subject: Seven Secrets Of Online Business Success [print this page] Many people try to open online businesses, but they fail to apply the common sense they would use if they were working offline. And this is no joke.
There are genuine tragedies; families who spend all their savings expecting a way to build a regular retirement income. Instead they find themselves with nothing but an empty back account, some Cd's and manuals. Others borrow large sums to build their online dream and end up with a couple of sales and a whole load of debts. Some do have unrealistic expectations, others are very unlucky, still others are victims of what can only be called fraud.
Online as well as off, if it seems too good to be true, it's because it is. Stay skeptical.
There's no such thing as overnight success. All stores take time to establish. In the high street customers may spot a new store front in a good location on day one. On the internet, unless you are paying for pay per click ads, the process could take months.
Have patience. The volume of sales will be low at first. This doesn't mean things will always be that way! You need to have a degree of persistence to succeed online and you need to be able to support your business financially until it can support you. No-one can tell you how long this is going to take.
Be willing to learn. Very few people come to internet sales knowing everything about the subject. A willingness to learn is an important attribute of an internet entrepreneur. There are some very expensive courses out there which will, so we're told, tell you everything you need to know. Books are cheaper and you tube videos are free. You can study them at your own pace. Try an affordable book before you jump at an expensive course.
Get Started. It may seem obvious, but you can't succeed in online business unless you actually start one. A lot of planned online businesses stay as plans because their owners prepare and prepare and prepare, but never actually do. No amount of preparation will prevent you from making mistakes. Prepare as much as you can, get started and make those mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
It is technical, but you can understand it. It's surprising just how much people are willing to assume they can't understand. Where in normal business you wouldn't part with a penny until you knew what you were paying for, when you would get it and what it would do for your business, online it seems a bit of jargon and a very very long sales letter can have everyone reaching for their wallet.
Don't let normal business sense desert you online. If you don't know what you are paying for then make them explain until you do, or don't buy.
Understand the concept of a budget. Most large successful businesses use budgets. They set out at the beginning of the year just how much they are willing (and able) to spend on a given item or service and they don't deviate. When you are your own boss it's easy to decide to spend. Set a budget for all the items connected with your store and don't deviate unless you have a VERY good reason, that way if you attend a course where they try to sell you another, more expensive course (and a lot of them do) you can realize it's not in your budget and walk away.
The internet is a frontier filled with good guys, bad guys and a whole lot of snake oil salesmen. Sometimes it's difficult to tell one from the other, but there are fortunes to be made if you keep your wits about you. Study the seven secrets above, then stake your claim to internet success.
