(1) Obtaining information from the crowd
Everyone is an information source. People attract and spread information in their daily lives. In particular, consumers, practitioners in the same industry, and marketers from related companies who are related to the project you choose can often provide a large amount of direct and valuable information.
Your acquaintances, relatives, friends, old classmates, old subordinates, old comrades-in-arms, old colleagues, childhood partners, current neighbors, former customers, members of a club, etc. are all your information source.
(2) Obtaining information from modern media
Computer networks and other media carry a large amount of information, a wide range of information, and new information. Modern media and information tools are so developed that people are overwhelmed with them. Radio, television, newspapers, magazines, statistical reports, a lot of valuable information may be discovered when you are not paying attention. If you are a thoughtful person, you will learn from modern media and A lot of valuable information is found in the information tool. As the saying goes, "You can't find anything even if you step on iron shoes, but it takes no effort to get it." An employee of the Wuhan Municipal Health Bureau accidentally read a piece of news while browsing a health tabloid: An old traditional Chinese medicine doctor in Jingmen, Hubei Province, has devoted himself to decades of research and finally developed a Chinese herbal formula that can treat Helicobacter pylori, which has no specific medicine. Works wonders. After he read the news, he immediately thought, there are so many people suffering from stomach problems, why not produce this medicine and put it on the market? He gathered three like-minded people and immediately rushed to open the door, bought the old Chinese medicine doctor's prescription, collected several thousand yuan, resigned and went south to set up a factory in Zhuhai. A few years later, their product "Lizhu Dele" became a household name and sold well all over the country.
"Nothing is difficult in the world, only those who are willing to do so". As long as you are a conscientious person, you will get a lot of valuable information from the existing media.
The development of modern computer networking. Not only can you learn about the world's information from the computer network, you can also negotiate, sign contracts, and trade online. Paying attention to the use of network technology and learning to obtain information from computer networks are higher requirements for modern businessmen.
If possible, you can order several newspapers and magazines related to your business and establish several fixed information channels. For example, those engaged in marketing can subscribe to "Market News" and "Economic Information News"; those engaged in foreign trade can subscribe to "International Business News", "Foreign Economic and Trade Information", etc.; those engaged in tailoring can subscribe to "Clothing and Tailoring" magazine; those engaged in stocks If you want to subscribe to relevant securities newspapers and magazines, if you are engaged in decoration, you may want to subscribe to magazines such as "Furniture and Life" and "Modern Decoration", if you are engaged in food, you may subscribe to "Food Hygiene" magazine, etc., to obtain media information in a targeted manner, not only It can provide you with business information, and will continue to provide you with various professional knowledge and industry development trends to broaden your horizons.
(3) Obtain information from the official or official service agencies
Local governments or government service agencies are important sources of information. Such as industry and commerce, taxation, statistics, prices, economic planning departments, consumer associations, news agencies and other departments. These departments are in key positions in social and economic life, and the sources of information are more authoritative. There are generally three ways to obtain information about these government agencies: first, from its regular or irregular announcements or publicly released information; second, from its information service center and information resources that are regularly or irregularly compiled. ; The three gates are obtained through targeted visits and consultations.
The introduction of a government policy or the implementation of some government actions will have a great impact on your business. If the government supports or encourages you to do something, you should do it as soon as possible after carefully studying and evaluating it. For example, in a city in the north, citizens generally reported that it was difficult to have breakfast. The city government called on the state, collectives, and individuals to work together to solve the problem of people having difficulty eating breakfast. Fast-moving businessmen took action immediately. One restaurant owner immediately purchased a few breakfasts. A food truck and a mobile breakfast truck were set up, which provided convenience to the public and achieved good economic benefits, and were publicized and reported by the news media. He took advantage of the situation and provided fast food for breakfast and lunch for some unit employees and foreign tourists. After one year, the income from the mobile food truck was much higher than his income from running a restaurant. Now, you can see his food trucks with distinctive logos running through the streets every day.
At the same time, you should also pay special attention to the introduction of some management policies and measures by the government so that you can be prepared and standardize your business behavior.
Such as price inspections, food hygiene inspections, cultural audio and video market inspections, technical supervision and the crackdown on counterfeiting by industrial and commercial departments, etc. Although these are regular actions of some governments, the government will release them through different channels before taking action. Information, such as a leader’s speech, a meeting report, a news interview, etc. If you do not pay attention to this information and are not prepared, you will be passive in the face of sudden inspections, or you will suffer undue losses. You can't just focus on business, you should also care about national affairs, at least the government actions in your city and community. Paying attention to the sources of information in this area will make your business safe and smooth.
(4) Obtain information from libraries, bookstores, patent information offices, archives, and post offices
You can borrow and buy relevant information materials from libraries and bookstores, such as Industry regulations, policies, professional knowledge and business strategies, business directories, industry classifications, overviews, development trends, prospect forecasts and various statistical data.
From the patent office, information institute, and archives, you can find useful information such as technical information, corporate information, various domestic and foreign institutions, scientific research unit information, and the latest scientific and technological achievements that you need.
You can buy a complete telephone directory from the Post Office. Users with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of phone numbers are your potential customers. If you have the means, you can also obtain mobile phone number information. These mobile phone holders are your potential customers for engaging in high-end consumer business and developing consumer members.
(5) Obtain information from private business and mass groups such as various chambers of commerce, industry associations, and technical professional committees
Whether you participate in various chambers of commerce, associations, and mass groups, these Organizations will provide you with business information for free or for free. For example, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and its offices in various places announce that customers are welcome to inquire about its information. This information includes Hong Kong business directories and business directories from around the world, as well as various conferences held around the world. Information on exhibitions and trade fairs. Various chambers of commerce will also provide you with industry directories and some activity information. Of course, you'd better join some chambers of commerce or associations, or some kind of useful information network, and you will get a stable and fixed source of information.
(6) Obtain information directly from various trade fairs, exhibitions, shopping malls, wholesale and retail markets, and bazaars.
Every region, city, or industry will hold various commodity exhibitions, trade fairs, and negotiation meetings regularly and irregularly. During the conference, there are many exhibitors and businessmen gathered. You will find countless business opportunities among them. Many special dealers, franchises, purchasing agents, and consignment businesses are contacted and reached a mutual understanding during the trade fair. Because exhibitors have limited time to participate in the exhibition, after the exhibition period, if they want to develop the market in the long term, they must cooperate with local operating companies and use the advantages and channels of local companies to expand their product markets. They must cooperate with local operating companies and use the advantages and channels of local companies to expand their product markets. . Through trade fairs, you will get a lot of useful product information, technical information, price information and customer information. This is a very rare channel and opportunity to obtain information.
You can also go to various shopping malls, wholesale and retail markets, and bazaars to observe, inquire, and directly obtain information about product types, quality, switches, origins, prices, etc., and learn which products are hot-selling. Which products are unsalable, customers’ purchasing motivations and purchasing behavior. For example, there was a shrewd businessman who discovered that a certain type of water heater and bathtub from other places were selling well when he was shopping in a shopping mall. He immediately put up a professional repair service sign for a certain type of water heater and bathtub, and took the initiative to contact the manufacturer to use his good service and Sincerity wins the trust of the manufacturer, not only agreeing to special repairs, but also agreeing to distribute the manufacturer's products and accessories.
You can also frequently visit your competitor's stores as a worker or customer to learn about the characteristics of his distribution or services, as well as the price and quality of his products. So as to obtain first-hand information.