For review

businessfilter

Comments, feedback, complaints appreciated.http://www.businessfilter.comI also created a about page which i haven`t linked to on the site yet: http://www.businessfilter.com/about/ and would like some thoughts on whether the content is appropriate and should be shared on a "professional" service site like this.Thanks!

Chuck

As with a number of sites that request reviews here, I find myself calling out a credibility gap.  On something as momentous as selling a business, a stripped down database search form doesn`t inspire the confidence I`d need to feel comfortable pursuing a business opportunity through the site.As I dove in deeper, I still run into this - I ran a search, and came up with three results - in one, the "Asking Price" listed was $34,000, but when I opened the search result, the asking price was different.  I`m sure it`s just a db error of some sort, but it still led me to question the viability of the service.In concept, I think it`s great - and I have no problem with your About Us page - I just think you have a high hurdle to overcome with some of these issues.

businessfilter

Thanks Chuck.I don`t disagree.  Buying or selling a business is indeed a significant event and not as casual as shopping for clothes or electronics online.  But a more accurate comparison would be buying or selling a home.  You would do your due diligence and homework; narrowing down your criteria and requirements.  You would use resources such as SuN and others for research and to educate yourself.  After all this you would possibly contact a real estate agent, or in my case the business listing broker to proceed to the next steps.  I think this is a existing challenge with websites, will we ever be able to replace the in-person experience?  I admit I still like to play with something in a store or try something on first before making a purchase.  Any thoughts on translating/simulating this experience online?Is this the record you were looking at? http://www.businessfilter.com/ad/15/I`m not sure where you saw the inaccurate asking price.  Let me know as that would be a significant problem.Thanks again for you comments, it raises some good questions.

Chuck

I`m sorry, I didn`t capture the location - if I can find it again, I`ll be sure to pass it on.I suppose one thing that would help would be to set as high a hurdle as possible for those wishing to list a business - you can`t simply post some general information and have a posting, and thus have access to any user who finds the listing.  That`s my primary issue, it seems to be too simple for me to post information (I may be wrong about that, I didn`t have a chance to register or try to post).  If I`m going to take the step of contacting a lister, I want to be confident they`ve provided me with enough details to adequately assess their legitimacy.  Because once I reach out to them, they`ve got whatever contact information (and other information) I`ve passed along.So as I said, setting a high bar for the level of information, perhaps even having some verifiable info about the health and viability of the business being listed, would really increase my confidence level.

businessfilter

I think I read two comments here.1. Accuracy and legitimacy of the listings.  This will be a issue, to prevent spam and posting of "schemes".  A approval process is in place where a listing is reviewed before it is accepted and displayed.  We also require certain information on a broker to validate their identity.  A future feature could be a rating system.2. Personal information protection for the buyer.  I try to maintain as little information as possible about a buyer.  Information not available can`t be compromised.  Communication will be through emails, also the lister`s phone number and website is displayed with a listing so they can contact each other directly and control what is shared.I`m sure others will have the same reservations about the service, and hope the solutions/processes I have in place help mitigate some of these concerns.  Let me know if there are other thoughts as this is very helpful.

businessfilter

Hi CraigL - the site is exactly as you mention, a "business for sale" classified ads service.  This is not a brokerage site.  From the comments I`ve received thus far, it seems like the services provided needs to be better described.  It`s causing confusion, unless i`m misunderstanding everyone`s comments.  Please correct me if this is the case.  Thanks.

InactiveMember

Minimalist. That`s for sure. I like the minimalism. The content isn`t centered quite right though. It needs to be moved down. Or something.
The copywriting isn`t clear. I really didn`t have much idea if the site was a job search or ... well ... I read the posts here and then I understood. Copywriting is really important. You need to communicate three things:
Product, Position, Purpose
Ideally you`d use a mind-catching hook of some kind.

Chuck

There is something to be said for minimalism, but in this case you`ve got a bit more complex service than one that really lends itself to a truly pared down design.  Some measure of explanation seems to be in order.