7 Barriers To Web Success (and how to overcome them!).
COULD THIS BE YOU!!
Many would be internet entreprenuers have an idea for an online business, then spend weeks, months, or even years of frustration (not to mention expense) in trying to get things up and running. There is almost too much expert advice, too many helpful hints, and just one more whizzy piece of software that must be had to garauntee success! Let me tell you, there are some serious traps for the well intentioned, thoughtful individual who wants to create their own, online, dream business that can ultimately become massive barriers to their success. If you want to avoid these pitfalls, then read on.
1. Lack of a clear plan
It's all too easy to fire up your computer without clear intentions, and find that after two or three hours of effort you have achieved nothing. Anyone serious about building an online business would be well served to hatch their business plan with the PC switched off. The same basics of business found in the offline world are just as relevent to the internet, a fact often forgotten it seems. Try focusing on these common sense factors:
What am I trying to achieve here, and what are my business goals?
Specifically, what are the returns I desire from the effort I will put in?
Who are the people that can help me to achieve this?
What have I got that they want, and how can it be provided?
Where can I find these people, online or offline?
How will I communicate with them?
Can I appear to be both knowledgeable and passionate about this?
This is really common sense, you'll agree. But you would be amazed at the number of people seeking my help who cannot express their plans in detail, and, through this neglect, cannot focus themselves on the key business building activities required. Your time online may well be limited by other commitments in the early days, so use it well!
2. Confusion over the target market
This is a problem I regularly come across in the offline world, when consulting with clients from the leisure and restaurant industries. It is very tempting, but completely impractical, to offer something for everyone. Any business needs to identify its core customers, and invest time in satisfying their needs. Your infant business will grow to maturity through finding hungry groups of customers, and satisfying them by solving their problems in a timely and cost effective way. The more you refine your understanding of your target (core) customers, the better you will become at solving, and sometimes anticipating these needs. So..........
Where do they gather?
What do they read / listen to / talk about?
What are their common problems?
Do you have / can you develop a solution?
What might their future needs be?
Take time to think this through - because the devil is in the detail. Your aim should be to become the dominant force in a well defined niche, the respected expert in a topic that you should also find passion in. Get this right and you'll soon have people beating a path to your door, get it wrong and you'll wander in the wilderness for a long time!
3. Lack of specialist skills:
Most people hide a small inner fear that others may be better equiped, more knowledgable, more confident than themselves - especially when they are starting out with something new. It's a natural response, an insecurity, that can become another barrier to success if not conquered at an early stage of your business career. It can also be said that every individual comes with their own, unique set of skills and experience that can be readily applied to any arena. So, what do you know?........what can you do?
Your hobbies & interests could provide a rich source of specialist knowledge.
Your offline work life, and relationships, are a priceless experience.
You may have a particular skill to teach, or inform others.
Could something from previous acedemic study be turned into a business opportunity?
Are you involved in charitable works that merit wider publicity?
Do you hold strong beliefs, on any topic, that others may want to share?
Really, there is a market or audience for virtually any topic you can think of, the more specialised the better, (and you have the whole world to shoot at with an internet business!). Find your passion, and the rewards will follow. Especially if you don't yet know what the focus of your business will be (but you know you're going to do something!), make a list of all the things that get you excited. Somewhere in there will be the unexpeceted topic that could be your real winner, the one thing you would do for free every day through sheer enjoyment. How many other people in the world would share your passion!
4. Analysis Paralysis
I confess.......I'm a sucker for information. I like to have the full detail on a product, service or opportunity before I'll act. I've also lost count of the number of internet "gurus" I listened to in the early days of my online business, as I tried to get things started. But there comes a point when you just have to do something, or stagnate. Take the broad, general, themes of the information available to you - then get yourself into motion!
If you're passionate about your topic, and understand a few business & comunication basics, you can learn the rest as you go along. Take bite-sized chunks, learn one new priciple or concept a week and you will soon be "an expert" in most people's eyes. Remember, every day that you delay someone else is serving your customers, taking your share of the revenue, building relationships that you could have influenced. Get going.......Just do something!
5. But I don't have the right product, service, info etc.
The beauty of the internet is that it is full of opportunities to joint venture. If you have clients that need a particular product or service that you don't currently offer you can go search, find it and cut a deal to supply. You may see a product or service that is ideal for your existing customer base. Again, strike a deal to put the supplier in touch them (through you, of course!). If you are eventually successful online, you'll probably be approached with offers of this kind yourself.
My advice...get really good at searching for what you want on the web. Go to Google, Yahoo! & Overture and practice using their search tools until you can find anything you need in the shortest time. And don't forget the offline world either. There are thousands of companies out there who are not fully net savvy, and haven't developed an online presence for their product range yet . Keep an eye on trade journals, magazines etc for opportunities to bring clients and products together to your business benefit.
6. Just one more...and I'll be there!
The final step......uploading your first web site to the host server, ready and open for business! But wait a minute...wouldn't it be better if I just added a popup box there, or changed the headline over here.
Fact - some of the most effective web sites in online business history have consisted of ONE PAGE only. And some of those one pagers have not even looked attractive! Many of the best marketers on the internet have the most simple web sites - that carry their information in an easy to understand format, and that's it!
It's your message that's important, having a fantastic website is secondary...by some way. If you've done your homework well, researched your target market, have an offer that solves their most pressing problem (or the one they haven't even thought of yet!) you are in business. Get the shop open and start marketing!
7. Poor time management
Have you ever sat at your PC screen, with the full intention of investing some serious time in getting your ideas off the ground, only to fritter away your limited efforts on any of these?
Reading pointless emails.
Surfing the web in an aimless fasion.
Checking out speculative ideas from others / competitors.
Spending money on unrelated stuff from catalogue sites.
Or...........do you just give up, and return to watcing the TV instead?
If you make any cursory study of time management techniques you will find most of the above listed as time stealers. As already said, you may well find that your budding business empire has to compete with family, day-job and other commitments making the 10, 15 or 20 hours a week you can commit to business building critically important. I can tell you that many people I have consulted with never overcome this barrier, and don't take the necessary action to produce results. A further study of time management would reveal that the following are regarded at "high leverage" activities (ie: for a small initial commitment they pay back handsomely!):
Setting up / monitoring systems.
Learning a new skill, to be applied in the short-term.
Reading / studying relevent business material.
Meeting colleagues, suppliers, mentors, customers.
Attending seminars, coaching sessions, conferences with like minded people.
You simply must focus your efforts. Tell yourself "If I've got 2 hours / $10 to spend on my budding business, what will give me the biggest bang". Structure your time so that you are uninterrupted when you're online. Choose a (preferably one) good mentor and start to build relationships with like minded people, surrounding yourself with success, and the good habits will rub off.
If you want more help with pushing down "The Barriers to Net Success" you can find common sense advice from Les Sheppard at www.netblueprint101.com
http://www.netblueprint101.com/
About the Author
Les Sheppard is a 20 year veteran of offline business brand building, in the retail and leisure industries, who brought his experience to internet marketing in 2001. Through the pages of www.netblueprint101.com, and the bi-weekly newsletter "Blueprint", Les will help you to get your ideas online - building your own business "Super Brand" from scratch. Using up to the minute, and extensively researched, products and methods you can get started now