You've read the book, seen the ads, heard the rumors. Making money online is easy, isn't it?

Well yes, it is. Maybe.

There are a lot of people who get seduced by the big idea that all they have to do is sign up for an affiliate program, throw up a quick, free website and sit back on the beach waiting for the cash to flow.

It ain't like that.

Maybe if you have a ton of experience you can automate everything to the point that you need to do very little. But that isn't the road a beginner can tread.

It is said that one in twenty people who set out to make a profit online actually manage to see a return. Most disappear without trace after spending their, often vital, last cent on hosting or ebooks or programs.

But it doesn't have to be like that.

The problem is not with the Internet, but with people's attitude towards it.

Two people can buy any of the famous 'guru's' program on the same day. One may make a $1000 a month and think the sun shines from the guru's every word (I cleaned that up). The other may not make a dime and retire believing he was scammed.

Both are wrong and both are right. It isn't the program that works, it is the operator. Some things just don't work for some people. Maybe their attitude is wrong. Maybe they try to change things. Maybe they truly believe they are following the rules, but actually are bending a few. Whatever the reasons, these people won't believe that the problem is with them It must be the program. They were scammed.

In all of my talking with people who are making money, there are three key traits that they have in common:

1. They truly believe in themselves 2. They are not afraid to change course 3. They don't give up

You have to believe in yourself to achieve anything. If a man says he can and another says he can't, they are

If at first you don't succeed, reinvent yourself. This is vital in Internet marketing. Test, test, test. That is the key that unlocks the door of success online. Nineteen times out of twenty your first idea won't make money. So what do you do? Give up? No! Learn why and move on.

There are many 'secrets' out there - most of them are free if you know where to look - that will tell you how to target your audience, which product to sell, how to get traffic, how to write great sales copy, how to create your own products, how to automate your business.

But the biggest secret of all is this: you have to be willing to learn.

I started out online less than a year ago. My intention was to build up a newsletter, create a useful and resource-filled website, provide an online shop- window for my offline consultancy business, and, maybe, make a few dollars to cover my costs.

I have achieved all of that. I don't try to, or profess to make a fortune - that was never my intention. But almost as a by-product of doing what I love - writing, teaching and helping others - I generate a steadily growing income - currently about $250 a month. Enough to cover my costs and show a nice profit.

I've got to this stage by learning everything I can. I read endless reports and ebooks, spend time in forums, and, most importantly, learn from my own experiences.

Nobody can tell you how to do it. They can tell you how they did it. You have to do the rest.

Martin Avis is a management and training consultant. His free weekly newsletter, BizE-zine, is packed with articles, interviews and quotes to help you be the best in business or Internet marketing. mailto:subscribe5@BizE-zine.com or visit his information-packed website at http://www.BizE-zine.com