者；在某些案例中，部分廠商或許得放棄全部的參展計畫。台灣企業同時也要尋求其他方式來開發新客源，並且增加他們產品、服務的吸引力。

海外採購部門將會花費更多時間在全球網路中尋找供應商。果真如此，台灣廠商將必須花更多時間來發展、提升並維持自身的能見度。台灣廠商過去大半只有網頁上提供產品訊息，經常幾年下來都沒維護過。其實，只要設計良好，網頁可以創造更多商機、蒐集重要的市場及客戶情報、成為使用者友善的客服介面，後者尤其能吸引客戶回流，並且提供流量資訊。這可以是一種雙向的溝通工具，讓你和你的客戶產生更密緊的關係。投資建構一個良好的網站，其成本和每年參加一堆商展相比不過九牛一毛。

所以，讓全球網路開始為你工作吧。

Recession is touching everyone everywhere. To survive, the way to do business will have to be conducted differently. Taiwan's small and medium size manufacturing and export businesses generate more sales through exhibitions, trade fairs and trade missions than any other sales medium. For the past several decades, attending fairs around the globe has been an indispensable way for these businesses to reach international markets.

In the past, large international organizations and companies would send an entire team of purchasing professionals, import managers and decision makers to trade fairs. But with a world troubled by recession, one would imagine that buyers will reduce the number of exhibitions they will attend in 2009. This forces Taiwanese companies to rethink their sales and promotion strategy, making sure that each investment into expensive tradeshows has the maximum result. Businesses must select appropriate tradeshow venues where they can achieve the maximum potential in finding new clients and not attending those that generate fewer leads. In some cases, some businesses may have to cancel all their exhibition plans. Taiwanese businesses will also have to look for alternative methods to find new customers and to create new interest in their services and or products.

Overseas purchasing departments will spend an increasing amount of time finding suppliers on the world wide web. And if this is true, then Taiwanese businesses will have to spend more time developing, updating and maintaining a strong web presence. In the past, Taiwanese businesses used the web as a mere posting device, a static fixture that was updated once in a blue moon. The information was outdated and the site was left unmaintained for years at a time. Designed properly, a web site can generate more business, collect valuable market and client information, provide user friendly services that will keep the visitors coming back and provide visitor statistics. It can be a two-way communication tool to bring you and your customer closer together. The investment in a good web site is only a fraction of the cost of attending several exhibitions each year.

So start making the world wide web work for you.

【DFUN 設計風尚誌 2008. DEC. No.27】