There are a lot of gurus (experts) who would like you to think you can get rich quick selling products or information on the Internet if you just buy their advice.. For example, I get a newsletter every week from one expert who constantly showcases the success of a client of his who made $1,500 his first month.

However, I have noticed that this success story is always the same person and the same $1,500. I have also received countless ezines (electronic newsletters) from other Internet gurus who promise to help me get rich quick.

Some people do get rich quick

I do believe there are certain people who do just this either because they managed to find an incredibly profitable niche or because they had a really desirable and unique product.

However, I am equally sure that these people are in a small minority. I also believe that many of these experts never really sold anything successfully on the Internet besides maybe their how-to information about selling on the Internet.

You can make money on the Internet but it's more like get rich slow. It just takes time to build a good mailing list. It just takes time to create an ezine that people will read and respond to. It just takes time to find a profitable market niche. And it just takes time to learn how to write great sell copy.

An example from my own life

Here's an example from my own life. I have tried selling on eBay. I have tried selling on eBay on a drop-ship basis. I have had a one-page web site selling information. I have written and distributed an ezine. And you know what? None of this worked because my expectation was that I would be getting rich quick.

Today, I am working with one company whose mascot is a tortoise. This company understands that it takes time and patience to build a successful Internet business. They teach that to have a successful web site, you must have traffic and that you cannot build great traffic overnight. I have followed their advice to the letter. My web site is attracting more visitors and more page views every month. I actually have one keyword that is ranked #1 by Google. I'm not making much money yet but believe that I will be by March or April of next year.

So, I won't be getting rich quick despite what many of those Internet gurus want you to believe but I just might get rich slow.

Douglas Hanna

Douglas Hanna is a retired advertising and marketing executive. Over the course of his 30-plus year career, he created sales-winning advertising and marketing plans for a wide variety of clients. Hanna writes extensively about family finances, old time radio and the Internet. He is also the webmaster of a site devoted to a new technology called HD Radio.