The basic tools needed for this business include:
1. Knowledge (Information).
2. Internet Access (You mustn’t have your own laptop, desktop or ipad to start it. You can even use your phones to do the business).
3. A Debit or Credit Card (MasterCard or VISA Card). N.B: I’ll teach you how to use your local ATM card and make payments.
4. An e-mail address.
5. A little seed capital (Except you already have much money to use in this business).
6. A phone number.
7. Identification Card (National ID, International Passport, Driving License, or your Company ID card).
8. A contact address (That is, an address where you would like the goods to be shipped to).

How Do I Start The Business?

Just like every other business, you need to have a mental picture of what you want before setting out to do it.
Every prosperous business follows a systematic approach to achieve results. Without a business system, your success is not guaranteed. What do I do first?

#1. Set Your Goal

A goal is an achievable target. It is the holistic picture of an expected end. It determines your planning and pursuit. It is only when you see that you set-out to accomplish. What seeth thou? What do you see ahead of you in your desire to become an importer? What kind of importer do you want to become? What kind of product do you want to import? How rich do you want to be in this business? You must have a goal.

Until you have a target, you become a target for failure and stagnation. A goal moves you into action. It makes you get MAD (Motivated Aggressive and Determined) in accomplishing a purpose.

A life without goal makes you a goat. A life without target makes you the target. Imagine a football match where there is no goal-post, when will the match end? Imagine a race without a targeted ending point, how do you determine the winner?

The problem of most people is that they know how to be rich, but the extent of their richness is never anticipated. You must think big. You must see the end from the beginning (Being Proactive). This will guarantee your manifestation.

#2. Have a Plan (Business Plan)

Seeing a BIG mental picture without planning to achieve it will end up in frustration and gross failure.
Having a goal is not enough. You need to set a plan to achieve it. You need to draw up a plan on:
How to finance your internet business.
The quantity of products to buy/service needed.
Where to sell them.
How to manage the sales.
Where to expand into.
Where the business will lead you to, e.g., in the next five years. And many other related questions.

Planning is a practical step in the pursuit of any vision. Failure to plan is planning to fail. Planning sets the pace for setting the extent of a vision, achieving it, and measuring the achieved against the target.
Ask yourself these questions:
What is my marketing plan in this business I am about to enter?
How do I market the products/service?
Where do I market them?
What do I need to market them?
When can I finish the marketing?
What is my Management plan?
How do I manage logistics?
How do I manage staff (If I want to employ a helping hand)?
How do I manage the environment?
What is my Financial plan?
How do I handle finances?
What do I need to finance the importation?
Where can I access the requisite money (Capital) needed?
When will it be accessed?
How can I go about the payments for the products I want to impact?
What will be my worth, financially, in the next one month, one year, five years, or ten years?

#3. Program Your Plan

At this stage, you need to simplify your plans into handleable sizes. At this point, you now step out into action. Visit the market places, shops, etc and try to know what is lacking or relatively produced locally or imported at a seemingly higher rate (costs). You also study individuals and corporate bodies to know what they may need that you can provide and/or market to them. Remember, Internet Marketing Business, even every other business, is not about selling what you want but what the people or intending buyers need. The concentration of your Internet Marketing Business should be on needs and not on wants. People (Users) buy needs first before considering wants.

ALSO READ THIS! LOVE AND MONEY TALK With THE AUTHOR (Part 16)

One can’t do without needs. But, one can do without wants. Needs are necessary, important and urgent. But, wants might be necessary and important but not urgent.

Time might not warrant me to explain more (Please, Google “needs” and “wants” to know the differences).

When you discover potential feasible, viable and lucrative products/services based on the needs of the people and your research, you can take a step and start negotiating with them to allow you supply the products/services to them at a relatively cheaper supply prices.

Most often, they will be happy to buy from you because their major objective is to make as much profit as they can. But, you need to appear as a professional to be granted audience because your packaging determines acceptability and consequent award of the contract.

How Do I Professionally Package My Internet Marketing Business?

This is very easy and simple. However, many businesses crumble because they lack the knowledge of the positive effect of professionalism in business management. They do businesses casually and end up as casualties. God forbid! It shall not be your portion.

There are many factors that depict professionalism in one’s business. Among the things you’ll do to look professional include:

Have a corporate name

Doing business with a corporate name adds colour to what you’re doing than doing it with your personal name. A corporate name depicts professionalism. It shows seriousness in what you do.

Example, if your name is “Emeka”, you can use it and create a name like “Emelex International”. You can go ahead and add: “…Importers/Exporters of General goods”

You can take a step further and register the name, as a “Business Name” with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Abuja (Good news! I also have an e-manual on, “How To Register Your Business Name/Company With Or Without A Barrister Or Chartered Accountant. You can order your own copy by calling: 09073308104 or e-mail: alanaijaonline@gmail.com).

ALSO READ THIS! How To Build A Business That The World Will Envy

Have A Business Card

A business card represents you as a professional. Many business people believe in it. Most often, when a business person asks you after your Business Card and you don’t have it, he/she sees you as an unprofessional (If not a Scammer). That is why you need to have a Business Card to do well in importation business.

Remember, the quality of your business card determines the attributable personality attached to you. Many business people will believe you when your business card is professionally and qualitatively packaged and produced.

Have An Invoice / Receipt

In any supply or distribution business, you need to have an invoice and receipt to be seen as a professional. However, it does not cost much to produce both invoice and receipt, even with less than N8, 000 (Eight thousand Naira) you can have a printer produce them for you. Imagine what you will loss without having an invoice or a receipt. Go for a receipt booklet and invoice booklets.

Have A Contact Address

Based on research, many business people are still afraid in doing business with people who don’t have a contact address where they can be physically located.

But, this shouldn’t serve as a challenge or pose a threat to your business.

In today’s world, your house can serve as your head office or contact address. You can also use a friends shop (Office) as a contact address, all you need to do is to inform him of your intention to use his/her some copies of your business cards to keep with him/her in his/her office. When a customer/client comes looking for you, he/she hands over your business cards to the person and asks him/her to call you on phone with the excuse that you were not on seat now. However, your friend might even call you immediately to come over and discuss with the potential client/customer.

Remember; don’t dress casually to see clients/customers. You might lose your business by doing that as such act depicts unprofessionalism in your business dealings and most often results into lack of trust on you by your potential clients/customer.

Have A Professionally Written Business Plan

Thinking of “How To Write A Business Plan?”. Let, Gabriel Onyekawa Consulting help you write and develop one for your own Internet Marketing Business. This will help you advance speedily in Internet Marketing Business as it can help you secure venture capitalists and other investors who may want to invest in your business. Not just that, a good business plan serves as a rudder that guides your ship in Internet Marketing Business. It helps you locate the next action to take and it protects you from distractions in business. This is because a good business plan keeps you focused on Internet Marketing Business, especially on the niche of your business.

However, if you think you can’t write yours, you can employ the services of a freelancer or a professional business consultant to help you do it at a little charge (To order my manual on “How To Write A Business Plan”, call: 09073308104 or e-mail: alanaijaonline@gmail.com

Have A Proposal

You need a professionally packaged business proposal. For instance, when you discover that a particular company needs a particular product/service that you can provide at a very cheaper price, with a professionally packaged proposal, you can initiate a win-win kind of business, which they will never object, get the contract from them, get an initial contract take-off grant (which in most cases will be enough to start your Internet Marketing Business), and make untold profit therefrom, after the full business transaction.

I remembered when I wanted to start this popular Business Magazine Project, “AlaNaija.com (Business Tips Blog/News/Magazine)”; I took such steps, and started publishing the Magazine without my own money. I have also practiced such steps in businesses, with a proposal and it worked. It will work for you.

ALSO READ THIS! LOVE AND MONEY TALK With THE AUTHOR (Part 9)

Google “How to write a business proposal”, and you’ll learn more about writing a business proposal. Except when you think you might not be able to do it or might not have the time to write it, then you need an external person, e.g, a professional business consultant, freelancer or any other person to do it for you (But, you can contact me to package one for you at a relatively cheaper price).

Dress Well And Appear Professional

The way you dress determines the way people address you. Your dressing to work determines how serious you take your work.

A casual dressing to work depicts a casual approach to business. Dressing nice and professionally to work, changes your mentality to think BIG, act BIG and achieve BIG results.

At least a black and navy blue suit will do, with a white or sky blue shirt and long tie will do. Peradventure you add to it a laptop bag or business sized brief case, which makes the best outfit. With your business cards, receipts, invoices, business ID card, business plan and proposal neatly packaged into the box/bag, you are “good to go!” Who will deny you a contract when you’re already loaded with the requisite information on Internet Marketing Business Strategies and you can produce results at the speed of light?

Thus, you need to also have a very good computer graphics expert design and produce your own business ID Card. This is normally done at less than N5000 (Five Thousand Naira only) in Nigeria.

Remember, to add value to all you have done, you need A LOGO to brand your firm.

This is easily done by a graphic expert. Have him/her design your business logo (Make sure you can interpret the logo). Don’t just use any colour or image you see. Know the meaning of the colour and/or image before having the graphic designer put it on your logo design.

With these things at your disposal, your corporate package can now speak and produce the requisite results, even beyond your imagination, except if you are not a BIG thinker.

See You Over The Top!

Are you motivated by this article? Then, share your suggestions in the comments section below.

However, you can now get a comprehensive and all-in-one information on this subject, by INSTANTLY DOWNLOADING my e-book entitled, “Secrets Of Business Breakthrough” (CLICK HERE! or click the picture below). If you’re outside Nigeria, get my Paperback and E-Books through Amazon (CLICK HERE NOW!)

P.S: As a top-rated Blogger, Business Growth Strategist, Author, Publisher, Word Press Geek, Internet Marketer, and Digital Journalism Expert, I can help you solve ALL your Blogging and Website needs. Why not HIRE ME now! CLICK HERE NOW!

To Your Success,

Gabriel Onyekawa,

Business Growth Blogger

CEO,

Gabriel Onyekawa Consulting

www.AlaNaija.com

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