It doesn’t matter if it’s a little $9.97 ebook you put together, a commission for an affiliate product, a booking to your first workshop, or a subscription to a membership site, the very first sale you make online is glorious!

Before you make that first sale, everything is theory. You can spend forever reading articles, trawling forums, devouring ebooks and courses, and learn a ton of great stuff, but there will be massive doubt in your mind until you start to see some money coming in.

Will anyone buy my products?

Will anyone want to buy through my affiliate link?

Would anyone pay for my membership subscription?

That first sale, for many people is a turning point. I remember my first affiliate sale and being over the moon at the measly $10 commission I had made. My fiancée was less than impressed, especially since it had taken me several weeks to get to that point, but to me it was proof that I could build a business online.

If you’ve yet to make your first sale, that should be your primary goal… to get just one sale under your belt.

Napoleon Hill said it best in his seminal Think and Grow Rich:

What man can conceive, and believe, he can achieve.

I know from bitter personal experience that it can be massively demotivating and frustrating when you’re dong everything you can, but seemingly making no progress. It felt like I was spinning my wheels, working flat out but getting nowhere.

In fact, I was making progress. While I wasn’t seeing results in terms of sales, I was laying the foundations. I was creating content, and starting to attract traffic, and that’s where it all begins!

Making money online is not rocket science, even if sometimes it feels that way. Read some Internet Marketing Guru’s material and you’d be forgiven for thinking this is black magic, but it’s really not that complicated…

1. Create content

2. Drive traffic to that content

3. Convert those visitors into customers

OK, so there’s a lot more to it but in essence that’s all you’re doing. Of course there ways to go about it. You want to capture those visitors by way of an email opt-in so you can send them more content and offers. You want to ensure that your sales copy is up to scratch. You need to make sure you’re targeting the right people, in a suitable market. But don’t over complicate things! Keep it simple, focus on your goal of getting customers, and then building a relationship with them so they become repeat customers and you can make a fortune!

Set yourself a target. Aim to get your first sale, or your next big sale, or to hit a new income best next month, or whatever will stretch you out of your comfort zone. Make it a big enough goal to stretch you, but one you believe you can reach. Remember – what you can conceive and believe you will achieve!