Ten MUST Components to Survive (and thrive!) in a Web Business by Jim Daniels

Yes, contrary to what some 'experts' will tell you, there is
still PLENTY of room for new businesses in cyberspace. Sure,
the last few years brought many giant dotcoms tumbling to
the scrap heap, but running your own small business on the
web is STILL a great way to make a living.

A small business on the web can be cheap to operate,
nearly fully automated and nimble; a great combination for
success. I've been operating a successful business,
exclusively on the web and right from the comfort of my
home since 1996. Like I said, it's a great way to make
a living, but only if you do it right.

Today I'll share ten MUST components for those of you who
are either considering starting, or have already started a
business on the Web. Every key component you MUST integrate
for long-term success is revealed in this piece.

(You really do NEED EVERY SINGLE ONE of these components
if you want your business to grow into a source of
financial security.)

Ten 'MUST' Components to Survive (and thrive!) in a Web
Business:

1. A unique and professional web site with your own domain
name.

Your web site will be the cornerstone of your success
online. It should look different than the 'rest of the pack'
and it should have a unique domain name. I could go on and
on with this one but I won't. Just surf the web a while and
decide what sites YOU would buy from. That will tell you
volumes.


2. A product line you can control.

Ideally you should sell at least one product or service that
you own. If you prefer to resell or market affiliate programs,
then make sure you align yourself only with the strongest
companies and affiliate programs you can rely on long-term.


3. A way to accept secure payments via credit card at your
web site.

The best solution is to have a merchant account of your own.
But if that's too costly for you in the beginning, a solution like
paypal.com will do. (International businesses can use
Worldpay.com as a solution.) Offering a FAST and SECURE
way for your customers to purchase from your web site with
their Visa or Mastercard is a must on the web.


4. An email strategy.

You MUST continually grow a list of prospects. It's the only
way you can 'capture' a percentage of the folks who visit
your site and do not buy the first time. (Which is nearly
all of them!) An email strategy works best when you give
something of value away in exchange for a visitor's name
email address. Then you must stay in touch with these people
on a regular basis, providing VALUE for them.

I use a combination of tools to perform these tasks. I offer
free books at my sites and stay in touch with people
through my BizWeb eGazette. In a nutshell, I help other
business owners and many of them purchase a product or
service of mine when the need arises.


5. Sales copy that is proven to sell.

If there is one aspect that KILLS web site sales it is poor
sales copy. You may THINK your site is fine, but tiny
details in your sales copy can be costing you countless
dollars. I have personally experienced visitor to sales
ratios as low as 250 to 1 and as great as 8 to 1. The
difference in dollars is thousands a week. And what makes
the difference in most cases is the sales copy. It's that
important.

I've sold tens of thousands of manuals, books and software
products over the past few years. And I know for a fact that
if you follow proven, successful 'cyber sales formulas'
you'll be able to sell just about anything online! Find a
powerful sales letter and model yours after it. Ask the
author questions. Pick it apart and see why it works so
well. Spend as much time on your sales copy as you do on
your products and services.


6. Offer an affiliate program at your website.

OK, some may say this is not an absolute necessity, but look
around. Nearly ALL successful e-commerce sites offer some
form of affiliate program. You can pay for visitors, leads
or commission sales, but you need to offer SOME way of
rewarding folks who bring you business.


7. 'Recommended products and services'

While we're on the subject of offering an affiliate program
at your site, on the flip side of the coin you need to join
a few affiliate programs yourself! Find affiliate programs
that tie in well with what you offer, use the product or
service, and if you like it recommend it to your visitors.
You'll increase your web site profits literally overnight.
Over the years I've found that the best programs are the
ones that offer residual, or recurring commissions on each sale.
For an example of some programs that are working well for
me, see:

8. New products or services on a regular basis.

If you can create a new product of your own once or twice a
year, you'll stand a better chance of growing your profits
continually. Also be sure to update your existing products
on a regular basis to keep content and sales fresh. If
you're not able to create your own products that often, then
find a product you could get behind and do a joint venture
with the owner. Even if the owner does not offer an
affiliate program you can offer to promote their product or
service for a percentage of sales. Let them know you have a
targeted list of prospects that would LOVE their product,
especially if they could get it at a reduced price through
you!


9. A support strategy that keeps your prospects and clients
happy.

There are lots of ways to offer support. The best is simply
by offering contact forms at your site and answering email
every day. It's really that simple.


10. A marketing strategy that includes no-cost promotion.

Lets face it, in order to make money online, you gotta get
visitors to your web site. There are tons of ways to do that
on the Internet and I've tried nearly all of them. Find what
works for you and spend a full day each week promoting your
site. Look in this Special Report:

http://www.webbusinesswizard.com/app/?af=510656

for the best ways to get started.