Breakin' It Down

Breakin' It Down
by Cathy Bryant
Copyright 2003
http://www.homebizjunction.com

I've recently begun working with individuals one-on-one who
are truly interested in earning an income from the internet
in the comfort of their own home. A common complaint I hear
from them is that they are constantly overwhelmed by the
enormous amount of information that they are bombarded with
each and every day.

This is understandable; everyone has faced it.

Those who have been successful online, however, have done so
because of a simple process - narrowing their focus.

In any business, this is necessary. But online, it is
critical for success.

There are a lot of people who are working from home, and not
all of them are earning their income solely from the internet.
Some have businesses that are run completely offline, and
many have both online and offline components.

For purposes of this article, however, I'd like to address
those whose goal it is to work completely online, since that
seems to be ideally what most people wish to do.

So what works best?

Many things, but I believe that the vast majority of truly
successful online businesses fall into one of three groups:

Network Marketing
Information Products
Affiliate Program Promotion

Some successful entrepreneurs have incoroporated two and
sometimes all three into their businesses.

Why did I single these three out?

Simple. The great majority of home-based online entrepreneurs
I've ever read about, heard of or communicated with has achieved
their success through at least one of these three methods.

Let's break it down further -

Network Marketing - with all its bad press, network marketing
is indeed a viable business model. The power of the
internet to disperse information quickly and efficiently is
ideal for those who enjoy working with others one-on-one.
But that is key, for network marketing is still a person to
person business, any way you look at it. The internet simply
makes it easier and more cost efficient.

The key to network marketing success is to choose wisely.
Rather than join the latest and greatest matrix program being
touted as the fastest way to internet riches, look for a
company whose products truly fill a need and who has been
in business for at least five years. There are a lot of
companies who have been in business for many years and who
are now offering an internet presence for their distributors
and customers.

Information Products - The internet is all about information.
We all know that some individuals over the years have
amassed small fortunes selling information to highly
targeted groups. It is only natural that this type of
business would move seamlessly to the online world. Even
more significant for those in the information business is
the fact that they can operate online at significantly
reduced operating costs, thereby increasing their profits.

To be successful in the information business, one doesn't
have to have a college degree in English or be a published
writer. Everyone has specialized knowledge; if you can
put it together in a way that is easily understood by
others, you will have a ready-made market for those who
want and need your information. No matter how obscure you
may think your information is, you can be sure that there
are people out there looking for it!

Affiliate Program Promotion - Although I see many of the
so-called "gurus" telling everyone that the only real way to
make money online is to have your own product, I have to
respectfully disagree. There are a whole lot of people
quietly working at home, out of the spotlight, who are
earning significant incomes promoting the affiliate programs
of others.

The key to success in profiting from affiliate programs is by
building a theme-based website targeting a very specific market
and promoting only those programs whose products meet the needs
of its visitors. Critical to this type of business is ongoing
communication with customers and visitors, usually through
newsletters and updates on new products and information that is
available on the site.

Joining affiliate programs helter-skelter and trying to promote
them individually via inefficient means such as classified ads,
safelists, and other forms of ineffective advertising is an
exercise in futility. It is this method of promotion that is
often used by the newcomer online and results in their
frustration and belief that earning an income with these
programs is impossible.

You may be a beginner to the world of online marketing. Or
perhaps you're a victim of information overload that has
hampered your forward progress. In either case, your best
chance for success in your own business is to first choose
from one of these three business models.

When you have done that, then you can move forward. Decide
which resources you need to get your own business up and
running. This will make it much easier to hit the "delete"
key when your email is filled with those products and
opportunities that you simply don't need.

Stay focused on what YOU want to accomplish, and avoid the
confusion of going in too many different directions. You'll
be amazed at how easy it will be to accomplish your goals
once you've eliminated so many distractions!