Small,Business,amp,#58,What,Do DIY Small Business Q & A: What Does Your Website Sa

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Q: My business is very small, just me and two employees, and ourproduct really can't be sold online. Do I really need a website? -- Robin C.A: Congratulations, Robin, you are the one millionth person to ask me that question. Smile for the cameras, brush the streamersand confetti from your hair and listen closely, because I'm aboutto answer for the millionth time what has become one of the mostimportant and often-asked questions of the digital business age.Before I answer, however, let's flash back to the very first timeI was asked this question. It was circa 1998, during the toddleryears of the Internet, just after Al Gore laid claim to havinggiven birth to the concept a few short years before. I was giving a speech on the impact of the Internet on smallbusiness at an association luncheon in Montgomery, Alabama. Mymotto then was: Feed me and I will speak. I have the same mottotoday, but I now expect dessert to be included in exchange forthe sharing of my vast wisdom.In 1998, which was decades ago in Internet years, the future ofelectronic commerce or "ecommerce" as it's come to be known, wasanybody's guess, but even the most negative futurists agreed thatall the signs indicated that a large portion of future businessrevenues would be derived from online transactions, or fromoffline transactions that were the result of online marketingefforts. So, Robin, should your business have a website, even if yourbusiness is small and sells products or services that you don'tthink can be sold online? My answer in 1998 is the same as myanswer today: Yes, if you have a business, you should have awebsite. Period. No question. Without a doubt. Thank you,drive through. Now serving customer number one million and one…Also, don't be so quick to dismiss your product as one that can'tbe sold online. Nowadays there is very little that can not besold over the Internet. More than 20 million shoppers are nowonline, purchasing everything from books to computers to cars toreal estate to jet airplanes to natural gas to you name it. Ifyou can imagine it, someone will figure out how to sell it online.Internet marketing research firms predict that online revenueswill range between $180 and $200 billion dollars in 2003. Theyalso predict that the number of online consumers will grow at arate of 30-50% over the next few years. These numbers aloneshould be enough to convince you that your business should havea website. Let me clarify one point: I am not saying that you should putall your efforts into selling your wares over the Internet,though if your product lends itself to easy online sales, youcertainly should be considering it. The point to be made here is that you should at the very leasthave a presence on the World Wide Web so that customers, potentialemployees, business partners, and perhaps even investors canquickly and easily find out more about your business and theproducts or services you have to offer.That said, it's not enough that you just have a website. You musthave a professional looking website if you want to be takenseriously. Since many consumers now search for information onlineprior to making a purchase at a brick and mortar store, your websitemay be the first chance you have at making a good impression on apotential buyer. If your website looks like it was designed by abarrel of colorblind monkeys, your chance at making a good firstimpression will be lost. One of the great things about the Internet is that it has leveledthe playing field when it comes to competing with the big boys. As mentioned, you have one shot at making a good first impressionand with a well-designed website, your little operation can projectthe image and professionalism of a much larger company. The inverseis also true. I've seen many big company websites that were sobadly designed and hard to navigate that they completely lackedprofessionalism and credibility. Good for you, too bad for them.You also mention that yours is a small operation, but when itcomes to benefiting from a website, size does not matter. Idon't care if you are a one-man show or a ten thousand employeecorporate giant; if you do not have a website you are losingbusiness to other companies that do. Here's the exception to my rule: It's actually better to have nowebsite at all than to have one that makes your business look bad. Your website speaks volumes about your business. It either says,"Hey, look, we take our business so seriously that we have createdthis wonderful website for our customers!" or it says, "Hey, look,I let my ten-year old nephew design my site! Good luck finding anything!" What does your website say about your business?Here's to your success.Tim [email protected] For information on starting your own online or eBay business,visit http://www.dropshipwholesale.net