Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Well, it IS simple, when you're the customer. All you have to do is walk into your local Dogs A' Scratchin store, pick up a can of flea powder for your dog Baldy, pay at the register, and you're on your way.
However, when YOU become the retailer, there are other things to think about. When you OWN the Dogs A' Scratchin store, you have to pay rent for the building. You have to decide which products you're going to fill your valuable shelf space with. You have to decide which newspapers, TV and radio stations you're going to advertise with this month, to bring in new customers. You've got to order your products. Pay your distributors. You've got to replace damaged inventory, because Mrs. Nelson's wiener-dog went charging down Aisle Four wearing that lampshade-thingy around his neck, and crashed into your brand new display of Kitty Perfume.
Selling on the Internet is no different. Your Home-based Internet Business is a living, breathing extension of you, and there are things to learn and things to consider when you build and run it. You need to create and run your business yourself. If you let some chucklehead tell you that all you have to do is mail in three cereal box tops and fifty dollars, and they'll do it all for you, you might as well save the cereal. You'll need to eat SOMETHING when you lose your money.
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Most people are familiar enough with their computers to use them effectively. Play some games, write a few letters, surf the 'Net, send and receive email, maybe do the household accounting. Then there are the famous (infamous?) stories about those who will use their CD tray as a coffee cup holder, not knowing any better.
It really does not matter what your experience level is. If you're an average computer user, you may suddenly get lost in all the buzzwords and jargon that gets thrown at you when you consider opening an Internet store.THIS IS WHY most people will give up trying to run their Internet business themselves, and will turn the whole thing over to one of the scam artists we talked about in Chapter One.
DON'T DO IT! Don't give up. It's not that hard. There are two basic LEGITIMATE ways you can build an Internet store of your own, and they're not that hard. We'll get into that in detail later, but right now, let's talk about your computer, and what you should have in order to be able to work with your new store.
If you've had your computer for a few years, chances are you are using the Windows 98 Operating System. If your computer is relatively new, or you've upgraded recently, you could be using, Windows ME, Windows XP, or Windows 2000.It really doesn't matter which one you use. Windows is an Operating System; kind of a background, basic structure that allows you to use other programs. All Windows really does is provide a "platform" from which you "launch" other computer programs that you actually use. For example, you might want to write a letter and print it out. You'll probably use Microsoft Word for this; or perhaps WordPerfect. Windows itself simply launches this program for you, and allows it to co-exist with other programs you might have active at the same time.
With this in mind, there are two basic ways to start your business on the Internet.
q You have less control over the look and operation of your site, BUT:
q You have help from the solution provider to build and operate your store
2.) Method Two: Use a LEGITIMATE Internet ECommerce Hosting Provider: Build the site with a LEGITIMATE ECommerce hosting provider, and drive your own traffic (customers) to it. We'll talk about that in more detail as well. With this option, you:
q Have more control over your site's look and structure
q Will probably spend a little more in order to have that control
q Will end up having to learn more about HTML programming
That's the trade-off between the two options. An Internet Store solution often gives you fewer choices for making your store look and feel unique, but offers a great deal of help with the process. An ECommerce Hosting Provider store offers you more complete control of the store, but you have to spend more energy, and often money, creating the store and driving traffic (customers) to it.
If you want to use an Internet Store solution, you'll need the following on your computer (the first three items probably came with your computer):