Creating Your Own Internet
Marketing Success Story
Part Two: Marketing Your Own Products and Services
© 1998-2000, Marty Foley

The first article in this series discussed ways successful cybermarketers demonstrate that they take their businesses seriously.

Another common thread among successful netpreneurs is that we usually have control over at least one of our own products or services.

Advantages of Developing or Acquiring Your Own Products and Services

Consider some of the significant advantages that marketing your own products and services gives you:

You get 100% of the profit.
You gain greater control. The less you have to depend on other suppliers (who may not always be as ethical, reliable or efficient as yourself), the less related problems you'll have.
You are in a better position to develop repeat sales, where the real profits are to be found.
This does not mean that successful netpreneurs don't resell other people's products and services, but these are usually not their main focus, and the advantages of doing so are generally short-term.
Gradually Developing or Acquiring Your Own Products and Services

One problem is that many don't feel creative enough, or don't have the time or circumstances, to create or acquire their own products or services. It does take effort and creativity, but it's easier than you might think, and improves with practice.

While there are ways to come up with your own "instant products," product research and development (or acquisition) take time. Jumping into the market with just any product idea without researching the true wants and needs of the market is most likely to turn out to be a losing venture.

This is why it might be a wise option to start out cautiously promoting other people's products through joint ventures and reseller programs, which can instantly and inexpensively give you things to promote. (Perhaps in addition to one or a few of your own products and services.)

What's more, marketing just one product or service doesn't take advantage of back-end and cross-sell offers, where the real profits lie. Adding on related products or services of other suppliers lets you diversify sooner, giving you the potential to generate more income while your own line of offers grows.

As you gain experience and start earning profits, you should be on the lookout for strong market wants/needs that you can fill by creating or acquiring your own products or services, gradually expanding from there.

Types of Successful Internet Products

If you'll look around, you'll notice that a sizeable percentage of successful Internet entrepreneurs sell their own information products. (For more articles about profiting from information products, visit: http://profitinfo.com/articles/.)

Good software programs and scripts are naturals that can also do quite well on the Internet.

Whatever product or service you decide to create or acquire, always determine with reasonable certainty that there exist paying, accessible markets for it, before investing much of your time and money in it.

In Conclusion

All too often, struggling Netpreneurs focus exclusively on reseller programs to earn serious income, and some do well with them. As I've discovered myself, they can be profitable, and I'm not knocking them. In fact, I have established a web site that focuses on success with your own or others' affiliate programs, at: http://AffiliateProfitInfo.com

But to focus exclusively on promoting other people's affiliate programs is too much like working 9-5 for someone else, earning them the bulk of the profits. (And if a program falls through, where does that leave you?) These are some key reasons that I recommend having at least one of your own core products or services, and diversifying within your theme or niche by reselling those of others.

While going about the process of creating or acquiring your own products the wrong way can be a sure-fire way to go broke, going about it the right way can pay far more - and for far longer - than exclusively selling the products and services of someone else.