Can My Business Succeed On The Internet
SURE IT CAN! But there are a few rules and guidelines you need to follow.
In many respects doing business on the internet is not that much different than what you would do in the conventional business world, marketing, advertising, management and operation are all necessary functions for both. The philosophy of the internet business owner in many cases differ from the conventional business owner in that they often appear to have the opinion that once their web site is built, their work is finished. Visitors will just come and buy their products or services and they’ll get rich with very little or no effort – NOT SO!
First, Let’s do an analysis. If for example your business consisted of a gift shop where you sold handicrafts that you created at home, in a small shop or store, how will you sell them? From your home, shop or store, by mailorder, on the internet, local flea markets. This is an obvious first question or step that dictates, where, how and to whom. No matter what you decide the next steps are critical for your success and will be the foundation on which to build your business. Once you have decided what you will sell and from where you will sell it, now you need the vehicle that will carry you and your business through the rest of the steps.
The two most important tools that you will need are a business plan and a marketing plan. You will gain both knowledge and experience in the creation and implimentation of these plans and they will help more than you can imagine in your day to day business by constant reviewing of and referral to them.
Your business plan will guide you in the development and operation of your business and the marketing plan will assist you with establishing your sales strategies and help with locating a target audience. Don’t underestimate the importance of these plans, they will save you a lot of grief and frustration later on. This does’nt mean that everything in the future will be rosy, but it will help to cut down on the severity and frequency of the hiccups and help you face and overcome them.
So what is different between what you need and how you approach starting a conventional business or one on the internet – NOTHING!
In both cases you need the foundation and most of all – commitment. How you conduct business, how you pay attention to and treat your customers, how you take advantage of promotional and marketing opportunities and how you live up to this commitment.
Keys to Succeed!
1/ Proper Planning – Well thought out and prepared business plan
2/ Find Your Niche – Well researched and defined marketing plan
3/ Compare – Determine level of competition thoroughly
4/ Promotion – Research marketing tools and opportunities
5/ Value – Establish product/services pricing based on competition
Are you satisfied with the results of the above points, are they favourable in all respects?
Then you have a very good chance of success for your business venture.
Synopsis!
A convential [Brick & Mortor] business, whether it’s a retail store, home based requires a good
location or venue to attract traffic in some manner.
- strong visibility
- friendly and helpful staff
- pleasent atmosphere and appearance
- easy to find location
- convenient and favourable hours for shoppers
- someone always available to help and support your customers
Strange as it may sound [at first] all these points apply to an internet business also. It will never ever succeed without this attention. As I alluded to at the start of this article – An absentee owner has a free pass to failure.
You would never think of opening a retail store in a strip mall without any advertising or staff to serve the customers – nor would you just dump all your products haphazardly around the floor of the store – the same considerations appy to your online internet business – but only if you want to succeed!
SURE IT CAN! But there are a few rules and guidelines you need to follow.
In many respects doing business on the internet is not that much different than what you would do in the conventional business world, marketing, advertising, management and operation are all necessary functions for both. The philosophy of the internet business owner in many cases differ from the conventional business owner in that they often appear to have the opinion that once their web site is built, their work is finished. Visitors will just come and buy their products or services and they’ll get rich with very little or no effort – NOT SO!
First, Let’s do an analysis. If for example your business consisted of a gift shop where you sold handicrafts that you created at home, in a small shop or store, how will you sell them? From your home, shop or store, by mailorder, on the internet, local flea markets. This is an obvious first question or step that dictates, where, how and to whom. No matter what you decide the next steps are critical for your success and will be the foundation on which to build your business. Once you have decided what you will sell and from where you will sell it, now you need the vehicle that will carry you and your business through the rest of the steps.
The two most important tools that you will need are a business plan and a marketing plan. You will gain both knowledge and experience in the creation and implimentation of these plans and they will help more than you can imagine in your day to day business by constant reviewing of and referral to them.
Your business plan will guide you in the development and operation of your business and the marketing plan will assist you with establishing your sales strategies and help with locating a target audience. Don’t underestimate the importance of these plans, they will save you a lot of grief and frustration later on. This does’nt mean that everything in the future will be rosy, but it will help to cut down on the severity and frequency of the hiccups and help you face and overcome them.
So what is different between what you need and how you approach starting a conventional business or one on the internet – NOTHING!
In both cases you need the foundation and most of all – commitment. How you conduct business, how you pay attention to and treat your customers, how you take advantage of promotional and marketing opportunities and how you live up to this commitment.
Keys to Succeed!
1/ Proper Planning – Well thought out and prepared business plan
2/ Find Your Niche – Well researched and defined marketing plan
3/ Compare – Determine level of competition thoroughly
4/ Promotion – Research marketing tools and opportunities
5/ Value – Establish product/services pricing based on competition
Are you satisfied with the results of the above points, are they favourable in all respects?
Then you have a very good chance of success for your business venture.
Synopsis!
A convential [Brick & Mortor] business, whether it’s a retail store, home based requires a good
location or venue to attract traffic in some manner.
- strong visibility
- friendly and helpful staff
- pleasent atmosphere and appearance
- easy to find location
- convenient and favourable hours for shoppers
- someone always available to help and support your customers
Strange as it may sound [at first] all these points apply to an internet business also. It will never ever succeed without this attention. As I alluded to at the start of this article – An absentee owner has a free pass to failure.
You would never think of opening a retail store in a strip mall without any advertising or staff to serve the customers – nor would you just dump all your products haphazardly around the floor of the store – the same considerations appy to your online internet business – but only if you want to succeed!
