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Step 2

Step 1. Take Ten Minutes to Define What You Do (And Hopefully Like to Do) Best

Step 2. Create the offer by thinking about your customer. What do they want to buy?

Step 3. Target your natural market. What success stories are out there?

Step 4.Test proven methods of advertising. Find the one that works best for your market.

Step 5. Follow up with your customers via direct mail, email, fax, and telephone.

Step 6. Look for endorsements from other businesses. When you research your market, did you find someone you could joint venture with?

Step 7.Find more products and services to offer.

Start Thinking About Your Customer

The first step was brainstorming exactly what it is you are selling:

  1. A solution to the problems your customer has.
  2. Supplies to help them solve the solution, i.e. information products. A Web Site is an information product, a book is an information product; anything that helps them focus and is packaged can be an information product.

Now comes the simple step; find out who your customers are.

What you need to do is go out and act like the customer:

A. Go to a few search engines and enter in the keywords that come to mind. Does it help you find the site? Then go to www.dejanews.com and search newsgroups and mailing lists for specific subjects. Are you getting closer?

B. Any problems you run into a client will. This is an excellent place to do paid market research as well. Find the clients, find where they're meeting, find some successful sites (How? Ask people who are passionate about the subject where the best sites are about that subject), and summarize your report.

If you do this for a specific niche, you can generate a survey or report which you can then share with them, along with recommendations. You will contact these people on mailing lists, at newsgroups, visiting their Web site, online chats, wherever they are hanging out.

C. First step, we started with defining where you start. Now it's time to talk with your customers. Ask them why they would buy, what would be the right pricing (give them a general choice, not specific; greater than $500, less than $3,000, etc.), and what would make it worth their while to go online.

Do this slowly, by introducing yourself. After all, credibility only builds when we get comfortable. Give people a free report or consultation to introduce yourself. Then ask them questions. Test how often you contact them and make sure that you are providing materials they want to read. If not, adapt.

You might find interesting answers and if you learn not to do everything yourself, you'll have a wealth of services to sell. Think of yourself like an advisor, or like a director of a movie; you bring together the talent it takes to go online. If you just want to create your own Web site, than start with the customer. Bring together the talent to get your Web business on track.

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