Posted on: 14 January, 2002
Author: Dr. Jeffrey Lant
There's no doubt that millions of people want to work athome, and that a ... ... of them are ... the Internet to provide them with the means to do so.The question is, can the Inte There's no doubt that millions of people want to work athome, and that a substantial percentage of them are lookingto the Internet to provide them with the means to do so.The question is, can the Internet deliver what these peopleneed to make working at home a viable alternative to thetraditional world of work?The answer is YES -- but only if certain crucial conditionsare met.1) Sell ValueThe problem with many people wanting to establish a home-basedbusiness is that they're not selling anything people really needto buy. Too often they're selling overpriced products or servicesprovided by third-parties who themselves profit by signing upnew independent contractors. This is not a viable successformula.To prosper in business, online or off, you must offer your prospects REAL VALUE; that is, you must offer them something that will improve their lives, something which is superior to what they can find locally, and which you can deliver at a competitive cost. If what you're selling doesn't meet these basic criteria, you arecourting failure.2) Have The Necessary Business-Development and Prospect ContactToolsValue is essential but value alone cannot build a successful onlinebusiness. You must have certain critical tools, including* a domain. The only people who are succeeding online are thosewith their own domains. Without a domain you are essentially a squatter on someone else's cyber "land" and are at the mercy of theirbusiness. If they go out of business, you automatically go out of business -- like it or not! Sadly, large numbers of people have discovered this too late!* a listserver. A listserver enables you to send unlimited non-spame-mail. If you cannot do this, you cannot initiate and control thenecessary marketing to your prospects.* a Sales Manager. You need automated, personalized prospect leadfollow-up. The Sales Manager provides it.* professional design. Web design is far too sophisticated nowadays to leave to inexperienced and amateur hands. * traffic development tools. Your business is only going to succeed tothe extent that you have a certain flow of new prospects every singleday. Does your current business offer you these prospect leads?* ongoing technical assistance. Like it or not, the Internet is basedon changing technology. You must have as part of your success teamthe technicians who can help you master it and ensure that yourbusiness is always up and running.3) Learn How To Work Your Prospects & Make SalesFor your home-based business to succeed, you need to develop a salesmentality. The Internet is the ultimate sales emporium. Prospects will visit your website and email you every single day. They expect a prompt response, with their inquiries being handled expeditiously andprofessionally. Even if you're only able to work your home-based online business part-time, you need to think like a full-time entrepreneur, making surethat you are ready to deal with your prospects as soon as they areready to do business with you.This means being able to get out information fast (your Sales Manageris vital for this)... and following up over and over again until thesale is made (again, something the Sales Manager is made to do.)The sad fact is that all too many people who are running online home-based businesses are relying on the Internet to do their work forthem, hoping that they themselves won't have to contact any prospects,much less "sell" them anything. This is nonsense. The Internet isunrivaled for what it does -- giving people worldwide the ability todisseminate unlimited amounts of information and to connect withpeople for a trifling cost. However, it does not take the place of good ol' personal contact and relationship building. The Internet isa vital business tool, like the telephone, but you will neversucceed in your home-based business if you're not willing to workwith your prospects in whatever way it takes to make the sale. Article Tags: Sales Manager Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com