= Don't Put The Product Before The Market =

Creating a product without considering the market - and then trying to push the product onto an unwilling group of prospects - is a step towards business failure. Before you even consider what product you will present to the market, you need to research that market.

Being original and creating a unique product is not a recipe for success - it's a good way to end up beating your head against a wall. Introducing a new product onto the market is something only large companies with very deep pockets can afford to do.

Unless people are already buying a product like your product, it is going to take a ton of effort and money to convince the market that your product is something they want.

= Find A Product That People Already Want =

You want to find a product idea that people are already buying. You need to research products that are hot sellers already and then create your own version. Find a product that people are vigorously searching for and give them a version that is even better - or more specialized.

Sell what people are buying - it's a winning formula.

= Niche Research Starts With Idea Generation =

First, start generating ideas. Go to the places where people are spending money.

One good source is magazines. Magazines survive on the income from advertising. Smart advertisers won't keep spending money to advertise something that doesn't sell. Check out your local magazine stand and find out which niches have a number of dedicated magazines. Look inside. See what they're selling. Magazines are fantastic for idea generation.

Another great resource is eBay. The biggest online auction house is a great place to get a feel for what people are spending their money on. Take a look at the categories eBay has set up - they are painting a picture for you of the popular niches. On top of that, eBay has also provided such great research tools as Pulse and their monthly Hot Sellers pdf.

At this point, you are just generating ideas. Build a list of possible products - don't discount anything yet.

= Evaluate Your Ideas For Online Profits =

Once you have a good list of ideas, it's time to evaluate them. Just because people are spending money in the niche doesn't mean they are looking for your product or that they spend money online.

You need to check if they are actively searching for your product online. Are people spending money for products similar to yours online? There are a number of places where you can get this information.

Yahoo Search Marketing provides a few useful tools for Internet marketers to check out the market. Using their Keyword Selector tool, you can get an idea of how many searches are being made that relate to your idea. You can also make good use of their View Bids tool to determine what kind of money is being spent on products similar to your idea.

= Take The Time To Properly Research =

Your niche research is a very important step in your business building. Do not skimp on this!

By finding a proper niche and a winning product idea, you can make all the difference between having a business that brings in a trickle of income ... or a business that sees a river of cash pouring into your bank account.