Planning an Online Business is no that easy you must take things slow but sure. Jim Edwards introduced these important steps for those who plan to put up an online business.

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran looking to expand an existing online business, a casual dabbler looking for a part-time income, or an offline professional wanting to expand your market online, the following five key steps will help you reach your goals.

Key # 1: Define Your “Target”
Clearly list and explain what you want to accomplish in your web site business. We all think about what we want to get or accomplish in life and our job. But did you ever list it specifically in terms of money, traffic to a web site, or more sales online? This principle and simple activity applies to an ebook, a new website, an ezine or any other business goal. Defining a clear target will give your conscious and sub conscious mind something definite to shoot for.

Key # 2: “Define the Cost”
You must “define the cost” in terms of the tools, resources, and people you need to reach your online business target, no matter what type of business you operate. How much will it cost in time per hour, day, week and month for all of the items? Also, how much will it cost in terms of money to operate the business, buy traffic, pay for hosting, design and more. Sit down and map out the costs before throwing open your doors (or wallet) so you don’t get hit with any nasty surprises.

Key # 3: “Make a List”
To create a real business that can be systematized, you must list off every single thing or element connected with your business, from the first idea to making daily deposits into the bank.
You may not know how they’ll get done right now, but you must recognize that eventually these items must get done. You can easily come up with a fairly comprehensive list by brainstorming just to get them down on paper. Then, when you think you thought of everything, let someone else take a look and poke holes in your list with all kinds of additions and questions.

Key # 4: “Prioritize”
Here you must list all the elements you planned in number 3 in the exact order of how you should complete them. Car makers must build in a planned order or the finished product won’t work. Once you sketch out your complete plan, let someone else take a look to see if you forgot a step. In fact, they might point out that you forgot to tighten the lug nuts and the wheels fell off in the dealership!

Key # 5: “One Step At A Time”
Most people want it all and they want it now! Unfortunately, the real world doesn’t work that way. Whether you do all the work yourself, outsource the job, or a combination of the two, everything must get done in the correct order in the correct way.

My motto reads, “Multi Tasking = Inefficiency. Don’t try to do two different jobs at the same time, you’ll most likely screw up both and waste time and money doing them a second time.
Doing web site copy and email don’t mix, auto responder messages and voice mail don’t mix.
So pass each milestone on your road map and get things done properly and in sequence.
Launching an efficient and effective online business is not difficult.

Customers are the main asset of a business. That’s why every business entrepreneur should learn how to take good care of their customers.

According to Kathleen Conroy , there are some strategies to keep your customers loyal to your business. Learn to meet their expectations and you must do better than your best. Exceed customer expectations by providing six benefits:

1. Value - Packaging is one way to enhance your product’s value in the customer’s eyes.

2. Information - Complete information helps customers get the most out of your product or service.

3. Speed – Be on time as what you have promised your customers.

4. Personality - Customers love to do business with upbeat employees.This type of organizational personality can’t be faked. Greeting a customer in your most sincere way makes a big difference that could touch your customer’s heart.

5. Add-ons - Surprise customers with something extra.

6. Convenience - Win repeat business by making life easier for customers.

A lot of stores are built online. To make an online business grow, one must know the key to make it successful. efront web development spent time researching for the essential elements for a successful online store:

1. Simplicity

Navigation – Allow customers to navigate it easily in just one click.

Shopping Cart – should be visible for customers with products in bundles and easy to add for purchase.

Checkout Process – make buttons clear for check out, and not require log in for customers that would make it complicated and time consuming.
Making it simple and easy to navigate would give you a positive impression. Remember, if customers are frustrated with your site - the perception will be that it’s hard to do deal with you and your business.

2. Consistency
Be consistent on every designs or logos you have in your site.

- Keep the header images the same to be easily identified, Make sure your site use CSS - this gives you greater control and consistency between the design elements of both sites.
- Use scripting like PHP to mage consistent footer elements across your site - again minimizing work for changes down the track.
- If you accept credit cards, don’t be afraid to show the logos.

3. Control

Make it easy to manage! & Control your Content

- Add / Edit / Remove Products & put images for your product description.
- Specify freight pricing & put multiple options for each product also, avoid displaying products that are not available.
- Put multiple categories for each product and avoid duplications.

4. Security
Build trust from your customers. Be sure that it would be safe for them to purchase through your site.

Things you need to know about security
- Always encrypt the customers’ credit card details through SSL and the use of a valid certificate.
- Don’t slow down the entire site by using SSL on the normal store pages - just use it for checkout.
- Don’t send the customers credit card details via email.
- Don’t store the credit card details after you have processed payment - delete them.

5. Search
Make it friendly and easy for customers to find what they are looking for.

- Put some good search.
- Make it accurate & don’t bounce the customer to another page for search results. And fast

6. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Don’t leave this as an afterthought.If you’re store is database driven (and it should be), chances are your visitors are going to be seeing the same page just loaded with different content. While this gives you some benefits, it can also impact on your Google rankings. Make Google Your Friend

- Put keywords on your titles. And have a Google sitemap installed and registered for your site to tell Google what pages you have so they can list them.

- Make sure to have a updated database of your products. And have more images that reflects on the product name. When your images are displayed they should contain appropriate name data in the html Avoid URL’s that contain variables, search engines don’t like this and won’t often follow these links when scanning your site.

7. Clarity
Put an excellent presentation! Great product images not only make your site more appealing, they also impact on the perception of quality and professionalism of your business.
Paint A Thousand Words

- No photo can sometimes be better than a bad photo.
- Take high quality images of your product, & compress for your site.
- Avoid having other things in the background of your image. & Use a white background - a large piece of white paper that wraps up a wall behind your product can be inexpensive and effective.
- Take your photo’s with plenty of light so you can avoid using the flash.

8. Management
Control With Ease for a good service.

- You should get an email when a sale comes through with the details (excluding credit card) - this allows you to action it promptly.
- Your site should have a pending list of orders that you can access online and manage & put proper label for each.
- Managing your orders helps you stay in control, gives you peace of mind that you are on top of things and lets you respond to queries quickly.

9. Feedback
Peace of mind

- A personalized email should be sent to the customers confirming his/her
order details.
- Your email should outline the process from here and what the customer needs to do or what they should be expecting.
- You should provide the customer with a method of contacting you such. ie. Your email address and/or phone number and ideally a name to keep it personal.
- Provide the customer with a link that could help them monitor or keep track of heir order.
- Once the order has been processed or sent, send the customer another email (ideally automated) thanking them again and letting them know their order has been sent.

10. Follow Up
Invest time to value your customers. To keep them coming back

- Keep previous customers up to date with specials or promotions through email. & Offer a special gift or incentive to existing customers as a thank you.
- Send a thank you email to customers a few weeks after purchase.
- Ask customers for a testimonial or their thoughts on a product - it’s personal and shows you’re genuinely interested in their satisfaction. & Show it on the site, to enhance and support your product.

This is an actual job application that a 17-year-old boy submitted at a McDonald’s restaurant in Florida, and they hired him because he was so honest and funny!

NAME: Greg Bulmash

SEX: Not yet. Still waiting for the right person.

DESIRED POSITION: Company’s President or Vice President. But seriously, whatever’s available. If I was in the position to be picky, I wouldn’t be applying here in the first place.

DESIRED SALARY: $185,000 a year plus stock options and a Michael Ovitz style severance package. If that’s not possible, make an offer and we can haggle.

EDUCATION: Yes.

LAST POSITION HELD: Target for middle management hostility.

SALARY: Less than I’m worth.

MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: My incredible collection of stolen pens and post-it notes.

REASON FOR LEAVING: It sucked.

AVAILABLE TO WORK: Of course! That’s what I’m applying.

PREFERRED HOURS: 1:30-3:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL SKILLS?: Yes, but they’re better suited to a more intimate environment.

MAY WE CONTACT YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER?: If I had one, would I be here?

DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD PROHIBIT YOU FROM LIFTING UP TO 50 LBS?: Of what?

DO YOU HAVE A CAR?: I think the more appropriate question here would be “Do you have a car that runs?”

HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY SPECIAL AWARDS OR RECOGNITION?: I may already be a winner of the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.

DO YOU SMOKE?: On the job, no; on my breaks, yes.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN 5 YEARS?: Living in the Bahamas with a fabulously wealthy dumb sexy blonde super model who thinks I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, I’d like to be doing that now.

DO YOU CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE?: Yes. Absolutely.

SIGN HERE: Aries

Seriously now. For information on making the right resume when applying for work, get some tips from www.emurse.com.

Two or more business that stays in contact on a regular basis to build & improve each others business is called a Networking. A lot of ways to network your business online. Chat rooms, email boards, business related discussion boards are one of those examples to participate. Also, to communicate with other business online, you can join via email, video conferencing and by instant messaging programs. As well as business association and clubs.

In a networking business you’ll gain some benefits with other groups such as how to improve one’s business, learn some business new operations & strategies. Get constructive criticism that can improve your business. Also you’ll know some tips on how to solve a current business related problems that can lead to new business projects and new marketing techniques. But, Before you go out and communicate with other business professionals there are a few things you should know ahead of time. Know what kind of business information you are seeking. Figure out which professionals could give you this information. Know what questions you want to ask them.

- Advertising/Marketing

In order to have customers, people first need to know that you exist. This is one of the most essential part of the business where you promote your product. Educate your prospected customers about your product and try to build attractive marketing strategies to gain more customers.

- Web Site

This is the most essential part for your online business. Building a web site for your target customers would find you or your product. And you should also make sure that it would be easy to navigate, also, the contents should be clear enough for them to understand. So your customers could better understand your contents and not end up losing some customers. Establishing a good website, you need to have your own domain and web hosting.

- Business Plan

A business plan would help you give direction to your customers. That will help you plan for strategies. This is important for you to know where your business is going for your future plans so you will know what to do or where to expand. This way, you will be able to put everything in order. Once the business plan has been established do your best to stick to it.