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If you’re looking to make money online, or if you are already making money online, then you either need, or already have something to sell.

After all, anyone making money online is selling something in one way or another, whether it be a service, physical item, or a digital product, it all comes down to having something that someone else needs or wants, and providing it to them for a fair price.

If you don’t feel that you’re pulling in as much as you could be, then maybe you just need to be adding a few tricks to your bag. I find that many of us hear so much of the same ol’ same ol’ on the forums and around the net, that after awhile we just tend to ignore them hoping that there’s a new magic bullet out there you may stumble across that only you and a select few get privy to.

You know what I mean about same ol’ same ol’, right? Article marketing, building a list, and stuff like that… blechhh! How totally boring.

But you know what? There’s nothing fancy about a hammer either, but if you need to pound in a nail, it works every time. It never needs a re-boot, and it’s absolutely reliable, but how many of us actually get excited about using or possessing a hammer.

It’s not likely that you’ll be struting into a club somewhere shouting to your friends, “hey man check out my new hammer!”, and soon gathering a huge crowd of interested spectators as they check out your new hammer with the genuine rubber grip. If anything, they will likely dispurse rapidly out the door not quite knowing if you’re some kind of nut job getting ready to throw down and break bad with it.

Concentrating on the staples of your business is not overly interesting, and sometimes downright boring, but it happens to be the very fuel that keeps your buisness alive.

Have a product, generate leads, sell your product, generate more leads. That’s the simple basic formula. When you start straying into other areas, always ask yourself whether this is going to either create a new product or service for you, generate more leads, or more sales in some way. If not, then don’t waste your time.

Here are 5 essentials to a healthy online business:

1. Build a list – Yeah, you’ve probably heard it a million times, but are you actually doing it? And beyond that, are you providing your people with value? The people on your list are the single most valuable asset you can have. Treat them good, and they will reward you over and over again, pretty much on demand.
2. Do the article thing – Another subject that gets old after the um-teenth time… remember the hammer story? It really works, and once its on the internet, it can be there forever, sending traffic your way. Not only that, but there are so many ways that you can maximize your articles. One example is that you can put some of your articles in your blog, and then refer your list to them as a way to provide them with value.
3. Test everything. If you enjoy leaving serious bank on the table, then by all means, don’t test. Testing what works and what doesn’t is vital to improving your sales over time. You may think that you came up with the greatest headline of all time in your sales page, but your visitors may beg to differ. You may think that you know what they want, but they may tell you otherwise if you give them the chance. Test, test, test… Testing is literally your keys to the kingdom.
4. Look professional. I don’t care what the so called gurus say about shabby looking websites pulling in millions… Bull-stuff! If your site looks shlocky, why should I, the prospect, take you seriously? What does that say about your product or service? Take a little time to check your spelling, add some nice graphics, and straighten your margins to say the least. The extra effort will pay off again and again.
5. Offer great customer service. As amazing as it sounds, some will disagree with me, but offering the best customer service possible will reward you greatly. Some see this as a loss leader, or time spent that offers nothing in return for you. I totally disagree with this philosophy. I see great customer service as a way of showing my prospects that they are important. A repeat customer and a raving fan is a priceless commodity. This aspect of your internet business is not a loss leader, it’s an investment!

Follow the 5 essentials, and you can’t help but to have a thriving internet business. 🙂