By Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Every day thousands of people worldwide wake up and, hey presto!, have a great idea: I'm going to set up a business for myself online. Tons of people have done that and oodles of money is being made.
Now hear this: you are now and truly entering the twilight zone... and I want to help you get through it with maximum success and minimum frustration.
Who am I? Well, I am an old Internet hand who, since 1994, has made his primary work place the Internet and has reaped over the years a very ample reward. Now it is time for me to share with you some of the lessons of these years of learning, growth, and profits.
I know what you're thinking: "Yikes, another old geezer from ancient times trying to help me by offering useless advice that never in a million years could possibly apply to me and my situation." Is that how you feel when those more experienced than you are (and more successful) offer up their nuggets of wisdom? If so, reconsider and feast your eyes on this:
Item: Most home-based Internet businesses fail unless they have certain crucial criteria in place. Without these factors, you will fail, too.
Item: Your online business is most vulnerable if you have never previously been involved in business and have limited Internet experience. The failure rate here is staggering.
Item: You are at severe risk if you are trying to run a one-person online business and have no one else to advise and counsel you. This is very likely the situation in which you find yourself right this minute. You will soon discover why one is the loneliest -- and least successful -- number.
Now, have I got your attention?
The minute you decided you wanted to make money online, you became a failure waiting to happen. That's why you must pay close attention to the recommendations that follow. Not only are they the result of many successful years online, they are heartfelt, because online helpful friends are few and far between... and should be listened to with the utmost respect, even if you don't like what they're telling you.
Home truth number 1: Life online for most would-be Internet entrepreneurs is nasty, brutish and short. It looks like this: decide to have an online business, get a website, then.... absolutely nothing. No traffic! No customers! No money! You will know this description applies to you very, very soon if you are being at all honest with yourself.
How long have you been trying to make money online?
How much have you made?
How much have you spent to launch this e-enterprise?
How much time have you wasted?
What makes you think tomorrow will be better than yesterday?
These are tough questions... and most online business wannabees never do demand answers from themselves... or at least not before it's too little too late.
Home truth number 2: You don't know enough about developing your crucial prospect list.
People who make money online know that the list is the business and the business is the list. Do you know this and are you focusing your expertise, time and money in developing that all important list? Or are you focusing on such inessential factors as the colors used on your website, your domain name, how many business cards you should order, etc? All such questions collectively do not have the importance and significance of this single query: what did you do today, yesterday, the day before yesterday and the day before that to build the list, the list that is the business and from whence all your profits will derive, now and forever?
Home truth number 3: You have no marketing experience or success.
Who succeeds online? People who know what marketing is, have important marketing experience, and know what marketing they must know and do daily. Sadly, the wannabees have absolutely none of these things and their lack is both obvious and fatal. You cannot succeed in business online (or off for that matter) with only rudimentary marketing skills, hoping that that will be enough. It won't be. A thorough practical knowledge of reality-based marketing is essential. You proceed at your peril without it.
Home truth number 4: Success online means having the ability to write cogent advertising and other copy.
How are your customer-centered writing skills? The truth, please, and nothing but the truth.
Successful Internet entrepreneurs are to a person good customer-centered writers. Or if they're not they have solved that problem by hiring someone who is. Thus, your question is this: can I write the necessary copy that gets prospects to stop in their tracks, pay attention, peruse the offer and product details, and act? Merely "thinking" you can write such copy is just not good enough. Would you go sailing in a leaky boat? Then don't deceive yourself here either. Excellent copywriting skills are a must.
Home truth number 5: You're not selling nearly enough products.
Want success online? Sell lots of products. Want even more success? Sell lots more. Success online directly correlates to how many products you sell and your skill in presenting them.
How many products are you selling today?
How many yesterday? The day before?
If you are not adding new products daily, you are handicapping your ability to make money online.
Every successful online entrepreneur is engaged in a strenuous search and discover mission aimed at finding more products.
Are you? If not, your Internet obsequies are near at hand.
Home truth number 6: You are not skilled in essential traffic generation techniques.
In real estate, it's location, location, location.
Online, it's traffic, traffic, traffic.
The sad truth is you traffic generation skills and experience are minimal, certainly inadequate to generate the necessary traffic that ensures success.
Hopefully you'll admit this is true. Then, assuming you are willing to knuckle down and master traffic essentials, the better to create and grow your list, you at least have a prayer.
However, if you do not have the necessary traffic generation skills... and remain unwilling to say so and do something about it, you're DOA... 100% certain to fail.
Home truth number 7... but I must cease and desist as my space for today is now at an end. There is, of course, much more I can tell you... and undoubtedly will. For now, promise me this: that you will attend closely to these deeply honest observations. And when you implement them successfully, you'll let me know. I'd like to know how you're getting on, with my help.
About the Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books. Republished with author's permission by Richard Penny
Richard Penny is an Online Success Coach That is willing to teach others, the way to success, Has been on the internet for many years, and has learned many successful tips, that will help others
on there way to a better Financial Future..
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