Internet guru in Malaysia
BACK when big earnings were thought to be only for businesses, former Internet Marketing Centre chief executive officer Derek Gehl was already pioneering the art of turning a profit. In the 1990s, he found a new use for the Internet: selling products through a webpage, instead of through a traditional retail store.
Between the low cost of setting up and the enormous reach to be found online, his profits, and his methods, quickly took off. “A normal business requires you to have a physical presence,” says Gehl, who will be flying in from Canada in March to speak at a series of free Internet marketing workshops in Malaysia. “An online business is a lifestyle business. It allows you to work from anywhere in the world and lets you reach a global market on a limited budget. In fact, you can start an online business for less than US$500 (RM1,500).”
He was approached by people who wanted to know how they, too, could do business at such a low cost and still make a solid profit. To answer the queries, he developed his methods into formal courses on how to sell products and do business online. Gehl gives some insight to The Star on how anybody can make money on the Internet today.
Do I need a lot of technical skills to become an Internet entrepreneur?
The barriers to building a business online have been substantially reduced over the past decade.
Fifteen years ago, just finding a way to take a payment on the Internet was a long, technical and convoluted process. But today you can set it up in 24 hours. Websites used to be difficult to build. You had to code them by hand. But now it’s all point and click. Anybody can do it regardless of their technical skills. You don’t need any education in computer science, just the ability to follow instructions. It’s easy to build professional websites without being a technical genius.
If it’s so easy, won’t there be a lot of competition?
In the majority of niche markets on the Internet, the competition isn’t very strong. There are not a lot of sophisticated marketers. Now, in some industries – such as slimming and beauty, there is stiff competition. But if you’re going into a more defined niche, like a hobby, the competition won’t have a lot of savvy marketers. If you take the time to learn the skills that I’ll be sharing at my free workshops, you will be leaps and bounds ahead of the others.
What are some of these skills?
Learning how to actually sell, for one. It’s the hardest thing. The science of marketing on the Internet is probably more complicated than the actual technology, because it involves figuring out what are the hot buttons that will get people to buy your product. It’s the most fundamental challenge in every business, not just online.
So what product should I sell?
Finding a product to sell isn’t a problem. What’s more important is finding a group of customers who have a need or a want that isn’t being adequately filled, and then going into that market with a better mousetrap and being a better Internet marketer.
There are tools to help you find these groups and show you what they want, and I’m going to talk about them at my free workshops.
How much money can I make?
The beauty of the Internet is that you can make it what you want it to be, whether you want a little extra money in your spare time or a huge amount of money full time. For example, I helped a struggling work-at-home dad to make US$18,000 (RM54,692) in the first year of his business. He made his first sale within 15 minutes of launching his website! Now he’s in his fourth year, and it looks like he’ll be making US$320,000 (RM972, 304) this year. He’s getting a lifestyle he’d never even have imagined before. Really, the sky’s the limit.
Will I have to spend a lot of money on getting started?
You can start from zero. If you put me down in a city with nothing but my laptop, within 24 hours I could be up and running, selling products online and making money. All you need is an Internet connection. But if you’re willing to invest a little more money on tools, on outsourcing, you can speed up the process, and you’ll see results faster.
Meet Gehl at the free Internet Success Workshop
Gehl will be revealing more of his secrets on how to start a profitable Internet business with a capital of less than US$500 (RM1,500).
This is the exact blueprint he has used to help thousands of people, even complete newbies, around the world to succeed on the Internet.
- March 17 (Sat) 10am Eastin Hotel, Bayan Lepas
- March 17 (Sat) 3pm G Hotel, Penang
- March 20 (Tues) 7.30pm Intercontinental Hotel, KL
- March 21 (Wed) 7.30pm Armada Hotel, PJ
Registration: Visit www. Internetsuccessasia.com, call 038062 7796 or SMS 016-261 8273
The seats are limited so register early to avoid disappointment.
If you are interested in learning more about how to make money from your laptop, Gehl offers a free report worth US$37 (RM111) where he shares cutting-edge marketing strategies to start your own profitable online business. You can download it at www. Internetsuccessasia.com