Some people are and some people simply are not cut out to own and operate a business.

But today there happens to be a medium in between where you can be in your own business but have the support and help needed to get you through even if you are not really “designed” to be a business owner.

I’m not referring to franchising although the internet does provide an opportunity for one to be in business for yourself but not by yourself as the franchise saying goes.

I’ve owned franchises previously and the trail blazing they provide for the average person is very helpful, whether it is marketing expertise or equipment purchases or simply name recognition.

Online Business Opportunities Require One Primary Skill

The opportunity the internet now provides though is a notch below a franchise in that you typically do not purchase a costly business package.

But rather you can start an online business, targeting a specific market with a specific product or service and you can be set up quickly and start making money pretty much right out of the gate…

IF you know this one thing - HOW to Market. This really is the single most important element of starting an online business. It is though, the one piece that most online business opportunities do not teach you how to do. Most do provide general help -like showing you how you can do free classifieds, article writing, press releases, and social networking.

So, if you work with a company or person who can provide the set-up details such as a website. And it works by converting leads into sales, THEN generating leads or driving business to the site becomes your main focus as a “business owner”.

So in this way you can be in business without all the concerns that are required in most traditional businesses. The internet really does provide this particular advantage to any one who has the desire to learn and make a change in their life.

How Will You Learn this Crucial Piece to the Online Puzzle?

There are two primary ways of pursuing this matter of how to market online.

1. You may take the route most people take and buy every study course or seminar that you can absorb that you’ve decided is necessary to succeed. Then take the time to study it in detail, do the market testing as you are learning each new aspect of marketing online, track all your results and tweak it until it is highly profitable OR

2. You can buy these services from the few companies online that actually deliver.

You Only Have So Much Time and So Much Money

Typically it is recommended that you use a combination of these two methods not only because of the time and money involved in each but also because online your main activity is marketing so it behooves you to develop the skill rather than simply buying the service.

Whatever you do though, do not ignore this huge key to building an online business - you simply must know how to market and advertise - so learn this before doing anything else to guarantee your online success.

For more:

New Online Business

]]> http://www.start-your-business-online-now.com/articles/one-skill-you-must-hone-for-your-online-business/feed/ http://www.start-your-business-online-now.com/articles/why-start-a-business-during-economic-downturn/ http://www.start-your-business-online-now.com/articles/why-start-a-business-during-economic-downturn/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:15:54 +0000 Jack http://www.start-your-business-online-now.com/?p=73 You may be surprised to know that a very good time to start a business is during a recession or even a depression. Many of the companies that are on the S & P 500 started during times like we are currently experiencing.

Here are a few of the startup companies that began their business trek during steep declines in the U.S. economy: GE - the panic of 1873; Walt Disney began his venture during the recession of 1923-24; HP was formed during the Great Depression; and,  Microsoft was born during the recession of 1975.

Below I’ve listed seven reasons that these times are good for a startup business and you can probably add more. But first, consider what holds many back from trying something new.

Fear and Uncertainty Often Get in the Way of us Forging Ahead

Horatio Alger claimed in the 1800’s that anyone willing to work hard could succeed. Today, the picture is no different. However, you may work very, hard and not get ahead. If you live from paycheck to paycheck and worry constantly about how you will meet your financial obligations, you’re living in a world of stress.

Perhaps you dwell on the possibilities of another terrorist attack. Maybe you’re fearful of an unstable job market where mass layoffs and outsourcing threaten your livelihood. The future is replete with uncertainty about any number of financial matters. But let’s never forget that line by FDR: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

These sorts of fears, are actually the very reasons to consider starting an internet based business. In my own case it became evident that doing things the same way was not an option.  I believe today’s current events are most timely for the home business opportunity seeker! I started about two years ago because I knew I didn’t want to be run over by the economically devastating freight train that started in October 2007.

Online businesses have spiked up exponentially over the past few years and will continue throughout the current downtrend and beyond - it’s the new way of doing business. So if you see yourself as an online home business opportunity seeker you are online at a very opportunistic time.

A Mild Recession in 1982 - Expanding the Market Base

During the 80-’83 recession when interest rates skyrocketed to over 20% my drapery company had just opened a new market about 140 miles south of our primary location.  We did this in line with reason number one listed below - to expand our market while the local market pulled back.

In the offline world we do this regularly - expanding the reach of our existing business in order to open a new market or territory. It was simply the very best time to start a new operation with new fresh ideas and a young fellow that was determined to make it all work. (The young man that opened and maintained that location has now retired from the business that earned him millions over the years.)

Seven Reasons to Start an Online Business Now

1-The number one reason is that you need to expand your base of potential customers during a recessionary time in order to draw from a larger pool and the very best way to do so today is by establishing yourself as part of the global market.

2-Learn from history which records the greatest companies started or expanded during times like these.

3-As a new business owner, whether experienced or not, you are more cautious about spending, hiring, and purchasing so you make better long-term decisions.

4-By starting now you will be positioned and well prepared for the next growth spurt.

5-You can start for so little money it almost makes it a no brainer.

You probably already have the only equipment you’ll need—a computer and a telephone. That’s basically all that’s required! Now, of course, you need the information that has transformed so many people’s lives regarding how and what to do.  But this is a learning curve like with any business at any time.

There are more online business ideas available than we can count but with a focused approach, determination, a teachable spirit, and commitment you will be well on your way.

6-You may still have an income right now from your current job

To add to the stress of many, are stories of layoffs by major corporations that are announced every month.  As early as 2006, 1,500,000 workers were pink-slipped in mass layoffs (”mass” meaning more than 50 employees at a time) and it has become much worse now in 2009. Companies are reorganizing, outsourcing or selling out to other companies. Many other once thriving companies have already filed for bankruptcy.  So, if you are still working then now is the absolute ideal time to learn, invest and grow with an existing income while building your new online internet based business.

7-You may still have some retirement funds left

What better way to invest your money than to invest in yourself especially during a time when the overall markets will do little for the growth of your money.  In a recent article I quoted a statistic from BiancoFinancial.com stating that had you placed your money in t-bills the first time the Dow moved above 10,000 back in1999, you would have more than the person who has remained in stocks and mutual funds. It isn’t going to be getting any better for another few years as we have really only just begun the down turn of an economy that has been sustained only by fumes for a number of years.

Add to this short list, the personal reasons that you’ve always wanted to start a business and then consider your options.  I think you will find as I did over two years ago that an internet based business is one of the very best options available for starting a new phase of life.

The top network marketing companies in today’s market are using an entirely different pay structure now than used in years past - a two tier system.

In a nutshell the old way of doing business - multi-level-marketing companies are slowly becoming extinct with anything more than three levels of pay.

How it Worked in Years Past

MLM companies established a pay system that was based on a huge volume of people selling a little bit of product and as your team grew you were able to increase your income over a long period of time through lots of people.

What’s Different Today

Now, though, with the two tier system, the whole concept has changed and is now named network marketing. This means you still have a team to work with so you are not simply selling as an independent direct marketer. But the largest share of the commission goes directly to the person who makes the sale and a much smaller part goes to the team leader.

Now that it’s done this way you wonder why it was ever done differently but if you think about it when you are selling soap or any other lower priced item then volume to the company comes by the ingenious concept of an army of individuals selling a little each with overrides going to the team leaders.

Choosing Your Product - High Priced High Profit versus Low Priced Low Profit

When you choose a product to market either as a direct marketer, network marketer or multi-level marketer you have two choices:

1-Choose a product that requires a huge sales volume due to a low price point and therefore a low profit margin - this type product is easier to sell but requires a lot of volume.

OR

2-Choose a high quality product with high profit margins so you can afford to market and build your business - this type product may be a harder sell but you don’t need the huge volume just to make a profit.

Either way the product itself must be of very high value and high quality and ideally has some name recognition (although it may not if it’s a new product).

All the top network marketing companies are using this two- tier system now where you are paid well for your individual sales and your team leader receives an over ride, much like in the insurance industry.

This really is the only fair way to compensate those who are making the sales and therefore those who deserve it. I was a financial advisor in years past, and this same system was used in that industry as well.

Be Sure to Think Through Your Marketing System

Either way - whether network marketing (the preferred system for many) OR MLM, you will definitely need a marketing system in place because both require large numbers of leads and prospects.

With an online system in place these potential buyers / business owners will be funneled through a process to weed out the buyers and serious business builders from the tire kickers.

Your Team

The marketing team leader must provide methodologies and / or training for generating leads as this will be your primary responsibility. Today it is no longer just rah-rah go out and get them, but rather providing functioning systems with proven results.

You simply cannot expect to build your business just on word of mouth, phone calls and offline strategies.

Now, while the internet does afford you the opportunity to build a huge business that is systematic and automated, it also still requires the personal touch of a live, encouraging person - that would be you. And, of course, that’s much of what you get paid for!

You definitely want to have a team of people working with you to help you succeed in making sales so you can earn a great income from those sales. See article on Team: Work at Home Computer Business

But you don’t want that team to be earning the income you deserve for the sales you make. This simple distinction is the best advice about network marketing you’ll ever hear and will help you win in your business. You see most people simply are not that good at building a team of people and in network marketing YOU do not need to build a team to win.
You win by the team teaching, instructing and leading you in precisely what you need to do to make online sales without talking to your friends and relatives.
So, answer the questions above with clarity as you search for an online business to be sure you understand the plan for marketing your product or service. And to be sure it is a plan that you can implement based on your advertising budget.
With these questions clearly answered, then follow the instructions, work the system and build your online business. And hopefully you can replace your offline job and kiss your boss goodbye!

What is the #1 most important part of all your marketing on the
Internet? The one thing that is even more important than your sales
letter?

It’s your headline.

Think about something very carefully for a second. How do people
reach you on the Internet? What makes them click over to your web
site or read your email message? (a subject line is still a
headline)

The answer is the headline. It is the most vital of all. If your
headline does not make them click, your site never gets read. If
your headline on your site doesn’t make them stay they simply click
away.

Nothing is more important than the headlines you use in your emails,
your ads, your banners and your web pages. All of them must be
powerful and make people want to know more.

Headlines are so important that not spending the most time on them
will make you lose tons of money. More time should be spent on your
headlines and titles than the actual writing of your salesletters.
They are that vital to your success in any type of advertising.

When you realize that one headline can pull 1700% more than another
you begin to realize just how important they are. If you are placing
ads right now and they are pulling in 500 hits a week, one simple
change in the headline could make the same amount of work pull 5,000
hits a week.

The difference can be massive and will determine the success or
failure of your business. It can also determine how many people care
to read your article.

Titles for articles should be given the same amount of consideration
as headlines for sales letters. The more power and impact the title
has the more people will read it.

Many people give very little thought to the title of their articles.
Don’t make that mistake. Make your titles provocative, exciting,
promising a huge benefit and they will draw the maximum number of
readers. Your articles should be just as exciting as your sales
letters.

When you consider that the only way for anyone to reach you on the
Internet is through a headline, it gives you some idea of their
power.

A classified ad should be created out of the best headlines you
have. Your banners should contain the most potent headlines you can
think of. All links on your site should be thought of in terms of
headlines.

Links on most sites say things like, "Free E-Book". They expect you
to click on that and download it. It’s not going to happen. ‘Free
ebook’ tells you and I absolutely nothing. We’ll pass it over
without even a second glance.

Give all your links life, power and benefits and then watch what
happens to the response. Treat each link like you absolutely had to
get every visitor to click on it.

What would happen if all the links on your pages suddenly got 20
times more clicks than normal?

If you’re already making money, then your income would skyrocket.
All from some very simple changes that would take no more than a few
minutes.

To Your Success,
Allen Says

Have you ever sat down, closed your eyes and really looked at
yourself or your product through another persons eyes?

Have you, in your mind, literally become your customer or your lover
and looked hard at yourself or your work through their eyes?

Can you do it?

I hope you can. It is one of the most powerful techniques man has
ever used. Ground battles, corporate battles and the hearts of great
Women have been won because of it.

When you become your customer, the secrets of how to influence them
magically appear. The same thing happens when you trade minds with
your wife or husband. Some of the things you see may shock and
change you in ways you could not have imagined.

The man or woman who has the power to really look at their work
through another persons eyes has an incredible advantage in all
business and personal situations. If you find that this ability
comes easy to you then by all means really do it. Sit down and do it
very deeply and totally and you will be shocked at what you are able
to see that you could not see any other way.

Can you look, and I mean really look, at your sales letter through
your prospects eyes?

Get good at doing this and you will find 100’s of ways to
dramatically change both your business and personal life
immediately.

Many people only ‘ think ‘ they see their product through their
prospects eyes. They think that when they are looking at their sales
letter or web page that they can do this. But really, they are still
looking at their work filtered through their own feelings, attitudes
and background. You have to remove ‘ you ‘ from the the picture
entirely.

This is a deeply serious technique that, for most, require the eyes
to be closed to even begin to touch its real power.

And if you think the author has somehow lost his mind, it would do
you well to know many, many millionaires and billionaires have
confirmed in public and in published writings the incredible power
of this strategy and that they have always used it to build their
wealth without fail.

I would never think of using a sales letter without first looking at
it long and hard through the eyes of an average customer. Never let
yourself get too close to your own work.

In order to do this right you have to completely move ‘I’ out of the
way. You must get your own feelings, thoughts and attachments about
your work out of the way so you can see it clearly and see it the
way other people are seeing it.

When you do that, you will know how to write irresistible ad copy,
you will know how to create web sites people instantly understand
and buy from, you will know how to make yourself 100 times more
attractive to your wife or husband…….and much, much more
….test it and see!

To Your Success,
Allen Says

P.S. UPDATE: I’ve just added 6 new books and Special Reports written
by the insane Michael Ross.

From the ‘guru’ marketers to multi-billion dollar Fortune 500
companies most of them have one thing in common - All Use Command
Copy!

You see it on sales letters and on television: Act Now!
- Order Now! - Pick Up The Phone And Call Now!
- Do it Now! - Take Action Today!

Command copy creates impulses to act!

It has the power to make a reader actually pick up the phone and
order when otherwise he would have put it off if the command had not
been given.

I’m not saying you turned him into a robot that had to obey you and
order. I’m saying that when you gave the command to: ‘Go Ahead And
Order Now’ ..you helped give him the impulse to act. You ‘opened’
his mind up to the thought of actually going ahead and picking up
the phone to call. Tell your reader exactly what he should do and it
will shock you when you discover he actually does it!

Is this hard to believe?

It has been proven through millions of dollars in testing sales
letters and tv commercials both with and without command copy. The
differences in responses are astounding!

The owner of a popular real estate package being sold on cable tv
reported that when they put the words “Get up and call now -
1-800-xxx-xxxx” across the bottom of the screen and added a part at
the end where he again gave the order to ‘get up and call now’ the
commercial immediately began making a profit whereas every time it
was ran before it lost money!

Your reader or the TV viewer may be blown away by your product. He
may sit hypnotized by the thoughts of all he could do with your
product. But unless you tell him to order now and show him a clear
and easy way to do it, he may just keep right on sitting there
spaced out about your product but never actually making the move to
order it.

To Your Success,
Allen Says

P.S. UPDATE: I’ve just added “Magnetic Sales Letters” to the Warrior
download site. 281 pages of Proven sales letters you can model to
create your own hot copy in just minutes.

There’s no better way to learn how to write killer copy than
modeling already written and proven letters.

This is the same book being sold on the Internet for $67 right now.
Yours free as a Warrior member.

Become A Warrior Member Today -

http://www.warriorforum.com

Copyright © Internet Warriors.
All rights reserved.

Here’s another technique that is perfect for Internet marketing.

Increasing the perceived value is easily done by simply adding
bonuses that cost you little or nothing to add and create a ‘package
deal’!

Let’s say you are selling a book on getting to the top of search
engines….

You could add 2 or 3 web marketing reports you found as bonuses. You
could add some free software you discovered that made your job 100
times easier, you could add this e-book you’re reading now and so
on.

Write down every benefit the reader will get from theses bonuses and
make a bulleted list of them!

This can make your $29.95 book seem like it’s worth $229.95!

Look for things that can go along with your product as bonuses but
yet cost you very little to produce. With a little effort you can
easily make your current product seem like it’s worth 20 times what
you are charging for it.

It will actually be worth more than you are charging if you put some
good bonuses together. And that’s great - it cost you nothing extra
and will blow your sales through the roof. Everybody wins.

To Your Success,
Allen Says

P.S. UPDATE: I’ve just added the powerful book “How To Make Maximum
Profit In Minimum Time” to the Warrior site. This book is written by
marketing guru Peter Sun. 104 pages of genius marketing ideas.

Find out:

* How To Make Up To $10,000 A Week (or more) From Tiny Classified
Ads And Two-Step Marketing

* How To Make An Extra $100,000 A Year Publishing Your Own
Newsletter

* How To Steal Customers From Your Competitors

* How To Get $25,000 In Free Advertising For Your Business Each
Year..

And Much More…

Become A Warrior Member Today -
http://www.warriorforum.com

Copyright © Internet Warriors.
All rights reserved.

Certain words, when combined together, literally draw the readers
eyes to your ad…the words below are those I have found to work
every time.

You - Ultimate - Free - Master - Power - Discovery - Easy -
Guaranteed - Love - Money - New - Scientific - Proven - Results -
Incredible - Discover - Breakthrough - Secret - Private - Cash -
Shocked - Shocking - Revealed - Uncovered - Hidden - Profit’s -
Inside - Sex…Sex?

Yes Sex…used only in certain situations where it can apply though.
For example, when I wrote the headline "Sex Sites Are Not The Only
Ones That Can Pull In $5000 A Week Using The Power of Instant
Access!" ..it immediately added about $50,000 to my income last
year. Just that one headline!

I thought it was a unique angle because all you heard on the news
for months was how people where making big money with porno sites.
You never heard about those of us who where making great money
without selling sex.

Some example headlines using those words above:

"Revealed! - Scientifically Proven Strategies Guaranteed To Double
Your Profit’s Every Month or You Keep The System For Free!

"Master The Art of Building Web Pages In 30 Minutes With This
Proven, Easy to Use Software!"

"Breakthrough Money-Making Secrets That Sex Sites Do Not Want You To
Find Out About - Uncovered And Revealed Inside!"

Power words, like those above, are already implanted deeply in the
minds of all your readers simply because of what the words mean.

For example, when I see the word " Discovery ", it evokes a response
from within me and draws my attention to the rest of the sentence
because Discovery ‘means’ something to me and most other people.

The Discovery might give me a great advantage before you and others
find out if I read about it first. People love to discover things
and the word attracts them instantly when they see it.

Just like the words ‘Scientific Breakthrough’ will immediately draw
the attention of most everyone. I can not pass up a headline that
has those two words in it. If I see those two words I will always
read the rest of your headline. And if the rest of your headline is
something I am interested in, then you are well on your way to a new
customer.

If the Scientific Breakthrough had to do with a new kind of Hair
Growth Formula then I would move on with no interest.

BUT…you at least got me to read the ‘full’ headline…and you got
a lot of other people to read it too!

If the Scientific Breakthrough had to do with making money you would
have had me hooked into reading more and possibly all of your
letter.

You got the attention of the maximum number of people with the first
two words, then, with the rest of the headline, you weeded out those
with no interest and hooked your target prospects.

We love things to be revealed , we love secrets, hidden things,
proven things and shocking things…we always have and always will.

To Your Success,
Allen Says

P.S. UPDATE: I’ve just added the awesome ebook "Classified Magic" to
the Warrior site. This is an incredibly detailed book that will
allow you to extract the maximum profit possible from classified
ads.

Are you ready to use a simple, proven system that is making an
incredible amount of money right now for hundreds of different
products?

If so, I’m going to reveal a horribly simple way certain "Masters"
of the game are making fortunes all around you right now. It doesn’t
take a genius or a $100,000 investment. In some cases the entire
thing can be put together for $0 cost.

This article assumes you will be selling either information,
software, streaming audio, video seminars, cgi/perl scripts..etc.
Products that can be downloaded immediately after the order is
placed. Instant Access - we all love it.

Let’s get to it.

The first and most vital rule of all is this…

Your site MUST be a Direct Response Site.

Here’s where some shine and the rest just don’t get it. For a web
site to make the most money it must be a Direct Response Web Site.
It must focus on selling one product and get an immediate response
in the form of an order or lead.
(Preferably order)

Most sites exist as nothing more than portals leading their traffic
off in all directions away from their own site. A home page full of
links is just that - a home page full of links. It’s not a profit
machine and never can be.

A web site created out of a hot sales letter and an image of your
product will make you much more money than a web site full of links
ever will.

To me, advertising on the Internet is no different than advertising
in an income opportunity magazine. The only difference to me was the
fact that now I could not only sell the prospect, I could also take
the credit card order and deliver the product at the same time.

That was an exciting thought to me and it’s no less exciting today.
In many way it is even more exciting now. Today we have services we
could only hope for just a few years ago. On today’s Internet you
have services that do it all. A true plug and play opportunity to
sell anything you can come up with.

You don’t have to have a merchant account. You don’t have to know
about password protected directories. You don’t have to install any
affiliate script yourself. And the list goes on. If you choose, all
this can be done very easily for you. All you have to do is acquire
your own products to sell.

Once you have them you are going to create a direct response, self
advertising cash machine to sell them. A simple system that works
even when you don’t.

Here’s an example…

Bill is out clicking around on the net and comes upon a site created
by an obvious programming genius. The owner of the site is a 22 year
old who simply loves to create different software programs. He’s not
really interested in trying to sell what he creates.

Bill sees an opportunity. He contacts the young man and convinces
him to create a custom software program that will create incredibly
professional web sites automatically by simply answering the
questions the software asks. Perfect for newbies worldwide!

Bill immediately begins creating his direct response web site to
sell the product. A Buy, Bookmark or Leave site.

He chooses a combination of…

www.digibuy.com and www.affiliatetracking.net

…to accept credit card orders, give instant access to his product,
accept affiliates to sell his product and have affiliate checks sent
out all automatically. Once the software is done, Bill uploads it
and he’s ready to sell.

Bill then contacts e-zine owners in an attempt to make a deal. He
offers the e-zine owners a large percentage of the profit if they
will make an announcement about the offer. Bill contacts a total of
138 e-zine owners. 23 bite on the offer. Bill’s in the money.

Over the next 3 weeks Bill sells 400 copies of his software and
acquires 227 affiliates who will promote his product for him. After
the e-zine runs cooled down Bill averages $2,400 a month in sales
and growing. As more people visit Bill’s site he signs up more and
more affiliates to sell for him..all automatically.

Now this may seem like small numbers to you but realize that Bill
has a whole world of products available to him. He also has 23 e-zine
owners that already know him and will more than likely deal with him
again.

Bill can duplicate this system 100 times if he wants to with 100
different products. More than this, Bill can go to the Bahamas any
time he chooses without having to worry about much at all. His money
machines are on autopilot. Everything is done for him.

This is not fantasy talk. It’s happening right now. One of my own
clients uses the service www.clickbank.com to sell over $11,000 a
month worth of one of his offers. ClickBank accepts the credit card
orders, allows him to accept affiliates AND pays his affiliates.

I’m talking about a simple system with huge potential. Anyone from
any place in the world can do this. The product and the web site are
all you need to concentrate on. The rest can be done for you. You
are only limited by the limits of your own imagination.

Here are the simple steps:

1. Get A Product.
2. Create A Direct Response Web Site To Sell It.
3. Plug In A Card Processing And Affiliate Tracking Service.
4. Do An E-Zine Blast. (Paid Ads or Commission Based Deals)

And wherever you may get stuck in the process, members are standing
by to help you through it in our forum. There is not a single
question you can ask about this process that can’t be answered.

Here’s another awesome bonus I do only for Warrior members. Once you
have your product created contact me and I will include a link to it
in one of my newsletters. I have over 90,000 readers as I write this
so if you have a hot product this should give you a great start. The
only requirement is that it must be a new product created by you or
someone you made a deal with.

To Your Success,
Allen Says