Why Every Business Must be on the Internet….

If you are not yet on the internet with your business you are heading for oblivion!
At the very least you will not the achieve growth that you have had in the past.

Why? As at March 2009 there are 1.6 billion users of the internet. The growth rate is staggering and the value of all commerce on the internet is expected to exceed $300 billion by 2010.

So? Here are some questions for you…

• How many of the current 1.6 billion people are or were your customers?
• In 2010, how many of your customers will be part of the $300 billion, $300 billion that will never go anywhere near your conventional business, ever?
• If you are not online how will this massive commercial growth ever come to you and why would it want to?
• And why is this massive amount of business going to the internet in the first place?

These questions should at the very least be prompting you to think about what your current business model is, and how you should now consider how to make money on the internet. For many people the internet is now the place where they will search for and research their commercial options. Your customers will be becoming more familiar with this facility every single day, and realizing that they can get much more information about your product, service, or offering, than you can ever offer. And then they become much more informed about what is available to them, and in many cases make an instant decision to purchase on the spot, without even getting in a car.

The internet is now the new yellow pages. Now if you find that hard to swallow then check out what your local yellow pages directory is up to online. They now have some hefty competition and in most cases they are moving fast to keep their rapidly dwindling market share. This alone should be enough for you to realize that the internet is significantly changing commercial reality.

And you need to get on board.

And so what do you need to do?

1. Accept the fact and get up with the play.
Find some way to confirm what I have written above. At the very least go to a computer with an internet connection, bring up a search engine like ‘Google’, type in word for your type of business, and click search. Find the total of ‘results’. That should be enough!
Then spend some time visiting some websites from the search. What are they doing? Are they catchy? Do they entice you to buy? Can you buy straight away?

2. Understand that the internet is just another marketplace and a simple one too.
Stop thinking the internet is this big scary, mysterious place, that you will never understand. You don’t have to understand. See it for what it is …a marketplace! Its also a social network, an electronic encyclopedia, a communications medium, a… but its one big global Marketplace! And you don’t have to know how it works!

3. Become informed…do some homework.
You will find a site for every conceivable subject or activity, including how to successfully make money online. Open your mind, see what they offer. As in 1) find out what your industry is doing. Then start to check out how you can do the same. What do you need to put your business onto the internet. This is actually not very expensive..but do your research thoroughly. The first company will see you coming!

4. Plug into an up-to-date business association.
It costs you a small fee to join a business association, but they are a wealth of information. And often as not they can point you in the right direction for cost effective internet options, as well as some significant discounts. And most times you will access to free advice.

5. Create an action plan.
Set yourself some objectives with a time line. Put the plan into action, and make sure anyone you engage is performance remunerated. It is possible to achieve results in a relatively short period, and everyone should be focused and productive.

Doing nothing is not an action plan, and will leave you out in the cold!

So plug in to a knowledge base that will guide you the right way.

Tags: Action plan, billion, commercial, marketplace, massive growth, online, up to date