That's what The Crabbe Huson Group, a financial management firm in Portland, OR., is betting on as it establishes its Web identity. Crabbe Huson is moving to Windows 95 and the Microsoft Internet Explorer to make it easier to navigate the Web. The company also uses Microsoft Mail and Microsoft Access. To create a successful on-line presence for themselves, they are working with an Internet firm specializing in developing clear visual and marketing messages.

Contrarians Get A Competitive Edge
"We are a mid-sized company competing with much larger organizations for investor attention. Although our contrarian investment style disciplines us to view the investment universe independently, our long term marketing success will turn on the ability to identify and take advantage of creative, effective and efficient communication and client service," says Charlie Davidson, chief operating officer for Crabbe Huson.

"With only 46 full-time employees, our identity could easily be overshadowed by larger, nationally-known firms with big budgets for advertising, communication, and information dissemination. The large firms have greater leverage to absorbing costs, such as supporting a sales force, manning 800-number phone lines, or creating and mailing forms and information."

"Because we are a smaller business, we need to magnify our ability to compete and be seen. But we don't want to magnify staffing or shoulder ever-larger fulfillment costs," adds Davidson.

" Most importantly, we want to preserve the benefits of our current size and find ways to leverage ourselves through technology in order to accommodate growth and enhance the quality and nature of the services we provide our shareholders. Our present initiative is aimed at enhancing shareholder services without increasing expenses. As effective technology strategy, particularly the Internet, is crucial to achieving this goal."

• Open 24 hours, 7 days a week.
• Much easier to update, because information is all in one place.
• Reaches more customers than a sales force alone - potentially will extend Crabbe Huson's traditional Pacific Northwest client base nationwide, without adding regional offices.
• Fewer people needed to answer phones and mail information.
• Lower printing and postage costs for fulfillment materials.
• Faster fulfillment - customers download what they need from the site.
• A real-time way to gather information from customers, qualify leads, and spot investment trends.
• Conveys a consistent message and timely, accurate information to customers- or internally to staff, too.

"We expect our new Web presence will reduce the overall expenses of the funds, for the benefit of the shareholder," adds Davidson. "The Web doesn't replace our other media, but it can reduce fulfillment costs so that our professionals can concentrate on higher-level customer needs. We'll be able to continue providing tailored services, despite growing shareholder numbers."

The Web Maximizes Internal Resources, Too.
As a firm specializing in contrarian responses to market movements, the Web provides another benefit to Crabbe Huson: raw information.

It's true that a Web presence can take time and money to put in place and maintain effectively. But the same is true of print and media advertising campaigns, direct mail, public relations, 800 numbers - you name it. A well-designed Web presence and strategy can quickly pay for itself in improved customer service, broader market reach, and reduced costs for fulfillment and communications. It's another spoke in the marketing wheel, but one that's particularly easy and advantageous for smaller businesses.