Over the holidays I was at a holiday dinner with friends and an old friend of mine who started a retail tennis shop a few years ago was telling us that she may have to close her business in 2008 because the rent for a commercial store front was just too expensive. So I asked her, “Why do you have to sell your products at bricks and mortar store?” She had this glossed over look in her eyes (and she was only on her first martini) and finally said, “I didn’t know that the construction of the building actually effected the rent. Do you know of another location that’s made with different materials and may have a cheaper rent?” It was obvious she didn’t have a lot of experience with online shopping. Wanting to help her, I smiled and whispered, “Sue ‘bricks and mortar’ refers to businesses that exist in the real world as opposed to just the cyber world. Online shopping is growing day by day. People are spending more time on the Internet than ever before. If your products are not exposed to the Internet, you are missing out on a great opportunity. Online store is the key to any successful business. Your business deserves the best online store and my company can help you get there. Give me a call after the holidays and we’ll talk about it. “ We enjoyed the rest of the party but it got me to thinking that as you begin to develop your 2008 marketing plan and operating budget, maybe it would be helpful if I’d share a few of the advantage of selling online over selling by conventional methods:
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