Doing Business Online

How to Choose an Online Business Opportunity Part 1

Before you take the plunge and get yourself online to start marketing to the biggest marketplace the world has ever seen there are a few things that you should know and a couple of things you want to check out .

Here’s what we found when my wife started looking around for just such a business.

Take into account your lifestyle…

For a start there are many different systems out there and there is an absolute mountain of information for you to sift through on the way to finding the system that best fits your lifestyle and your experience levels. And let me be very clear here, those are two things which need to be foremost in your mind so that you dont end up trying to shift your life around to fit something that is perhaps totally foreign to you. It is important to have something fit where you are at in life rather than trying to become something you’re not.

As an example of whats out there lets take a quick look at the idea of joining a Network Marketing system or MLM.And having been in an MLM system a few years ago my wife and I feel we have enough background knowledge to make an educated comment.

What are your chances of success…

Even in a very well known system the statistics of failure is incredibly high. In fact I read that 97% of people who get into even a well run and well trained MLM system, just cant get any traction when it comes to building a downline. Now why is that. ?? Have MLM’s not kept up with the times and have their training methods stagnated?? Do people go in blindly expecting their downlines to materialise out of thin air..?? Food for thought isnt it…

Having said that there are still 3% who make a very good income from it, so its all possible. And I think its the dream of the 3% that keeps bringing people to get involved.

So what do you look for first…

Here’s where we were at. Im a Business Coach, and the idea that I am used to is running a business by the numbers. So for me a systemised approach is the best approach. You have known parameters which you use to test and measure your success. So my wife adopted some of my philosphies when she started looking. It was suddenly a case of information overload. There is so much “stuff” out there and its all saying “Im the best,… Im the best” How do you suppose you are going to actually figure out which one is the best.?

Here’s what my wife Charmian said about how she got started and the challenges she faced. Maybe you can relate..??

If your interested in taking a quick look at the Business that Charmian started then take a look at this Online Business.

Something else that has proved really valuable for Charmian was the training that she did under the tutalage of Mike Dillard. It gave her a complete in depth look at exactly what it takes to have a successfull online business. I also like his information because it resonates with how I coach my “bricks and mortar” clients.

We talk some more about the systems behind a good online business in part 2.

See you there..

Here’s part 2.

Remember what my wife Charmian said about how she got started and the challenges she faced. Did it strike a cord with you perhaps?

Well here’s where my system background has kicked in and is helping. What we analyzed was this. And this may help you to figure out what is right for you as well..

1. The system-

Does this business use a systemised approach to creating leads and converting them. If the volume increases does it have enough “smarts” to allow a 24/7 operation and does it direct prospects into your sales funnel easily and gently.? People like to “buy” and not be “sold”
What opportunity does it give you to follow up your prospects so that early on they have a chance to realise there is a human face behind the automation.?
What tracking is native to the system so that your results can be measured and tracked in order to optimize your perfomance thereby saving you money?
How does the system interface with your brand and the Hub which you will need to create, in order to attract people to you.?

2. The Product-

Does the product deliver anything of real value. ?
Are you required to hold vast stocks of product in order to market it and fulfil any orders that are placed. ?
How much product knowledge are you required to have and do you have to buy a certain amount just to qualify for bonuses or commissions.?
Do the manufacturers actually make their money from you as a distributor who fails at the MLM but keeps buying because you like the product?
Is the delivered product complete or are your customers required to buy add on after add on to get a working solution.?
Does your product have a short or a long shelf life. If it sits for a period of time does it lose its value or even become un-consumable?

3. The Marketer-You..

Does this system teach you anything or help with your personal development.?
Does your upline really get in behind you consistently to help you get underway.
How much money are you required to spend on buying “tools”. Any business needs them but are the ones you are being asked to buy really delivering results or value
How easy is it to measure your results.? If money is the only yardstick then do you know how to measure your return on investment.
How much money are you prepared to spend to grow your business and at what point do you say “enough”

We put these parameters in place and went to it. As Charmian said in her video, there is so much information to read and digest that having this little “checklist” in place made it really easy. We got down to a shortlist and then it came down to the people running it. Isnt it funny, at the end of the day it comes down to the people running the company that helped get us over the line.

Is there a message in there for you and for your businesses??

How You can Get Started…

First things first, make your list of what are your goals both lifestyle and financial. If you are not comfortable with Network Marketing then perhaps you really do need to go find out about Top Tier Direct marketing. Here’s Charmian’s link if you want to go over there now and find out more about what she is doing..

Secondly, figure out a domain name strategy and arrange a hosting account for yourself. Its really important that you create a central point of information so that you are marketing yourself and people have somewhere to go to find out about you.. Go over to my Resources page and read my review on two tools to use to get this under way. (Open this link in a new tab or window so you can keep reading this..) You need to become an expert on attracting people and that is all about letting people know what you stand for and what you believe in. As humans we are programmed to go looking for leaders so you must become a leader

Thirdly, get onto the WordPress.org site and set up yourself an account so that you can start blogging and getting your message out there.

How to Choose the Right kind of Online Business- Part 3

Welcome back to this series on making the right choices when it comes to picking out the right kind of Online Business Opportunity.

Assuming you have done the numbers and made a choice on what kind of Business you are going to become involved in, the next step in the process is setting up ways to promote your business. In the Bricks and Mortar world there are many ways to do this. Its the same on the internet. The difference being how automated you want to make it or whether you want to promote yourself by using content and Personal branding. And on the internet the magic word is “TRAFFIC”.There are a couple of ways of driving Traffic to your websites and eventually towards your Business Opportunity.

How to Drive Traffic To Your Business Opportunity

The first strategy you might consider is talking to your Family,Friends ,work collegues or total strangers. This has been the strategy of every legacy MLM I have come into contact with. Its called the 3 foot rule. You prospect anyone who comes within 3 feet of you. This takes a certain kind of person to do this. When you consider that 97% of people fail at MLM, it is this writers humble opinion that a big chunk of those 97% come from people who just cannot sustain this approach.

The second strategy would be to set up a Pay-Per-Click campaign using a series of advertisments on Google. There is an art to this and it is a great way of driving traffic but it is also a good way to spend a lot of money if you dont know what you are doing. Get some help, some advice or at the very least do your research into how to make this work. It does bring some great results as long as it has been set up correctly. It is VERY important that you set a budget for this and stick to it. At the very least do some thorough KEYWORD research to find out what people are searching for.There is a very good product in the sidebar of this blog that will make your job a lot easier. MicroNichefinder is a very simple to use product that gives you some great results.It is a paid for product but it is well worth buying because it will literally make you money. To make your advertisements accurate and relevant it is is very important you use something. If you dont wish to pay the bucks then use the free Google product, GOOGLE NICHE FINDER. But make sure you use something!!!!!…..

The third strategy is built around creating content that offers readers value in the form of giveaways,articles,press releases and announcements. This is a strategy to get you high ratings in whats known as “organic ” search results. Because the whole process is designed to get you onto the first page of a google search, your articles etc… must be very specific and contain keywords that people use when starting a search as well as being very “relevant” to what ever is being searched. Being high up in the organic results is where you want to be because research shows that is where most people are looking when they are doing Google searches.Dont forget what I mentioned in strategy two about searching for keywords.You might also consider other ways of creating content such as video and audio. Both of these types of content will keep a “surfer” on your site for a little longer which helps your google “relevancy” scores. Google also measure your “bounce” rate which is a measurement of how long a “surfer “stays on your site. The idea is obviously to keep them there as long as possible. In my humble opinion this is the most cost effective and long term way of creating traffic and developing a personal brand.

Content Creation

There are two kinds of content creation strategies that we use and yes I will benefit if you decide to go and purchase these but they are pretty damn good and I wouldnt mention them unless I thought so..We chose these because they were automated, and simply put make our lives a little easier. ( When you get to my age you will always take easier over harder Lol )

1. Automated Article Submitters- Where you use a small software application that is pre-loaded with keywords and goes out into the world to find articles for you. The product we use is called

2. Automated Video Submitters