I've never been afraid to be different, to take road less traveled, to wander off beaten path and run gleefully right over a cliff. Fortunately for me, flea market is on low ground and I had chance to learn a few things just watching people.

Pop Quiz: Is it best to wedge your booth between other booths piled with junk, where nobody even notices you are there? Or is it better to have a booth out in open away from clutter, where people can easily see you and get to your booth?

I learned hard way. My booth was out in open away from clutter, where people could easily pick up speed and zoom right past. (But I was right next to a support beam, so at least I knew roof wouldn't cave in on me.)

Apparently, sales process at flea market works like this:

Step one, some fool actually stops to look at a toaster-oven with only three coils missing, partially blocking aisle.

Step two, a traffic jam ensues as more people come along and completely block aisle.

Step three, to relieve their boredom, they buy "treasures" they would gladly have passed by if they could just have picked up enough momentum to keep walking. Isn't that a lot like how "gurus" sell stuff on Internet?

Step four, they go home and brag about their great "find" and how it cost them almost 14 cents less than any of other "Happiness is surviving your own cooking" commemorative plaques in their collection.

I leaned my second lesson. To sell anything, you have to slow people down. So I stood in front of my booth.

I soon got involved in mailing out circulars offering various products and services. I charged others to mail their circulars using my bulk mailing permit. I also charged them for running their ads in my ad-sheet. It was a world where we paid to run our ads in each others newsletter. There seemed to be a lot of people selling same opport-unities to each other.

Fast forward 30 years, and I see many similarities in some on-line businesses. That discussion on forum caused me to step back and ask a few questions. The most important question was, "What's difference between selling a dream and helping someone to really build an on-line business." I see hundreds of plans/schemes that I'm convinced are not plausible ways to earn a decent income on-line. These are biz-ops where people are just selling each other latest insider information and plans that promise to make them big successes.

I know that most of these plans aren't doing trick because I talk to numerous people about what really works every week. I'm involved in several mastermind groups and also participate in brainstorming calls. We discuss what techniques are really growing each others' businesses. I also get emails from 20 - 30 people a week who aren't achieving level of success they desire, and they often ask me for solutions.

I have to first of all admit that I may not have a ready solution for them. What's working for me make not work for them because of differences in my target audience, difference in my relationship with my audience, and even timing. So I spend a lot of time brainstorming with them... usually for a fee :-)

One of first realities we must face is that selecting right product or service to promote is perhaps most important decision they have to make. Choose wrong service.... one no-one wants, and you're dead in water before you start. Yes, you'll get a few people purchasing your product but not in volume you desire.