"Thanks, but no thanks."

They don't have budget, they got cold feet, something in your proposal didn't sit right. Whatever reason, you lost sale.

Or did you?

I recently encountered a young web entrepreneur who understands that in business, "no" doesn't necessarily mean "never", and that a last ditch sales pitch can pay off - maybe not today or tomorrow, but some day.

I contacted Jamie Kiley at Kianta.com to get an estimate on building a website. Correspondence went back and forth to determine my needs and soon quote came in. I'm sure it was a very fair, competitive price but it was beyond my budget and honestly, I was just researching at time.

So I wrote Kianta business equivalent of a "Dear John" letter. You know, "It just isn't going to work out, it's not your fault, I'm not ready to move so fast," etc.

But Jamie wasn't ready to let me go so easily. She replied with an absolutely masterful last ditch sales pitch letter.

OFFER ALTERNATIVES

First, she commiserated with me on my sticker shock. "I understand your surprise." But instead of lowering her price, she told me about cheaper template options available, saying she'd be happy to recommend one. (She's prepared to help me find a cheaper option elsewhere? Wow.)

BUT... she immediately followed up with an explanation of limitations of templates and their generic, unprofessional appearance. In other words, they're cheap for a reason.

BACK UP YOUR CLAIMS

Just in case I still had doubts, she backed up her point with a quote from a search engine optimization expert who eschews cheap do-it-yourself sites in favor of spending some dough on a professional site built to attract search engines, get a higher ranking and more traffic.

Well yes, it is. Maybe.

There are a lot of people who get seduced by big idea that all they have to do is sign up for an affiliate program, throw up a quick, free website and sit back on beach waiting for cash to flow.

It ain't like that.

Maybe if you have a ton of experience you can automate everything to point that you need to do very little. But that isn't road a beginner can tread.

It is said that one in twenty people who set out to make a profit online actually manage to see a return. Most disappear without trace after spending their, often vital, last cent on hosting or ebooks or programs.

But it doesn't have to be like that.

The problem is not with Internet, but with people's attitude towards it.

Two people can buy any of famous 'guru's' program on same day. One may make a $1000 a month and think sun shines from guru's every word (I cleaned that up). The other may not make a dime and retire believing he was scammed.

Both are wrong and both are right. It isn't program that works, it is operator. Some things just don't work for some people. Maybe their attitude is wrong. Maybe they try to change things. Maybe they truly believe they are following rules, but actually are bending a few. Whatever reasons, these people won't believe that problem is with them It must be program. They were scammed.

In all of my talking with people who are making money, there are three key traits that they have in common: