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I have to first of all admit that I may not have a ready solution
for them. What's working for me make not work for them because
of differences in my target audience, difference in my
relationship with my audience, and even timing. So I spend a lot
of time brainstorming with them... usually for a fee :-)

One of the first realities we must face is that selecting the
right product or service to promote is perhaps the most important
decision they have to make. Choose the wrong service.... one
no-one wants, and you're dead in the water before you start. Yes,
you'll get a few people purchasing your product but not in the
volume you desire.

The second reality that we must face is that you need a really
solid marketing plan. Promoting your products or services in an
unorganized, scatter-gun fashion will produce lesser results.
You need to flow out what activities you are going to use in
promoting your business. Everything needs to be planned out. Then
you need to stick with your plan long enough to see the results.
Plan, implement, measure results, make adjustments - that's the
formula.

The third reality that we must face is that building a thriving
on-line business can be hard work. I've put in many 18-hour days
and fell asleep at my keyboard many times. It takes time to build
a list and to build credibility. I haven't discovered any
foolproof shortcut to this reality.

Having faced the above realities, I go on with my clients to look
at what they are doing to build their businesses and how they can
improve them. On the internet it all boils down to traffic... to
reaching an audience and convincing them that your product offers
the solution to their wants or needs. That means using the
search engines and email to attract traffic. It also means
learning to write good copy or getting someone else to do it for
you. I don't see any shortcuts there. Words sell, and putting
the right words in the right order is a science. It's something
anyone can learn. Poor webcopy is the biggest problem on most of
the websites I visit that aren't making any money.

There are literally hundreds of ways to reach your target
audience and attract them to your website. The first step is
properly identifying who you should be targeting. That one step
allows you to spend your promotional dollars in the right place
... the place where you will get the greatest return. For some
products, and some businesses, paid-for search engine listings
are a great option. For others buying banners on other websites
(exit popups, etc.) are a great idea. I gain great exposure by
having my articles appear in others' ezines and on others'
websites. This takes time to build up momentum though. I also
have an army of affiliates driving traffic to my sites. This
also takes time.

When I look at my secrets to success, building relationships with
a lot of prospects over the past seven years has played a big
part. That's just the path that I took. I've seen people
achieve incredible success in a matter of month, but I have seen
many more fail. The one thing that I want all of my clients to
ask themselves is, "If it was so easy to come on-line and make
your fortune, why aren't many more quitting their off-line jobs
and doing it." That's a very important question to at-least
contemplate.

Hopefully, this article wasn't too negative. I just see a lot
of similarities between the envelope stuffing schemes I fell
victim to in the early 1970s and the on-line world today.
Fortunes are being made on-line. It takes a product or service
that people need and want, and then you have to make them aware
of it. That often takes a lot of hard work. However, when you
finally make your breakthrough, it will be worth every ounce of
effort. Make absolutely certain that you start out with the
right products though.

To your success.


Willie Crawford has been teaching others how to build an
on-line business since late 1996. Frequently featured in
radio, magazine and newspaper articles and interviews, Willie
teaches the average guy what the top marketers are doing but
seldom talking about. For example, Willie demonstrates the
power of automated residual income through his system at:
http://ProfitAutomation.Com Test drive this system now.

Is Internet Marketing A Hobby or A Business For You?

By Willie Crawford


As an Internet marketing consultant, and fairly high visibility
online marketer, I get to see a lot of things that the average
person doesn't. By studying what other successful online
businesses are doing, I was finally able to "break the code
myself."

If you're struggling to make your first $50,000 dollars online,
it's hard to IMAGINE the possibilities.

I personally know of an online marketer who is earning
nine hundred fifty thousand dollars a year selling SOCK!

I personally know a man in the UK earning twenty-five
thousand dollars a month selling Internet marketing videos.
I sold him the reprint license!

I personally know a high-schooler earnings thousand just by
introducing people. He brokers joint ventures for others
and earns a hefty commission.

I know of another man earning millions selling products that
he doesn't even own - on Ebay. He never takes possession
of the items, or personally handles them in any way. He just lists
the items for a percentage commission... and makes millions.

When you see how ordinary people are making their online
fortunes, you see just how possible it is for you too. You
also see that there are only a few real differences between
those doing incredibly well and those who will never even
"break even."

One of the first differences you'll notice is that the people
in the examples above think of their online business as a
REAL business. Even if they are operating from a spare
corner of the kitchen table, they do the things they would
do if they were running a large corporation....

- They have business plans
- They have budgets and cash flow projections
- They use methods of promotion that are proven to work
best for them, AND don't use those that are non-productive
- They outsource things that are not suitable for them or
their company to do
- Some of them put in long hours and are actually
workaholics
- Most of them studied what others who were proven
successes were doing and sought their consultation

Another difference you'll notice is that these people are risk
takers. They don't take unreasonable risks, but they are
not afraid of risk either. They know, just as we all do, that
reward is usually directly proportional to risk. Any investor
knows this!

Along the same lines, they also take action. A lot of
business "wannabes" spend too much time thinking about it.
You do need to really analyze things, but then you must
make a decision. The people mentioned above are able to
make decisions... sometimes-tough decisions. Once they
make a decision, they implement it.

The other glaring characteristic they all possess is that
they don't operate in a vacuum. They network with people
with similar interests. They realize that they have to work
WITH their competitors, suppliers, employees, and even
governments to make things happen. They are not afraid
to meet with or call others to bounce an idea off of them.
They realize that they don't know everything and so they
seek those who call fill in the gaps in their knowledge.

These few simple traits are a big part of what I have
observed to be the difference between the successful and
the unsuccessful online businessperson. These same
traits are also a big roadmap to anyone who wants to turn
their online business around and make it more profitable.

Adopt the mindset explained above... you are in business...
there are risks you must take...you have to decide that you
are going to take actions... you need to plan it all out... and
then you need to put your plans in action.

Do this and your online business is no longer a hobby that
you are tinkering with - it is a serious business that you are
treating appropriately. Ask yourself today, are you in business
or are your online activities just a hobby.


Willie Crawford has been teaching others how to build an on-line
business since late 1996. Frequently featured in radio, magazine
and newspaper articles and interviews, Willie teaches the average
guy what the top marketers are doing but seldom talking about.
Willie provides detailed how to information in his newsletter,
through his personal coaching, and at his annual how to workshop.
Learn more at: http://InternetMarketingHowToWorkshop.com