tom

You are more diplomatic than I am. I’ve been marketing B2B software and services for more than 20 years. (longer than websites obviously!) I would go so far as to say that most of the websites are pretty pathetic. I hope I don’t sound too curmudgeonly, but this has to be said.

The worst offenders are the small companies. I suppose this is understandable since they aren’t to the point where they feel they can afford marketing. A few small changes would go a long way for these guys.

Right after the small tech companies are the bigger VARs/SIs for the vendors like Microsoft and SAP. Looking at these sites is like looking into a mind map of the product manager. Just because you think that way doesn’t mean your prospect does.

Finally, the ones that tend toward extremely poor sites are the service providers. This always surprises me as these folks have all kinds of business expertise they could be showcasing and yet many of them lack any kind of call to action.

Yesterday on my blog, I recommended putting website improvement at the top of the list for 2010 investment. It is the hub for all of your marketing activity and the “storefront” for the B2B technology company.

Phew, I got that off my chest! Thanks for letting me comment.

Melissa

It is comforting to know that there are many out there that still see this issue as relevant and critical. I am Hopeful that more tech companies will realize the value marketing can drive if given the opportunity to correctly position the corporate technology.

Thanks

tom jacobs