In off-line direct marketing world, when you send a snail-mail offer a second time, a few people who didn’t respond to first mailing will buy. This can continue up to seventh mailing, although with fewer orders from each mailing.

But on-line audience is very different. On-line people have an extremely short attention span, and bore easily. They will scan your offer once, and either accept it or reject it. They don’t want to see your offer again. The second time they see your offer, their eyes will gloss over as they click away as fast as possible.

Instead of pushing your offer to same people seven times, put it in front of seven times as many people. Spread offer to as wide an audience as you can. Then radically modify offer (so it is unrecognizable as original offer) and spread it wide again.

5. You need to establish personal relationships with your customers - FALSE!

In off-line world, it costs much more to find new customers than it costs to get new orders from past customers. But on-line world is very different. On Web, it costs about same to find new customers as it does to get new orders from past customers.

The on-line world is impersonal. On-line people have an extremely short attention span and they bore very easily. They are not interested in yesterday’s news or yesterday’s contacts. If you contact a past on-line customer, they will consider it spam!

Instead of trying to establish personal relationships on-line, establish an on-line presence. Promote your Web site, publish a newsletter, publish ebooks, write and distribute articles. Let your customers find you - out there in cyberspace!

6. Sell “benefits” not “features” - FALSE!

Only a tiny percentage of people will buy based on benefits. This is because they already know benefits of particular product or service. The benefits are reason why they are in market for a particular product or service. To buy, they need to know the

features of your specific offering.

For example, having a web site will increase profits and reduce costs for a business. These are some of benefits of having a web site. But advertising those benefits will not sell your web development service. To buy, prospective customer needs to know what features your specific web development service has to offer.

Instead of selling benefits, tell prospective customers what features make your product or service better or unique compared to other offerings available.

Of course, if your product or service has no better or unique features to offer - sell benefits.

7. Using a P.O. box makes your business look “unprofessional” - FALSE!

If using a P.O. box makes a business look unprofessional, then why do so many major corporations use P.O. boxes? If you have an office outside your home, then go ahead and use that address.

But if your business is in your home, NEVER GIVE OUT YOUR HOME ADDRESS. Do you want some lunatic who is dissatisfied with your business showing up at your house with a gun? If you think this world is safe enough to be using your home address in your advertising and business correspondence, then stop reading this. Go back to reading your Winnie Pooh fairytales.

Don’t put yourself and your family in danger. When I see a small business using a P.O. box, I think “this business person is intelligent and professional”.

8. There is a lot more bad marketing advice out there.

I can’t expose all bad marketing advice out there in this one article. So instead of following next bad marketing idea that you read, take a moment to think it through. Always be skeptical about any marketing advice you read - including what you just read in this article. ---------------------------------------------------------- Resource Box: Copyright(C)2002 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on Web visit http://bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank email to bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com ----------------------------------------------------------

Words are a treasure and a godsend to marketers over internet. They need to be used accurately and correctly, without a hint of deception or misleading information. If a surfer even senses that you are trying to use tactics to lure them into buying something they never intended to, or are not in least bit interested in, they will spread your reputation to screens across internet faster then one of your speeding “bullets.”

Every visitor to your site is a potential customer, but more importantly, they can be an online business friend. Always remember that everyone has friends, family and acquaintances and these can all be future satisfied customers. If you treat them with respect and intelligence they deserve, they will reward you with business and referrals. If you attempt any deception, they will also find ways to spread “word”. It takes only common courtesy and a little bit of discretion to treat visitors as you would treat anyone who actually stepped into your place of business. Envision them as a family member or friend and then use your site to treat them as you hope your family/friends would be treated. You will never regret anything and you will never have to “eat your words.” Remember that opportunity comes knocking in many shapes and forms, and if you abuse it or treat it unkindly, it will leave. It will never get lost, because someone right down road will pick it up and help it find whatever it is searching for. In simple terms, your loss, and someone else’s gain. Buyers on internet appreciate being treated with dignity and friendliness. They value truth and honesty. Your marketing success depends on them! ENJOY! ©Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 July