There are a few notable differences that are worth mentioning to anyone who is analyzing themselves in an effort to decide whether or not they’d make a good Internet businessperson. Let’s take a look at those differences and also go over some of the basic characteristics of a good businessperson in general.

First let’s look at some characteristics of a good businessperson, regardless of what type of business they own.

· Good organizational skills

· Good communication skills

· Desire to succeed

· Ability to prioritize tasks or projects

· Knowledge of the product or service being offered

· Ambition

There are obviously more characteristics than those listed above, however I believe those are some of the essential, basic characteristics all successful business people have. Next let’s look at the characteristics that are necessary to be a successful Internet businessperson.

· Ability to work well independently

· Ability to make decisions independently

· Excellent written communication skills

· Firm grasp on the workings of the Internet

· Knowledge of internet business and internet marketing

· Ability to see "the big picture" since very little of what you do in the line of internet business can be measured in any fashion other than on paper

As with the other characteristics, there are surely more characteristics of a successful Internet businessperson other than what I’ve listed above, however those listed are essential, in my opinion.

The ability to work well independently and make decisions independently is essential since most Internet business people work alone, at least in the beginning.

They must be comfortable working alone while still getting the work done. They also must be confident enough to make important business decisions on their own without having someone else there to tell them they’re right.

Excellent written communication skills are imperative, since much of the communication that takes place in the world of Internet business is done via e-mail and instant messaging.

You need to be able to communicate clearly and effectively in writing to be successful in Internet business.

Having a firm grasp on the workings of the Internet and knowledge of Internet business and Internet marketing are easily understood.
You would open a flower shop if you couldn’t tell a rose from a daffodil, would you? This is more common sense than anything else.

As for being able to see "the big picture" it is essential more for your own sake than for your business, but plays a factor in how your business will be run.

You need to be able to look at the facts and figures to see your customer count, progress and sales without seeing the money in a register or people in your store.

The term holds much more weight for me now, and it surely will for you, too, if you’re involved in, or considering becoming involved in Internet marketing or Internet business.

Let’s take a moment to look at what market saturation is and why it’s important to business people and marketers.

Market saturation, by definition, is when the quantity of products in use in the market place is close to or at its maximum.

Now this definition is not referring to all products for all markets, but rather a set type of products for a particular market.  For example, hedge trimmers, which would be marketed to gardeners, landscapers and gardening enthusiasts.

If there were just so many manufacturers producing hedge trimmers, and the market reached its capacity (meaning a high percentage of the gardeners, landscapers and gardening enthusiasts already owned hedge clippers) then market saturation would take place.

For those of us involved in business and marketing, market saturation can mean a huge dip in sales of our products.

If we’re involved in a market where there is a lot of competition and a limited market then the risk of market saturation occurring is higher.

This is one of the main reasons behind the trend of carefully selecting a niche market.  The chances of market saturation occurring in a carefully chosen niche market it much less, since you’re marketing to a much less-served market, or perhaps a previously undiscovered market.

If you’re already involved in an Internet business or Internet marketing and you’re seeing your market move towards saturation you may be wise to consider selecting a smaller niche within your market.

By doing this, you can narrow down which niche within your current market is least served and concentrate your energy on it.

If you see that all niches within your market are well-served you may want to consider another niche, perhaps related to your current market, but less served.

This can be particularly difficult to sort through, especially if you’re fairly new to it all.  There’s also the added complication of people you know giving you advice, however well-intended it may be, that’s simply not in the best interest of your business or marketing venture.

Below is a short list of some of the marketing tactics that simply don’t work well enough to be worth your time.

Contests – Although they may seem like a fun way of attracting potential customers to your site, the truth is most people just aren’t interested.

There’s also the fact that many people are leery of web contests because of the potential for scams and viruses.

Then there are also the potential legal issues involved in running a contest, which could be very costly and time consuming.  All-in-all contests are simply not the way to go.

Banner Ads on General Sites – Most banner ads you see are on general sites and not worth wasting your time or money on.  They simply won’t pay off.

The only banner ads I’d recommend are those that are linked to search terms on major search engines.  These will generally provide you with the kind of results you’re looking for.

Free Trials – These are only effective if you have a truly great conversion campaign to support them.  Most people will take the free trial and never buy after that unless you have a solid conversion campaign to follow through with.

This can be a very time-consuming process and may take many months before you ever see a profit.

There are many other marketing tactics out there that are not worth giving a second thought to.  However, don’t be discouraged by this.

There are an equal number of effective marketing methods that will provide you with the traffic you need to see a profit in your venture.

Just remember to do your research before you jump in to a marketing campaign to save yourself from spending time and money on a method that’s not suited to your needs.