There are many useful free to low cost business tools out there that are great for small businesses and start-ups that either don’t have the need, or a ton of cash, to invest heavily in their IT and business communications infrastructure. In learning how to use these tools effectively, you can allocate the money you save toward marketing initiatives that work to build your customer base and the necessary lead-generating pipelines you need to build your business and brand.
In the next several posts I will be introducing you to the tools I’ve actually tested (informally) and feel offer some real value for such things as:
- Internal and external business communications
- Contracts
- Invoicing
- Project collaboration
- Sales presentations
- Customer service
- Technical support
- Customer contact management
It’s amazing what entrepreneurs today can achieve with a $300 netbook, a cellular modem, wifi, an inexpensive VoIP calling plan, and some of the other tools I will be mentioning.
The key to starting or running a small business successfully is optimizing the investments you make to reach and sell to your target audience groups. Established businesses and start-ups alike often get too caught up in budgeting for IT and communications infrastructure beyond what they initially need and then find themselves with little to none left to spend on generating business through effective marketing strategies.
Read my next post to learn about a full office suite compatible with Microsoft Office that’s available for Free.
