Today's guest was Craig Nelson, CEO of iCentera -- they're a company that provides on-demand Web portals for companies who want to increase customer loyalty and 1:1 communications. Craig was a guest on the show back in February 2007 as well.

First, let me say this guy makes a good case for Web portals. Each time I hear him speak on the subject I become more and more convinced that this style of communication is really a tangible asset to a company. My only complaint is that the benefits seem to be really ideal for B:B companies and not as well developed for B:C.

Just think about it. Your company takes it top 10 B:B accounts and creates a Web portal for each one. You now have an open dialogue that is bi-directional, discussion-based, allows for regular updates and information flow, and shares out all types of media and documents. AND, this is where I get excited, the synergy between all those ideas and people sharing is compounded and maximized. Immediately, I can see a benefit here for my company and the PR firm we work with. This type of tool would take all the email back and forth out, it would document ideas shared, and it would serve as a repository for all the media stuff we have to send each other. This would be bottom-line, realtime savings for me each day not to mention the potential of increased press and accurate messaging going out.

iCentera has more than 65,000 portal subscribers and more than 2,000 companies using them. If you want a deeper relationship with your business customers -- one that might create barriers to exit and thus withstand competitive offers -- then you should consider how 'portals for mortals' can help.