| Statistics used in online sales letter are often abused | | | | you are going to make a thin dime because you don't |
| and misunderstood in many ways. Both from the | | | | have any form of a legal business entity set up for |
| consumers' standpoint and, either purposefully or | | | | yourself.If someone were dead serious about making |
| unknowingly, by product and service providers of all | | | | a lot of money with their own online business they'd |
| types.Have you heard the oldest marketing slogan on | | | | set themselves up first and foremost with all the |
| the web?"98% of online businesses fail to see | | | | knowledge, legal documentation, tax benefits, and |
| success."Since the first time I saw that figure I | | | | other business organization steps to handle that |
| wondered what organization was responsible for | | | | success!Now, considering the above, a poll on the |
| concocting this seemingly scientific "fact."After | | | | success/failure rate of people who have qualified to |
| starting several businesses and writing articles and | | | | call themselves real business owners would come out |
| books on the art of internet marketing success over | | | | to a completely different number from 98% |
| 6 years, it is obvious to me that no one has a good | | | | failure.Many now successful people have started with |
| grasp of how many people try and then fail to make | | | | failures. How does that figure into the final tally?As |
| a business take off on the internet.First and most | | | | you can see, a real logical look at the age-old |
| importantly, what was the criteria the unknown | | | | statement above, when you place basic standards |
| researcher of this statistical statement used to | | | | for qualification of what constitutes a real business, |
| qualify someone as starting and failing at an online | | | | makes the statement very misleading.People who are |
| business?I asked the question simply because I know | | | | very motivated and set themselves up as a real |
| from my own empirical data and years of experience | | | | business, train themselves basic to advanced business |
| that relatively very few business ventures are begun | | | | tactics and concepts, and present their business |
| on the net by people with the experience, | | | | professionally online and, in some cases offline, are |
| motivation, backing, and support it takes to even | | | | not likely to be satisfied for long with initial failure.I |
| have a chance of success.If the author of the | | | | failed at my first attempts at marketing online and it |
| statement in question intended to lump in all the | | | | was precisely when I was doing it part time and |
| unprofessional, untrained, novice, weekend-warrior, | | | | looking for shortcuts.But when finally I got serious |
| wannabe business owners then yes, that statistic is | | | | and set my business foundation up properly and |
| more believable.If they intended to include in the data | | | | legally, trained myself as a member of business and |
| anyone who has gotten into network marketing and | | | | marketing forums, at conferences, and through |
| intended to succeed with the cookie-cutter website | | | | myriad marketing and business courses, I started to |
| provided by that company alone - then YES 98% | | | | succeed in my business almost as soon as I finally |
| failure makes more sense.I mean, how serious can a | | | | set a direction and a plan up for it.If you were to poll |
| person be if they are hooked into a business model | | | | real business owners, you'd find a different statistic |
| that promises success with no real work on their | | | | representing failure and success. Leave out the lazy, |
| part?My biggest problem with the overall statement | | | | the uneducated, the unmotivated, and unethical |
| is that by including the types of people and | | | | people from the data, and you will soon get down to |
| businesses above, people touting this famous phrase | | | | a more realistic number.How does all this concern |
| are not being fair to all the REAL business people | | | | you?It might give you pause to realize the above. |
| online who work hard, who immerse themselves | | | | You might not actually be IN business right now |
| deeply in marketing and business training, and who | | | | when you thought you were! But it should also give |
| work long hard hours in the beginning to see their | | | | you hope that, if you work hard and are motivated, |
| businesses succeed.Real businesses have tax status, | | | | you can turn an idea into success once you start |
| (Corporate or LLC at least), an accounting and | | | | walking the talk.You cannot FAIL at an online business |
| customer service system, a professional online | | | | if you were never really IN business in the first place. |
| presence, no dancing hamsters or other novice | | | | Armed with this information, you should start to |
| website distractions... and above all, real businesses | | | | distinguish what being in business is all about along |
| are professional in all aspects of their presence in the | | | | with what it really takes to succeed at marketing |
| business community.Stuffing envelopes and filling out | | | | yourself, your products, and/or your services online.In |
| surveys for money do not alone constitute a | | | | the end, even if the 98% failure rate were true, |
| "business." Nor does signing up as an affiliate and | | | | your focus should be on that 2% and not on the |
| promoting other people's products without having | | | | misleading assertion that succeeding online is hard.It |
| your own brand name, products or at least having a | | | | takes hard work, but success in online business is not |
| unique presence on the web.Here is the reason | | | | "hard" to comprehend. There is a learning curve, but |
| people cannot say they are in business online unless | | | | it's not rocket science. Learning isn't as much the |
| they treat what they do as a real business:No one | | | | issue as is motivation and determination.Whatever |
| who says they are in business online, who does not | | | | the real percentage of failure of online businesses is, |
| have simple corporate status to shelter their profits | | | | (and believe me, no one really knows because |
| from the massive taxes you have to pay as an | | | | everyone uses different standards for data on this |
| individual vs. what you'd pay as a corporation or LLC, | | | | subject, if they even go that far) you can beat the |
| is not really in business at all.Even if you are "testing | | | | odds by getting dead serious about your success and |
| the waters" for the first time in online business, it | | | | setting yourself up as a real, bona fide business.Once |
| makes no sense to, on one hand, tell yourself you | | | | you have letterhead with Inc. or LLC. after your |
| are going to be a great success, and on the other | | | | company name it is VERY difficult to let yourself fail, |
| hand you carry yourself as if you don't really believe | | | | believe it! |