Breakin' It Down
Breakin' It Down by Cathy Bryant Copyright 2003
http://www.homebizjunction.com
I've recently begun working with individuals one-on-one who are
truly interested in earning an income from the internet in the
comfort of their own home. A common complaint I hear from them
is that they are constantly overwhelmed by the enormous amount
of information that they are bombarded with each and every day.
This is understandable; everyone has faced it.
Those who have been successful online, however, have done so
because of a simple process - narrowing their focus.
In any business, this is necessary. But online, it is critical
for success.
There are a lot of people who are working from home, and not all
of them are earning their income solely from the internet. Some
have businesses that are run completely offline, and many have
both online and offline components.
For purposes of this article, however, I'd like to address those
whose goal it is to work completely online, since that seems to
be ideally what most people wish to do.
So what works best?
Many things, but I believe that the vast majority of truly
successful online businesses fall into one of three groups:
Network Marketing Information Products Affiliate Program
Promotion
Some successful entrepreneurs have incoroporated two and
sometimes all three into their businesses.
Why did I single these three out?
Simple. The great majority of home-based online entrepreneurs
I've ever read about, heard of or communicated with has achieved
their success through at least one of these three methods.
Let's break it down further -
Network Marketing - with all its bad press, network marketing is
indeed a viable business model. The power of the internet to
disperse information quickly and efficiently is ideal for those
who enjoy working with others one-on-one. But that is key, for
network marketing is still a person to person business, any way
you look at it. The internet simply makes it easier and more
cost efficient.
The key to network marketing success is to choose wisely. Rather
than join the latest and greatest matrix program being touted as
the fastest way to internet riches, look for a company whose
products truly fill a need and who has been in business for at
least five years. There are a lot of companies who have been in
business for many years and who are now offering an internet
presence for their distributors and customers.
Information Products - The internet is all about information. We
all know that some individuals over the years have amassed small
fortunes selling information to highly targeted groups. It is
only natural that this type of business would move seamlessly to
the online world. Even more significant for those in the
information business is the fact that they can operate online at
significantly reduced operating costs, thereby increasing their
profits.
To be successful in the information business, one doesn't have
to have a college degree in English or be a published writer.
Everyone has specialized knowledge; if you can put it together
in a way that is easily understood by others, you will have a
ready-made market for those who want and need your information.
No matter how obscure you may think your information is, you can
be sure that there are people out there looking for it!
Affiliate Program Promotion - Although I see many of the
so-called "gurus" telling everyone that the only real way to
make money online is to have your own product, I have to
respectfully disagree. There are a whole lot of people quietly
working at home, out of the spotlight, who are earning
significant incomes promoting the affiliate programs of others.
The key to success in profiting from affiliate programs is by
building a theme-based website targeting a very specific market
and promoting only those programs whose products meet the needs
of its visitors. Critical to this type of business is ongoing
communication with customers and visitors, usually through
newsletters and updates on new products and information that is
available on the site.
Joining affiliate programs helter-skelter and trying to promote
them individually via inefficient means such as classified ads,
safelists, and other forms of ineffective advertising is an
exercise in futility. It is this method of promotion that is
often used by the newcomer online and results in their
frustration and belief that earning an income with these
programs is impossible.
You may be a beginner to the world of online marketing. Or
perhaps you're a victim of information overload that has
hampered your forward progress. In either case, your best chance
for success in your own business is to first choose from one of
these three business models.
When you have done that, then you can move forward. Decide which
resources you need to get your own business up and running. This
will make it much easier to hit the "delete" key when your email
is filled with those products and opportunities that you simply
don't need.
Stay focused on what YOU want to accomplish, and avoid the
confusion of going in too many different directions. You'll be
amazed at how easy it will be to accomplish your goals once
you've eliminated so many distractions!