NOT! (sorry for shouting).

When was the last time you took great joy in visiting a car lot in search of a new vehicle? "Oh, boy," you tell yourself. "I am oh-so happy to be here and let these high-pressure salesmen try to muscle me into something I can't afford or am not looking for or both!" Personally, I'd rather visit the dentist. Why? Simple. Hard selling does not work! It only succeeds in irritating people and causes them to run from your very presence, screaming.

Pre-selling is where the gold lies. It's a basic and very proven formula.

C > T > P > M.

That's the formula to use to find true success in your business. Let me explain.

C = Content. You need keyword-rich content throughout your website to attract the search engines and provide people an enjoyable, trusting spot to get the information they need.

T = Traffic. Through your content, you are driving traffic to your site. You need lots and lots of it.

P = Presell. Once your visitor arrives, your objective is to provide them an environment that is safe from high-pressure. A place where they can find the information and solutions they are looking for from a person who they find is a trusted friend that is merely making recommendations.

M = Monetize. The recommendations lead to sales, whether it be affiliate sales, hard goods, e-books or whatever. The key is to diversify your income streams from one single site. You can do that in various ways depending on your site theme. It can come in the form of Google Adsense, referral and finders fees, affiliate commissions, e-commerce sales and on and on. You're only limited by your creativity.

People who are on the Internet are vastly different from people who are walking down the street, passing brick-and-mortar businesses.

A brick-and-mortar business is relying on location-location-location. People who walk down the street will see that store, stop in and make a purchase.

People on the Internet don't even know you or your business exist. Those people are looking for information and solutions, not you. Location - location - location does not work for Net sales. In this case, it's Information - information - information. If you provide the information and solutions they need, they'll gladly walk through your virtual front door. Eventually, if you've followed the CTPM, those visitors will provide you with your most wanted response....a conversion click!

Click - click- ka-CHING!

If you don't and they perceive that you just want their money, they will hit the back button on their browser as quick as can be. Don't make that mistake.

Think about it. You pre-sell yourself every day without even realizing it. You suggest to a friend a great book that you've read that you think would help them. You tell them about a great show on the Food Network that told how to make the perfect omelet and you know they love omelets. You suggest an awesome nasal spray that has helped you conquer your allergies, knowing they suffer from the same problem and they are looking for a solution. Etc, etc. You work your personality in. You show people that they can trust your opinion. You show humor and give solid advice. That's what it's all about and it works. You didn't tell them this to sell them a line of goods. You shared the information because you had their best interest in mind. After that, the product will sell itself. Your job is to pre-sell.

That's pre-selling and that is following the C > T > P > M formula. Content. Traffic. Presell. Monetize. Never, ever start at the M. You will put your business on a path to failure and waste so much precious time.

You owe it yourself and your business to get a great handle on it....it will mean the difference between your business failure or it taking off like an eagle!

You can find out more information at either of my websites.

Here's to your success!

Tony Thomas