Ask a Business Expert

A: Every business must have Web presence. The Internet today is what I refer to as a giant Yellow Pages. Many customers will only look for companies that are on the Web. Many people believe if a company doesn't have a Web site, they don't want to do business with them because how progressive could they be? It doesn't have to be fancy to start, and you should actually start small but keep adding to it every quarter. It is a long–term commitment. It is a brand new way of doing business but it works. Don't let the Wall Street greed of throwing billions of dollars at companies that had no right to exist in the first place damper the true revolution the world is going through. The Web is now and the future is brighter than ever.

Get your domain name ASAP and even reserve your name with misspellings. Unfortunately, people type wrong and spell wrong, and browsers don't have spell check. As for selling on the Web, the same rules apply. Start with just a few items. Make them the hot items of the month or your personal favorites or top sellers. If you have any success with that, then expand on it. With the advent of digital cameras and scanners, it is getting easier to have a page or two of your items posted.

I am hard pressed to think of any industry that could have a problem selling on the web with the exception of customized services such as engineering services, buildings, or anything that is tailor made for the individual. Some say that if you have to feel it, touch it, or hold it, then it will not sell on the Web. However, I see little evidence that would make that a universal belief. The Web is changing our lives so quickly that almost anything will be possible in the next few years. Get on NOW because your competition is already there.