One thing I have learned on my way to building a successful Internet business is that most people tend to take the path of least resistance. Many Entrepreneurs are high on dreams but low on action. When you think about what makes one person successful and another one unsuccessful, the answer usually lies in the action each one takes.

It took our company years of trial and error before we found out what is probably the most important part of succeeding in business. That is, to take the road less taken. Let me explain. Many people think the Internet streets are paved with gold. The truth is, most people doing business on the Internet are not making money. The reason being, most people look for the easiest way of doing something.

Here's a typical example………

Someone finds a multi-level business opportunity on the Internet. They join, tell a few friends, and wait for their downline to explode. When it doesn't, they can't understand why. After all, they were shown the matrix. Sign up two people, they do the same and so on and so on. Before long, you'll be rich! Right? Well, unfortunately, it doesn't work like that.

Time to get real… After many unsuccessful ventures, I decided to re-think my approach. I knew I had to forget about the way the majority of people were doing things. After all, if you do what everyone else is doing, you'll probably receive the same results as everyone else. Now if everyone else is getting rich from what they were doing, by all means, do what they do. However, most people involved with business opportunities do not make money. So I suggest you do what the ones who are making money are doing.

So what is the road less taken?

One thing for sure, it's not sitting around waiting for someone else to build your business. It is however, taking responsibility for the success or failure of your business.

Here's an example of how I got listed in Yahoo. I tried for over a year and a half to get one of my sites listed in Yahoo, without success. This was in the days before you could pay for an express listing. I kept submitting and waiting. Nothing happened! Then I decided to research the engine. I found obscure email addresses in the fine print. I wrote to anyone and everyone. I explained what my business was and why it would be an asset to be included in their directory. I eventually got listed. How? Was it from submitting over and over again? NO! I got listed because I called them. One day, while trying to get through to them, I listened to their recorded message at one of their departments. I was able to obtain a fax # which I used to submit a well written description of my site. It worked!! Someone read it and felt it was worthy of a listing and put it in. Some might call this luck. I call it perseverance.

Before I wrap up this article, I'd like to present examples of two different business strategies. You decide which one you think would be more successful.

Business A:
Puts up a web site or joins an affiliate program.
Pays for a one time submission to the major engines.
Runs a few free classified ads.
Waits for sales.

Business B:
Puts up a web site.
Joins an advertising club.
Purchases submission software, learns how to use it and submits his site on a regular basis.
Constantly tweaks meta tags. (keywords, description, title etc.)
Submits to free classifieds, ffa sites on a regular basis.
Set up his own free ffa site with automated email capabilities.
Offers information through multiple auto-responders.
Publishes a company newsletter.
Swaps ads and articles with other publishers.
Sets up an affiliate program.
Submits affiliate program to the affiliate search engines.
Sets up a message board or bulletin board for his visitors.
Lists site in the "pay per click" engines.
Advertises in Ezines.

In closing, I 'd like to encourage everyone to do the things necessary in order to succeed. Do NOT be intimidated by uncharted waters. No one out there is better than you. Even the most successful people were once newcomers. This I promise you. You can learn the things that need to be learned and you can do the things that need to be done!

Steven Nagel, IT Management, Service and Support, ph: (021) 426 0489, http://www.orderit.co.za

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