Are You Marketing A Product Thats Unrealistic For You?

Fact: There are far more people wishing to make substantial incomes from home over the Internet than there are actually doing it.

Thats an obvious statement to be sure, but why is that true?

One factor often overlooked in my opinion is that many people make poor selections when choosing what they should sell.

People, more often than not, decide what business to enter based on emotion, excitement, or others success. Rarely, do people take the time to critically analyze what they will be getting into and whether or not it will be suitable for them.

Now, even if youre already comfortable in what you are doing, thinking through the following set of questions will be beneficial to you. Reading through them will undoubtedly either enlighten you on how to further advance what youre already involved in, or it will give you the necessary push to change to something that might work better for you.

Obviously, then, if you are already looking for an online business opportunity, or looking to change directions, this is for you.

For the sake of this discussion, well talk strictly in products. However, realize that marketing a business opportunity or a service is essentially still marketing a product.

Carefully considering all of the following aspects will put you further ahead than the vast majority of Internet marketers, give you more flexibility in your marketing plan, and realistically bring you more success.

1. YOUR OWN BELIEFS

When selecting a product or group of products to market, start first with your own beliefs. In network marketing its absolutely critical to believe, like, and use whatever product your business offers. Without that belief youll never have any credibility with others or convince your downline to make purchases themselves.

Now, with regards to working auction services this is not nearly as important. Often, you can work essentially as a middle man connecting buyers and sellers. In this case, the seller is the one whose credibility the buyer feeds off of and its the seller also who is responsible for any guarantees, refunds, and such.

Instant sale mini sites are those specifically designed to solicit 1 of 2 immediate responses out of its visitors -- buy or leave. With this type of site, its not necessary for the visitor to even know who they are buying from so your personal beliefs are not as critical. (obviously if you are more personally involved in the product and the site then your personal beliefs are important. We could argue about which way works better, but the point is if you do put your name to something youd darn well better be a believer in it yourself otherwise you have no credibility.)

Personally, I would never market something without first believing it to be a good product. Often growing a business can be difficult enough without doubting whether what you are offering is really worth what youre asking for it or not.

2. CONSIDER YOUR TARGET MARKET

I believe many would-be entrepreneurs fail because they never NARROWLY consider who their target market is.

Someone marketing a work from home program to whoever wants to work from home is missing their mark. Theres a big difference between someone working from home to market their own creations and someone looking to work from home re-selling others works.

Answer the following questions when considering what products you want to sell.

*Who exactly will be interested in this product?
*Is this group large enough to support my business?
*Is this a group I can reach?
*Can I market through others already in contact with them?
*How much competition will I have?
*How well established is my competition?

3. CONSIDER AVAILABLE MARKETING TACTICS

I remember getting excited about a particular product, believing in it, wanting to share it with others, only to run into a brick wall as to how to go about doing it.

It happens, and its very discouraging when it does.

Before you commit to selling a product, youve got to take a good hard look at how you will go about doing it. Consider the following:

*Do I already have contacts that will be interested in this?
*Can I establish a routine that will bring my product before new people consistently enough to make a profit?
*What methods will work to market this product?

Then consider the specifics of each marketing method. For instance with search engines, how popular are keywords that will lead to your product? How much competition do those key words have?

As another example, is there enough information surrounding your product to allow you to market it by publishing a weekly ezine?

4. IDENTIFY NECESSARY MARKETING ELEMENTS

Not everyone has what it takes to market each and every product available online.

Consider your product. Is it a single purchase item or one that the same customer will buy over and over? Is it a low price item or on the high end? Are you selling just one product or an entire group of them?

Some products can be sold instantly while others require more follow up. Do you have the tools for following up with potential customers? Do you have what it takes to lead someone from a single purchase to becoming a repeat customer or to considering other products? What will all this entail?

Youve got to be honest in whether or not the tactics that you decide will be effective for marketing a product are ones you are comfortable -- and knowledgeable enough -- in doing.

5. IDENTIFY YOUR FINANCIAL INPUT AND BUDGET

Heres one thats stopped a lot of us from succeeding. Any business is going to take some investment. Consider what youll have to put into your business BEFORE you start.

Im not only talking about what it costs to get involved, but what it will cost you to get product for yourself, and what it will take as far as advertising.

This, of course, all depends on how you answered the questions above. However, dont overlook this step. NEVER assume that youll have immediate sales that will cover your future expenses, either -- ESPECIALLY if you are borrowing money to get started.

Youve got to plan for the unexpected and have what it takes to keep your business going until it can support itself.

IN CONCLUSION

If theres any one thing thats attractive about Internet marketing its the excitement it can breed. The idea of contacting so many people so easily and the thought of getting a lot of sales in a short period of time is thrilling.

However, this excitement is also dangerous. We all need to realize that while those things can happen, they do take time and effort to bring about.

Dont fall for the excitement without taking a good hard look at what will really be involved in working with the product of your choice. Take the time needed to examine the market youll be jumping into and make sure its one with good potential and room for expansion -- AND THAT IT WILL BE SUITABLE FOR YOU.

With effort, you can achieve success online. Just dont hinder yourself by trying to work with a product thats not realistic for your situation -- just because others were successful with it.

Sure, learn from the success of others. Duplicate their system IF it will work for you, but NOT just because it worked for them.

Make your own choices, make your own way, and you WILL make your own success.

About the Author

Written by Joe Bingham, Editor of the NetPlay Newsletter
BREAKOUT of the typical ezine rut! The NetPlay Newsletter brings you Online Business Information, News, and Opportunities -- with one Unique sense of Internet Humor. Education and FUN! Free ad to New Subscribers Visit http://www.netplaynewsletters.com/netplay.htm
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