Do, Or Do Not...There Is No Try in E-commerce

By Diane Leonte
Posted Friday, August 27, 2004

It seems as if everyone has heard and is taking seriously Bill Gate's now famous quote "By the year 2002 there will only be 2 kinds of companies...those with web sites...and those no longer in business." Witness the tens of thousands of new web sites coming online touting just about every
imaginable product or service a consumer could need or want.

What this means is that we are seeing an ever increasing number of Netrepreneurs who are now becoming webmasters, here's a cross section of some:

*business owners who are bringing their offline business online.

*Individuals from all walks of life setting up cybermalls.

*professionals who are advertising their services online.

*affiliates selling products and services for others.

*techies setting up consulting services online.

*employer's looking for employees.

*agencies looking for home based workers.

*individuals creating info-products.

*MLM companies

*Network Marketers

and so on....

The majority of these Netrepreneurs are "trying" to create a successful online business. However, "trying" is not the real commitment it takes to have a thriving online business which allows them to leave their day job, or close the doors on their brix 'n' mortar business.

"Trying" in E-commerce is when an individual decides to set up shop online with their own web site or a replicated web site created for them by an Affiliate program owner. They will promptly submit their web site to the 10 major search engines, some of them might even submit to several of the smaller search engines. Perhaps they will place an Ad or two in the AOL or Yahoo classifieds sections and then they will sit back and wait for the customers and orders to come pouring in.

When after a few months go by and there are no orders coming in.... and there are very few visitors to their web site... and they do not have that extra income they were looking forward to... and they are no closer to leaving their day job... and they are still working 12 hours a day at their brix 'n' mortar business... and there are no extra clients filling their practice....

They shut down their online business as quickly as they opened it and throw up their hands in exasperation and claim there is no money to be made on the Internet....... believe me "I TRIED" they will cry out!

Well they would have been wise to heed the words of Yoda..You Do, or Do Not..There is No Try. This flock of Netrepreneurs who have "tried", or are still "trying" need to seriously evaluate whether or not they have the vision, and staying power to create a successful thriving online business.

Why would anyone think that E-commerce would be a walk in the park? Well It's very easy to rationalize, considering all the hype about how easy it is to make money online, after all, look at the global audience you can reach, and the cost to advertise is extremely low compared to offline, and the business opportunities are plentiful on the Net, and everyone is now shopping on the Net, and everyone can easily get their piece of the E-commerce pie...........and so on.

All of the above may be true, however, there is one very important caveat.... simply know that there is the same effort, trial and error, uncertainties, and learning curves, associated with starting an online business as there is an offline business. However, a business can succeed faster online, and it can also fail sooner online.

Simply put, if you ever had reasons for not wanting to open a brix 'n' mortar business offline, those same reasons apply online. Don't even go there.

Enter the "DOers", those netrepreneurs who have mastered Internet Marketing 101 and gone beyond. These self taught Internet warriors who risked, persisted, pursued unchartered waters,
gave freely of their time and expertise to others, and who are now well on their way to having a successful thriving online business(and many kudos to those that are already enjoying the fruits of their labor).

The "DOers" know that it takes as much commitment to make a success of your business online as it does offline. The sweet advantages of the online opportunity is that it can be done in less time with less money.

However, an online business still requires everything you would need to run a business offline. If you don't have the following skills and expertise, or have the extra money to pay to outsource them, or the extra time to learn them..then it is best if you "Do Not" enter into an online business...

Here's a short list of what you will need to accomplish to become a "DOer" with a successful online business:

*Business Plan

*Market Research:
==>Who is your customer?
==>Where can you find your customer on the Internet?
==>What value can you offer your customers that they are not already receiving from your competitor?
==>What are your competitors charging for the same product?
==>How are your competitors reaching your customers?
==>How much of a market share do your competitors have?
==>How long have your competitors been in business online?
==>How will you keep in touch with your customers?

*Sales & Marketing:
==>Advertising Budget
==>Where and When to Advertise
==>Prepare Ad copy
==>Prepare sales letters
==>Prepare follow up letters
==>Prospect
==>Prepare web site copy
==>Publish Ezine or newsletter or email broadcasts
==>Place paid Ads
==>Place classified Ads
==>Purchase banner impressions
==>Submit to FFA sites
==>Schedule submissions of your web site to major search engines
==>Respond to individual email inquiries from prospects
==>Hire a list server to administer your e-publication
==>Set up an Affiliate Program to generate more sales

* Product or Service Delivery
==>Ensure Digital products are compatible with majority of Browsers and OS systems.
==>Hire technicians or purchase software to implement digital products
==>Contract with fulfillment service for tangible products
==>Set up merchant accounts
==>Install security for accepting payments online.
==>Notify customers of updates to digital products and arrange for delivery
==>Set up procedures for bounced checks and addresses unknown.

*Administration:
==>Hire an accountant or install software to keep track of income and expenses for tax purposes
==>Hire a lawyer to draw up agreements to keep you free from liability suits.
==>Hire a virtual assistant to handle day to day emails and phone calls that do not need your immediate attention, billing, and correspondence.

*Office Equipment and Overhead:
==>Hire a web designer or learn HTML and CGI coding to keep your web sites content updated and timely.
==>Have a PC or MAC technician contact information on file.
==>Keep supplies of computer paper,ink cartridges, fax cartridges,floppies and zip discs in stock.
==>Purchase the latest anti-virus software.
==>Back up your Computer daily or weekly.

*AND SO ON....AND SO ON.....

If you are still with me after reading over this list..then ask yourself whether or not this list seems daunting, if so, find another way to make yourself happy in your career choice, if however, you are like me when reading over this list, and you are excited by the idea....then by all means go for it... You will be a good candidate for becoming a "DOer"

Good luck everyone of you...Be sure to make it your Choice.

About the Author
Diane Leonte is a Business and Personal Coach, Web master of (http://wealthinmind.com) and Publisher of the "Achieving Success & Wealth" mailto:subscribe@wealthinmind.com "Are you getting what matters most to you...if not now, when?"