When my oldest daughter turned seventeen we bought her a computer. I had never even played with one since we bought a Commodore 128 (long ago). After watching several ads on TV and getting a free trial period on the Internet through the mail, I decided that our hatchery with  few products to sell might do a little extra business on the Net.

I went in thinking that maybe it would increase business but I wasn't sure how much. Owning a small business and being totally computer illiterate, it was kind of scary thinking how much cost it would take to program our Web Site. Although we have had a paper catalog for some years, this seemed like a perfect place to get 24 hour around the clock advertisement, and the future of shopping was on the Internet.

 As we started out hearing all the hype about millions being made on the Net, I take things at face value and so I really didn't expect a whole lot. After all our business was primarily poultry. We began to grow and our few products that we sold became several hundred and the one company we sold for became many different companies. The thing  that amazed me the most was the cost saved by WebCom`s Tutorials. I knew that we couldn't afford to pay someone to do our pages, so with the help of WebCom`s Tutorials and Support Group we started a little Web site.

  When WebCom first announced the WebCommerce, already familiar with WebCom`s quality, I was amazed at how easy the E-commerce is to program. This thing is so simple that you don't even have to know much about HTML or formatting. All you need to know is what you're selling and how much it costs. I wanted to make shopping easy for my customers and yet not only did it accomplish that, but it also made programming easy for me and looks great.

   Selling on the Internet is sort of like selling in a brick and mortar store. You have to give the customer the feel of shopping by providing pictures and descriptions of the products. Naturally there are more questions than in real life transactions. To sell Online I try and target the audience I know are looking for or are interested in our field. ORG Sites that accept sponsorships are an excellent way to get exposure. I also use tools like Resister It , Web Position Agent and Garage Mechanic to name a few are almost a must. A List Bot is also almost a must to get your customers back thinking about you and add Mind It so they can sign up for the On Sale Pages so they will be updated.  I recently posted a Classified Ads Page that someone with a bird or animal can submit an ad free for 2 weeks. In our case most feed stores have this option so I thought we should and it works, people come back and check ads regularly. A small service, a small space and a little time goes a long way.

    By having Online Shopping you get a spur of the moment shopper that wants it, probably needs it but will forget it about a few clicks later from distractions. We also get people who just want to order off the Web to test it. The easier you make it the more people will order. This is something new, just like the phone order was 20 years ago, people wouldn't do that the first time... but then the second time they try it and like it. It is up to you to sell the idea.

  Printing catalogs is expensive and so while you may have access to many products you only print what sells best, most profitable and pertains exclusively to your format. Then there's the cost of advertising and mailing which gets pretty hefty so naturally you limit what you sell. The advertising unless your a multi-million dollar company is limited to your own state and maybe a neighboring state and then you must decide which publication most of the people you are trying to attract reads. The Internet, although you will still have to advertise, everybody can view, shop and see the whole line up. Cost per sale is far less expensive. The best thing now is that you can offer everything you have to sell, not just the quick ones and to everybody.

One thing that amazed me is how totally unrelated products I thought I`d never sell , in our case dog and horse supplies to poultry people. When you go to a grocery store count how many extra non grocery items you buy that you didn't intend to but actually needed.With the right format your customers are walking down that isle.

WebCommerce I must admit fit perfectly in with our business, actually made our business successful. The ordering information and extra orders we receive simplified our process of updating product prices, made it more accurate and gave people confidence in us. From a few poultry and poultry supplies to what we are today and since we added WebCommerce... doubled ain`t the word for it.

     As for the advice for opening a WebCommerce Store.... patience. Sure you're not going to be bombarded with orders at first. This is new and different but better and safer. I didn't expect a great deal of Online orders going in but hey this thing is catching on and I am totally surprised at how fast it does. Even for the orders that are mailed , faxed or phoned in it says to that customer I'm real , I'm here , I'm legitimate and I'm serious. You will have to convince some of your customers that it is safe. Personally I`d rather have an Online order because it is so much easier, neater and detailed than conventional ordering.

The Store speeds up the order and efficiency. As for new merchants getting Online a few words of advice. The most important thing is get a great Web Host ( WebCom ), not a good one or a cheap one. Meta Tags are a biggie , read tutorials and don't be afraid to ask your support team, WebCom`s are great they have saved my tail plenty of times. Use spell check, I wear it out. Don't expect to be writing a book on getting rich in 30 days on the Internet. Register your own Domain Name. Publish your URL everywhere, on ads, pens, etc. Know that you are making the future.

Hey, if I can sell chickens on the Net then expand to thousands of Pet and Farm products anyone can. But I didn't do it overnight or alone ...I started with a Great Web Host and that ultimately is what starts you off and keeps you growing.
 
Thanks,
 
Anthony Kimbrough
 
 
The handsome fowl in the picture above is a Russian Barbanter, a rare species that was facing extinction. Thanks to the Kimbroughs and an online network of breeders, Russian Barbanters are now thriving in many areas of the world.

Of the potential for good on the Internet, Anthony says: "You hear many bad parts of the Net in the media , some good things make it while great things seldom noticed by papers. I have seen many species saved because breeders locate each other and exchange ideas that help breeds to fight back from extinction."

"I worked with a guy from a 3rd world country for almost a year on a diet for a species thought gone, made of local foods and resources (no commercial food available). He had them for 5 unsuccessful years with no results, now after using the diet he e-mails me pictures of his chicks. I personally found the name and location of a rare turkey I had searched for for 4 years."

"Wait until you see next year's project (Lavender Turkeys). The turkey census for USA & Canada showed only 2 pairs, but I found a man with 2 other pairs and bought one pair, already people have gone wild. So many breeds to save and the Internet is by far the greatest resource that will have has or will ever exist to save them."

"The Net is like life in some ways, you find whatever you seek, good or bad, except you can always turn the channel or in this case URL. I don`t think I have or will ever see anything more important, more useful, more informative or have more impact than the Web on our world in my lifetime."

You can visit Anthony, Denise, Misty, Annie, Megan, and some pretty snappy-looking spokeschickens on the Internet at: