Success in On-Line Business

Here is a story of four traders who each started with a website built by us, retailing the same products Australia-wide from different cities. It's hard to compare businesses with different products in different markets, but these four businesses had all those factors in common.

Start-up:

• Trader A started with a website and a spare room at home, and became so successful that he needed to open a shop.

• Trader B (in another city) liked Trader A's website, so he also started with a website and a spare room at home, and became so successful that he also needed to open a shop.

• Trader C bought Trader A's website, shop lease and business and employed someone to run it for him.

• Trader D (in a third city) liked Trader C's website so started with a website and a spare room at home.

Current status:

• Trader A, after a break, started a new website and a shop with the same products (but a different part of the city). He now has two retail stores plus he is starting a wholesale division.

• Trader B is very successful and happy with one shop.

• Trader C has closed down.

• Trader D is still struggling.

So, four businesses starting with similar websites designed by us, with the same products, in the same market, in the same country, have four different results.

Observations:

Service: - Traders A and B are always available to give personal service and advice by phone or email on their products. They each told us that this was as well as their having full information on their websites and FAQ pages answering most questions. Trader C's employee was often out of the shop and left customer enquiries unanswered. Trader D was working elsewhere during the day, and relied on potential customers either placing orders on-line or leaving messages on an answering machine.

Range: - Traders A and B carried a full range of inventory. C advertised a full range but was often out of stock. D carried only a limited range.

Competition: - The same products were all stocked by large chain stores and other on-line traders, so the fact that Traders A and B prospered indicates that their personal service was able to attract customers away from the impersonal chain stores and other on-line traders.

In our own business of developing websites, even though large projects can and are carried out using email only, a number of clients have made contact with us by telephone in the early stages, even from 4,000 kilometres away. We have a lot of information on our website, but perhaps people need reassurance that there is another human, not a robot, at the other end. Different products have different issues. But the above story shows traders with a full range of products, who know their products and can offer personal service are ahead of others.

More information for small businesses is found at platypus websites - www.platywebs.com.au.

Ken McKay designed his first website in 1997 and, through Platypus Websites, has been building commercial websites since 1999.

---

The 2 Best-kept Secrets Of The Internet

It's a difficult creating a website that brings you business.... Read More

Seven Reasons Why New Products Fail

The most optimistic success rate I have run across for... Read More

Building An Effective Banner Campaign

Banner advertising can dramatically help you increase traffic to your... Read More

Relevancy - The New Black for Online Marketing?

Information OverloadWith information overload rapidly killing traditional forms of online... Read More

Internet Marketing: 10 Motivational Insiders Tricks To Attract Thousands Of Visitors

If you have a website but not attracting many visitors,... Read More

The 3 Keys To Business Victories

No matter what business you are in there is a... Read More

Why Have An Internet Marketing Business?

"The Internet Gold Rush is under way" Bill Gates, chairman... Read More

When Internet Marketing Gurus Sell Their Souls

If you're just getting started in Internet Marketing, you may... Read More

Take the Direct Route to Internet Gurudom

- Are you tired of chasing down publishers just to... Read More

Internet Consultants for Online Sales

Beware of Internet Consultants, as many of them have never... Read More

Niche Marketing - The Way to Succeed Online

If you think that all money to be made online... Read More

Online Advertising: 10 Flaming Hot Ways To Heat Up Your Sales

If you have a website but not making a lot... Read More

Website Marketing: 10 Smart Ways To Profit In An Uncertain Economy

When the economy is booming, you may do well in... Read More

Are You Willing To Pay The Price?

Do you believe that there is a price to pay... Read More

Online Advertising for Dummies

Whether you are checking your email, shopping on a website... Read More

The Power of Viral Marketing

When I first heard of the term Viral Marketing I... Read More

Viral Marketing - Use This Free Reminder Service to Go Viral

The busier you are the harder it is to remember... Read More

What The Internet Owes Me

What does the internet owe me for all my hard... Read More

El Marketing, Das Marketing, Le Marketing

While reviewing site stats, I noticed 18 foreign countries as... Read More

Setting Your Online Business Up for Success!

There is a common misconception that an "online business" requires... Read More

Secrets to Business Success on the Internet

Secret Number One: The Key Is A Niche MarketIdentifying a... Read More

What is Article Marketing?

Simply put article marketing is advertising your web site through... Read More

Two Good Marketing Ideas - One of Them Great!

Last week, I wrote my first marketing/list building article. Could... Read More

Time is Money in Online Marketing

We all do it.Spend time and money sourcing those vital... Read More

How To Cheaply and Powerfully Reposition Yourself On the Web

It goes without saying that all of us would like... Read More