Why 97% Of Online Business Owners Will Fail…

I came across a shocking statistic the other day which basically stated that 97% of people who try to get an online business off the ground will fail.

To be honest, I couldn’t quite get my head around that figure but after a while I guess it does make sense.

As both you and I know, there are hundreds of thousands of people being caught up in all the hype surrounding the network marketing industry with promises of financial freedom without little effort or cost. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t receive stacks of emails from self-proclaimed gurus and ‘millionaires’ with their stories of untold riches. It’s no wonder that most people soon give up once they realise that the majority of these guys are just smoke and mirrors. They are disillusioned, frustrated and often several thousand dollars/pounds worse off.

And to me this is a real shame as armed with the correct knowledge and assistance from an experienced mentor, network marketing is becoming of the best way for ordinary people from all walks of life to make extraordinary incomes.

So why is it so many people fail? Surely 97% of people attempting to make a success in this industry are not all incompetent and lazy.

Well, the answer is “Of course not!”

The primary problem is most probably a result of the success of the Internet itself.

Approximately 25% of the world is now online, and because it is so easy for people to get Internet access, there are so many people with so little idea about sales and marketing trying to “teach” other people who are equally clueless about sales and marketing. It is a classic case of “the blind leading the blind”.

This huge proliferation of “marketing experts” has unsurprisingly lead to a lot of disgruntled customers, which in turn has tarnished the reputation of the network marketing industry.

It is because of of this bad publicity that network marketers are seen by a lot of people in the same light as scammers, con-artists and second-hand car salesmen.

However, one of the big mistakes that a lot of these network marketers make is that they haven’t embraced the new technologies. They are still trying to use the same old marketing principles that pre-existed the Internet. A lot of the methods and mindsets employed by these marketers were developed and matured in a world where to get a sale, you had to almost convert or even brainwash your prospect into believing that they had to buy your product or services.

What they don’t fully comprehend is that the Internet has irrevocably changed the old ways of doing business and that includes sales and marketing. For the first time in history, people have access to limitless knowledge. Anyone with Internet access can simply use Google to find what they want, at a price they want, whenever they want, 24/7 365 days a year. It is becoming almost impossible now to pressure someone into buying your product without them wanting to get another opinion or carry out some research.

Annoy someone with those sort of pressure tactics and with one click of the mouse button they are off looking at someone else’s product.

People are becoming a lot more cogniscent of what’s going on in this Information Age. It is vitally important that you fully understand and implement the new tactics and methods of doing business if you want to succeed.

So what do you need to do to be successful on the Internet?

Simple. Forget the hard sell tactics of a door-to-door salesman. Think more like a real bricks-and-morter business. Get the customer to come to you first by using an effective system of lead generation and attraction marketing. Use this system to filter out the customers who are actively seeking what you have to offer as these are the only customers you really want.

Why spend your time and money trying to convince someone that what you have is worth buying. If you market yourself correctly, you will find customers that are attracted to you and will purchase products from you time and time again.

Focus on what makes you special and unique, develop yourself and your presence online and you will see the results of your efforts.

I’m not saying it’s easy but everyone in the world, whether you believe it or not, is a unique individual. Leverage your individuality and bring it out with whatever you do online. Given enough time and exposure, you will connect with people who relate to you in someway and will come back to you and your products.

The important thing to remember is that you WILL make a success of this BUT only if you just keep on going. The Internet by it’s very nature, is very much like an organic, dynamic entity. You can’t rush the Internet, but if you put a bit of effort in on a daily basis, you will see results. Most, if not all, successful Internet entrepreneurs have taken several years to reach the success they currently enjoy. They all put the hard work in by creating and disseminating information that has had their own unique individuality stamped all over it.

There is an inherent inertia in place on the Internet. It takes time and a lot of work to differentiate yourself from the vast amount of information out there.

But the most important thing to remember is that this is meant to be fun, so enjoy yourself.

Image by Vix Richardson