Chapter 2. Choosing a Product or Service

What You'll Learn in This Chapter

• How to sell to human needs and motivations

• What product or service to sell

Most people who open a Yahoo! store know in advance what they're going sell. Some choose a product that they know, have, or can source, or a service that they can provide. Others may not have a specific product or service in mind but want to join in and benefit from the eCommerce revolution.

Every business, no matter what it sells, must find a way to create a unique selling position to compete in the world of eCommerce. That unique selling position, or USP, consists of two partsa customer niche and a market niche. We'll discuss the market niche and unique selling positions in more detail in the next chapter. In this chapter we'll focus on the first step of creating that effective USP for your online business.

Even if you already have an ongoing home business that you wish to bring online, you will find the process described here and in the next chapter valuable to the success of your online business and ascertaining whether you are targeting your product or service properly. For without a well-defined, effective USP built directly into the design of your online storefront and the creation of content that reflects it, you will find it exceedingly difficult to effectively promote and market your finished online storefront as we move through the steps of launching your Yahoo! store.

Tip: Do What You Enjoy

People start a business to make money. After all, that's a business's purpose. But it's important for you to pick a business that you enjoy. You may make a lot of money running a business you don't love, but the mental anguish of working at a business you don't enjoy is a high price to pay. Many entrepreneurs running successful businesses are unhappy doing it. The end result is that some literally make themselves sick.