The Real Business World

Email #1

Dear Chris;

I have been reading over your site for the past week with great interest. Thanks so much for the free info; it helped me clear up many of the questions I had!

I want to start a business selling on the Internet, but I don't want to jump in too fast and make mistakes that will cost me. I know the basics of my computer, but I have never done any retail sales. Right now I'm trying to decide whether to sell on eBay, or to build a web site. Maybe both!

My main area of interest is outdoor-type products, but I know you talk about not getting locked into just one kind of product. It's better to be flexible and sell what sells, not just what we like. So I've been going through eBay, and doing some checking online, doing research on the level of competition for different outdoor products to see which ones I could sell effectively, or if I might need to find something else to sell.

My question is this, which way do you think is the better way to go? eBay or a site?

Thank you!

Angela T.

This person's chances of success: 98%

Analysis:

Why do I give her 98% chance of success? Is it because she thanked me for some free info? No, of course not. Whether she got her info from me or anybody else, it's what she's doing with it that matters.

My answer to her Email is not important here. What's important is what she says in the Email.

Let's look at that Email part by part.

"I've been reading over your site for the past week..."

This person is reading the material; ALL of it. BIG plus in her favor.

"I don't want to jump in too fast and make mistakes that will cost me."

This is the statement of someone who realizes that she should walk before she runs. Another big plus. Too many people write me and tell me about their grand plans for building an Online Mega-Store that will carry every product in the known universe or how they plan on starting out by building four stores first, then ten more.

This person seems to understand that there's a learning process involved here, just like in any other business venture. Start out slowly, get your feet wet, learn along the way, and be patient, but persistent. That's how successful businesspeople get to be successful businesspeople!

"...but I have never done any retail sales."

Saying something like that shows that she is aware of the limitations of her previous experience. I personally know people who will never admit that they don't know something. They simply bull their way around, making up what they don't know.

Another BIG mistake. Never be afraid to admit your lack of knowledge about something. The ONLY "stupid question" is the one you have, but never ask.

Being aware of and admitting a lack of knowledge in any subject is simply the first step toward learning about it!

"...not getting locked into just one kind of product. It's better to be flexible and sell what sells, not just what we like."

Applause! The crowd goes wild!! She read my info, and she took the time to make sure she understood it! That leads into the next bit:

"I've been...doing research on the level of competition...to see which ones I could sell effectively, or if I might need to find something else to sell."

And there it is, folks! The Triple Play! She READ the info, she took the time to think about it and UNDERSTAND it, then she ACTED on it!

That's where the 98% comes from. Please understand that I'm not giving her all these positive comments because she listened to ME. It doesn't matter that it happened to be my info; the fact is that she read, she took time to understand, and then she put it into action. That's how a successful person operates.

Email #2

Hi Chris

I'm looking over your web site and getting angrier and angrier with every page. I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at myself.

A few weeks ago I went to a seminar on starting an online business put on by (name removed). They had a good presentation, and convinced me to sign up with them. They offered all kinds of things. A site, a personal business coach, credit card acceptance, and lots more. The first payment wasn't so bad, but now every time I talk to them they tell me I have to invest more money in order to get this thing going. I hate to admit that I have now spent several thousand dollars with them, and still am not any closer to making money. My site looks terrible, the products they have on it are the same as so many other sites and my business coach seems to get more irritated with me every time I call and ask for help.

After reading your site, I realize I have made a mistake. I wish I found you weeks ago! They never told me anything abouthaving to 'get legal', and now I know why. They are one of the middlemen you talk about.

Can I still use your Directory and use the site I paid them so much money for to make money, or do I have to start all over again?

Sincerely

Larry S.

This person's chances of success: 90%

Analysis:

Ok, this poor guy has been trapped in DreamLand. It happens to a LOT of people. It happened to ME, years ago!

Captain Griphook and his Pirates are VERY good at what they do; it's not a crime to fall victim to them. They are EVERYWHERE and they make the whole thing sound just wonderful at first.

Why do I personally give him a 90% (VERY good!) chance of success?

Because he didn't give up!

The very fact that he continued looking and eventually found my site (and probably other helpful sites) tells me that he realized he was in trouble, and needed to DO something about it. That's a good thing. Many people will just sit there and let the Pirates bleed them dry completely, then just go home with nothing left and quit.

He says: "I'm angry at myself."

That's the statement of someone who is willing to take responsibility for his mistakes. He could just as easily have said "I'm angry at these Scam Artists", but he didn't. He knows that the burden was on him to investigate the business he was starting. He realizes that he let himself get swept away by a slick presentation, but he's not stamping his feet and yelling "No fair!" He's taking responsibility, picking up the pieces and moving on.

"They never told me anything about having to 'get legal', and now I know why."

Just like Angela, in Email #1, he's read the information on my site, taken the time to understand it, and is now taking action. Excellent. :o)

Let's look at this the other way around for a minute. Why am I removing ten percent of my estimate for his chances of success and only giving him a 90%?

One simple reason. He's had a taste of the people who tell you how easy everything is, and he may, in the back of his mind, still wish that were true. He may get more easily frustrated with the realities of business after listening to all those false promises about how simple life was going to be.

Larry needs to stay focused on the fact that real success is not handed to you; you work for it.

Finally, although the answer to his question is not important here, I'll tell you what it is. Yes, he CAN still use the site that he's paid so much for, as long as they will allow him to place his own products (from REAL Wholesale Suppliers he finds in our Directory or on his own) on the site.

Email #3

I need one product at a time, not a lot I have to keep at my house. Do the companies you have send one at a time to my customers? Send me more info, and I might get your Product if I like what I see.

(no signature)

This person's chances of success: 20%

Analysis:

This is a good example of someone who is not ready for the Real Business World.

Why?

-         They don't pay attention. The answer to this question is on the HOME PAGE.

-         They obviously did not take the time to read even a couple of paragraphs.

-         They are lazy. We take great care to explain the Directory in detail and include videos to watch. The fact that they would rather try to force me to re-explain everything in an email tells me that they just don't have the ambition to read something on their own, and that's a bad habit.

-         Lousy communication skills. Note that there's no "Salutation" at the beginning of the Email. He (or she; I can't tell from the email!) doesn't even bother to say "Hi!"

Now, I'm not an English Professor, and it doesn't bother me personally to get emails like that. I even send them that way sometimes, to friends, and people I already know. However, it looks unprofessional in business.

If you're going to speak to someone, do you just walk up to them and start spouting your first sentence? No!

You get their attention, usually by saying "Excuse me", or just "Hello".

Here's a trick to remember. When you work in the Real Business World, always imagine that the next person you correspond with could make or break your business! If you do that, your business correspondence will always impress, and never damage your business. You don't have to demean yourself in any way. Just be polite.

-         They are rude. "I might get your Product if I like what I see." In other words, I had better bend over backwards to please, and maybe they will bestow this favor on me. To me, it honestly doesn't matter. I don't care about the rudeness; I've seen a lot of rude people and lot worse. But, this is important: When you're starting out in the Real Business World, you don't go around making rude demands of other people. You're the "new kid on the block", and if you act badly, eventually you're going to be rude to the wrong person.

In business, you NEED the goodwill of people who are in a position to help you. Say, for example, this guy uses our Directory of WBI Certified^TM Wholesalers to contact a supplier of the products he wants to sell online. GENUINE Wholesale Suppliers who will work with Online Only Businesses do NOT grow on trees. They are VERY hard to find. This guy may only have one shot at a REAL Wholesale Supplier of the particular products he wants to sell. If he's demanding and rude to the only supplier that is right for him, he's got nowhere else to go. They have plenty of other customers, and they will not hesitate to tell him to get lost.

Here's a PERFECT example of what I mean:

We had an excellent Drop Ship Supplier listed with us for over a year. Recently, they decided to stop drop shipping.

When I wrote to the company's general manager and asked why they had stopped drop shipping, this is the reply she sent:

"Hi, Chris,

We have experienced two problems with people who contact us and are starting a new business. It's caused in part by their eagerness to 'grab the dream'. 1) People fail to do proper research, and 2) People believe that the dream is automatic and requires no work. On the first, we get enquiries from sites that target, for example, sporting or computer equipment, not even the kind of products WE sell. They don't even bother to go to our Policies page or check out the product lines we handle. On the second, too many people expect things to happen with little work on their end; i.e., that we should do their work for them.

We have been overwhelmed by the number of people who are totally nasty. That might be something that you may want to put in your site. Also, I have had people call and tell me that they have already added our products to their site and I have no idea who they are..."

See what I mean? Here was a perfectly good Drop Ship Supplier who no longer drop ships because of people with unprofessional attitudes, like the guy who wrote Email #3.

The Real Business World does not tolerate people who don't want to do the work!