Take Your Small Business Online in 5 Steps

Everyone wants to sell online these days.  But it takes more than great products and services to succeed with an online business.  So what do you need?  First, read this article from SCORE called Am I Ready to Sell Online? The article suggests that you must be mentally ready to deal with the realities of online sales, because they certainly are different from face-to-face sales.  And you must be able to create lots of top-quality content to draw people in.  The nuts and bolts of taking a business online take time, money, and creativity.

Here are 5 steps to getting your small business ready to sell online.

1.  Products or services. First, you must have products or services to sell.  If you have products, you have to figure out how you are going to ship them.  You will also need to find someone to write copy to describe your products/services, and someone to create photos and graphics.  Note all the graphics used in the site above.  All of those have to be created…and paid for.

2. A web site.  Next, you must have a place to sell.  That means, a web site.  And before you have a web site, you must have a domain name.  So, find yourself a domain name, preferably one that ends in .com, if possible.  Register the domain name.  Then get a server to put the domain name on and create a web site.  You will need to find someone to create an logo, set up the website, and put all the sales pieces in place.

3.  A “shopping cart.” You next will need a way to put products or services on your site so people can see them and learn more about them.  This means you need an online service that will allow you to create information pages with photos for your products or services, and a way for people to click and buy.  Take your time finding a good service.  It’s worth paying for a service that allows buyers lots of flexibility and an easy way to buy.  If they get frustrated, they will leave.

4. A merchant account. Next, you need a relationship with a bank to verify transactions and process payments, and buyers want to know that their transactions are secure.  You can use PayPal for this service (get a business account), or you can use a bank.  If you use a bank, you may also want to get a PayPal account, because some people like to pay using this service.

5. Maintenance and Customer Service. Finally, and most important, you need someone to keep an eye on the store.  Just like with your face-to-face business, someone needs to deal with customer issues and keep the merchandise looking fresh.  Having someone to check links frequently to make sure they work will save you lots of headaches.  Depending on the number of products or services you want to sell, maintenance and customer service can turn into a big job, maybe even full-time.

Still want to sell online? It’s not easy to set up an online presence, nor is it cheap or fast.  It can take you thousands of dollars and several months to get things running smoothly.  But it can be a great way to reach a wider market for your products or services.

Inage source: Newscom