Internet Marketing Street

As an internet marketer, how do you prove you are credible enough so people are prepared to pay you for your products and services?

If you're just starting out you have little background for your prospects to work with, and it's likely they will go and find a product from someone they feel is more trustworthy.

I suppose if you put yourself in their shoes, would you hand over your hard-earned cash to someone you didn't know? For all you know, they could run off with your money, giving you nothing or something inferior in return.

So how do we overcome the "lack of credibility" obstacle?

Firstly, you must have a website with plenty of relevant, useful content. Your website visitors should be able to leave your site knowing they have read something of value. Remember, they are searching the internet for information. You must give them that (or some of that) information.

Also, you should offer them a free ebook or report in return for their name and email address (opt in form). This is the first step towards building your list - your most valuable asset! Once you have them on your mailing list, you can send them emails (preferably using an autoresponder), offering them useful information, with the occasional product offer (sales pitch).

One important thing to remember here is that you don't give them the sales pitch in every single email - very soon they will unsubscribe then you've lost them forever.

Sending them information every few days or every week will allow you to build a "relationship" with your prospect. If you've done the right kind of research, you will know what they want to know (hence the reason they subscribed in the first place) and you will talk about how that might make them feel or how you have experienced the same thing. Build rapport with them. Show them how they can't live without your product - hone in on their pain.

Use "borrowed credibility" and talk about how successful your mentor is (if you've been taught by the best, then you must be pretty good, right?).

Offer freebies to friends and get them to review your product and write you testimonials. Put those testimonials on your website for the world to read. If possible, include a photo of the person giving you a testimonial, their name and where they are from. Testimonials are a very powerful way to gain credibility.

Building an online business is a huge task, and there is a lot to do, but with enough effort and commitment, you can soon be on your way to living the dream!