Posted on: 05 November, 2002
Author: Joe Bingham
Fact: There are far more people wishing to make ... from home over the Internet than there are ... ... an obvious ... to be sure, but why is that true?One factor o Fact: There are far more people wishing to make substantialincomes from home over the Internet than there are actuallydoing it.That's an obvious statement to be sure, but why is that true?One factor often overlooked in my opinion is that many peoplemake poor selections when choosing what they should sell.People, more often than not, decide what business to enterbased on emotion, excitement, or other's success. Rarely, dopeople take the time to critically analyze what they will begetting into and whether or not it will be suitable for them.Now, even if you're already comfortable in what you are doing,thinking through the following set of questions will be beneficialto you. Reading through them will undoubtedly either enlightenyou on how to further advance what you're already involved in,or it will give you the necessary push to change to somethingthat might work better for you.Obviously, then, if you are already looking for an onlinebusiness opportunity, or looking to change directions, this is foryou.For the sake of this discussion, we'll talk strictly in products.However, realize that marketing a business opportunity or aservice is essentially still marketing a product.Carefully considering all of the following aspects will put youfurther ahead than the vast majority of Internet marketers, giveyou more flexibility in your marketing plan, and realisticallybring you more success.1. YOUR OWN BELIEFSWhen selecting a product or group of products to market, startfirst with your own beliefs. In network marketing it's absolutelycritical to believe, like, and use whatever product your businessoffers. Without that belief you'll never have any credibility withothers or convince your downline to make purchasesthemselves.Now, with regards to working auction services this is not nearlyas important. Often, you can work essentially as a middle manconnecting buyers and sellers. In this case, the seller is the onewhose credibility the buyer feeds off of and it's the selleralso who is responsible for any guarantees, refunds, and such.'Instant' sale mini sites are those specifically designed to solicit1 of 2 immediate responses out of it's visitors -- buy or leave.With this type of site, it's not necessary for the visitor to evenknow who they are buying from so your personal beliefs arenot as critical. (obviously if you are more personally involved inthe product and the site then your personal beliefs areimportant. We could argue about which way works better, butthe point is if you do put your name to something you'd darnwell better be a believer in it yourself otherwise you have nocredibility.)Personally, I would never market something without firstbelieving it to be a good product. Often growing a businesscan be difficult enough without doubting whether what you areoffering is really worth what you're asking for it or not.2. CONSIDER YOUR TARGET MARKETI believe many would-be entrepreneurs fail because they neverNARROWLY consider who their target market is.Someone marketing a 'work from home' program to 'whoeverwants to work from home' is missing their mark. There's a bigdifference between someone working from home to markettheir own creations and someone looking to work from homere-selling others' works.Answer the following questions when considering whatproducts you want to sell.*Who exactly will be interested in this product?*Is this group large enough to support my business?*Is this a group I can reach?*Can I market through others already in contact with them?*How much competition will I have?*How well established is my competition?3. CONSIDER AVAILABLE MARKETING TACTICSI remember getting excited about a particular product, believingin it, wanting to share it with others, only to run into a brick wallas to how to go about doing it.It happens, and it's very discouraging when it does.Before you commit to selling a product, you've got to take agood hard look at how you will go about doing it. Considerthe following:*Do I already have contacts that will be interested in this?*Can I establish a routine that will bring my product beforenew people consistently enough to make a profit?*What methods will work to market this product?Then consider the specifics of each marketing method. Forinstance with search engines, how popular are keywords thatwill lead to your product? How much competition do thosekey words have?As another example, is there enough information surroundingyour product to allow you to market it by publishing a weeklyezine?4. IDENTIFY NECESSARY MARKETING ELEMENTSNot everyone has what it takes to market each and everyproduct available online.Consider your product. Is it a single purchase item or one thatthe same customer will buy over and over? Is it a low priceitem or on the high end? Are you selling just one product or anentire group of them?Some products can be sold 'instantly' while others require morefollow up. Do you have the tools for following up withpotential customers? Do you have what it takes tolead someone from a single purchase to becoming a repeatcustomer or to considering other products? What will all thisentail?You've got to be honest in whether or not the tactics that youdecide will be effective for marketing a product are ones youare comfortable -- and knowledgeable enough -- in doing.5. IDENTIFY YOUR FINANCIAL INPUT AND BUDGETHere's one that's stopped a lot of us from succeeding. Anybusiness is going to take some investment. Consider whatyou'll have to put into your business BEFORE you start.I'm not only talking about what it costs to get involved, butwhat it will cost you to get product for yourself, and what it willtake as far as advertising.This, of course, all depends on how you answered thequestions above. However, don't overlook this step. NEVERassume that you'll have immediate sales that will cover yourfuture expenses, either -- ESPECIALLY if you are borrowingmoney to get started.You've got to plan for the unexpected and have what it takes tokeep your business going until it can support itself.IN CONCLUSIONIf there's any one thing that's attractive about Internet marketingit's the excitement it can breed. The idea of contacting so manypeople so easily and the thought of getting a lot of sales in ashort period of time is thrilling.However, this excitement is also dangerous. We all need torealize that while those things can happen, they do take timeand effort to bring about.Don't fall for the excitement without taking a good hard look atwhat will really be involved in working with the product of yourchoice. Take the time needed to examine the market you'll bejumping into and make sure it's one with good potential androom for expansion -- AND THAT IT WILL BE SUITABLEFOR YOU.With effort, you can achieve success online. Just don't hinderyourself by trying to work with a product that's not realistic foryour situation -- just because other's were successful with it.Sure, learn from the success of others. Duplicate their systemIF it will work for you, but NOT just because it worked forthem.Make your own choices, make your own way, and you WILLmake your own success.---------------------------------------------------------------Would you consider marketing a product with a NARROWTarget Market of 80,000,000 people?Growing at 45% a week? In a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry?Better take a look, huh? Like, Now! Go to:http://www.janglefisheasymusic.com/Written by Joe Bingham of the NetPlay Marketerhttp://www.netplaynewsletters.com--------------------------------------------------------------- Article Tags: From Home, Work From Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com