"What is available?" I asked the approaching Nepali looking boy. The list was a bit disappointing. I looked at the place as I ordered a cup of tea and a vegetable sandwich.

It was a nicely built place and probably quite recent. The walls were well painted, the floor was clean and doors were made of good quality wood. Even the usual furniture reflected good taste. But in spite of this the place had a look of desertion.

Something is wrong, I thought as I looked at the highway traffic.

Dhabas are small eating joints spread all over the roads of India. They are similar to restaurants in concept but the infrastructure is simpler. A simplest dhabha just has a preparation room where the food is prepared and which is served in the open on cots or chairs.

Dhabhas are very popular eating places among the road travelers in India. Lately I have witnessed a rapid surge in the number of dhabas itself. The easiness and low cost of setting up is the main factor. Running a dhaba seems a lucrative option to many people.

Running an internet business is also very popular, I could not help thinking.

I looked at the highway and wondered at the volume of traffic passing each moment. Almost each of them would take a break from the journey and visit a roadside dhaba for snacks and food.

Now that was interesting. Considering that on average a vehicle contains two persons and three vehicles pass per second (Now that is an big underestimate) 360 persons pass each minute. And each person is a potential customer.

If all things were same each of the dhaba shall receive equal number of customers. But it is not actually so. Some do roaring business some hardly manage their expenses. And if my judgment was not wrong this place was on verge of closure.

I enquired the serving boy as he arranged the contents on my table.

"The owner has changed. The old owner has sold his business because he could not manage. The joint will be fully functional after two days." The boy said.

Sad!

There is so much potential on the road and poor guy could not manage. May be new one would do better.

The food was good.

Sadder!

I always have this feeling when I see endeavors and talents wasting.

Same things happen in the online business. Many people with enough talent and ability are forced to quit because they cannot learn to manage.

As I got back to driving seat and joined the traffic again, I wondered how these little eating joints resemble our world of internet marketing.

Websites depend on the traffic to get customers. Dhabas too depend on

the road traffic. More traffic means more potential customers. Just like websites these roadside dhabas exhibit varying degrees of success.

Some are just okay, some perform outstandingly and some barely manage.

That is interesting. In contrast to the internet the highways are straight roads. You pass by each of these dhabas for sure. All things equal they should perform more or less same.

Why then some are more successful than others?

My quest brought me answers which first surprised me. But on a deeper look they were the natural answers of business success. More I looked at it more dhaba business seemed to operate like online business.

To be successful a dhaba must do following consistently and repeatedly. An internet marketer who aims to succeed needs to study, assimilate and apply these principles dearly.

First and foremost it should prepare good food and serve in a pleasant ambience. Both are essential but former gets the priority. In parallel one must have a good product and clean looking website when doing an online business. Product is the priority over the website. A beautiful looking site does help but if you do not have a good product that can be sold your cutting edge website is of no use. It might please the visitors but will not generate any sale.

Dhabas must advertise themselves or make themselves well known among the moving traffic. Similarly an online business cannot succeed without advertisements.

- Word of Mouth: Tell the relatives, peers and people around about dhaba, invite them over for free tea or snacks and encourage them to spread the word. It will not bring truckloads of customers but is almost free of cost and brings sincerity in the efforts of promotion. It is generally the first method of promotion in any venture. Similar methods may be applied to online business too.

- Signboards/Hoardings: If I want to stop for food and snacks I would start looking for some sign that a dhaba is approaching. If one puts see a dhaba's name a kilometer before and subsequent boards displaying the distance, it is very likely that one would decelerate and check on the place. Otherwise one is sure to pass without notice. In online business this is done by placing banner ads, links in the directories, forums etc.

- Joint Venture: Dhabas also have a unique style of operating. They approach the drivers/conductors of public transport and authorities of private transport and bargain deals with them. They carry passengers in bulk and really bring a lot of revenue. A single bus means 40-50 potential customers. Even if one makes 10 such liaisons you will have a cash stampede.

On internet this is exemplified by joint ventures. It is win-win situation foe both the venturing parties.

- Local Ads: Print media, TV, radio etc.

Third and last is getting more out of your visitors. If somebody asks for a tea ask him if he would like any snacks and so on. If somebody visits your site offer him a course or e-book for exchange of email address. If somebody buys from you offer him the related products. He is more likely to buy from you second time. Many other similar methods can be devised.

If you are doing so much for your business the success is only matter of time. There are tools available on the net which are not available to dhabas e.g. blogs, podcasts, article writing, email marketing, ezine marketing. That is why internet is such a strong medium.

But effort needs to be done by the individual.

Good Luck.