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Have you ever wondered why so many people would rather buy from the large chain stores than from a small business like yours? Many small business owners automatically assume that the bigger marketing budgets of companies like Tesco or Aldi are the reason local Mom and Pop Shops have such a difficult time getting and keeping new customers. In reality, the truth is far less cut and dry.

Misconception #1:  Products from small businesses cost more.

Many consumers assume that the larger chain stores tend to offer better prices because they can buy inventory in massive quantities and spread it out over the entire country at just a few cents cheaper. However, thanks to the accessibility of the Internet and smartphone technology, many small business owners now offer instantaneous coupons and discounts that can meet or beat the Big Box Retailers. Consumers are also much more willing to pay a slightly higher price for a product of higher quality and individuality from a small business owner.

Misconception #2:  Small businesses don’t have a wide selection of inventory.

When you know what you’re looking for, then small businesses are often the preferred choice over larger chain stores. Small businesses tend to specilaise in a particular niche. Instead of offering only one or two choices across an inventory of thousands of products, they tend to offer a multitude of selections in only a few categories. Furthermore, they also tend to be far more willing to order special items not already in stock for loyal customers.

Perhaps the best attribute of small businesses over the larger competitors is their dedication to excellent customer service. Employees of small businesses tend to be very passionate about their work and their customers. They also tend to ask for customer feedback and to respond accordingly. Smart customers know that when it comes to quality and value regarding local businesses, size doesn’t matter.

Marc O'Dwyer

After completing a Graduate program in Marketing, Marc’s impressive sales career began at Allied Irish Banks, Pitney Bowes and Panasonic where he received numerous Irish and European sales performance awards and consistently exceeded targets and expectations. In 1992, Marc’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to set up his own business, Irish International Sales (IIS). Initially, this company was a reseller for Take 5 Accounts and Payroll software. Within four years, IIS became the largest reseller of Take 5 in Ireland, acquiring four other Take 5 resellers. He also found time to set up two mobile phone shops under the Cellular World brand and a web design company offering website design services for small businesses. In 2001, he bought the majority share in a small Irish software business, Big Red Book. At that time, the company was losing money. The company became profitable within two months, and Marc then acquired a payroll company to compliment Big Red Books Accounting products. In 2003, IIS were appointed as Channel Partners with SAP for their new SME product, SAP Business One. Marc sold his Take 5 business and concentrated on developing this new market for SAP As a result, by 2007, IIS was recognised as the largest Channel Partner for SAP in EMEA (Europe Middle East and Africa). In 2008, the IIS Sales Manager bought the Company from Marc in an MBO. He launched Big red cloud in June 2012, the online version of big red book, to date the company successfully converts 59% of trials into sales and the number of customers is growing rapidly. Marc continues to run both Big Red Book and Big Red Cloud which now support 75,000 businesses. He is a very keen sportsman, having played rugby for 20 years, represented Leinster at under 16 and under 20 levels, and league squash with Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club for 10 years. Marc has competed in 11 Marathons, including the London and Boston Marathons, and has completed several Triathlons and Half Ironman races. He has also completed six Ironman Races in Austria(x2), Frankfurt (Germany), Nice (France) , Mallorca (Spain) and Copenhagen (Denmark)

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