If I"d heard it once I"ve heard it a thousand times, "I want to work online just like you do". That"s simple enough to say but that"s where the problems start. Right after I asked them what they would like to do, that"s when they hit me with it. They start to tell me their dream of making it big on the Internet by having a website that sells everything. Now I don"t enjoy being someone that crushes dreams, but I have probably squashed that one several dozen times. Most people think that they can throw up a website about anything and sell everything. The fact of the matter is that selling on the Internet is not like selling at Wal-Mart. Here"s why I make that statement.
When you walk into Wal-Mart you typically have something in mind that you want to buy. Let"s say, for example, you"ve come to pick up a new fishing pole. The person greets you at the door, and you typically see a couple of displays with some flashy things on them. That"s when you remember that your anniversary is coming up, so perhaps you should buy some flowers, and they go in the cart. Then on your way back to buy your fishing pole you pass the personal items and remember that you need some toilet paper, so it goes in the cart. Just before you get to the sporting goods you see a brand-new flat screen TV and it catches your attention. You don"t buy the TV, but while you"re there you"ll pick up the new DVD that just came out. Are you seeing a pattern here?
When you buy something on the Internet you search for it. You type fishing rod into Google and end up landing on a webpage about fishing rods. You don"t pass the flowers on the way into the website. You don"t see a flat screen TV that catches your eye. Toilet paper is the last thing on your mind. The only thing that you are interested in doing is looking at the fishing rods and maybe you will make a purchase.
Whenever you make your start on the Internet you need to think narrow and not wide. If you want to sell fishing rods don"t try to sell videos. People come to your website searching for something specific, give them that one specific thing and then find a way to contact them so that they can come buy from you again. Don"t make your website a Wal-Mart, give the people what they want.
When you are able to successfully walk that fine line, you will find that your readers will wait for your e-mail. If you are late in sending one out you may even find that some of them will e-mail you to check and see if everything is okay. By giving them light conversation and honest opinion along with some genuine helpful advice you will be turning your list into a tool that will serve you for a very long time.