The Credibility Of Your Business

Are you serious about your online business? If not, stop reading now. If you are, there are some important points you need to consider BEFORE taking your business online. If you are going to keep pace with todays business trends, you MUST project a credible image.

I have spent numerous hours searching for ideas, techniques, opportunities, etc on the internet. For this reason, I receive numerous "bulk" emails every day. I have become much more selective about where I spend my internet time. Now, I dont usually follow links that read something like, ...myfreesitename/id#/html. Why? In my opinion, "free" site URLs do not put forth that image of credibility Im looking for.

To be Credible, a business must project:

1. Commitment: If the "free" site marketer isnt committed enough to their own success to invest a little money in a domain name and quality hosting, how committed will they be to servicing the customers needs?

2. Stability: If the online marketer hasnt made a financial commitment to the development of an online business, how stable is it? What guarantee do I have that the business will be around tomorrow? Alas, another "Here today, gone tomorrow web site." I cant count the number of times I have flagged a message to check out later and by the time I got around to it, the site was completely gone. (or worse yet, already promoting something else)

3. Customer Service and Support: If a business doesnt project an image of commitment and stability, how do I know I will receive the service and support I need if I decide to make a purchase? The business owner has nothing to lose if they abandon their site. The customer has everything to lose!

4. Is it a scam? Unfortunately, there can be no guarantee that any business you visit online is not a scam. This one thing is sure, a business with its own domain and hosting is LESS likely to take your money and run.

Bottom line: What impression do you want to give your potential customers? Do you want your online business associated with these negative images? Would you rather project an image of confidence and credibility? The best investment you can make in your online business is your own domain name, and a dependable host.

Cathy Fothergill, Copyright 2000

About the Author

Article by: Cathy Fothergill, Copyright 1998. More articles and resources for writers, webmasters and home business owners can be found at: connectionteam.com Need edification, information and motivation for yourself and your team? Subscribe to: You Plus Two! YouPlusTwo-subscribe@topica.com

micorcat@livingston.net
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