Today, we'll look at ways that you can increase your online business. Let's start by looking at your own website. Take a look at it now, and try to see it through the eyes of a new visitor. Remember, it doesn't matter that you can build stunning websites online. Your clients don't care about that - they only care about the benefits your product offers.

Strangers have only one question about your website -- "What's in it for me?" If your website does not explain the benefits of your product or service, your customers will move on without a second glance. Let's use an example from real life - a home study course. I could go on for hours about all the features of my new home study course, including the audio and video tutorials, the CD-ROMs, the manual and transcript, and more.

Big deal. Chances are, you don't care. And why should you? As a busy consumer, you want to know, "What can this course do for me? How will it improve my life?"

Then I could say it will teach you how to:

- Find a profitable niche for your website;

- How to create a profitable website

- Get your website on the Internet;

- Choose the right website;

- Register a domain name and find a web host;

- Find new customers every day;

- How to set up a shopping cart

- How to make large commissions recommending other people's products

- Develop a professional look and feel for your website.

But you know what? Even with all that, I would be missing the most important part of my whole sales letter. You see, the information above is necessary, but it is not what sells a home study course. You need to tell your readers what the information in that home study course will do for them!

Think about your customer and ask yourself these questions.

- What do your customers really want?

- How will these tutorials on websites help your customer to spend more time with his or her family?

-How will taking notes, following along in a transcript, help them gain the freedom they so desperately desire?

- How will following the transcripts help them to gain the financial freedom they desire? In studying your customers, you will learn their desires.Perhaps they seek freedom from debt, or from those dreaded nine to five jobs they hate. Maybe they want freedom to pursue their passions and live their dreams. And some may wish the freedom to educate their children in entrepreneurship, in the hopes that their children won't have to suffer unpleasant jobs, dictatorial bosses, and low wages. They would jump at the chance to make $2000 dollars in an Internet business. And so would you.

When you learn what drives your customers, you will be able to speak to them about the benefits of your product or service. Not only can this information help you to make $2000 in an Internet business, it will also help you build a business that lasts, attracting clients and providing steady income for years to come.

While you may list features on your webpage, it's important to understand that your customers aren't buying features. They buy benefits. If you're selling a wedding e-book, you may list certain features on your website - you may mention that the book is 67 pages long, featuring interviews with pastors, florists, caterers, wedding coordinators, and more. You may even talk about the great money back guarantee you offer. But that won't sell your e-book to customers. They want to know the benefits - a beautiful wedding that doesn't cost a fortune, reflects their personality, and makes them the talk of the town. Do you see the difference?

Think of a commercial for a sports car. Do they ever talk about gear ratio, horse power, bucket seats, CD players, under coating or all that stuff? No, those are features. Car commercials sell benefits. You usually see a middle-age man looking very successful, even smug, and he's burning down the highway. Of course, the highway's always winding along a mountain road down the coast.

Do you see the difference? They're selling the feeling of driving the car, not the car itself. Those commercials tickle our fantasy, making us believe that we are richer and better looking when we drive that particular vehicle. Of course it's a fantasy, but for many buyers, that's the benefit. The image is often the thing.

I admit that's an extreme example. But it does illustrate the point I'm trying to make. Your website needs to answer the question, "What do I get out of this? How will this benefit me personally, professionally, or otherwise?"

To succeed with your website, you must answer these questions. Show your clients, with clear examples, exactly how your product or service benefits them. My home study course, for example, helps people develop an income, which in turn helps them quit their dreaded day jobs, pay off debts, and work fewer hours so they can spend time with their families. Through my course, they learn entrepreneurship, skills that they can pass to their children. I help them find the money to pursue their passions, combining work and play. Those are all clear benefits, and my clients can relate to them.

That's more like it!