Internet Tip of the Week - by Bob Osgoodby
OutsourcingIt's no secret that the US economy has slowed down, and many jobs
have been outsourced overseas. Thousands of companies are still
and are being forced to cut costs, decrease benefits, and even
lay off employees. Many of those who lost their jobs, wil l try
their hand at doing business on the Internet.It seems however, that lately I've been hearing a great deal
about the difficulty of doing business online. Put aside the
talk about the hype and the scams. They existed from the first
day the Internet was commercialized. They are becoming more
sophisticated with their promises of earning millions, but as
people become more experienced, they quickly see through them.
Fake email addresses, spam and broken dreams will continue to
abound until either legislation forces them to do business
ethically, or the well of suckers dries up.Sounds pretty negative doesn't it. Under other circumstances, it
would be enough to put someone off trying to do business on the
net. But let's look at the positive side. I don't know about
you, but I've met some pretty fine people on the web. They are
honest, hard working and a pleasure to do business with. While
there are a few "bad apples" (and aren't there offline as well),
it's amazing how many friendly, helpful people there are out
there.
In the early nineties, before the entrepreneurial invasion of the
Internet, the only game in town was the proprietary bulletin
boards such as run by Prodigy. Anyone who "dared" become
commercial was summarily banned from the boards, and "blacklists
of offenders" were actually shared between the board moderators.
But, as commercialism crept in, and the old bulletin boards
joined the ranks of the dinosaurs, a whole new strategy started
to evolve.People have learned that you don't have to create something new
or re-invent the wheel to make money online. You can join an
affiliate program to get started with a minimum of capital
outlay, and a decent income can be made. But the old saying
"there's no such thing as a free lunch" is even truer today.Sure, you can advertise online for free, but except for isolated
instances, there is a catch. Forget the FFA (Free For All) sites
where you can post a free ad for your business. They get
thousands of submissions hourly, and most only keep the latest
hundred or so current, so your ad has a life measured in seconds.How about the free ads you find in newsletters? If the
newsletter has content and a decent subscriber base, they are a
great deal. However, many times the only subscribers who receive
it are those placing the free ads, and once they check to see if
their ad is there, they "click away" and don't even see anything
else.While you might not immediately learn how to advertise your
business, you quickly learn how not to. Email spamvertising is
simply a waste of time and money. If it is annoying to you, and
the ads are summarily deleted without being read, why waste your
money on a similar campaign.Those who want to do business on the web, and are succeeding, are
evolving into a whole new breed of entrepreneurs. They learned
from the mistakes that are being made, and have developed a
business plan that is working.So, what is the secret. It really isn't a secret, and it is as
obvious as the nose on your face. People are not stupid,
inexperienced maybe.- but not stupid. Treat them with the same
courtesy and respect you would like to receive, and you will be
amazed at the results.
Unfortunately, many would be entrepreneurs don't take their
business seriously, and will fail. This is not something you can
do when bored, and there is nothing good on TV that night. If
your bottom line is to succeed, you must take your online
business seriously, and the returns you receive will be in
proportion to the effort you exert.-----
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