THE NINE C's FOR ONLINE SUCCESS
by: Cary Christian

Will you be one of the five percent of people who build a successful online business? It's a difficult proposition, that's true. But it's not as difficult as some people make it out to be. More than anything else, it requires a certain focus and dedication to principles that are time tested and proven.

Tonight I want to give you a mini-lesson in how to make success happen for you that I call the Nine C's for Online Success. Without further ado, let's get started.

COMMITMENT

It almost goes without saying that commitment to your goals is required if you are going to be successful. But most people do not fully commit to their goals and desires. This is the primary reason so many fail. When the going gets a little tough, they believe they have to change directions, find a new product, totally rethink what they're doing, or drop out altogether.

This is a sure sign that the commitment was never there. Make sure what you're doing is something you believe in. If you don't, it will be impossible for you to totally commit to your path. Once you are sure, don't give up. Find a new way to make it work if things aren't going well, but don't give up. Success takes time. Commit to it.

CLARITY

Clarity comes into play in two ways:

1. Having a clear vision of what you want to accomplish and how you are going to get there, and

2. Being able to explain your vision to others in a manner they can understand.

If you don't understand your product or program, it is going to be impossible for you to sell the concept to others. Once your own vision is clear, the words you need to sell it to others will come quite easily.

COMMUNICATION

Communication is important on so many levels. You need to communicate with your peers and those you seek to learn from in order to perfect your craft. You need to communicate with your customers or downlines to keep them interested in your products or programs. The surest way to guarantee your customers are one-time customers is to stop communicating with them.

Got nothing in particular to say? Find something. Look for reasons to contact people and stay in touch regularly. Out of sight, out of mind. Stay clearly in the vision of those who are important with you by communicating often.

CHARACTER

Never, ever attempt to sell something that is substandard in any way. Never resort to unprofessional methods to make a sale. Never S P A M. Always give your customers or your downlines everything you have to offer. Give only your best. Be very quick to offer assistance wherever you can. Let people see you are a person of character in everything you do.

CONTROL

Your destiny is in your hands only if you exercise control over your activities. Don't get yourself into situations where others have too much influence on your success. This is why you should strive to create your own products as soon as possible.

You might be promoting some of the best programs and products on the web, but if the people who own the rights to those programs or products do not follow through on their responsibilities, you will be the one your customers and downlines blame. It might seem a bit unfair, and it is, but remember, you are the one selling this program or product. It is on the basis of your advertising and your word that people buy from you. You have no choice but to accept responsibility. Know that going in and refuse to put your good name on the line for anything but the best.

CONSISTENCY

Consistency also comes into play on several levels:

1. You must work your business consistently on a day-to-day basis. Don't ever treat your home business like a hobby. It requires you to work it every day. Treat it like a job, because it is.

2. Always be consistent in your treatment of business associates, customers and downlines. Teach people what they can expect of you and then never let them down.

CHANGE

Understand that the only real constant online is that the playing field will change frequently. Use that to your advantage. Actively seek out ways to make change work for you rather than against you. Whenever possible, try to find a way to be the agent of change so that you are on the forefront of change rather than always reacting to it.

CHALLENGE

Challenge yourself on a daily basis. There will always be something you can do better or make better. Push the envelope and find ways to make your business better on a regular basis.

If there are things about doing business online that really bother you, challenge yourself to change it. If you find you are required to do too much busy work because of a lack of automation, challenge yourself to automate. If you find you're not getting enough repeat customers, challenge yourself to find a way to make them come back again and again.

COOPERATION

There are a lot of very successful people doing business online that are more than happy to do joint ventures (JVs) with others. JVs work well for both parties as long as both have something to offer the other. Actively seek out people who have complementary businesses to yours and explore ways you can work together to strengthen both your businesses. If you've actively followed the previous eight C's, you will have built a business and a reputation that should attract plenty of willing JV partners.

The nine C's might appear to be a rather simplistic approach to doing business online. They might even appear to be just common sense. Well, they are both. Simplistic and just common sense. But if you look at the 95 percent who fail in their online business ventures, you'll find none of them are following this simplistic and common sensical approach. Read the nine C's. Think about what they mean in terms of your business and you'll see that you really don't need much more.

Copyright (c) 2002