The TAO of the Internet Entrepreneur

By: Muhammad Nasser, Sun Jun 11th, 2006

The word Tao means the Way.

The Tao of the Internet Entrepreneur seeks equal exchange. If the exchange between you and your customer is not equal it Will not be valid even if you get away with fooling or short changing The customer. In the end it will come back to haunt you.

It is said that the man of calling succeeds without quarreling. So it is with engaging the markets of the Internet. It is possible to do business and succeed without alienating many potential customers.

The Internet is like any other large market in that you can not attack it all at once......... you must be patient with it.

Anything can and is sold on the Internet from sex to sealing wax, the Internet has become like the Winchester Rifle of old, a great equalizer for small businesses eager to extend themselves to the whole of the world. Like the Winchester, treat the Internet with respect and the will take care of you.

What is meant by Treat the with respect and it will take care of you. Simply this. This is first and foremost a network of networks of People.

Dealing with these persons via the net is almost the same as in person.

There are some simple guidelines I have developed from my experience in marketing and my studies of philosophy that you may find useful, like any would-be teacher I cannot teach you the Tao of the Entrepreneur but only the way to the Tao. So here it is.

Above all, The Tao of the Entrepreneur is to Do what is necessary regardless of what others think and to do what must be done regardless of the effect on others.

This dual notion may seem out of step with the spirit of Netique and selling protocols but it is not. The business of business is making money. If you go in to commerce with any other ideas in mind you are certain to fail.

1 .Be patient with the Internet and with yourself

Many people think they are going to throw up some web pages, put Together a package of reports or products they got from some vendor , Send out a billion Email messages and just wait for the checks to start Flying in.

Often what happens is a whole lot of nothing or worse, you get a mountain of hate mail for sending unsolicited Email until your ISP shuts you down.

2. Live in the Real world, not your own.

There are no get rich-quick schemes on the that work including the ones YOU create for yourself. Approach the net like you would a potential mate. After all you and the net are going to be together for a long time.

Spend time gaining a deep, genuine knowledge of the Markets, customers and products before you enter the fray.

* Find or create a unique product to offer. * Read up about the experiences of other marketers. * Learn about the latest bulk mailing programs and their Proper use. * Don't insult peoples intelligence with bogus offers of easy millions over night or Even a month or two, building an business takes many years of continuous Effort to be successful. You have to work years to be an overnight success!! * Avoid superlative language in your offers, speak plain and simple, keep the language of At a fifth grade level. * Talk TO your potential buyers not AT them with too much glitz. * Take as much time to attend to little things as big things in your business . Spell checking your text is just as important as how flashy you want your web site!

3. Thus also is the man of calling, He creates for the body and not for the eyes!

* Get rid of all the flashy logos and graphics that take forever to down load on your site, buyers don't want flash, they want answers.

* Design your site as if YOU were going to buy from it, make the site easy to Read in as many screen formats as possible and reduce graphics to decrease download time. Serve the customer, NOT your vanity.

* Keep texts and explanations to the point.

* Don't make the buyer look for your name and contact information, Put it where they can see it, at the top and bottom of the pages.

* Place key links such as order form links at top and bottom of page.

* When Emailing potential clients, send out only what you think you can handle in potential responses, mailings of 10.000 is usually good you may get 50 to 100 responses.

* When sending your offer to potential buyers, send only a request to send more information and then let your auto responders send them an offer with your web page link to view your product and choose to buy.

4. Thus also is the man of calling, the more he gives the more he has.

If you use a web page at all in your business, make it a place people value coming to. Give something of value and give it for free.

FREE DOWNLOADS FREE EMAIL FREE REPORTS FREE FAXING FREE VOICE MAIL FREE WEB PAGES FREE NEWS AND INFORMATION

All these things can be offered just by creating links to other sites, you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

5. Practice your craft.

In all aspects of your business you should work on your style of doing things. Don't just throw together a sales letter, sit down in a quiet room with the TV off and let your talents flow.

Choose words that have power and generate emotional responses like: FREE ,NEW, NOW, SUCCESS, OPPORTUNITY, MONEY, POWER, WORK FOR YOURSELF. Rework and rework till you are satisfied, if the text would encourage you to buy someone else's product then it might encourage someone else to buy yours!

Particularly with regard to advertising copy, you must hone the subject matter down to at least a fifth grade level. People MUST get the message in the first line That your product or service will solve their problem! Study other ads you see and dissect them for the words that got your attention in the first place. Chances are they will attract people to your ad too. Take your time with this process, it often take many incarnations of ad copy to get it right.

6. Above all, to thine own self be true.

This is the best advice I can offer. If you are promising to make millionaires out of people you had better be one yourself Before you try it. No body wants advice on how to make a million dollars from some one who Does not yet have a million dollars.

If you have no wealth you can only teach poverty.

If you have no vision you can only lead others astray.

If you are not free you can only put others in chains.

Practice simplicity in all aspects of your business.

Last but not least, be persistent.

Never give up the burning quest for success in the business you have chosen. You will never succeed unless you believe you will. That belief in yourself is half the battle. Planing your working and working your plan is the other half.

About the author: Muhammad Nasser is Publisher of the Africalink Quarterly Newsletter, The Middle East Banking List, The AAA Credit Guide and the Guide to Import Export in Global Africa. Mr.Nasser is available for media commentary and can be reached at: Africalink1@mailcity.com"

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