Playing With The Big Boys
Copyright © 2000 Gauher Chaudhry, All Rights Reserved.

Forget about any barriers to entry in e-commerce. The Internet
has created a whole new opportunity for any motivated
individual to set up their own business.

Billy has a dream.

Billy wants to own his own hardware store and live out his
father's dream. But he cannot compete against the big boys
such as Home Depot, Cashway or Home Hardware.

What happens to Billy's dream? It doesn't happen and he doesn't
get a chance to live his dream.

In the offline world, there are many barriers to entry and stiff
competition that strangle the little guy to death. The big
discount chains have moved in and swallowed the little guys who
had been around for years. The little guy cannot compete
with price, service and variety. It is a cruel, cruel world.

But, the Internet has changed all that.

In the online world, it is a whole different ballgame. A 14-
year old teenager can compete with the Coca-Cola's and Gilettes
of the world. Why? On the Internet, everyone is on the same
level playing field.

If you want to compete with the big corporations, it can be done
easily by creating a professional and solid looking web site.
Creating a professional looking web site can give the illusion
that you are just as big as Coca-Cola or other major
corporations.

Even if you do not know how to do it yourself, you should hire a
company to create a professional looking web site that will
guarantee that you do not look like a small mom and pop shop.

In cyberspace, there is no major overhead like rent or other
constraints such as store floor space. You can create as many
professional web pages that you want and have a professional
e-commerce solution implemented for a bargain price.

People are weary about giving their credit card numbers on the
Internet. The minute they suspect that the web site is being
run by some kid working out of his bedroom, they will be
clicking on to the next site.

If you are a smart marketer, it is time to revamp your web site
with the "level playing field advantage" in mind. In some cases
with the right touch, you could look even bigger than a billion
dollar corporation.

Seriously!

It makes me wonder when I look at cheap looking web sites that
look like an 8-year old created it. Who does the person think
they are kidding? Good luck trying to sell a product or service
from that site. Sites like these look like they are not going
to be around in a few months!

Some sites do not even accept credit cards. I know that it can
be difficult, if not impossible, to get a merchant account. A
quick solution is to use an online retailer.

An online retailer will do all your credit card processing for a
small commission. They then cut you a check, for example, every
two weeks. Two popular online retailers that can have you
accepting credit cards in as little as 20 minutes are:

CCNow
http://www.ccnow.com

CCSlide
http://www.ccslide.com

By being able to accept credit cards, you can easily boost your
sales by 40% and maintain a professional image by showing that
you are big enough to accept credit cards!

Billy doesn't need to dream anymore. He can set up a
professional looking web site and start aceepting credit cards
in a short time.

If you are having trouble creating a professional looking web
site, a great place to go and get free web templates is:

Free Templates
http://www.freesitetemplates.com/

This site has over 60 ready made web templates. All you have to
do is add your text and you can have a professional looking web
site in minutes.

Exploit the "level playing field" strategy to the max and you
will see a dramatic rise in your sales!

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Gauher Chaudhry is editor of Cool Cash Ezine. You can subscribe by sending
an email to subscribe@freecoolcash.com with "sub-art" in the subject.

Join Gauher's two-tier affiliate program by promoting his latest book "EZ Money
With Ezines." Gauher teaches individuals how to make thousands of dollars in
the ezine publishing business! http://www.ezmoneywithezines.com
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