And what many people don’t realize is that it does not have to cost you a ton of money. Most of my knowledge has been garnered from doing lots of research and reading. There are countless free resources available online that you can use to build up your knowledge base. The best part about it is that it costs you nothing but some of your time.

Each day I tell people about Internet and wonderful opportunities it presents to ordinary man. What I am not going to tell them is that it is an easy road. Building a business online or offline is similar and does require necessary attributes to become successful.

Look at me. I have done Internet marketing for several years without a computer, credit card and bare essentials. But that is not going to stop me from trying. And neither should you

Copyright © Nicholas Dixon

Cold calling. Without a doubt, this is usually most challenging way to market a business - I know very few people who actually enjoy cold calling. However, it can be a good way to uncover qualified prospects in a relatively short period of time. Be sure to start your conversation with a good opening to capture other person’s attention.

Give free information. At marketing workshop I attended, facilitator suggested to give information to interested prospects. I have used this approach on my website and have quadrupled number of subscribers to my newsletter in last year. You do not need to give away ALL information relevant to your product or service. Instead, offer information that will help your target market with their problems. For example, when people sign up to my e-zine, they receive a report that outlines 100 tips they can use to increase their sales.

Offer a guarantee. A concern many people have when changing suppliers is risk associated with change. They may not be completely satisfied with their existing supplier but risk of choosing a supplier who may be worse can prevent them from changing. Eliminate this concern and offer a guarantee.

Advertising. This can be a great strategy if you know how to create a good ad. The best marketers know that great sales copy is what makes difference; I have experienced this first-hand. When I began selling my book on my website, I generated mediocre results for first two years. I eventually changed copy on my site and sales have soared every since. Glance through ads in your trade magazine and you will quickly notice that most ads focus on company’s product features instead of on customer’s problem. Create a great ad by concentrating on problem you can solve.

There are many other ways to market your business and generate new business leads. However, ideas I mentioned in this article are effective low- or no-cost options. Use them consistently and watch your sales grow.

© 2004 Kelley Robertson