Things to think about on the subject of online business.

There are over one hundred million of us Americans on the internet and millions more English speakers in other countries. A great big pool of people just looking to buy whatever can be bought. So if I put up a decent website and generate a little traffic I'll make some money. Right?.........Well maybe.

Surveys show that more than half of those millions of viewers, maybe as much as sixty percent, are there just for amusement. The majority of the group is passing time and looking to be entertained and aren't looking for what you're selling. The probability of getting an order from that group is roughly zero.

Still leaves maybe forty or fifty million folks to sell to. Right?................Well maybe.

Since information on just about any topic is available free most will get their questions answered and go away satisfied without spending any money.

Still leaves a few million who are looking to buy from me. I just need to find them and I'll make some money. Right?..................Well maybe.

Selling physical products, ebooks or ongoing training courses can require maybe a ten or fifteen page effective sales letter with multiple buy now buttons, lots of credentials, lots of testimonials, don't leave now pop up, and a half dozen follow up emails. Videos are now being used effectively too but just getting my sales pitch in front of buyers can be difficult and expensive. Millions of customers are choosing from millions of websites. I have lots of competition for their attention.

Advertising, enticing, buying traffic, competing for search engine results all can get potential customers but that doesn't finish the job. When I do get hard won visitors I can't let them leave without buying or leaving an email address. I'll probably never see them again. I have to be every bit as good at sales as any door to door, cold call, or behind the counter person. Maybe better.

Does it surprise me that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Yahoo, and a few other whoppers are breaking all records while the independent business people selling features, advantages, benefits and prices are struggling? It shouldn't. Those sites have gathered a huge crowd by entertaining and/or informing them free.

Casual spending while being entertained is habit. It's not shopping. It's like selling popcorn at a free movie. You'll make more sales by accident than a poor street vendor whose popcorn is just as good and cheaper. After you have achieved drawing the happy crowd there will be no shortage of vendors willing to pay for the chance to sell popcorn. You don't even have to make the stuff. Drawing the crowd is the key. Can you sing and dance?

Amazon, big name department stores and retail chains are shipping lots of goods bought online too. They have big budgets and advertising staff that individuals usually don't. Just think about it. No big group of stores to staff, stock up and maintain. Just tons of orders to ship. As soon as McDonalds figures out how to keep the food hot during shipping? ..............Well maybe.

The internet is like a TV we can talk to and interact with and has millions of programs to choose from. It can be a gambling casino, church, night club, sports stadium, school, meeting place, shopping center or anything else you can think of. We are paying bills, holding garage sales on Ebay, emailing, reading books, going to church, shopping, watching movies, getting answers to almost any question online.

The internet will certainly evolve and at a fast pace but in it's current form it is the most convenient and cheapest entertainment available and it covers just about every category. Tapping into the huge stream of people and selling them things will make lots of money but is becoming so difficult that the vast majority of individuals trying it fail and give up.

Becoming part of the successful three percent or so of individuals trying to make money online takes enough determination, study, and practice to eliminate most. Becoming a doctor or lawyer may not be easier but is certainly a more predictable path. I don't believe those fields have a ninety seven percent failure rate. Do you?