Internet and Businesses Online

First of all, we have to be honest with ourselves. You are reading this article right now because you are looking for a quick and easy way out of whatever situation you are in. Maybe you are sick of your job. Maybe your boss has gotten on your last nerve, or you are working with the one person you just can't take any longer. Maybe you don't have a job, but whatever you are doing right now just isn't cutting it. Maybe you have money and are looking for an investment which requires little commitment but yields a great return. Maybe you have been imagining all the things extra cash can do for you. Maybe you saw something you really wanted, and decided that you were going to do what it took to get it. Maybe that spark of inspiration is what landed you here right now reading this page. Well good, you have come to the right place. But unfortunately, this article is not the end, it is the beginning of your journey.

Let's cut to the chase, you want to make money online. Are you familiar with Craigslist? If you are you may want to take another look at this website. It has been the birthplace of many a business recently. You have people in your local area willing to buy and sell right on the website. It is free to post ads, and the return is usually greater than you would expect. But instead of selling, try buying. It is a fact that a lot of the people who use Craigslist DO NOT use eBay. This is a little known secret that has generated large amounts of dollars because of the contrasting sales environments. A Sony ps2 network adaptor sells on eBay for about $50 with free shipping. You can post a free ad on Craigslist saying that you are looking to buy ps2 network adaptors for $15 and that you will come and pick them up. The best time to post is on the weekends, that's usually when people seem to use the site most. You should get a couple of responses. At least enough to make $100 to $300 profit depending on the type of area you are in and how far you are willing to travel. Try to follow up as quickly as you can to every response. In doing this, realize that you may receive some scam responses. Anyone asking you to link to their site or something like that is just some internet marketer trying to make a dollar. Leave it alone. Take your newly acquired network adaptors and sell them on eBay. They usually sell pretty quickly (for whatever reason), and people are usually pretty happy to get even $15 for them.

Now you are probably thinking, wow, I made a whopping $35 (and then you've got to ship them so that's another six to eight dollars, plus gas, fees etc). But also keep this in mind, I've gotten as many as 4 to 6 responses in 1-2 days for this type of ad. It may be worth your time. You must also consider, there are millions of other products out there that people are looking to get rid of for cheap. And you need to be in a position to purchase them and sell them for higher. This is a concrete business model-buy cheap, sell high. There you have it.

But let's dig a little deeper now. You can get a free eBay membership and have the ability to research product values. For instance, to see how much Sony ps2 network adaptors sell for, sign in under your eBay name and search for them. Then click on the "completed listings" tab, usually on the left side of the screen within the search parameters, and you can see what they have sold for recently, as well as what they have sold for in past months. This is an invaluable tool in calculating what you can offer someone for these items, the profit margin, and the time it will take to sell it.

Honestly, if you are just willing to look, there is always somewhere that money can be made. The biggest commitment is taking the time to figure out what is bringing the money in. Whether its an internet affiliate program, buying and selling like this, or a combination of a bunch of things, the biggest factor is research.

There are in fact so many ways to make money online it pains me to think of all the effort put in by people who don't know the game. What you are looking for is right under your fingertips, doesn't cost a thing, and is NOT very likely to be revealed by some internet marketing genius for a one time of whatever. You simply have to take a product, and sell it to the person who wants it. And the best way to sell the product is not to address the customer, but to address the reasons the customer wants the product. When advertisements come on television, they aren't marketing to you, they are marketing to your desires. You must take the same approach to your customers.

So rule number one for all you entrepreneurs- do what you know. Pick a product you can explain pretty easily. This is rule is simple because you can't sell what you don't understand. You should have a reasonable base of knowledge of your product because alot of people will want to buy, but they may have questions. If you don't know much, look on the internet for frequently asked questions (FAQs) about your product, then you'll have a more clear understanding of your customer's concerns.

Rule number two-advertise, advertise, advertise. You have got to take advantage of the numbers. If a thousand people are exposed to your product, there is a better chance of someone buying than if just ten people are exposed to it. Place ads everywhere you can. Write articles on sites like these (there are tens of dozens of sites you can submit articles to). Advertise with yahoo and Google. Create an internet presence. The more people see your ads, the stronger the impact it has on them. If you are creative, come up with a logo or a picture using a drawing software. If you aren't Picasso, then maybe you have a friend who can come up with something for you. If you are selling on eBay, there are options that allow you to list your products across multiple categories which exposes you to more potential customers.

Rule number three-know the state of the market. You have to look at your allies and your competition. How is everyone else selling this product. Who is the most successful right now? How can I duplicate or improve upon that success? How are they advertising? Where are they advertising? What kind of reputation does their product have? How long have the most successful competitors been selling this product? What do you offer that they don't? And if you don't offer anything different, how can you market the same product differently? For example- you may want to place your emphasis on the great service your company provides, or your excellent refund policies, guarantees etc... try to avoid negative statements about a company, it usually makes you look upset and serves as further advertisement for that company. This isn't a presidential election, it's a way to make people feel comfortable doing business with you.

Rule number four-keep going. When it's bad, keep going. When it's good, keep going. This is the most important rule, because business is always changing. What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow, what might not be working now may be better suited for the future. You have to stay on top of the changes within your industry in order to capitalize off of them. And also, when you keep going you keep learning. If things go extremely well, you can actually paralyze your business by not advancing and relying on your old tactics. Keep your head grounded so you can see new opportunities on the horizon.