Finding business partners the easy way<\/p>\n
I. Christianto
\nContributor
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
There are many ways for businesses to initiate projects,
\nmarket their products, promote themselves or find partners.<\/p>\n
The traditional and most favored way used for such purposes,
\nis by getting or placing corporate information through printed
\nbusiness directories.<\/p>\n
Using business directories is the simplest, easiest and most
\npopular way for people to find contact persons or at least
\ntelephone numbers of particular companies.<\/p>\n
One of the most popular business directories is the Yellow
\nPages, which is published by a telecommunications provider or an
\nassigned company.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, many other companies offer business directories with
\nadditional information on a firm's line of business, details of
\ncontact persons, as well as the company's background.<\/p>\n
To lure people to purchase their directories, almost every
\ndirectory provider claims that their corporate information is
\nmore accurate and up to date.<\/p>\n
\"We are in the business of data, so accuracy is a priority.
\nAll of the entries in the Yellow Pages are accurate because we
\nhave checked every single item at least three times,\" said
\nPriyanto Mangunpawiro, a director of PT Infomedia Nusantara, the
\ncompany that publishes the Yellow Pages in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Infomedia Nusantara, run by state-owned telecommunications
\noperator PT Telkom and PT Elnusa, has published the Yellow Pages
\nsince 1976.<\/p>\n
Priyanto said his company published two kinds of telephone
\ndirectories, including the White Pages, which comprise of
\nhousehold telephone subscribers and the Yellow Pages for business
\ntelephone subscribers. Infomedia publishes, in total, 2.3 million
\ncopies of the Yellow Pages every year, he added<\/p>\n
There are two kinds of Yellow Pages, one for shopping and the
\nother for business services and industry. Each subscriber
\nreceives the White Pages free of charge, and each edition is
\nupdated annually, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The directories are published separately in 68 locations
\nacross Indonesia. There are some 6.4 million entries, which
\nequals the total number of installed telephone lines in the
\ncountry. In the Yellow Pages there are 17,000 business entries.<\/p>\n
Out of the total number of entries in the Yellow Pages, around
\n7,000 are located in Jakarta,\" he said, adding his company earned
\nrevenue from the companies that placed advertisements in the most
\nfamous business directory.<\/p>\n
Infomedia charges between Rp 100,000 and Rp 240,000 (US$22.85)
\nper year for an entry, printed in bold, in the Yellow Pages,
\naccording to Priyanto.<\/p>\n
\"But the rates differ depending on locations. We don't charge
\nthe same rate for entries from Jakarta as we do for Surakarta
\n(Central Java).\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, advertisers should allocate between Rp 2.5 million
\nup to Rp 19 million every month to place an advertisement on the
\nback cover of the Yellow Pages, he said, admitting there was a
\nhuge difference between the rates for the classified type and
\nthose on the back cover.<\/p>\n
The business of business directories is about accuracy. People
\nare never likely to rely on a particular directory if they find
\nwrong addresses or telephone numbers.<\/p>\n
So, any company that deals with business directories are
\nalways trying to offer data that is as accurate as possible.
\nInfomedia, for instance, conducts cross-checking three times
\nbefore placing an entry. The company needs to get approval from
\nthe related companies.<\/p>\n
\"Clients have the right to penalize us if there are any
\nmistakes. Therefore, I can safely say the data is 100 percent
\naccurate,\" Priyanto said.<\/p>\n
James Castle of Castle Asia, a private research and
\nconsultancy firm, which also publishes business directories,
\nagreed that accuracy was a priority.<\/p>\n
\"Our accuracy is pretty good. We have to check every piece of
\ndata carefully,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Equally, Robert Darmago, senior advisor of PT Dataindo Inti
\nSwakarsa, which provides the business-to-business (B2B) Indonesia
\nbusiness directory on CD ROM, agreed that accuracy is the most
\nimportant factor.<\/p>\n
\"The data we receive from company brochures is placed on the
\ndirectory. We also monitor on a live basis, therefore, we know of
\nany change at any time so as to control accuracy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The challenge for companies offering business directories is
\ncollecting data. It is understandable that not all companies may
\nthink a directory, which places its name inside, is useful for
\nits own prospects. With a good strategy and reputation such
\nchallenges are likely to disappear.<\/p>\n
In line with the fast-moving business world, where more people
\nwant to have a convenient and easy way to find something in a
\ndirectory, several companies have tried to improve on what they
\noffer.<\/p>\n
Castle Asia has published several business directories such as
\nAmerican Business in Indonesia and Directory of International
\nCompanies in Indonesia. The first directory has reached its 10th
\nedition, while the second edition of the latter directory will be
\npublished later this year.<\/p>\n
Each of the directories publishes 2,500 copies. The price of
\nAmerican Business in Indonesia is Rp 495,000 while the Directory
\nof International Companies in Indonesia costs US$295.<\/p>\n
\"We aren't a publisher and the business directory is only an
\naccidental activity. But the directories are good for marketing,
\ninvestigating the market, and are sort of a free promotion for
\nthe companies listed,\" said Castle.<\/p>\n
He admitted that there had been a slower rate in the selling
\nof the directories due to the recent crisis in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
He said the directories published by Castle have some leading
\npoints, though.<\/p>\n
The second edition of the Directory of International Companies
\nin Indonesia, for instance, is expected to include at least 3,000
\ncompanies, more than the 2,000 companies listed in the first
\nedition. It will also display various details including names of
\nexecutives -- which are normally regarded as important because
\nthey are the decision-makers - addresses, telephone and fax
\nnumbers, e-mails, nationalities, number of employees, dates of
\nestablishment, brand names, affiliated companies, Indonesian
\npartners and the business activities.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Dataindo offers a business directory on CD-ROM
\ncontaining the details of over 60,000 companies, brands and
\nsenior persons, as well as 380 industries and 10,000 product
\nclassifications.<\/p>\n
The leading points of the CD-ROM is that people will be able
\nto search more easily, based on several functions and categories.
\nIn addition, the CD-ROM also offers, among other things, related
\ninformation and data on specific areas, charts, tax information
\nand government regulations.<\/p>\n
The flexible database format allows the users to select
\nrecords by industry, product (where applicable) or locations.
\nThere are several packages offered by Dataindo, with prices
\nstarting from Rp 99,000 to Rp 5.5 million.<\/p>\n
In addition, Infomedia also introduced the online version of
\nthe Yellow Pages (www.yellowpages.co.id) in late 1999. Priyanto
\nsaid there were some 240 entries included in the online version
\nof the Yellow Pages.<\/p>\n
Those seeking information from business directories in
\nIndonesia now have several choices.<\/p>\n
They will be able to find partners, markets and promote or
\nexpand their projects.<\/p>\n
When the time arrives, people in Indonesia will also be able
\nto experience web-based business directories such as the ones
\ncurrently being prepared by software, computer-related industries
\nand their partners.<\/p>\n
Such a tool will ease the way in which companies conduct their
\nbusiness online. The business community will be able to provide
\ninformation about their products and services on the
\nWeb as well as locate partners and customers.<\/p>",
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