The great news is that even as I enjoy my favorite foods in the Bahamas, I can still manage my online business . All it takes is a reliable computer (or an iPad or Smart phone in some cases) and internet access!

This weeks’ feature article “Sell What They Want But Give What They Need” explores the idea of taking your queues from your target market (excuse me while I take another bite of my “sheep tongue souse” – yes the same sweet little sheep ala Little Bo Beep….. which is my breakfast of choice while I am on the island).

FEATURE ARTICLE – SELL WHAT THEY WANT BUT GIVE WHAT THEY NEED!

A very rich man once said “sell them what they want but give them what they need“. And, like most of you, when I first heard it, I was confused and did not get it. However, after many missteps and wasted time and resources, I am so glad that I finally got it!

So what exactly does it all mean you ask. Think about it. Most people who start a business, do so without ever finding out what their target market wants but operates from the perspective of what they think their target market needs.

The difference is, knowing what someone needs might help you identify a product or service for your market but, not knowing what they want can make all the difference in how successfully you deliver it. E.g., if you are are opening a clothing store, it is a given that you already know people need clothes. However, if you are targeting professional women in their 30s and 40s, you must offer then specific types of clothes to satisfy what they want: which brands, which styles, which price range etc. No point in stocking your store with “daisy dukes” and cowboy boots. Instead, you should stock your store with business suits and leather pumps!. Get my drift?

Just in case you still don’t get it, let’s take a look an an online business owner selling information about losing weight. So you have the right information available at your webiste since that is what you have determined your target market needs. But, as a prospective customer who is busy busy busy, when I visit your site, unless I can see immediately from your content and packaging first, what the benefits of your program are, second, everything that is included in the program and thirdly, be convinced it is easy to follow or use, you are not giving me what I want: an easy to follow plan that includes recipes which takes only a few minutes of my time every day. Get it now?

Now that you get it, how do you leverage technology to capitalize on it? One easy way is to ASK your prospect/customer. Once you have started building your list (off course you are doing that, right?) you can email surveys or polls or, somewhere on your site, provide an opportunity to collect the information that will help you learn what they want.

There are many ways to do this and these are 3 tools that I have personally used or reviewed, and recommend:

1. Survey Monkey (a free online survey tool)
2. 1ShoppingCart (an commerce tool that allows you to set up survey forms etc)
3. Aweber (similar to 1SC at item 2)

Use specific (out of these, which is your fav) or open ended (what is your most important challenge with ______) questions to get the best responses and take your queues from them. Since you can do this many times over, this will provide you a constant source of information to help you to continue to provide what prospective or repeat customers need while giving them what they want.

To your online success!

This past week has been crazy for me as I have just re-launched my e-Course  ”from Passion To Opportunity™” and, I started work on a new eBook. I have 4 planned for this year and can’t wait for you to see them.  Next week will be just as awesome as I begin review of my coaching programs in anticipation of a re-launch in early March. (You can sign up for my e-course here)

This weeks post,  ”Is Your Website Worthless?” shares some thoughts about the value of websites.

Most websites are worthless! Yeah, I said it!  But before you scream at me, hear me out.

If you ask 100 small business owners who have websites what benefit it brings to their business, I bet that more than 3/4 of them will say none, nada, zilch! Why is that? Because most websites owned by small businesses don’t DO anything. They are just there. Some look terrible but some look great. But, they still don’t DO anything!

Does this sound like your website? No confession necessary but, be honest, what has your site done for you lately?

The good news is that it is easier than ever to have a website that actually helps boost your business. So, if you are designing a new site or tweaking an existing site, you need to be sure you understand what it is you want your site to do. The answer for most online business owners is to generate leads, sell something and build credibility.

Think about it, with every website, the ultimate goal is to get people to visit, come in and stay a while. Just like they do at the mall. To accomplish this, there are 3 types of sites every online business should have that work together to boost your reputation which translates into more leads, which translates into more sales:

1. A branding site (referred to as a brochure)
2. A lead generating site (referred to as a squeeze page. Can you guess why?)
3. A sales site (1st job is also to capture leads then get the sale)

Don’t panic. With the right web hosting, you can create unlimited sites within a single account so cost is never an issue. (I purchase my domains here but host all of my sites here for a single, low monthly rate).

Bottom line is having a website does not mean you are running an online business, especially if your site is not DOING anything for you!

I will explore the 3 types of sites listed in more detail in upcoming posts.

To your online success!

This weeks post, “3 Tips For Starting A New Online Business In 2012″, is a roadmap for starting a business to sell anything online.

You know you want to take the leap but still not quite sure where to start? Here are three things to consider:

1. Follow Your heart – Brad Gruno, lost 40 pounds following a raw-food diet, and then followed his craving for crunchy-yet-healthy snacks to create a dehydrated vegetable chip that became a hit. “Find what you love, and success will usually organically happen from there,” Gruno shares.
2.  Sell what you know – Cook, Draw or Design your way into a startup. Whatever you are good at and love doing, chances are there are others seeking information, training and guidance about that very thing.
3.  Moonlight – If you have a full time gig and time is not on your side, consider moonlighting. You will be surprised how much you can accomplish in an online business in as little as one hour a day!

You can learn more about what it takes to start an online business in my “5 Pillars Of A Successful Online Business” 3 part series which you received as a bonus when you sign up for my list and complimentary subscription to my eZine.

Unlike many people I know, the stroke of midnight found me at home, enjoying time with family, watching movies and doing a 1000 piece puzzle! What a joy it was and such a refreshing uncluttered way to start 2012. The puzzle, a beautiful underwater scene, was finally completed four days later, with input from a total of 4 of us (some much more than others I might add!!!!

This weeks post, “Make Resolutions but Set Goals”, explores why setting goals alongside resolutions, is important.

We are already one week into 2012. By now, you have already set or are thinking about the resolutions you will set. Hopefully, you have also been thinking about or have already sit down and set some goals to make your resolutions happen!

How are the two things different you ask? I believe that one’s a hope or a wish while the other is a plan of action.

Don’t be like the millions of people who resolve to return to the gym but never plan how they will actually do it then walking away feeling like a failure, again!. Simply including a specific plan say to go every MWF, every day at 6am etc. can be a huge motivator.

You may resolve for example to never end your work day until you have reviewed all of the notifications on your Facebook Page or emails. However, you need to have a plan in place to make sure it actually happens. e.g your plan could include setting pop-up reminders in your email client like Outlook, that gives you a reminder around the same time every day.

Or, you might resolve to post at least one status update on your social media profiles every day. An accompanying plan would be to create a list of usable sentences, quotes etc. and a reminder to facilitate the resolution. (In a future edition we will review tools that can automate this and similar tasks).

So, this year, resolve to have plans that will help you reach the goals you set for yourself and your online business.

You might find some inspiration to get you started, in last weeks checklist.

Until next time, remember to keep pressing and stay focused, as we plunge into growing your online business in this exciting time!

To your online success!

Oh well. You know what they say, all good things must come to an end. However, all is not lost as I am still enjoying the holidays with family and friends this and next week. I am hanging out with my mom and children who are visiting from the Bahamas, to welcome the new year.

This weeks post, “Ready Or Not – Here Comes 2012″, is a checklist for your business, as we leap forward to 2012.

It’s December 29, 2011, do you know where your online business is???

A scary thought for many of us but unfortunately, there are far too many of us who can answer “I don’t have a clue” to that question. So, what’s a business owner to do?

One of the things I have learned in my now almost ten years of operating an online business and helping other solopreneurs, coaches and a variety of small business owners navigate the online world, is that until and unless you take the time to understand where your business is at the end of one year before jumping into a new year, it will be harder for you to maintain control and you will find yourself, very early into the next year, feeling overwhelmed. I am not sure what it is but, many of us ebb and flow with the annual calendar and the state in which we find our business at the end of a year usually carries over to the next and manifests itself either in satisfaction or sheer frustration! Unfortunately, I KNOW TOO WELL THE LATTER

Here are 10 things you could be doing before the end of the year to avoid the frustration of starting a new year because, whether you are ready or not, 2012 is on it’s way!

1. A review of your finances – Now is a great time to meet with your accountant or if you don’t use one, review your records. Are your records in order? Do you have receipts on hand? Do you have everything in order for tax filing?
2. An audit of your website – is there content that will need to be updated at the start of 2012? Are your hosting and domain names secure from expiration?
3. An audit of where your revenue came from – coaching, products, affiliate commissions, seminars etc. You would be surprised how many online business owners have no clue about where their revenue is coming from, who their customers or clients are etc. Correspondingly do you know where the potential for increased revenue lie? (More on this in a future article)
4. Review the goals you set for 2011 – acknowledge the ones you accomplished and make a decision NOW about the ones you did not – are they worth adding to your list of goals for 2012? Be realistic.
5. Begin creating your list of goals for 2012 – look back at the results for 2011 and be bold but be realistic.
6. An audit of your content – separate into three categories: recyclable as is, needs updating before reuse; no longer relevant to my business.
7. Begin creating your marketing plan – review what worked in 2011 and explore new marketing strategies.
8. Check subscriptions – a review and assessment of your print and online subscriptions – get rid of the ones that have proven useless and ensure those that you rely on are in good standing. Also, check to see if early renewal might get you a discount.
9. Check equipment – since many equipment vendors offer great prices nearer the end of the year, now might be a good time to see what needs replacing or what you might need to add, to help make your life as easy as possible. This is also a good time to check software etc. which we will cover in a future issue will
10. Review your business cards – is it time for an update? If so, before you do anything, check out your marketing plans and be sure your business card reflects your branding strategy for 2012.

I know this might seem like a daunting task but, I promise you, if you make time to do AT LEAST these 10 things, you will be have a huge jump on the new year and, will not feel as frustrated as you might, if you do nothing!

Until next time, remember to put your failures behind you and move forward with enthusiasm and a renewed expectation of great results for your business!

To your online success!