Since he was kind enough to buy me lunch and a beer I ran over a few things he might like to consider regarding both his online and offline business. He was like a child that had just been given keys to a sweet shop, he could see potential and he knew it all made sense - and that he could actually make these changes without too much effort.

So why am I saying all this? (No, it's not to promote my latest product or 'sell' you something)

These incidents serve as a constant reminder to me of how some people don't realise that permanent changes can be made in an instant (If you've ever been burnt by fire, you'll know how quickly your mind can set up permanent links).

Where we are today is based on choices we've made, our future can be however we want it. The only thing that needs to happen is for us to decide what we want. This seems so simple, and for anyone who has come to realise truth in that short statement knows that change can be swift and permanent. Unfortunately so many people are walking around in a trance feeling like a victim of world around them that not only do they not take a look around them and see possibilities, but they build a container around their world and define its limits.

Money is a means to an end, it's a currency. If you consider your time and happiness as having a higher value then it becomes much easier to set goals which free up your time and allow you to become happier.

If main thing in your sight is money then you can become caught in a world that revolves around money and restricts your view of important things in life.

I used to wonder why people didn't 'get it' but now I know that before you can 'get it', you need to be in right state of mind open to possibilities.

A guy called Maslo once defined what he termed a 'hierarchy or human needs' which have been basis for many management, leadership and other training courses. His model outlined various levels of peoples needs (like requirement for food and shelter etc.), if you focus your efforts on meeting peoples needs you can find that 'selling' becomes much easier and you feel much better about doing it (which has repercussions of its own).

Andrew Henry Internet Marketing Consultant Money&Motivation Publishing http://www.moneyandmotivation.com

One important area that will need to be defined is; will you be dealing with individuals or businesses? Who is your product truly geared toward?

Individuals When defining your individual customers it is best to answer following questions in as much details as possible.

1.What is sex of your customer? Are they male or female? 2.What is average age range of your customer? 13-22? 22-32? 3.Is product aimed at a younger customer but bought by an older customer? 4.Is product aimed at an older customer but bought by a younger one? 5.What is their average income level? Less than 14,000 a year? More than 15,000 a year? 6.Is there a specific career or aptitude product relates to? (i.e. is it aimed at medical profession, legal profession, etc.) 7.What other interests could this demographic group possibly have? Do you have other products that might be relevant?

Businesses When defining possible business customers, similar questions come into play.

1.What is industry you will be selling to? 2.Is there a specific sales level? 3.Who are top names in that industry? Locally? Nationally? World Wide? 4.What would be relevant data in industry? 5.What else do you know about businesses you will be selling to?

Geographic Profile Thanks to Internet all businesses can now reach world and not just their backyard. This can sometimes make geographic profiling hard. It also makes it very important. Remember that Chevy sold very few Novas in Spanish speaking counties because no va means “no go” – quite an unintended message. Unintended messages can pop up rather easily if you do not define your geographic sales area. What does it take to define your geographic sales area? Let’s start with basics.

1.Where are your customers located? Will they be in your backyard – within your town, county, or state? Will they be in your country? Or will they be worldwide? 2.How many customers are there in your market? Are you marketing to a specific group or does your product have mass appeal? 3.What is dollar value of sales that occur in your market each year? Is it possible to make income necessary for your lifestyle?

Other Considerations Basic demographics can often be fun and interesting, because you learn more about your product, your customers and way your customers think and perceive your product. Sometimes basics are enough to increase your sales potential and yet, there are times that basics provide to little information. The possibility of customers worldwide creates need for more information. Will there be shipping and handling issues? Language, communication, issues? Cultural differences? What will someone else see that we don’t?

Demographics are very important when it comes to site design. We no longer live in age where our backyard is truly our backyard, and even when we design a site for our local area, world has option to view it. “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” didn’t start with Neil Armstrong on moon, it really started on Internet.