September 26, 2008
How to Start An Internet Business - Become A Local lnternet Consultant!
If you've been on the internet for a at least a year or two, and you want to make a living selling products or services, you've certainly learned a lot about how to set up websites, blogs, create an adwords account, and maybe even get some web pages listed successfully in the Search Engines.
Well, I have news for you…
You have skills which are very handy to local business owners. Most small business owners work 10 to 12 hours a day, and don't have the time to fiddle with websites get more business via the internet. In fact, the entrepreneurs I've worked with have so little knowledge of the internet, I've had to set up their email accounts on their computer too, as they had no idea how to do it.
I also realize you're now earning per hour as a consultant and the internet dream of sitting on the Bahamas earning $500 a day has now changed. Well, why not do consulting and earn a good additional income whilst building other products and services? Makes a lot of sense to me… does it make sense to you?
What to Packages to Sell to Local Businesess…
Decide what kind of service packages you want to sell to your clients. For example, you can offer either of these two consulting businesses. Either you assist small businesses and private customers by repairing computers and helping them with software problems…
Or if you're good at marketing you can specialize in helping them get traffic via:
- Adwords
- Search Engine Optimization
- Setup Autoresponders
- Write salesletters
- Set up a Lead Generation Blog
- Get Links to their Sites
- Write Email Follow-ups.
If you lack some of the above skills, you can start out and simply work on them and introduce your new skills to your clients later on.
How To Market Yourself to Local Businesses
Start marketing to your local consulting business by opening up 4 or 5 streams of leads simultaneously. This is probably the biggest mistakes I see in small businesses' marketing. The simply rely on only one or two sources of advertising to generate customers. Don't make the same mistake.
Consider these methods simultaneously to get all the customers you need:
1. Make a list of everybody you know who owns a small business or knows small business owners. Really brainstorm and keep expanding this list. And have no fear. Give them your offer with confidence. Also work on finding well-respected people in your community… their influence may work wonders for you.
2. Advertise in Google adwords where you want to gain clients. Adwords allows you to advertise locally. Set up an autoresponder and build a list of local businesses which need your service. A good idea would be to give them a free report or free consulting for signing up.
3. Do a joint venture with computer repair companies or similar businesses who have clients in your target market. You send your clients to them… and they send their clients to you. This could speed up your success tremendously.
4. Join local networking groups which support each others businesses in the local community. Make sure you give free talks about your speciality to help them. This will also get you new customers.
Remember you can also offer your services nationally if you're confident of your capabilities. It's just a matter of taking action. If you're friendly, helpful and competent, you will find customers who love you and will invest money in your consulting and services.
Let me know your thoughts…
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Responses to How to Start An Internet Business - Become A Local lnternet Consultant! »
Hi Riggie
This is a step that I was thinking of for quite a time now. For all my friends I am the Internet consultant anyways, so why not make a business out of it.
Thanks for the tips for where to get customers from.
Mike
Michaels last blog post..Three way linking with 3waylinks.net
Hi Mike,
Make a success of it… I will report more
strategies after I've used them successfully
in the marketplace.
-Riggie
I can't wait to hear that. Hope for your successful work.
Hi Riggie
i like your points and tips they are really practical and easy to implement. specially 3rd and 4rth any buddy with little effort can find group or people who will gladly join you and allow you to join their network fro growth of business.
Sunil Pathaks last blog post..Blogging Obstalces And How To Overcome It.
I really need to get into this. So regarding Adwords, I wonder if there is a good way to use the ads to lure the business owner when they are looking at their own stuff, rather than searching for a consult. For example, let' say you are targeting a local birdhouse store in Rochester, New York. Perhaps you could bid on "rochester birdhouse store" and then your landing page could be for your services? The problem of course is you are only trying to target one person, and it would be expensive for all the others landing there unless you had some other offers. Any way to target adwords to one person? That would be cool.
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Lisa,
I target businesses who are looking for help with some aspect of their business.
Either they're looking for someone to do their adwords campaigns, their copywriting, web design, off-line ads, get additional leads for them… and so-on.
I now have a customer who is ready to take action and wants to move his business to the next level. I don't have to convince them to invest money in their marketing.
This is the best place to be if you want to sell your services… simply going after businesses who have not indicated that they're willing to invest money in their business, or marketing their business, is a very difficult way of selling your services.
Hello Riggie,
These are great ideas actually. Too often we tend to forget the local markets even though there is money to be made. I wish you much success with your business.
Thanks for this great list Riggie! Agreed that there are a startling number of entrepreneurs with some great ideas, solid products, and great connections, but they fall short on a crucial piece in today's business world: the internets. We've talking to a number of self employed consultants and have found that a number of them offer a free 15 or 30 day trial for potential customers. Set up some realistic goals and tracking methods so that your future client can in fact see for themselves the positive results of your actions. Sure, you're not going to increase a pagerank in 15 or 30 days, but you can show them more traffic, incoming links, increased conversions with Adwords, etc.
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Very interesting and useful post about internet business . It provides me with helpful tips and ideas. Thanks
Great tips. I have had some experience of joining local networking groups and although a couple did not turn out to be particularly useful, I did manage to get some good contacts and business from others so certainly worth it.
Nice tips but for beginning netpreneur like me, adwords is still expensive for me but I can consider it when it is really necessary. For the meantime, i'll do SEO and blogs.
This is a great post. Thanks for the useful pointers.
Thanks for the idea, I have tried some of them and they are effective specially the SEO and adsense. Though I haven't tried the other tips, I'm going to try it after I'm done with my new blogs.
Thanks for the good tips. I am going launch my new business and your tips will definitely help me.
I couldnt agree with you more and highly recommend using google adwords. That has worked like a champ for me.
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