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How
to Survive Your Internet Business
Everyone online wants
to make money; however, there are many people online
who need to go back to some of the basics outlined below.
There is entirely too much hype, too much hoping for
the "next miracle ebook" or some other short
cut.
The truth of the matter is that for
the average Joe or Josephine online, the business will
not be built overnight and they will need to adhere
to some of the same basic principles that those offline
stores use to get customers in the door.
The first thing you need to do is realize
that the Internet is a place where you have to establish
your creditability on each transaction with each customer.
Doing what you say, offering quality products that you
yourself have tried, and maintaining an attitude that
the customer needs to have the reassurance to do business
with you, will get you many more dollars than high pressure
sales tricks. There is no reason for a customer to trust
you unless you offer your complete name, business name,
address and a way to contact you within your website
or your order form. A thank you note also helps the
customer to confirm that their order was processed correctly
and gives you a chance to acknowledge again their value
to you and your respect for them.
Make your website easy to navigate.
Make the products and the way to purchase them stand
out. Do not add a bunch of other filler or banners and
items that only take away from your main focus - your
product or service. When a shopping cart or buy button
is presented, make sure that it is a smooth transaction
and ask for as little information as possible to get
the order confirmed. People hate to fill out tons of
lines on your form and will leave if you try to ask
them everything under the sun about their situation
on the first contact. Also, make sure that they are
aware of your privacy policy that you will never share
their information.
Remember, the goal is to either get
them to purchase a product or to get them to leave their
email address and first name so that you can contact
them again with tips, articles, and other software or
items that will be of interest to them. Let them receive
something for nothing for a while as everyone loves
free items and they will look forward to receiving your
newsletter. Most people will not buy on their first
contact with you or your website, so you need to reinforce
your trustworthiness.
When you send out a newsletter, do not
send it too frequently. Once a week or twice a month
is much better than three times a week. Always use the
same format and make it quick, swift and to the point.
This is not the place to write your life history and
what you did for entertainment that weekend. It is a
method that you can communicate with your customer and
encourage them to trust and place their confidence in
you. Anything that you can do to that end will reward
you many times over.
If you have a product that others are
marketing, then check out their websites. Find the top
people in your business and see what they are doing.
You can search Google or Yahoo or any of the other major
search engines to come up with these competitor's websites
just by inserting keywords relevant to your industry
and seeing the top ten that come up. Do not copy what
they have on their websites, but just get the feel for
the website and why they are having success. Make notes
as you scroll through the website and see what you like
about their website, how they showcase their products,
their ease of use, their ability to explain their product
or service in easy to understand wording, and how their
guarantee works, anything that will help you to understand
why someone would come to this website and feel comfortable
with their decision to purchase from this vendor.
Another important point is to make sure
your colors on your website convey the mood you are
trying to establish. If you do not know what colors
can do for your website, then do a search and some reading
and learn the combinations that are pleasing to the
eye. Do not load the website up with graphics that are
not necessary. Even flash introductions seem to be on
the way out lately. Everyone has moved back to the website
being functional and less is more here. You will have
more customers, more visitors, and more orders for your
company if you keep things simple but professional.
Make your headline and subheadings grab
the attention of the reader. Most people will not stay
on a website but a short time unless they are directed
through curiosity to find out more about what you are
offering. So, lead their mind where you want it to be
within the first headline and first couple of sentences.
Avoid mundane headings like Welcome to My Website or
I am so glad to have you visit - I am happy to be able
to show you my products. Do use headings like Are You
Afraid You Are Being Left Out?
Your goal is to direct the customer's
mindset and allow them time to indulge in reading your
website. If they think they will find some value within
your words, products or services, then you will continue
to keep their interest if you are honest with them.
Usually, the first hint of the self-indulgence type
of sales words and the customer is long gone.
Fulfill a need, provide an excellent
service, make the website easy to understand, and do
not be pushy or extreme in your declarations. Then you
will have the basics down of making your Internet business
lasting and successful.
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