Internet Marketing

Marketing on the Internet, or Internet Marketing as some people prefer to call it, can bevery rewarding. On the other hand, Internet marketing can be a humbling experience.Whether you’re new to the Internet, or have an established business, you need to have adirection, a plan.What is your goal? Are you planning on selling a product or service? Do you have aninterest in a niche market? Will that niche market survive in the long term or is it some passing fancy?Think about the previously written questions for a few minutes. Before going through thetrouble of setting up a web site (which is what most novice Internet marketers do), andthinking people are just going to show up and start buying your products and/or services,take some time to think it out. It takes more than a web site to make money on theInternet. The decision you make today, will affect your future. So take your time!If you plan to market on the Internet, there are a few things you need to know before youget started.

Customers vs. Leads

Depending on your business (niche market), whether selling products or services, there isone thing you will need, customers. There are many different ways in which you can getcustomers. Over the years, entrepreneurs have tried a lot of different ways; below is a listof some of those means.

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Purchase leads and try to turn them into customers.

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Send out emails to all contacts in your email address book.

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Send out post cards/mailers to your sphere of influence.

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Call your family and friends.

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Place signs/posters throughout your community.

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Places ads in newspapers and/or magazines.All of these methods have worked and will probably continue to work, as long as you’rewilling to put forth the effort. Let it be known that none of the means listed aboveguarantee you success. These are justifiable means of marketing that have been used inthe past. The method you chose will most likely depend on your budget and your personality. No two people are alike!Of the methods listed above, buying leads, in all actually, is probably the most expensive.The reason I say that is because most leads, however they’re generated, are typically notlaser focused on your particular business and/or product/service. They are most likelygeneric leads that have been generated through some sort of automated system. Theywere, in all probability, asked general questions, which may or may not, have beenrelated to your business, product and/or service.

Buying leads based on general areas of interest and thinking you can turn them intocustomers, most likely, will not work. If it does work, it will take hundreds of leads togenerate one customer. Furthermore, not only are leads very expensive, but it takes aspecial type of person to handle the immense number of rejections you will receive. Inmy opinion, buying leads does not work. To learn more about leads vs. customers, go tohttp://www.leads-vs-customers.com.There’s no need to get into the other methods in the list above, because most are self explanatory. There is, however, one way to generate customers that was not put on thelist. The reason it was not mentioned is because it’s too important to just place on a list. Itneeds to be set apart from all other methods, because it is different.

Buying Customers

The fastest and best way to achieve success is to buy an existing business. Unless theexisting business is ready to go bankrupt, they already have customers, the mostimportant asset of any business. Customers are people that are already buying a productor service. Typically, when a business is purchased the new owner is buying, not onlymaterial assets, but also “good will”, which is the customer base, and non-material assets,like the brand.In essence, what the buyer is purchasing are customers. To me, it makes more sense, andmay be easier, to buy customers. Why? Customers are the basis of every business, andthere is not a business out there that cannot survive without them. Customers are the heartand soul of ALL businesses; you need customers to survive. Period! Now you may be saying to yourself, “yeah, but how can I buy customers, I don’t haveenough money to survive, let alone to buy customers.” Well, let me put it this way. If youneed customers to survive, and you are struggling in business, wouldn’t it make sense tohave more customers, or at least have customers that are spending money on your products or services? You bet!There’s only one problem; there are not many places you can go to buy customers. Youdon’t just buy a list of people (customers) that are buying the type of products you areselling form some broker. No! But there is one company that is selling their customers.The customers are generated through radio spots, newspaper ads, and even televisioninfomercials. The company does all the marketing so you don’t have to.Once that person becomes a customer of the company, the company turns around andsells the customer to their business affiliates, people like you and me. Once that customer is part of your business, they’re your customer for life. As long as the customer continuesto buy products, you get paid.There is only one company that I know of that is selling their customers. What a greatconcept!