Google Wants To Show You How To Do Business With Them

Google has announced a partnership with Intuit, publisher of Quicken and QuickBooks accounting software for small business, whereby certain Google software applications will be included on QuickBooks 2007 installation disks.

Quoting from their joint press release:
For the first time, small businesses can use QuickBooks to market themselves online by listing their businesses on Google Maps(TM), creating and managing advertising campaigns with Google AdWords(TM) and posting their products for sale on Google through Google Base(TM) -- a free product listing service. Integrated into QuickBooks 2007, available this fall, QuickBooks customers will have the ability to attract new customers using Google, the world's leading search engine.

The bottom line: most small business owners don't know how to use these Google services - which causes both the business owners and Google to lose revenue. Google's strategy in partnering with Intuit is to reach out to the software company's 3.2 million small business customers and persuade some large percentage to take the time to learn.

If they really want more of us to use their systems, they need to do a much better job of showing us how. As I heard Alex Mandossian say on a podcast today, they need to "teach us how to consume" their services.

I have said and will continue to say that Google does a lousy job of showing us all how to use their systems. I simply cannot understand why they don't produce online training videos which demonstrate the correct use of AdWords, AdSense, Google Analytics, etc., etc.

They have the money, the knowhow and the manpower.

If more people knew how to use their systems - and use them to their greatest capability - both Google and their customers would benefit. As smart and gifted as they are, Google seems to be completely blind to both the need and the opportunity in teaching us how to consume.