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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 has been around on eBay since the inception just a few short years ago but has never viewed it as most of the rest of us do. The question she asks her live audience's sound pretty darn obvious " What is eBay?" But the question is designed to stimulate discussion.

She is looking for her audience to gauge their perception as to what eBay can deliver and the majority of people are pretty limited as to their ability to see opportunity.

But that is exactly what she is hoping to illustrate she wants the attendees to have their eyes opened to the huge potential that a site like eBay with millions of daily buyers can bring to them.

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 where innovators take what eBay has to offer and run with it. Most people see eBay as the beginning and the end. Many think of it is the place to sell single items and nothing 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 them eBay is simply the route to the gold which can provide them with a never ending stream of highly qualified customer lists that can be contacted off eBay for years to come.

It's all in the follow up. According to Sydney few people take advantage of this valuable business lead. Most dealers on eBay are happy to sell an item and be done with it.

A savvy eBay enterpreneur doesn't think the same as everyone else and once that first transaction has taken place is forever looking to develop the customer relationship further.

Successful selling is an exercise in thought association. How does this item relate to other items?

If I sell a set of diamond earings what items will my customer be looking for next maybe the matching ring and 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?