Based on the book “What Would Google Do” by Jeff Jarvis, I’m writing a post series about the New Rules of IWMS. Today is the sixth post of the series entitled “New Business Reality” in which I’ll discuss the impact Google has on the business reality, and the implications for IWMS vendors.
Atoms are a drag
‘Since the dawn of industry, controlling things and the means to make, market, and distribute them has defined businesses’ (Jarvis, 2009)
Up until recently companies were what they made. Not anymore. Inspired by Google and others a whole new business reality has emerged. The business reality of digits. Digits are free and can be transported easily using internet-based technologies. Nobody wants to move stuff around anymore, and more important doesn’t want to pay for it either. Free can definitively be a business model (Facebook, Google, etc.) So what should IWMS vendors do next?
Decide what business you’re in
Google knows in what business it’s in. Google is in the organizing and knowledge business. According to Jarvis (2009) you should be asking: Am I a knowledge company? A data company? A community company? A platform? A network? Where is your value and where is your revenue? Remember that they might not be in the same place; the money may come in through a side door.
What business are you really in? Are you a software vendor or are you in the knowledge and service business?
Here is a piece of free advice for IWMS vendors:
Nobody knows more about facility management and corporate real estate management than you do, once you start accumulating that knowledge. True value for IWMS vendors is in anticipating needs. The better you can anticipate those needs, the more value you will provide for your customer. Therefore, you should focus on getting smart and building bits.
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