Perseverance: the Web Marketer's Greatest Asset

Type 1: Unrealistic

Unrealistic people believe that once they finish uploading their website, money will come rolling in and they’ll be millionaires before lunch. They are not prepared for the realities of Internet business.

This past summer I decided to start a second online business with a friend of mine. We identified a void in the marketplace, and developed a business model to fill it. We started with a long-term marketing strategy in mind. In the beginning the site would serve as a tool to enhance our off-line marketing efforts, and as time went on, we would increase our online marketing.

A week after the site was launched, my partner mentioned that we hadn’t gotten any orders or information requests yet. Six weeks later, we negotiated a solid business deal with a local company that guaranteed us revenue until the end of the year. At that point, I was pleased with our progress, because the business was going to support itself for the next four months. However, my partner was quite disappointed, and lost interest in the project.

As he saw it, the business failed because it didn’t bring in the returns he expected. He contributed very little to the project we had going, and saw no value in cultivating new business relationships. In his eyes our website "didn’t work." We were getting few hits, and orders were not rolling in, so he didn’t see any value in putting more effort in the business.

Currently, business is picking up, and there seems promise for the future. It just took time to make it happen.

Type 2: Jaded

In a couple of months unrealistic business people become jaded about the Internet. "Banner Ads don’t work," "No one makes money on the Internet," "Only the big companies succeed," they say. Those who feel this way often didn’t put the necessary effort into their business, or did not market their business correctly.

Two weeks ago, a potential client e-mailed me with a question about Internet marketing. She asked; "Can I advertise on the web without a website? I had a site but it didn't work." When I asked how long she had her site up, she said, "Two months." Since it didn't get a huge response she took it down. Instant success seems to be an all-to-common expectation.

Type 3: Perseverant

Then perseverant Internet business people. When they see they are losing money or not making as much money as they had hoped, they respond by increasing marketing efforts, refining their websites, and creating new ways to market their businesses. They see the long-term potential and the value of cultivating relationships with other online businesses. They do not give up. Typically, perseverant people are the ones who succeed.

While I am excited about the potential for my business, I don’t expect instant success. Some might call this pessimistic, but I disagree. Though my business is starting to pick up, I’m not ready to call it a smashing success. I know that creating a business of any kind requires hard work and patience.

Muhammad Lee (lee@adgconsulting.com) is the founder and president of The Advanced Design Group, L.L.C. (http://www.adgconsulting.com). ADG's specialty is website enhancement/design and helping businesses establish an Internet presence.

Read additional articles from Web Marketing Today, Issue 51, December 1, 1998