As most people are now quite aware, the Internet contains a wealth of information. But that brings one inherent problem: finding that information in a useable format. However, be advised,  the rewards can be well worth the hunt, because locked in the deep recesses of the world wide web are leads, market intelligence, business relocation and new business information... All of which you can use to your advantage...no matter what your industry.

There are services which, based on your pre-selected criteria (geographic, demographic, etc.) will poll the information that is pertinent to your industry and send it right to your email inbox....everyday....for a fee. We have experience with a few of them and depending on your industry....ranging in price from $30 a month to $800 or more per year, a single sale could feasibly pay for your leads for the entire year. This option is ideal for the small, growing business that doesn't have the time, nor staff to perform marketing intelligence in house. Below is a sampling of such services:

• www.onvia.com

• www.trueadvantage.com

• www.bid-net.com

Another option, is to search around the Internet yourself. This is a task that would normally be very time consuming, however, we've put together a respectable list of websites that regularly request IFB's (Invitations For Bids) and RFP's (Requests For Proposals). These sites usually have an entire section of their website devoted to purchasing, complete with detailed vendor requirements and bid information. Don't let the red tape scare you away from tapping into these leads. Once you get a little experience at the processes, you'll be a pro in no time. Take a look at the list we have come up with... but, there are many more out there...

• State of Florida

• Florida Corporations Database

• Lee County

• Collier County

• Charlotte County

• South Florida Water Management District

• Florida Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles

• City of Miami

• Miami-Dade County Public Schools

• Palm Beach County

• City of Orlando

• NASA (how cool to win a bid for NASA!)

• University of South Florida

• University of Florida

• Florida Gulf Coast University

See the pattern? If you do, then you'll be able to find more leads by doing search engine searches. An especially good search engine for this type of searching is www.google.com. Make sure you include the words "purchasing" or "procurement" along with a specific geographic area in your search. Perhaps you can try this before subscribing to an automated service to see how you can integrate this into your current marketing plan.

Good Luck!