It’s Not that Internet Marketing Doesn’t Work; It’s that Your Systems Don't!

Using the Internet as part of your marketing mix can bring with it interesting challenges; a primary one being the amount of competition for the reader’s attention. For the sake of this article I want to talk about two primary types of Internet buyers. There is the impulse buyer looking for the next get-rich-quick program or the product that makes outlandish promises; a product that miraculously solves some type of physical ailment whether it be weight, romantic challenges, or money problems. Face it, most of these promises are empty and yet, people do buy this garbage and the empty promises. There is a huge market for it. The other type of buyer is someone seeking professional services from a reputable business or person. Interestingly, credible Internet marketers often offer solutions for the very same problems as the quick fix sellers and yet, how they do it is very, very different. The reality is if you are going to use the Internet to establish market share it can take months, even years, to gain your customer’s complete trust. Recently, I received an email from a customer that supported this fact. Her message was not unlike others I have received. At some point she signed up for one of my complimentary resources such as an Ezine, tips list, or report. After a period of time (in this case three years) she felt I had given enough value and established enough credibility to make an initial purchase from me. What she purchased was not a small ticket item so the “sales cycle” was longer than if it had been a $20 or $30 purchase. In most cases, the lower the price the faster the decision to buy. This got me to thinking of my own buying habits. Recently, I bought a high-ticket information product (over $1,000) from another Internet marketing expert. Some of the very same decision making processes my buyers go through were what I went through when I made the investment. 1. I have been on her list for several years. 2. I got on her list by way of a free offer – a report. The report was so valuable I stayed on her list. 3. I consistently receive high-value correspondence since first getting on her distribution list 4. She has been very conscientious about offering quality information regardless of whether it is free or costs. This has established her credibility. . (The mistake many wanna be Internet marketers make is they lack high value in their free offers. For some reason they think if it’s free they can cut corners. Big mistake) 5. I purchased a lower ticket item at some point and my experience was stellar which positioned me as a likely buyer of other products from this expert. Because she has been consistent in how she markets, her systems are solidly in place, and she established a level of trust with me (the buyer), when it came time to buy a high priced item that I not only needed, but also wanted, I was very comfortable making the purchase. Over the years, I have had conversations with lots of people about their frustration about how hard it is for them to sell via the Internet. Their frustration stems from the fact they sent out one message, put a product up on their site to sell, or made a blog posting and the flood gates of sales didn't miraculously open up. Rather than looking at their part in why they are not selling they blame the market, the economy or the fact that you just can’t make money selling on the Internet. I've got news for anyone who thinks sales are going to happen with one contact with their market...IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. The fact is the process of selling a product or service online is just that, a process. Part of the process is keeping in touch. Before you can keep in touch, you need to build a database. Before you build a database you have to give people a reason to leave you their contact information whether it be with an Ezine, weekly tips, articles of interest, a report, a white paper or a teleseminar. Once you have someone in your database you must continually create value and trust. This doesn’t happen with one article, one tip, or one short message. It will happen when it becomes your way of doing business. Simple as that.