What does it really take to succeed online?

I think we have all asked the same question at one time or another. That question is ...

"What does it really take to succeed online?"

If we listen to the emails and websites we read, we hear many strong opinions.

"Create your own product" they say.
"Do joint ventures" says another.
"Pay per click advertising is all you need" says yet another voice.
And they always make it sound so much easier than it really is, while loudly proclaiming that their way is the only way. And yet we know that can not be true.

So ... what DOES it take to succeed online?

While I will not pretend to have all the answers, I will share openly what has worked (and is working now) for me and my clients as well.

Experience has proven that focusing on these seven basics will yield results, no matter what market you are attempting to reach or product you are promoting.

1. YOU MUST HAVE A WEBSITE TO SUCCEED

It used to be that email was enough. But today you need a website. It is incredibly ironic that this vital beginning step is the step where so many people fail.

Creating a website can be hard if you don't know how. But there is a solution, and that solution is blogging.

Using Blogger.com, you really can put meaningful content on the web today, and do it free.

If you have ever struggled to create a website, if you have been confused by HTML editors and all the technical mumbo-jumbo, try blogging today.

2. USE EMAIL TO FOLLOW UP

This is probably the #1 piece of advice I give clients, and it works almost every time.

The logic is undeniable.

If your site is wildly successful, over 90% of first time visitors will not buy on their first visit!

How are they going to remember to return to your site, when there are billions of sites online, many of which are probably your competitors?

You must remind them to come back. You must woo them back with enticing offers and give them solid reasons to do business with you. And nothing does that better than email.

If spending money is an issue, you can create a follow up system free at SendFree.com

3. LET THEM HEAR YOUR VOICE

There is no doubt about it ... content is king. People come online to find answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. When your site is the one providing those answers and solutions, people will buy.

But first things first - people have to find your site. And that means getting listed in the search engines. And getting listed in the search engines means providing new content as often as you can.

I suggest adding content to your site every day, or at least every week.

The great thing here is that you don't have to write it! If you can write your own content, by all means do that. People love to hear from other real people, much more than they want to hear from some slick marketer. If you can't write, or just don't want to, then look for resale rights products that offer articles.

Using Google, just enter this search phrase. "resale rights" + articles You will find lots of sites offering pre-written articles that you can use as content on your website.

4. BE COMMITTED

Here is a huge mistake that is made over and over again by very well-meaning people. They join a program, try making it work for six or seven weeks, then quit when things don't happen as quickly as they were lead to believe.

This is an understandable situation, but one that will lead to failure every time.

The fact is, success takes time. Just as you would not expect to open a pizza shop in your town and become an overnight success, so too you should not expect immediate success online. It can happen, but it is rare, no matter how many say they have done it.

The key here is to do your homework before committing to any program or business. 'Doing your homework' includes asking questions, hearing from people who have succeeded with the program, getting wise counsel from people you respect, and taking the time to think it through.

Once you find a product or program you believe in, make a commitment to stick with it until you have tried everything possible to succeed. That commitment will take time to accomplish, and you might just find that an extra month or three of hard work is the key that unlocks the success you desire.

5. EXPAND SLOWLY

There are many ways to make money on the Internet. There are even more ways to advertise or promote a product or program. And that wide variety of choice is often the downfall of many a well-meaning person who is new to the ways of the Internet.

The best advice here is to choose one or two methods of marketing, and get a deep knowledge of what to do in each before moving forward.

One way to do that is to make a list of all the possible ways you could use to promote your offer. Then number the list, making #1 the method you think would be most likely to succeed. Learn all you can about that method, moving on to your second choice only when you feel you have mastered the first tactic.

Doing this will help you save money, sell more products, and help you become an expert at marketing online, which will give you the power to sell any product to any market any time you want!

6. DEVELOP SALES RESISTANCE

This might sound odd coming from a guy who sells things online for a living, but it's a big one. So big, I almost made this number 1!

If you and I were to count how many products we have bought in the last 12 months that are going unused now, we might get downright depressed!

It's a fact, Internet marketers know how to sell. Their sites know how to get us to take action now, and boy do we buy. We buy things we don't need, and sometimes we buy the same thing over and over again!

The way to develop sales resistance, and keep more of your money in your pocket where it belongs, is to ask questions. Here are three that I ask before buying anything.

Do I really need this now?
Do I already own it, or own a similar product?
What problem will this purchase solve?
What is my specific plan for using this product in the next 24 hours?
I believe that we should buy what we need to succeed. Be that information, or a service, or a product to sell, you simply can not make money without spending money. But spending wisely is a must!

7. BE REALISTIC

We touched on this in point 4, but it's worth another look. My friend, sites that say you will earn $10,000, $20,000 or more in the next 90 days no matter what your current level of experience is are lying to you.

We live in an amazing time. The Internet has opened new possibilities to anyone with a connection and a burning desire to succeed. And that is a wonderful thing, one that will literally change our world.

But it takes skills and time to succeed online, and there is no getting around that.

Can you make a living online? For most people, the answer is yes. But that yes must be tempered with the knowledge that it takes work, certain skills, some startup money, and time to succeed online.

If you are realistic, it can work.

The seven secrets revealed above have passed the test of time, working for people on almost every continent and in every economic circumstance.

Let me encourage you to take these seven secrets and make them your own. Take time to choose what you want to accomplish online, then take action today using these seven secrets as your guide.

Henry David Thoreau said "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

Nowhere is that statement more true than on the Internet. I hope that 2006 is all you dream it to be.

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