I'd like to put a little "twist" on some common topics I'm sure you've already heard or read about at one time or another online.

Why?...

Because I'd REALLY like to try and thrust you into a brainstorming "frenzy"... I want you to really think (and hopefully understand) why certain selling methods and techniques are so vital to your online business...

And how easily you can implement many of them into your everyday sales efforts. If you do nothing else, please read over each and every one of the topics... Even if you're a "KNOW IT ALL" and you feel you already know everything there is to know about a particular subject (and I say that with "MUCHO" love and respect ;-).

Because if you do, I promise you one thing? you'll most likely leave out of here with a brighter outlook and renewed excitement about your online business!

Are you ready to bring out the SUPER SALESPERSON lurking inside you?

Okay, Here We Go!

1. Can anyone guess what Number One is? Create A Mailing List! - This is absolutely - without a doubt - the most vital and necessary tool for your business! It is so EXTREMELY important to have a mailing list that entire websites, e-books and courses have been written on the subject.

This is your ULTIMATE tool for your success. I know you've heard the phrase? ?The Money Is In The List?. Trust me? No words are truer! You need to have a mailing list and keep in touch with your website visitors to bring in new business. And here's where many fail: You CANNOT simply put a small text link or graphic on your site that reads ?sign up for our mailing list?. That won't cut it. NOT EVEN CLOSE!

REMEMBER - You need to be a SUPER Salesperson online!

Be creative and find ways, whatever it takes, to get customers to sign up to your list. Once a customer is on your mailing list, they're a prospect (and hopefully a new customer) for life! Repeat sales will be the lifeblood for your business.

Offer a freebie? ANYTHING? Your first born child (just kidding)? something of value - something to persuade your visitors to sign up to your list. YES! It's that important!

Here's a few ideas:

- Offer a discount coupon or special promo to those who sign up?

- Offer a free email course; I.E. Crafting, Decorating Ideas, How to build a coffee table for under $50, etc?

- Promote a contest or drawing that every new subscriber will be entered into?

- Offer a special ?Members Only? section for all subscribers?

Then, promote your mailing list EVERYWHERE possible! In your email, on your website, your auctions, letterhead? EVERYWHERE! Find clever and unique ways to get your list information out there! Use your own creativity and come up with some ?never before seen? ways to attract new subscribers!

Browse the net and see what other retailers are doing. This is so important that many websites actually setup an entire domain name just for their opt-in list! I have! Just to give you a couple of ideas, I had a bumper sticker made for a subscribe page I built just for sign ups. You'd be amazed how many people will read Anything you put on a car or truck!

Now, I think you'll like this one! When I first started out I knew I had to advertise, but being on a close to zero budget, I had to be more creative. So I opened up my text editor and typed in an ad that had been working Really well on the Internet, centered it at the top of the page and printed it out. Then I hand printed my URL sideways at the bottom many times and slit the paper between each line. You know, the kind of ?laundry mat -baby sitter-bulletin board at the library? type ads? People read it and if interested they only have to tear off one of your pre-cut little slips of paper with your URL on it.

By the way, I had over 800 people subscribe to my newsletter using that one method. And some of you are still with me to this day! Gotta Love It!

Okay, once you're ready to setup your new mailing list, I highly recommend AWeber Services. I've been using their services for years and they are TOP NOTCH, provide a smorgasbord of resources, and they are EXTREMELY affordable. Plus, they offer a RISK FREE 30 Day Test Drive!

So, today's technique: Mailing Lists - To sum it all up?

If you don't have a mailing list? start one today! If you need help, just ask.

2. Write Your Own Newsletter - Again, this is the ultimate tool for keeping in touch with your website visitors and offering them something of value - FREE. Your topic choices are endless.

For example, if you own an online gift store, the topics you can consider could be:

- Creative Gift Ideas For Children And Adults - All Under $10

- Creative And Unique Gift Wrapping Ideas On A Budget

- Holiday Or Seasonal - A mailing on each of the holidays offering clever ideas on cooking and decorating

- Children's Themes - Mom's love to learn more about creative ways to amuse their kids

See what I mean? Your opportunities to keep in touch are once again "endless". And please don't get scared and run away from the idea because you think you can't write! Anybody can write an interesting article...just keep it geared toward something you're passionate about and you'll surely excel!

A great web resource to learn more about how to write effectively online is a website called SiteSell. In addition, you could download a variety of free ebooks from their website that go into this subject in more detail.

I HIGHLY recommend visiting SiteSell if you aren't familiar with their website. Then, put your newsletter to the test! You'll be astonished with the results!

3. Build Your Own Website - "If you build it they will come"?! However, in order to get visitors, your website should NOT be geared toward direct sales, but more importantly toward simply attracting visitors and (YEP.... you guessed it) ... getting them to sign up to your list! It's that IMPORTANT!

If you don't have your own website? get one. You're missing out on a wealth of opportunity. And remember? you can sell products later.... after you've established a relationship with your customers and built trust!

And I guarantee you will sell products "later" if you build your list "now"! Your site doesn't have to be fancy, and to be perfectly honest, there are many websites out there that provide a great service for folks who aren't too familiar with web design. I've listed my favorite below.

Understand that creating your own website not only allows you MUCH more opportunity to create sales, but it will also get you much more involved (and excited) about your online business. The search engines look for content when listing sites... and that's very important for traffic.

You'll have the ability to create some genuine content that'll be picked up by those search engines, which in turn, will lead to a flood of traffic. Once you start writing articles for your newsletter (and you will start a newsletter...right?), simply load them onto your website to add instant content that your visitors will enjoy reading and look forward to... and the search engines will gobble it up like an ant eater on steroids.

As mentioned previously, you want to earn your customers trust and actually build relationships. That's the goal of your website! Once you accomplish this, the sales will follow. That is extremely important! Don't try to immediately sell a visitor that lands on your website, but instead offer them something of value.... FREE... I.E. a newsletter subscription or a free report to download outlining some great ways to solve a problem or put some excitement in their life. SiteSell University - If you aren't familiar...CHECK IT OUT!

If you are... Congratulations!

SiteSell University will offer you a goldmine of information about "pre-selling" your customers and, in my opinion ( and I don't endorse too many businesses this strongly), they have the best web hosting service on the planet for new startups, complete with mailing list features, newsletter integration, promotional tools? and much more.

4. Create An Affiliate Program - Referrals can generate a wealth of income for you, but you have to play your cards right. There are affiliate programs everywhere. Try to make your affiliate program unique (REMEMBER - be a SUPER Salesperson).

Here's the key -- Instead of providing links directly to your products and services to make sales (and for your affiliates to make referral money), you want to provide links to your newsletter subscription or a free download.

The point is... Get the traffic to your site and then follow up with your customers in emails and newsletters. Your affiliates will still receive a commission after you make a sale down the road..... And you'll make a sale - 1000 sales - down the road simply by following up with your opt-in subscribers on a regular basis!

If your affiliates are referring people to your site for a free gift or an incredible promotional offer instead of referring someone surfing the net to your site to BUY SOMETHING, don't you think that MANY MORE online folks would click through to your site from a link offering something for FREE. Absolutely... And that should be your goal... to get the TRAFFIC... To build your list of happy targeted subscribers!

For example? Which of the two links below would you be more apt to click on if you were browsing?

"Buy anything and everything from Disney Phones to Nostalgic Audio all at Unbeatable Prices!" We Accept MC/Visa/AMEX/Discover. Thousands of products to choose from! Rock Bottom Prices! Huge Savings Everyday! FREE Shipping on many items in stock. Click Here To Visit Our Site!

OR...

"Looking For Unique And Affordable Gift Ideas? Download Our FREE Guide To "Choosing The Perfect Gift For That Special Occasion - Even If Your On A Shoestring Budget" You'll SAVE Hundreds... Even Thousands... And Your "Special Someone" Will Be Tickled Pink!" You'll Refer To It Over And Over Again!

NOTE: If a more professional affiliate program is something you'd like to look into, we highly recommend AssocTrac4. This software was developed in house by the Internet Marketing Center. This is the same software that Derek Gehl, President of the Internet Marketing Center, used to bring in over $7 Millions Dollars in profits last year alone. It's very easy to setup and has a huge list of benefits.

If you plan to sell information products (highly recommended and profitable) you'll want to look into Clickbank. They not only have a terrific affiliate program, you'll also find many products you can easily promote on your website that will earn you (on average) a 50% commission.

5. Limit Your Sources - There are many companies out there that claim to have 100,000, 200,000, 1,000,000 products available for you to sell. Be careful! It's hard enough focusing on your marketing and advertising budget when you have only 10 products available.... never mind 10,000.

You've heard the saying... "Too BIG too quick!" Well that's a real concern when you're a small business online. Stay focused! You could become an expert in your field a lot easier with a laser tight product line and focus...GUARANTEED!You want to find your niche' (product specific) market and capitalize on it. It's easy to get excited about having everything under the sun to sell - from toasters to toilet paper - but the truth of the matter is.... Finding quality products and capitalizing on their small market is MUCH MORE PROFITABLE than having everything under the sun in your inventory AND then trying to decide what to sell to every shopper online. You'll quickly go "insane". AAAHHHH!

You could always find a drop shipping source that you can feel confident in and one you feel dedicates themselves to drop shipping specifically. A great resource for finding drop ship suppliers that will ship products directly to your customers ? AFTER YOU'VE ALREADY SOLD THE ITEM ? is The Drop Ship Source Directory. You could find a lot of quality products to sell and learn more about drop shipping in general on their website.

FYI: There are many companies out there who offer drop shipping services (it seems everybody's jumping on the band wagon lately), unfortunately in most instances, it's not their primary focus.... and that's a problem!

They offer their drop shipping services as an afterthought, figuring they could make a few bucks on their drop ship sales too, but their primary focus is always going to be BULK wholesale. If you start dealing with any of these sources, you may soon find that the tools and support you ultimately need as a drop ship distributor of their products are insufficient - or worst yet - not available at all. For instance, access to their inventory counts, a digital downloadable catalog with quality images and descriptions, database spreadsheets, online packagetracking, etc.

If you decide to pursue drop shipping products from your website or auctions, stick with those companies only found in The Drop Ship Source Directory. You can't go wrong.

6. Develop A USP - What is a USP? If you don't know the answer to this question, you're business is in serious trouble! Again, an entire book can be written on this subject (many have been). Your "USP" is your "Unique Selling Perspective". In other words...Why is your business Unique? What does your business possess that separates it from the rest of your competition? Why should a customer buy from you instead of your competition? What do you offer your customers that your competition doesn't? There's a great article written by one of the best copywriters in the world that clearly puts the power of your USP into perspective. His name?.... Dan Kennedy.

Dan has written sales material for some of the largest fortune 500 companies in the world. Why is Dan so successful? He knows how to develop a client's USP to pinpoint accuracy and capitalize on its amazing power. If you're going to be successful online, you need to learn more about how to develop a strong USP. This one aspect of your business could determine your success or failure. Here's a good example....

Amazingly enough, a once failing pizza shop used the power of a strong USP to turn their struggling business into an empire. They decided to become unique and capitalize on one specific aspect of their business that no one else had yet capitalized on. Once they did, their profits soared! Who is this pizza shop? Domino's Pizza.

How did they turn their business around? With a simple, clever, slogan combined with a strong USP.... Delivered Hot And Fresh In 30 Minutes Or Less... OR IT'S FREE! The young owner of Domino's Pizza didn't capitalize on fresh ingredients, the ripest tomatoes, 5 different cheeses, or special offers.... Everyone else was already doing that! This "college student" realized where the need was and hammered home his simple message! What did folks want from a pizza place? They wanted their pizza FAST! This simple slogan and USP alone turned a once failing business into a MEGA MILLION DOLLAR FRANCHISE!

If you really want to discover how to develop a USP for your business, you must read Dr. Ken Evoy's ebook, Make Your Site Sell, widely recognized as the "Bible For Selling Online". Dr. Evoy is a master at his craft and over-delivers on every one of his e-books. He's propelled his business into one of the most visited sites online. Get His Book Today! You'll thank me tomorrow!

7. Don't Sell Products... Sell Content - This may sound a bit strange... After all, you're in business to make money, right? Absolutely! You want the sale...Right? Of course! But just as I touched on this same issue previously, the best way to sell a customer is by first gaining their trust and reassuring them that by making a purchase from you, it will be a decision they won't regret.

The only way to really do this effectively is by pre-selling. Yes, you want your website visitors to ultimately click the "Buy Now" button on your website, but you only want them to do so AFTER they've come to know your business and respect you as a business professional.

Why not put some articles or valuable content on your website that will interest readers in your niche' market. For example:

-- Offer free downloads for visitors to read at their leisure.

-- Get them to sign up for your newsletter so you can stay in touch.

-- Place a web poll on your site to get visitors involved - make sure the questions relate to your site's theme

-- Put a feedback form on your website for readers to offer their suggestions

-- Put a testimonials page up to show your visitors how much previous buyers enjoyed their shopping experience

-- Offer a "Buying Tips" or "Helpful Hints" page to give your visitors something of value for free

-- Offer a weekly promotion to get visitors returning to your site on a regular basis

This is only a small list of suggestions you could incorporate into the selling process. When folks are returning to your site on a regular basis, your chances for a sale are 1000 times greater than when a first time visitor hits your site.

So sit down this week, develope your business plan and set up a newsletter with a follow up autoresponder to start building your list. Next week choose another task, and then another... Pretty soon you'll see your system start to bring you success!