The word's out. There's money to be made online. Well, honestly, that's not new to a lot of people; the word's been out for some time. Despite that fact, there are still millions of people who've heard the news but haven't seen the money. So, what's the secret? How do you really make money online? The answer's the same as it is in the bricks and mortar world - you have to know how to sell.

The Internet hasn't changed the basic premise of making money, it's only added a new layer of opportunities. That's because, other than crime, the only way money changes hands is if a willing buyer meets a willing seller. And that will never change.

So what's so difficult about making money online? For one thing, it's too easy to get started. Back in the pre-internet days you had to make a substantial investment of time and money to open up your own business. Now, anyone with a spare twenty bucks can rent some server space and throw up an Internet site in a day or less. And that's the problem.

You see, too many people approach doing business online from the wrong prospective. It's not a matter of "build it and they will come"; the Internet is far to crowded with web sites selling products and services for the concept of shopping online to be novel anymore.

Big companies with years and years of off-line selling experience are competing for the same customers and the same dollars that you are. Given that they have all of this experience, and all of this money to spend, who do you expect is going to come out the winner?

Honestly, it's not going to be you unless you know how to sell. Once you master the art of selling you stand a better chance of grabbing some of that money people are spending with the big boys. And, believe me, you can fill your bank account to overflowing just with the crumbs that fall off of the big seller's tables.

Here's my advice if you really want to make money online. Learn how to sell. Learn how to dangle an offer that's so enticing that customers will go out of their way to find out more. Then, once you know how to get their attention, learn how to close the sale. Then you'll join those people who have heard the news AND who have seen the money!