They are baffled day after day. Who? Businessmen and Entrepreneurs alike, who are now turning to web in record numbers looking for new ways to reach their target markets. The problem they are running into is as old as web itself.

How do you sell on Web?

This is question that is asked by both new and experienced marketers. From MLM to affiliate marketing to small business, we all come up against this seemingly impermeable wall at some point in our marketing careers. Until we answer this question success is out of our reach.

So where do we go from here? The answer is really not an answer, but more of an equation that equals success. The problem most marketers have selling on web is that they do not fully understand equation and so can never reach answer.

The Equation.

Selling on web is as simple as leading your prospective customer through following process.

Capture Attention + Gain Trust + Recommend + Sell = SUCCESS!

Your customer needs to be brought through process in that order. Many Marketers are trying to sell before they recommend and even before they have There prospects trust! This is a sure way to make ZERO sales. The success of this formula lies in human psychology.

The Psychology of Selling.

Before you can sell anyone else you must look into yourself and understand how you are sold. The "Art of Selling" can be described as such:

The act of connecting people with products or services they want and need.

That's it! And so we see that we are not actually "selling" per say, but instead we are trying to FIND and TARGET people who are in need of your business! This is a very important distinction. If you don't believe me try to sell a toupee to someone with a full head of hair. See what I'm saying? It's much easier to target people who are in need of your service, than to sell to those who don't.

Capture Attention.

We capture attention with a headline. The headline of this article is "The Art of Selling on The Web." Do you think you would have bothered reading it if it was titled "The History of The Rocking Chair"? Most people wouldn't, unless you have a specific interest in rocking chairs.

Gain Trust.

Voicemail is a fact of life today. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant. And believe me, getting through to decision makers is only going to get worse. So if your livelihood depends on getting in to see these people, you better learn how to use it to your advantage.

First, let's take a look at basic formula most sellers use in their voicemail messages:

•Hello, Mr/Ms __. This is __ calling. •I'm an account executive with __ company. •We make/do __. •Our product/service is leading edge, high quality and __. •I'd like to get together to learn more about how you do __. •And tell you about how our __ can help your business. •Please call me at __ to set up a time.

What's wrong with it? It's boring, boring, boring. No one in their right mind would ever waste one precious moment of their time to meet with a seller who said this.

Let me repeat myself. This approach does NOT work. I don't care if that's how you were trained. The world has changed. Even your own mother wouldn't call you back today - and that's pretty darn bad!

Most buyers from big companies are bombarded with more than 50 calls like this each and every day. Your message is "bleeped" before second sentence is out of your mouth.

HOW TO BE ENTICING Being enticing is about saying or asking something in a manner that truly piques a prospective decision maker's interest or curiosity.

You have to put on your thinking cap too. There's no way around it. Enticing voicemails don't just flow out of your mouth when its time to leave a message. In fact, lack of planning is guaranteed to make you sound trite and cheesy - exactly like kind of salesperson everyone detests.

Here are five strategies you can use to increase your enticement quotient:

1. Reference your Research Do you know how few sellers actually invest time studying their clients before placing a call? Very few. You'll immediately set yourself apart if you mention it in your voicemail.

You might say:

•"In researching your firm prior to calling you today, I noticed that ..."

•"In reviewing your company's website and marketing collateral, it became apparent to me that a critical issue you're facing is ..."

•"In reviewing your organization's strategic direction and comparing it to others in your market segment ..."

If you're not doing this pre-call research prior to contacting a big company, you're making a huge mistake. Dig in. Do it. What you learn can help make your voicemail even more enticing.

2. State a Strong Value Proposition Powerful value propositions focus on business outcomes companies get from using your products or services. Framed in business terminology, they highlight specific measurable results.

Examples of enticing value propositions include:

•"In working with another firm like yours, we reduced space requirements by 10%, saving them over $500k on lease payments and capital equipment reductions of over $300,000."

•"We help shrink time-to-revenue on new product introductions - a big issue facing companies today. In fact, research into failed product launches shows that 70% of executives blame weak value propositions as a major factor in their poor sales results."

•"After working with our firm, our average retail clients see sales conversions increases of between 39-57% and their average order size increase by 13-18%."