A product, service or program to sell

There are a lot of ways to make money from a home business. Many of the entrepreneurs have first been working for an employer to obtain the necessary skills into a home based business. However there are also people that make an impulsive decision and start a home based business on advice by someone, were attracted to an advertisement or are pushed that way for their current financial situation. You can make money online but as said in my previous article you need to develop a plan or system to benefit from an online business.

If you are starting an online business then you have many opportunities. Although don’t think yourself rich. It may be possible that your business is lifting off immediately but in most cases it needs hard work. I started out online by filling out surveys, reading emails and clicking on advertisements. This was not paying a lot. You need hundreds of sites to earn a couple of hundred pounds. You start earning if you refer other people to do the same as you do. At that time I was introduced to network marketing and learnt a system.
If you want to benefit online you’ll have to learn a system and afterwards implement a system that will work for you. If you start an online business in network marketing then you have to build up trust. The only way you can gain trust on the internet is to advertise yourself and stand firmly behind the product that you want to market.

Although we recognize the fact that some people starting in network marketing didn’t receive any support, I certainly would like to succeed in this business and if I don’t get the information I want then I ask for it.
If you join a network program, and you don’t ask a thing or don’t introduce yourself to a sponsor then there is no willpower to succeed in this business. A network marketing system is designed to work for you as well as for your sponsor. If you have a good upline than they are very willing to introduce you to possibilities to get you going. Your upline is benefitting from the work you put in.

When you have established a network then you can also think of selling affiliate programs or affiliate advertising (on your website). These affiliate programs will pay you a commission on click throughs and/or sales generated from your site. Think about Yahoo, Google, Clickbank or Amazon.
Once you are convinced that you have mastered the right opportunity, then it is time to do business.

It is from significant importance not only to choose a product or service to sell but also to target your market. Who are your customers?

For a business that is service oriented a industry market is clear. A plumber will most probably target private home owners than people who rent or in the other case deliver its services to a council or building society.

For an online business it is extremely important who your customers are and whom to target.

Keep this in mind when you are stepping into the online businesses. There are programs out there that promise you the world. If you don't feel good about the product or services than stay away from it rather then trying things out and see what is going to happen.

Every business will try to find or create other products in time to target other prospects. Profits of your business always need to increase.
Starting out online doesn't mean you have to sign-up for every program that is out there. If you follow this strategy you'll end up broke or you fail to establish your company in about two years.

Lots of people make the mistake to sell more programs at one time because they feel one program isn't earning them enough. If you have a good product then the revenue will come and after that it is time to expand your product line with another. 

After you have figured out what your target market is you need to figure out why would this product be valuable for my target prospects.
You definitely can't say: my product is so good that everyone wants to have it because it isn't working. A DIYer will not buy a hammer if he needs to drill a hole. A person will not buy a car because he just has money to spent.

If you have the perfect drill and a DIYer needs to drill a hole then you are able to sell him your product. If a person is looking to buy a car because he needs it to commute then you can sell a car.

So it is wise to understand what the reasons are for your prospects to buy your products and to implement a strategy to sell your product.

Title: 4 Strategies For Seasonal Selling - Planning For Retail Cycles Word Count: 393 Summary: Every product has a natural life cycle and a season where it sells best: some early buyers come at the beginning, and then the mass of buyers come. Prices peak and retailers begin running out of stock. Sales slow, and trickle down to a few last-minute shoppers. As an online seller, it’s critical you prepare for the natural retail cycles throughout the year. With some simple strategies, you can make the most of the opportunities presented by the changing seasons: 1.Keep ... Keywords: Product,sourcing,ebay,ecommerce,dropship,ebiz,entrepreneur,blog Article Body: Every product has a natural life cycle and a season where it sells best: some early buyers come at the beginning, and then the mass of buyers come. Prices peak and retailers begin running out of stock. Sales slow, and trickle down to a few last-minute shoppers. As an online seller, it’s critical you prepare for the natural retail cycles throughout the year. With some simple strategies, you can make the most of the opportunities presented by the changing seasons: 1.Keep the Flow Going The way to maintain sales volume is to be ready for the next selling season. Phase in your new seasonal items for early shoppers while your other product line sales are winding down. You can keep the momentum going in your store and your income if you plan accordingly. 2.Make Advance Preparations Don’t wait until the holiday is upon you to get your products lined up and ready to go. You should begin pushing your promotions two to three months ahead of time, according to Lisa Suttora of http://WhatDoISell.com. Says Suttora, “The advantage to having your products ready several months before a holiday season is you capture the early bird buyers…You’d be amazed how many people shop months in advance of a holiday.” Another benefit of early marketing is it provides lead time for the search engines to pick up the pages for your holiday specials. Include the season or holiday name in your titles, because people are searching for those terms. 3.Use What You’ve Got You don’t necessarily have to change your entire product line every season. Evaluate your current product line and see what can be promoted as a seasonal item. Use your imagination—create unique gift baskets and kits. Shoppers are pressed for time and are looking for solutions, so put together product bundles to solve their holiday needs. 4.Adjust Your Website Your web store should reflect the season—feature items that work well for the approaching holiday. Put a seasonal spin on your ads and listings. “Your sales don’t have to drop,” advises Suttora. “Evaluate what you’re selling and how you want to position it—freshen up the look of your site. You’ve got a whole new group of buyers coming in [with each new season], so you want to be ready for them.”

Every product has a natural life cycle and a season where it sells best: some early buyers come at the beginning, and then the mass of buyers come. Prices peak and retailers begin running out of stock. Sales slow, and trickle down to a few last-minute shoppers.

As an online seller, it’s critical you prepare for the natural retail cycles throughout the year. With some simple strategies, you can make the most of the opportunities presented by the changing seasons:

1.Keep the Flow Going
The way to maintain sales volume is to be ready for the next selling season. Phase in your new seasonal items for early shoppers while your other product line sales are winding down. You can keep the momentum going in your store and your income if you plan accordingly.

2.Make Advance Preparations
Don’t wait until the holiday is upon you to get your products lined up and ready to go. You should begin pushing your promotions two to three months ahead of time, according to Lisa Suttora of http://WhatDoISell.com. Says Suttora, “The advantage to having your products ready several months before a holiday season is you capture the early bird buyers…You’d be amazed how many people shop months in advance of a holiday.”

Another benefit of early marketing is it provides lead time for the search engines to pick up the pages for your holiday specials. Include the season or holiday name in your titles, because people are searching for those terms.

3.Use What You’ve Got
You don’t necessarily have to change your entire product line every season. Evaluate your current product line and see what can be promoted as a seasonal item. Use your imagination—create unique gift baskets and kits. Shoppers are pressed for time and are looking for solutions, so put together product bundles to solve their holiday needs.

4.Adjust Your Website
Your web store should reflect the season—feature items that work well for the approaching holiday. Put a seasonal spin on your ads and listings. “Your sales don’t have to drop,” advises Suttora. “Evaluate what you’re selling and how you want to position it—freshen up the look of your site. You’ve got a whole new group of buyers coming in [with each new season], so you want to be ready for them.”

4 Reasons Why You Need Testimonials to Sell More

The other day I was writing a sales brochure for a West Coast manufacturer. As I got to what I’ll call the “proof” section of the brochure, I was rummaging around for testimonials.

The company already had a full-blown Web site and a solid PowerPoint presentation. So I was hopeful that I’d find some ready made testimonials or at least some material I could use to create some.

As it turned out, they had one case study with a couple of customer quotes. I pieced the material together to create one measly testimonial. It was less than adequate.

Well, maybe it’s no big deal. After all, I wrote strong copy. Why even bother with testimonials? I’ll give you four good reasons.

<B>1. Credibility</B>

Testimonials give your company, product, or service credibility. Everyone is bombarded with advertising messages every day. It’s a brutal marketplace. If you want to sell something to somebody, you stand a much better chance if you can convince them that you’re credible. Testimonials are like references on a resume. They’re the people who vouch for you.

<B>2. Identification</B>

Your prospects identify with your customers who are providing the testimonials. They have similar concerns, problems, hopes and desires. They commiserate. This is good. You want this in your marketing. (Sorry, but your prospects don’t identify with you. Not really. You’re trying to sell them something!)

<B>3. Proof</B>

Proof, alone, is reason enough to gather and use testimonials. This is where your customers say, in effect, “They’re right, Mr. or Ms. Prospect. They can save you 50% ... or  make you feel 18 again ... or make you enough money to retire at 50. They did it for me and I’m thrilled!” Testimonials notarize your marketing speak.

<B>4. Closure</B>

Testimonials help close the sale. Sure, they can be used throughout a marketing piece. But they definitely come in handy toward the end. You’ve introduced the problem or need, your product or service, the features and benefits, and more. Then you line up your testimonials, all the customers whose heads are nodding and saying, “Yep, it worked for me.” Soon after, you ask for the order.

For many reasons, testimonials give your prospects the confidence they need to buy from you for the first time. And once your prospects turn into new customers, the door to repeat sales swings wide open.

(c) 2005 Neil Sagebiel