For those of us who did not cultivate the great art of persuasion through the written word, where will the next pot of gold come from? Could it be that we've finally outsmarted ourselves with our own words and sent our potential customers scampering for cover?

Have we used up all our powers of persuasion to selling mundane products when the best products are just coming out of the lab and into the market place?

Perhaps it's time to take a different approach, and look for fresh markets; the kind that have not yet become immune to our polished sales pitches and glitzy websites.

I spent the last week end jotting down notes. I was thinking a lot. Thinking is hard work! Was it Henry Ford who said: "Thinking is hard work. That's why more people don't engage in it" Perhaps we should take a look at a new kind of customer. Here he is:

He's not going on the Internet, even at the threat of death! He does not fall into the US$75,000/year salary bracket. In fact, he'll be quite happy to keep that information to himself. Thank you.

His children are online and he listens to their stories but he is too scared to do it and too scared to admit it. So how do we help him or her? Simple. Go offline and create mass appeal. It takes some money and a different kind of mindset but it may just work for you. Here's why.

Our offline friend needs a program that is very inexpensive. It cannot cost over $25/month. He is looking for help with administration.

He does not want an email address. He will invest his money, collect products and checks but that's as far as he is prepared to go. Can you help him? Yes you can.

Think about it. If you design a program that will do the following, you will have a winner on your hands, and capture markets you never even knew existed. You'll get mass appeal and you will get success.

Your program should tap into a growing and undeveloped market eg. niches in health care,and Wellness industries for a start.

It must be easy to join. Give him a form and find and easy way to collect his money. It must require no work. He would rather do what he is doing for a living now. He won't change that.

You have to take care of his admin. He will not mind paying you for it. Make life easy for him. It's complicated enough trying to choose between watching American Idol and whatever.

Now, Get yourself a sales force. Yes! Real people who will sell him your online/offline business for a commission. Add in all the incentives and you have a winner. He'll listen to them because they are humans and they speak his language.

It is far easier to sell through real living breathing human beings than to sell online. Now, take that money and expand your offline base through online Joint ventures! Expand to other cities!

Think about it. You could cover 10,000 people from one city in 12 months and quadruple that in 36 months! You'll have no need for free members.

You'll still be running an online business but your market lives offline. Using the mail, and good ol' elbow grease, you now have a thriving business that you can be proud of.