loosely defined set of goals. A goal is the purpose towards
which any endeavor is directed or in other words, an objective.
While the ultimate goal is to make an income, that by itself is
not a realistic goal to base a business on.
A simple analogy might be a stream with stepping stones. While
the ultimate goal here is to reach the other side without
getting wet, each stepping stone represents an intermediate goal
that must be reached. If you miss one, you won't be dry when you
reach the other side, and will not have attained your goal.
Business in general, whether it be "brick and mortar" or an
internet endeavor, has intermediate goals. If you don't
recognize these necessary steps, you will not reach your
ultimate goal, which is financial reward.
In any particular business, of course the ultimate goal is to
produce revenue, but there are numerous "stepping stones" that
must be in place to do so. At the risk of stating the obvious,
you must have a saleable product or service. While you might
scam a few people with an inferior one, you will not be around
for the long haul. I personally get a real "kick" out of those
who send out what are recognized by most people as obvious scams
such as chain letters, hoping to lure in the unsuspecting .
So if you do have a legitimate product or service, how are you
going to sell it? First you need a place from which to sell your
wares. A website to an online entrepreneur is akin to a
storefront. This is where you will make your sales. It has to be
attractive and the merchandise displayed in a conducive manner.
Next, you have to make people aware of its existence. This is
your advertising goal. You must first identify a target market
and aim your advertising at that market. But where do you
advertise? Statistics have shown that the best possible vehicle
is one which actually reaches your prospects.
Let's talk about ezine advertising, which is one of the
strongest ways possible. Do you advertise in a publication that
reaches 100,00 people or one that only reaches 5,000? Don't be
too quick to answer. The one that reaches 100,000 may not be
aimed at your target market, while the one that reaches 5,000
might be. While a humor ezine may reach many thousands (who
doesn't like a good joke), if you are trying to market an
affiliate program, an ezine geared to them might just might be
your best bet.
Next on the agenda is an easy way for your prospects to purchase
your product. If you don't accept credit cards you are missing
impulse sales. If someone is ready to buy, and you make them
jump through hoops to purchase, the odds are they won't. If you
give them time to "cool off" they will likely look elsewhere.
It is not that difficult to obtain a merchant account. Anyone
who is selling a product or a service who doesn't have one is
simply wasting their time. If someone has to send you a check or
money order, by the time they get around to doing it, the
impulse to purchase may very well be gone.
Do you have a personal presence on the web? If not, you are
losing business. You don't have to give them your life history,
but your picture and way to contact you goes a long way.
Do you need a toll free number. I always felt this was
important, but have lately changed my thinking. A toll free
number will generate a lot "tire kickers" but not too many
sales. If someone won't "drop a dime" to find out about your
offer, they are most likely not serious. We took out our toll
free number and two things happened - the number of calls we
received went down. But, the number of sales we made went up -
go figure.
These are just a few of the stepping stones needed to reach your
goal. While there are many others, if you provide these steps
for your prospects, you will most likely meet your goals. If you
don't, you will quickly lose heart and wonder why you are not
getting any business.
Author: Bob Osgoodby
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