Being represented on the Internet is essential, and a modern e-commerce solution can make this easy. But how will having a web site with shopping cart change the way you do business?

Do you suddenly have to do things in different ways? Will you be forced to do business in a way you don't want to?

The answer to these questions is that while there will have to be some changes, they can be minimal. It all depends on what you want from your e-commerce solution.

Do you mainly want to retain existing customers? Or do you want to mainly find new ones? Or both?

Answering this will influence how much  your business will have to change.

But regardless of the change, it really isn't that much different from what you have done in the past.

Only some of the tools are different.

Instead of checking your fax machine for orders, you check you email, for example.

If you want to retain existing customers, then telling them about your own website will ensure they do not start looking elsewhere, when they can't reach you.

The Internet can also help you find new customers, if you simply start adding your website address to any advertisement you publish.

This requires minimal effort on your behalf, and really should also be the very least you should do to ensure the future viability of your business.

Finding new customers only on the Internet is more complex, especially if you offer services or products in a competitive market. It will require you to familiarize yourself with some new concepts and have more impact on the way you do business.

After all, to do this, you will familiarize yourself with marketing your products only on the Internet. Think of the Internet of a big fat Yellow Pages book with lots of people advertising the same products or services as you do.

The trick is to stand out.

 The right e-commerce solution will help you build a web site to do this. But no solution can do all the work for you.