Main Page > Step 3.) Customer Basics

Where Do I Start?

Okay! Now you have a product in mind, a mentor to guide you...next is to understand the basics of selling to your customers, where to find them, and how to then boldly stride into the unknown.

Why Do Customers Buy?

Customers buy for one main reason - to fulfill an emotional need. For example, people don't buy Volves because the older models resemble boxes on wheels - they buy them for the safety reputation they've earned. They don't buy diet aids because they are thrilled with the idea of consuming odd quantities of protein - they're buying "looking better in a bathing suit/becoming more attractive to the appropriate sex/etc." So when a customer buys from you, you're delivering on not simply a product, but the feeling that product promises.

Where Do You Find Your Customers?

Ah, now we're getting to the good stuff! You can find your customers at

• Community sites
• Trade associations
• Professional organizations
• Forums
• Webrings
• Bulletin boards
• User groups
• Chat sites
• Mailing lists
• Local Chamber of Commerces
• Universities
• Alumni groups
• Diversity organizations
• Regional/state gatherings
• Epos, conventions
• Your local phone book's yellow pages
• Personal resumes

the mind boggles at all the possibilities! And the good news is, reverse-engineering search engines and finding all of the above online is quite simple to do as you'll see:

Beyond

Would you believe, I've never had to buy a mailing list to find prospective customers? And I've enjoyed a near-perfect record of Internet marketing without being accused of spam (even though I've sent out literally hundreds of thousands of emails over the past years? You can learn how I did it by taking advantage of The Hidden Internet Marketing Edge - the secret techniques taught will enable you to use search engines and other online informational databases to uncover potential, targeted customers for your business and also teach you the netiquette-friendly way of gaining their attention in a positive fashion.

Continue to enjoy your visit! The next section will reveal some great ideas for gaining the trust of your customers.

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