Should you ever be fortunate enough to listen to the eBay Queen, Sydney Johnston you'll find the first question she will ask is really quite and easy question. It's designed to illicit feedback. But suprisingly most people get this simple question wrong. It's all about perception and most succesful online business owners think rather differently to the herd.

The degree of success you experience in virtual business is going to be dependent on how you see things.

Sydney Johnston who has been on eBay almost since the beginning doesn't look at eBay the same way most of us do.When speaking to a live seminar audience she asks what sounds a pretty simple question " What is eBay?" But the question is designed to stimulate the mind and thought processes further.

What she is after is feedback from the audience as to their perception of eBay and what it brings to the table and most often peoples minds are limited as to it possibilities.

That's the whole point. She wants them to see where they are and then she invites them to climb outside the box and share a new view of one of the five most trafficked websites in the world.

She is looking for her students to see eBay as so much more than just an auction site.

Sydney Johnston started to understand the massive potential of eBay when she started to sell expensive books. Almost by accident she built herself a list of 250 serious book collectors and started communicating via email with them on a more frequent basis.

This is what makes those with enterprenurial spirit stand out from the crowd. They see eBay as the start and not the end of the sales funnel. The majority of the people selling on eBay see it as a place to sell single items and no more.

People who understand marketing see it differently and despite the huge numbers that visit the website these people are a tiny minority. The field is wide open and is unlikely to change.

For marketing specialists eBay is not an end in itself it is simply a way station. A busy, well trafficked way station that can provide them with endless customer lists that can then be worked off the site.

It's all in that additional communication.Few eBay business owners grasp this opportunity and this has shown little likelihood of changing any time soon.

For people like Sydney that sale is just the first step in a long and hopefully mutually satisfactory relationship.

Success on eBay is about tying products together and expanding the newly formed relationship.

If I sell a set of ruby earrings what goes with that, and would the customer be interested in a matching ring or bracelet.

Successful marketers see that initial transaction as an introduction that requires diligent follow up. What are you going to do differently today to change how you make money on eBay today?