2. The No.1 reason why dot-com have gone dot-bomb is because they tried to be everything to everyone. (Source: Forrester Research, ALL industry experts)

3. Almost all successful businesses operating online are built on focused themes for their respective niche markets. Doubts?

4. Managing a focused theme n-business saves time, money and human capital as it eliminates any overheads usually associated with broad-focused businesses.

5. A focused theme n-business is best bet for a small guy since it sets you apart from crowd if you have any useful distinct product or service to offer. A unique selling proposition, or USP in this case can bring an instant fortune for you.

6. A theme based n-business takes much greater advantage of word-of-mouth marketing and your referrals will be compounded within a smaller, more loyal and appreciative group of like-minded people.

7. Once a successful focused theme based n-business is built... you can do following to make your business MORE functional and profitable:

a) Automate it b) Expand your focus, or create a sub-niche out of your existing n-business c) Diversify into completely separate niches to have multiple income streams d) Repeat if necessary

Remember, above 7 point checklist is just tip of ice-berg to make you realize how important a theme based n-business is for you right now.

So are you beginning to get picture?

There's an enormous amount of wealth that can be made using this technique. People who have realized its potential are all making BIG bucks. Tell me... can you really afford to overlook this grand opportunity?

No way!

Now is perfect time that you should seriously think and understand what works, and what doesn't. Make your business another successful dot-com not dot-bomb.

So whats bottom line?

Don't even bother of thinking to start a generalized business, i.e., a business with everything-to-everyone approach. Remember, you'll be lured by temptation it creates of having a global audience and potential of earning unlimited profits.

The fact is if you go this way, you'll be another dot-bomb. Don't waste your time and money on that. With my above 7 points foolproof checklist, it should now be crystal clear that your success is in creating a theme based niche business.

Scoop up your share of market by going after a well-crafted niche market with a strong unique selling proposition.

By positioning your personality, product, and/or service in your customers mind differently such that their specific needs are solved is way to earn a fortune.

Believe me, your success is at spinning wheels, all you need to do is drive-it your way... I've given you keys.

Good luck!

And finally, consultant should explain how they propose to evaluate success of any marketing campaign against your goals and objectives. Marketing is an ongoing process, during which you'll learn a lot about your site and about your visitors. This knowledge should be analyzed and used to tweak your site and refine your business strategies. A good consultant will be able to work with you to achieve this.

What guarantees can you expect?

Let's be very clear - there is a distinction, which often gets blurred, between sales and marketing. The job of a marketing consultant is to bring qualified traffic to your site (or in other words, into your storefront). Completing sale is then a separate challenge.

Marketing is also a very gray area, in which it's difficult to provide cast-iron guarantees of results. This is particularly true in area of search engine optimization, since search engines are so unpredictable. In my opinion, if a consultant promises you "top ten placement" you should be very wary - it's possible that they are using tactics that could be classified as spam - soon if not now.

But obviously you do want to check that consultant has a good track record, and that they can provide references from other clients. I believe that good Web knowledge and proven online marketing tactics are as important as an in-depth familiarity with your industry.

In setting your contract with consultant, it's important to have a mutual comfort level with your goals, expectations and budget. There are many opportunities for free promotion online, but if you're prepared to spend some money, you can potentially build your traffic faster. Since building awareness of a site takes time, perhaps a minimum six-month period would be advisable, but with appropriate get-out clauses for both parties.

Conclusion

Good Web marketing is a team effort! Hire a consultant who you feel very comfortable with, who asks lots of questions to really understand your business and your goals, and who seems genuinely interested in promoting you. But then be prepared to work with them - respect and consider their suggestions, and allow them to be creative in their approach.