Playing With The Big Boys

By Gauher Chaudhry
Posted Monday, September 27, 2004

Forget about any barriers to entry in e-commerce. The Internet has created a whole new opportunity for any motivated individual to set up their own business.

Billy has a dream.

Billy wants to own his own hardware store and live out his father's dream. But he cannot compete against the big boys such as Home Depot, Cashway or Home Hardware.

What happens to Billy's dream?

It doesn't happen and he doesn't get a chance to live his dream.

In the offline world, there are many barriers to entry and stiff competition that strangle the little guy to death. The big discount chains have moved in and swallowed the little guys who had been around for years. The little guy cannot compete with price, service and variety. It is a cruel, cruel world.

But, the Internet has changed all that.

In the online world, it is a whole different ballgame. A 14- year old teenager can compete with the Coca-Cola's and Gilettes of the world. Why? On the Internet, everyone is on the same level playing field.

If you want to compete with the big corporations, it can be done easily by creating a professional and solid looking web site. Creating a professional looking web site can give the illusion that you are just as big as Coca-Cola or other major corporations.

Even if you do not know how to do it yourself, you should hire a company to create a professional looking web site that will guarantee that you do not look like a small mom and pop shop.

In cyberspace, there is no major overhead like rent or other constraints such as store floor space. You can create as many professional web pages that you want and have a professional e-commerce solution implemented for a bargain price.

People are weary about giving their credit card numbers on the Internet. The minute they suspect that the web site is being run by some kid working out of his bedroom, they will be clicking on to the next site.

If you are a smart marketer, it is time to revamp your web site with the "level playing field advantage" in mind. In some cases with the right touch, you could look even bigger than a billion dollar corporation.

Seriously!

It makes me wonder when I look at cheap looking web sites that look like an 8-year old created it. Who does the person think they are kidding? Good luck trying to sell a product or service from that site. Sites like these look like they are not going to be around in a few months!

Some sites do not even accept credit cards. I know that it can be difficult, if not impossible, to get a merchant account. A quick solution is to use an online retailer.

An online retailer will do all your credit card processing for a small commission. They then cut you a check, for example, every two weeks. Two popular online retailers that can have you accepting credit cards in as little as 20 minutes are:

CCNow
(http://www.ccnow.com)

CCSlide
(http://www.ccslide.com)

By being able to accept credit cards, you can easily boost your sales by 40% and maintain a professional image by showing that you are big enough to accept credit cards!

Billy doesn't need to dream anymore. He can set up a professional looking web site and start aceepting credit cards in a short time.

If you are having trouble creating a professional looking web site, a great place to go and get free web templates is:

Free Templates
(http://www.freesitetemplates.com/)

This site has over 60 ready made web templates. All you have to do is add your text and you can have a professional looking web site in minutes.

Exploit the "level playing field" strategy to the max and you will see a dramatic rise in your sales!

About the Author
Gauher Chaudhry is editor of Cool Cash Ezine. You can subscribe by sending an email to subscribe@freecoolcash.com with "sub-art" in the subject.

Join Gauher's two-tier affiliate program by promoting his latest book "EZ Money With Ezines." Gauher teaches individuals how to make thousands of dollars in the ezine publishing business! (http://www.ezmoneywithezines.com)