Start Selling by Understanding Demand

Many people begin a career in Internet marketing without really knowing where to begin. They wrongly believe that they can just choose a product or service they like or know, promote it to anyone in the marketplace, and BINGO!  They are instantly an overwhelming success and rolling in dough!

These folks, unfortunately, are in the fast lane for quick failure and maybe a lot of lost time, effort, and cash promoting things that they shouldn’t.

I have observed a lot of new entrepreneurs, have seen both successes and a lot of failures, and I can tell you where you should begin this journey. This is it, in simple and plain English:

Here is your first lesson in Internet marketing . . . never forget it!

You must sell something (a product or service) that is already in demand in the marketplace, something that people in the niche are looking for and will spend money on. You won’t create much demand yourself – leave that to Apple, Sony, and Microsoft, companies that have the budgets, brand marketing power, and loyal followers to influence buying.

You find market demand easily by doing some market research and looking for problems needing solutions, want/needs that are not being met by the product choices currently available, and special desires of people that you can fulfill.

Many marketers fail because they pick a product, try to promote it, and yet few, if any, people actually want what they are offering. Related to that is understanding who your audience is and knowing how and where to contact them. You need to focus and target your audience so you are presenting your offers to folks that are looking for exactly what you have to sell.  You want to make this a slam dunk!

Don’t guess or just assume you understand the marketplace – you don’t – at least not until you confirm with research that people are buying or will buy what you offer.

The right offer to the right people with the exact product they are looking for is the secret to being a successful marketer.  It’s no secret, really, but 95% of all marketers don’t follow through with these simple marketing ideas and principles.

Normally, market research would be conducted as part of a specific marketing plan for any new business, or at the very least, as an element for a more general business plan.

The research, in most cases can be done in a couple of hours or maybe half a day depending upon the niche and how popular or not it currently is. Generally, the more popular a niche is, the more online information there will be and the more interaction you will find where you can “intercept” or listen in on conversations and discussions about needed products, services, and other potential things you might be able to sell.

It’s OK if there are others already in the niche and making money – that is actually a good thing. I would get nervous if I found no other sellers addressing niche needs for it might just be that the market in this niche is extremely small, the people in the niche won’t spend money, or there are few unmet needs in the niche (not good for marketers).

Just remember we’re looking for demand in the niche marketplace, where the niche prospects can be found (so we can put our offer in front of them), and how we can best contact and get their attention as a group in our marketing efforts.

Marketing principles such as this seem so simple … yet they are not always easy to implement.

The very best to all of you,

Steve Browne

www.SteveBrowneDirect.com