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Why I think it is harder to sell online today.

by Raydal
20 replies
I've been involved in online selling since around 1996. I use to
sell on the old free AOL advertising boards. Anyone remember
those? Where your ad got scrolled off as new ones were
posted?

I only got seriously involved in online selling in early 2002 as
a full-time business or at least trying to make a full-time
income. My experience has been that it has become a lot more
difficult to sell online for a number of reasons:

1. There is a lot more competition than in the early days. When I
started my copywriting service there were just a couple of other
copywriters who I knew were doing the same. Most were a part of
the old Michael Fortin copywriters forum. Today there are a lot
more hanging out their signs (more than a few I have trained
myself.)

2. People are lot more skeptical of the promise of easy online
wealth. And this is a good thing because this means that the
prospects are a lot more discerning and this will force the cream
to float to the top. But with this skepticism comes an extra
hurdle for those vendors who are offering "honest" value.

3. When the US economy dipped around 2008 more people came online
looking for a second source of income. But people had a lot less
discretionary income to spend and this made sales a lot harder to
come by.

4. There is so much more free information available online today
that most people think that they don't need to buy any. Vendors
have to offer really specialized services to justify their
charging prices. Many business owners have responded by "moving
the free line" so that they give away a lot more valuable
information in order to lure the prospect into their sales trap.
Gone are the days when you could just gather some free
information and place this in an ebook and make sales. Prospects
today are looking for actionable plans that bring results not
just information.

5. Advertising prices, especially PPC, have gone up and many
companies can afford to cut you if you don't abide by their
policies. It's a "you need us more than we need your money" situation.
In the early days of Google Adwords, for example, they were happy
to take your money. Now they have the advertiser on the defensive
on what you can advertise and the pages you can send paid traffic
to.

There are many other reason I'm sure but these are five that came
to mind. Maybe others can help me on some others as they see it.

-Ray Edwards
#harder #line #sell #today
  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Villanueva
    Just like anything in life, no matter what timeline, industry, niches, country, its a struggle

    We all struggle to make ends meet and competition is always there. But on the way up to the summit, there are lots of hurdles and obstacles that will test your grit and heart.

    You will have to use your cunning and evolve as time goes but good old fashion hardwork will get you there.

    Hardwork will trump skills any time of the day and skills can be learned by a hardworker.

    Once you reach the top, the competition is a lot less but the risks are higher so you must then get out from comfort zone once more and evolve.

    The world is not new, and its gonna be like this until the end of time so dont let anyone or anything stop you from your God given destiny

    Joe
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    • Profile picture of the author 01123581321345589144
      I think you have a pretty solid list there already. You're right:

      People are more skeptical and more computer savy themselves.

      People are broke.

      People are able to illegally or legally obtain info you might have otherwise provided for them for cheap.

      People overseas are gaining internet too and doing cheap, good quality labor for less.

      It's just simply hard to be in the IM business.

      Joe's right too I think.
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisBa
    IMO, it's not hard, it might be hardER than it used to be..

    I always try to compare what we do online to an actual brick and mortar business.. in the end I always find it much easier and convenient to do what we do online..

    I still think we have it good, think about it..

    -We have the opportunity to sell 24/7, compared to a brick and mortar business who is 9-5 monday to Friday or whatever operating hours they have
    -We have the opportunity to sell all over the world, compared to a brick and mortar business who can typically only sell local

    I could go on, but those 2 points alone should help demonstrate on how good we have it
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    • Profile picture of the author Raydal
      Originally Posted by ChrisBa View Post

      I always try to compare what we do online to an actual brick and mortar business.. in the end I always find it much easier and convenient to do what we do online..
      For sure the entry point into an online business vs. offline is no comparison
      at all but I was comparing online yesteryear to online today.

      -Ray Edwards
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    • Profile picture of the author mariamcm
      Originally Posted by ChrisBa View Post

      IMO, it's not hard, it might be hardER than it used to be..

      I always try to compare what we do online to an actual brick and mortar business.. in the end I always find it much easier and convenient to do what we do online..

      I still think we have it good, think about it..

      -We have the opportunity to sell 24/7, compared to a brick and mortar business who is 9-5 monday to Friday or whatever operating hours they have
      -We have the opportunity to sell all over the world, compared to a brick and mortar business who can typically only sell local

      I could go on, but those 2 points alone should help demonstrate on how good we have it
      Very good points Chris, and I agree with you. I think too many people are fooled into thinking IM and all the 'get rich quick' schemes deliver without having to do any real work. The bottom line is people have to work bloody hard to succeed in IM. I've been dabbling for years (I call myself a former 'Shiny Object Chaser of Epic Proportions'!) but I finally decided to do what I really wanted to do, and have created a product out of that desire. I'm at the beginning of a long road on the other side, as it were, and I have learned very quickly that it's not as easy as it sounds or is made to sound, and you have to do the ground work and build up your rep. We ARE much luckier than generations before us, you're right, and we now have not only 24/7 opportunities to sell, we have the world at our fingertips with zero geographical restrictions. If we focus on the positives and get pro-active, the results will come. Maybe not overnight... Rome wasn't built in a day, after all.
      Maria
      Brainwave Entrainment & Cogni-Fusion Technology - Atuneu
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by Raydal View Post

    My experience has been that it has become a lot more difficult to sell online

    Ray,

    I think you're correct about the difficulty of selling online when you're talking about the traditional products and methods used over the past 15 years. Products and methods go stale quickly these days. Most ebooks and effective marketing tactics have a rapidly decreasing shelf life.

    I do think there is much greater opportunity today, however, for creative and innovative products, apps and services than there has ever been.

    Those who refuse to watch the trends and adopt the new patterns and framework that surrounds online business will have a harder and harder time trying to make a living.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author joshril
    Although I agree with many of the points made, it just means that those that put out the highest quality content/resources will thrive.

    In the last 10 years, the demand for quality content has increased substantially. Can you direct link PPC to an affiliate product and still expect good results today. Nope.

    But, if you're willing to put in a little work and provide some real value, you can easily set yourself apart from the herd.

    Thanks,


    Josh
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    I find it easier than ever.

    You raise some excellent points, Ray. Fantastic post. I disagree with some, and your general outlook, but that doesn't mean I'm right, nor does it take away from that worthwhile post.

    Here's my take on things . . .

    I entered the fold in 1994. As you'll remember yourself, our industry was in it's infancy; comparable, I guess, to the Wild West. Many aspects of the business were unregulated, undeveloped, prone to corruption, and consequently at times, it was quite the disorganized free-for-all. This, of course, is usually the case for any system. And it takes time for a system to evolve and, through that famous "Invisible Hand" (although, here, I'm using it for a wider application) become ordered and more beneficial to all concerned.

    The upshot - in my opinion - is we now live in times that afford greater prosperity in this business than ever before. Affiliate programs (CB, for instance) have evolved, giving us greater opportunity to earn; more people use the internet and more people are accustomed to buying online, again giving us greater opportunity to earn; regulations and court precedents have birthed more order and safety, and consequently people are more willing to spend, again giving us that opportunity to earn. I could go on . . .

    Is there more competition? Certainly. A great deal more. The reason is simple: barriers to entry are minute. All one needs is an internet connection and a dream. But this is fine by me. Competition regulates the market in an ethical manner. It gives us acceptable prices, for one. Moreover, and more importantly, it drives us all to push the boundaries of what we do: to make better products, to make better sites, indeed . . . even to be better people. I relish competition. We all should, because we all need it.

    So - all in all - I have a different outlook. I may not be right - you make some excellent points, as mentioned - but I'm comfortable thinking the way I do.
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  • Profile picture of the author johnben1444
    While you have some points in some places you are wrong and am very sure there are many other people here who would say it's easier to sell today then yesterday.

    1. More technology surfaced to ease our work and increase our sales funnel.
    2. More businesses and opportunities were opened as many people besieged the internet. Businesses thought it's time to come online because there are more people using the web then before. Today almost all serious business have a presence online.
    3. We can showcase our products to millions of people in the twinkle of an eye.
    4. Cost less to start a multi-million dollar business today. In the past how much was the biggest forum, search engine, website e.t.c cost? I guess nothing, webmaster were just doing it for advancement and fun.

    Your niche may have become saturated and you still don't know how to overcome it and stay ahead of the game/rest.

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author Sarevok
    Competition is direly high.

    But so what? We live on an overpopulated planet. We all have to deal with it, regardless of what avenue we choose. (I don't care if you're a pastry chef or astrophysicist, there's lots of competition).

    And it's great! There are so many people. Researching has never been this agile, and development so cheap.

    Besides... In today's world of "done for you" systems, funnels, franchises, and cheap development...

    It all comes down to your ability to claim access to the focus of others.

    That's the trick these days. There are millions of offers, and a million ways to formulate funnels, awesome third party funnels, done for you graphics, bots, software, white label stuff, Fiverr, cheap development, anything you need is for the taking.

    So, since it's arguable that getting the attention of end users is the only thing that matters these days...

    The question becomes; how to achieve marketing solvency in order to make unlimited attention a possibility.

    Getting access to the precious end users is the focus.

    Getting their attention, and focus.

    :]
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
      Originally Posted by Sarevok View Post

      Competition is direly high.

      But so what? We live on an overpopulated planet. We all have to deal with it, regardless of what avenue we choose. (I don't care if you're a pastry chef or astrophysicist, there's lots of competition).

      And it's great! There are so many people. Researching has never been this agile, and development so cheap.

      Besides... In today's world of "done for you" systems, funnels, franchises, and cheap development...

      It all comes down to your ability to claim access to the focus of others.

      That's the trick these days. There are millions of offers, and a million ways to formulate funnels, awesome third party funnels, done for you graphics, bots, software, white label stuff, Fiverr, cheap development, anything you need is for the taking.

      So, since it's arguable that getting the attention of end users is the only thing that matters these days...

      The question becomes; how to achieve marketing solvency in order to make unlimited attention a possibility.

      Getting access to the precious end users is the focus.

      Getting their attention, and focus.

      :]
      Truly excellent reply. You bring up some great points.

      I'll just expand on one area you mention (though I could happily expand on all others, and talk all night): development costs. I have literally zero programming ability outside of CSS and HTML. This is quite a problem when you combine this distinct lack of coding ability with an imagination capable of devising what I need coded. Thus: I resort to either what is currently available, in terms of the software I need, or the services of clever people who do what I cannot. I would say, now in 2014, development costs in this area are, for me, around 1/10, perhaps 1/15 of what they were 10 years ago. The beauty of this is that I'm more likely to try new things (pushing that boundary) because I don't care about minor financial loses. I can also be more productive, of course, and enhance both what I receive in terms of remuneration and also what the end user receives in overall utility.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    More competition? Yes. But that's not a bad thing.

    It makes the better marketers stand out even more so.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    Those who refuse to watch the trends and adopt the new patterns and framework that surrounds online business will have a harder and harder time trying to make a living.
    I'm constantly surprised how people continue to "beat dead horses."

    It's like they just can't accept that (insert method) doesn't work any more.
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  • Profile picture of the author internetmarketer1
    I do have to say that more and more people do become more skeptical. I do have to say that this is definitely an upside because of the added value that us honest marketers can offer. It just means that only the best marketers make it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
      Originally Posted by Raydal View Post

      There are many other reason I'm sure but these are five that came
      to mind. Maybe others can help me on some others as they see it.
      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      More competition? Yes. But that's not a bad thing.

      It makes the better marketers stand out even more so.
      The cream will rise to the top.

      This is a good thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mindz
    I don't think it has gotten harder. I just think everyone need to be more creative. Its all the same script with no difference.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      I think the biggest change has been all the regulations and Google slapping. Things were easier because you didn't have as many bad apples ruining it for the rest of us. Many legit avenues of promotion have been wiped out because of these bad apples and thus I have gone from well off to broke and now have to start all over.

      It is what it is. I'm angry, I'm bitter, I'm disgusted and there are days when I am fed up. But I keep at it. I work round the clock now, again. I will succeed again if it kills me. And it might. But I WILL succeed.

      And I think that's that what it ultimately comes down to for each of us. If you want something bad enough, you'll get it. So yes, it may be harder than it used to be. But it's not impossible. I will prove that by coming out on top again.

      If I can do it,anybody can do it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    If you struggle, remember this . . .

    Hard work and perseverance will always pay off.

    - If everyone else works 8 hours a day, YOU work 14!
    - If everyone else works 5 days a week, YOU work 7!
    - If everyone else produces something, YOU produce it better!
    - If everyone else has moments of negativity, YOU remain positive!
    - If everyone else wants to be successful, YOU know you will be successful!

    There is a famous quote in corporate finance: "You've got to be ready to bite the ass off a bear every morning."

    Think about that tomorrow morning. When you hunker down, wherever it is you work, think about that bear. Put aside that morning bagel. Instead . . . chew on that mean sonofabitch bear, instead.

    Your way of thinking about working online needs to change. This is not the civilized, tea-sipping, cozy hobnobbing, delicate profession of gentlemen. This is war. And you're fighting for more than money, more than the respect in your child's eyes. You're fighting for your future and the future of that child. Will I allow - even for a second - the competition to take away or even somewhat diminish that future?

    Not while I've got teeth.
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