The Best Known Ways to Sell Online

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We’ve all heard stories about someone who knows someone whose brother knows this guy who made a MILLION dollars on the Internet selling a new gizmo for $10 a pop. The idea being that you can pull together any product with match sticks and some shoestring, open up a web site for $19.99. And customers from Bogata to Katmandu will be breaking down your “Internet” door to buy it.

Well, if you’ve been in the business world – or on the Internet – for any length of time at all, you realize that it’s not that simple. In fact, it may seem that the deeper you dig into the inner workings of business on the Internet, the more the windshield seems to fog, so to speak.

The point is this, old ways of doing business (and by “old” I mean more than 10 years ago) don’t necessarily work on the World Wide Web. And, frankly there doesn’t seem to be ONE expert who can explain the whole thing in regular language.

I’m with you. So what I’ve done, is collected key stats about the three most talked about Internet business types there are – eBay, Affiliate Marketing and Direct Sales. Each has an overview of the way it works, the cost in time and dollar investment, and how to best use it. Finally, I’ve categorized each in the following ways:

Business for the Hobbyist
Good but Not Great
Opportunity for Financial Freedom

eBay

The first Internet business I looked at is eBay. Founded in 1995 by a computer programmer named Pierre Omidyar in San Jose California, it may be the most talked about AND most misunderstood Internet business there is.

How it Works: The first thing ever sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer for $14.83. Since that time billions of dollars have changed hands between buyers and sellers from around the world. So something must be working, right? Well, let’s see. In essence, eBay is a “Web auction”. It’s simple. You have a broken laser pointer, you put it up for auction for anyone in the world to buy, and “poof” someone buys it.

Time and Money Investment: But if you want to make eBay a money making venture for yourself, you can look forward to long hours of searching for products to sell, writing sales copy that entices buyers to bid and then invoicing, collecting payment and shipping products to buyers.

If you use eBay the way it is described above – coming across something you no longer want or need and putting it up on eBay to sell – then you truly are a Hobbyist. And if that is what you are looking for then you need not read further. But if you want to know how you can turn eBay into a gold mine, read on.

Think of traffic.

Most home business entrepreneurs think only about what products they can immediately sell. But if you think of eBay as a traffic center for creating loyal customers, you are on the right track.

You see, the first step in creating loyal, RETURN customers is to bring traffic to your site. Because that is the only way customers can see ALL the products you have to offer. And eBay has traffic – like 5:00 rush hour traffic – baby!

Rating: Business for the Hobbyist but could be an Opportunity for Financial Freedom
The way you stop being an eBay hobbyist and attain real financial freedom is to leverage the huge numbers of people who browse and buy on eBay. You do that by selling inexpensive products there. Your goal, you see, is not to make money with those products. It is to give the buyer a sample of how outstanding your products are, and then to create a relationship with them. Once you’ve sold a customer a great, inexpensive product, they are more than happy to give you there contact information, in case you come across more of the same.

At that point, a relationship is born! And a loyal, return customer is soon to follow!!

Special Note: In an upcoming article, you will learn about direct sales companies and the “Sales Funnel” that makes them so successful. If you don’t already know about the sales funnel, it is the fastest, most efficient way to cultivate your loyal customers and turn huge profits. Look for my next article.

Information about the Author: About the Author: To receive a FREE 42 page Special Report: The Wealth Funnel, a must read for anyone who wishes to earn $100,000 or morefrom home, visit www.yourhomebusinessguru.com Zenaida Lorenzo is one of the top home business entrepreneurs in the country. If you would like to contact her about this article, visit www.yourhomebusinessguru.com Small Business Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

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