This blog entry is a supplement to "Unrealistic Expectations" - the Number 4 reason why so many fail in home businesses. It is an important addition for IMG.Ws Associates and interested members of the general public. We owe our thanks to INETGiant for making this entry possible.I highly recommend you pay INETGiant a visit, if you are interested in quality online advertising at affordable price points. There are so many thousands of hard working honest people that have been scammed by Internet marketerers that promised much but delivered very little or nothing at all.
Many more have been duped into spending hundreds; if not thousands, of dollars for "so-called" secrets that would unlocked the illusive door to the reported riches that exist in cyberspace. Self-styled Gurus have bilked the unsuspecting out of thousands of dollars for programs and concepts that are literally worthless. Think about this for a minute.
If you had a secret formula that was making you 1 million dollars a month, would you tell the world and invite duplication and competition? You're right! Absolutely not. How much would you sell it for? You're right again! Not at any price.... because no matter how much you could sell it for, you could always earn 10 times that.
However, if your moneymaking formula stopped earning you 1 million dollars a month, how much would you sell it for then? You are right again! Whatever you can get. Even though the Internet is a marvel of technology and human ingenuity, it does not raise the dead or turn water into wine. It is not an electronic highway to overnight fortunes.
For those who understand the ebb and flow of the Net, a considerable amount of money can be earned. However, it all starts with using your intelligence and intellect to guide your steps on the slippery Internet landscape. Part I of "What Works" will help you understand why it is so vitally important that you control your expectations and temper your actions with reason, rationality and intelligence. Naturally, your first step is to take control.
Until you take control of your expectations... until you understand what the Internet can and cannot do for you... you'll continue to be an easy target for online crooks and scam artists.
So let's begin at the beginning.
What Is The Internet... and What Can It Do?
The Internet is the most powerful invention ever created by mankind for communicating, for gathering information, for storing information, for processing information, and for delivering information.
But it's NOT magic. The Internet is an incredibly powerful tool, but it cannot create wealth out of thin air.
The Internet can enable me to share my knowledge, thoughts, ideas, and experiences with you... no matter where you live... even if I'm doing something else... but it cannot create money where money doesn't exist.
So does that mean you can't make money on the Internet? Not at all! Lots of people make money on the Internet. Some people have become extremely wealthy operating a business on the Internet.
BUT... they didn't become successful by thinking the Internet could somehow magically send millions of dollars into their bank account just because they signed up for a program somewhere. They became successful by using the Internet as a tool to make their business run better... to expand their customer base to include people from all over the world... and to gather, store, process, and deliver the information necessary for their business to grow and prosper.
What does that mean to you?
Simply this... there are only two ways to make money. You can fool people into sending their money to you, or you can provide something they need and/or want so they will send you their money and feel good about the money they spent. No matter what you read, no matter what you're told, NEVER forget that fact. The Internet didn't create some magical "third way" to make money. There isn't one.
If your choice is to fool people, you can stop reading now. Nothing I say will help you if that's your objective. (And if you think it's OK to lie to other people simply because that lie worked on you... think again. It's not.) But if your choice is to provide something that people need and/or want, then your next decision should be WHAT you will provide.
You have three choices. You can provide a product, you can provide a service, or you can provide a product/service combination.
If you choose a product, you have two choices.
It can be a physical product, such as candles, vitamins, or auto parts... or it can be a "virtual" product, such as information, online advertising, or access to a private website.
If you choose a service, you have two choices.
It can be a service that you or an employee provides in person, such as house painting, landscaping, or interior decorating... or it can be a service that you could provide online, such as consulting, graphic design, or web hosting.
If you choose a product/service combination, your service will probably be determined by your product. If your product is online advertising, your service might be ad design. If your product is cosmetics, your service might be a personal visit and make-up advice.
But whatever you decide to offer your potential customers, your emphasis MUST be to provide MORE value than your customer expects. That's the key to success in any business.
But wait a minute... that's all ordinary business knowledge.
Exactly! That's the point I want you to understand!
The Internet didn't change the basic way that all business is done. You still need to provide something of value to your customer... something that's worth more to your customer than the price you're charging.
All the Internet did was make it MUCH easier to conduct business... If you have a product, or a service, or a product/service combination that can be made available and/or delivered over the Internet.
Have you decided to offer home-made apple pies as your product? If so, you can offer your pies on the Internet, but you'll need to arrange for some other means of delivering them to your customers. That's one example of using the Internet to help grow your business, but in a somewhat limited way.
Compare that to a business that sells online advertising as its product. Not only can the product be offered on the Internet, it can also be DELIVERED on the Internet. Because it is a "virtual" product, there are no costs for manufacturing, packaging, warehousing, shipping, handling, or insuring your product. These cost savings can be passed to your customers or added back to your bottom line as profits. Not only that, but virtual products can often be delivered instantly... in "real time"... and without the risk of damage or loss during shipping.
Is it any wonder that virtual products account for the vast majority of online sales, with advertising still leading the way?
Now that you understand what the Internet can and cannot do, you're ready to stop believing the lies and hype you see every day... and take control of your online business by applying tested and proven business principles to a business that can be operated over the Internet.
Would you like to know how you can use the Internet not only to offer and deliver your product and/or service, but to actually EXPAND your business to a point where it will continue to grow without your active participation?
In other words, would you like to utilize the amazing power of the Internet to help you create and build a business that will allow you to retire... and continue to receive a solid, growing income from your business for the rest of your life and beyond?
