Archive for December, 2007
by Janiece V. Smith
© Janiece V Smith - All Rights Reserved
http://www.expressprofitsonline.com
Most people think a wholesaler is “the” place to get all of the good deals and the cheapest products. This is not always true. Many times, products are not even sold through a wholesaler.
Some manufacturers sell their overstock, closeout, and liquidation items through wholesalers. Some wholesalers sell their items through outlets; others sell them on their own. Some wholesalers have exclusive divisions that deal only with a handful of people who prove themselves as reliable sources who can move inventory fast.
You should always try to first get your products from the top source. Don’t waste your time dealing with others who have marked up the product many times before it ever gets to you. Many companies have a set way to move their unsold inventory, so, sometimes, going to the top might not work as smoothly as you want.
Don’t get discouraged if these companies already have clients they sell it to. You can still get the product; it will just be a littler further down the line.
Here are five ways to help you find products for which you are looking:
1. Ask the manufacturers who you should speak with to purchase unsold inventory. They will normally guide you in the right direction. Be aware that sometimes finding the right contact can take a little arm twisting.
2. Find out what manufacturers currently do with their unsold inventory. Who do they sell it to if they don’t sell it themselves? If they won’t disclose this information or act like they don’t want to deal with you, find a different approach.
3. Find out whether they sell to the general public and what is required of you and your company to be able to buy their products. Some companies will sell only to established businesses with a credit rating. If that’s the case, don’t worry. It’s not terribly difficult to obtain a rating. If, however, you’re not currently set up as a business, you should complete the legal process and get credit by securing a charge card from a store, such as Office Depot. You can also get a business card from a number of credit card companies. American Express is fairly easy to deal with.
4. Next, find out which products they sell to the public. Most companies have some products they will not release as unsold inventory. They would rather try to resale it on their own.
5. Make sure you have all of your ducks in a row. Most, if not all, of the manufacturers I deal with don’t want to play games. They want to move their products and they want to move them fast. If you expect that they will drop ship to your customers and allow you to buy as you sell, don’t even bother calling. Everybody wants that, so why would they need you? They could move it that way through 4,000 drop shippers online. Just make sure you know what you want, be confident when you make that call, and have a goal that you want to accomplish. If you call and sound like you don’t know what you are doing, they will quickly shut you out.
Janiece Smith is the author of Internet’s top-selling eBook teaching everyday people how to make their own small fortune selling on eBay®.
Discover The Secrets Janiece Smith Used To Earn Up To $11,212 Per Month Selling On eBay. Her New eBook “How An Overworked, Traveling, Soggy Sandwich Eating Dental Hygienist Made up to $11,212.00 a Month––100% Online” allows you to easily and quickly apply the author’s secrets of finding and selling products on eBay® to create huge amounts of instant profits!
Click here for more details
http://www.expressprofitsonline.com
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by Janiece V. Smith
© Janiece V Smith - All Rights Reserved
http://www.expressprofitsonline.com
Recently, I was contacted by a struggling eBay seller who sold products in a niche market. He desperately pushed and prodded me hoping that I could tell him how to make more money.
I knew he was selling in a tightly niched market, so I knew he needed to capitalize on every dollar that could be made selling to these buyers.
His current auction sales were good and his completed auctions were good, but he was just not generating the volume he wanted. Honestly, it seemed that there were virtually no more customers in that niche that he could sell to and he was having trouble finding products cheap enough to allow him to make a profit. He was hoping we could brainstorm and come up with some creative ideas.
Interestingly enough, this seller told me that, if he could just get more people to see his auctions, he could make the kind of money he had been hoping for.
So as we continued to talk we thought of virtually everything. I really didn’t think there was going to be much more he could do to make more money.
He was thinking on placing niche advertising on select sites across the Internet. But he did not want to spend everything he made with the hopes his ads would perform.
I was at a loss as to how I could help him. So I started trying to rethink everything he was doing to see whether we could optimize certain areas of his business. That’s when I asked him what percentage of his business came from previous customers.
He replied he had some repeat buyers, but they only came back maybe once or twice. However, he admitted that he never really tried to get them back. He always thought that, if they needed something, they would contact him.
This seller actually had a very stable and strong business. He was one that followed the guidelines found in my book to the tee. He did not miss a beat and was a real go-getter!
I was shocked when he said he had never tried selling to his past customers. But we worked through it and developed a strategy to get him started immediately. Now, I can guarantee that most of his business comes from past customers.
What about you? Do you have an eBay business that is struggling and you want to increase your revenue? Perhaps you’re just starting your eBay business and want to launch it faster than a shuttle going into space. Whether it’s a new business or one you want to improve, it’s imperative to focus on those who have bought from you before. It takes less work and will make you greater profits when you sell to your past customers. They already trust you and believe in you, and you already know that they will buy from you.
Consider this: Would you buy shoes from a store where the clerk is rude and doesn’t give you the time of day? Or, would you go to a store where they sell the same shoes, yet their personnel is pleasant to deal with and they go out of their way to make you happy?
Clearly, you’ll go where you have had the most enjoyable experience. The store owner will undoubtedly make money selling you the pair of shoes you came to buy. However, his/her profits are further increased when you buy something else because you know and trust in his/her products and SERVICE.
After building a relationship with your customers, it’s not difficult to up sell them when they come back for more. How often have you walked into a store for milk, only to leave with an arm full of groceries? That store offered you something you didn’t know you needed. You can do the same for your past customers every time they come back.
Once you have built trust and exceeded the shopper’s expectations, most customers will come back time and again. Buyers will not only trust you, but also will know how simple it is to deal with you. Conversely, if they know they are going to have to deal with some cranky old salesperson, they will just keep walking. Wouldn’t you?
Win them over, and you will have a customer for life. You’re making a mistake if you’re just selling to people one time. Repeat customers are less work and a whole lot cheaper to sell to. What a great way to keep your overhead low and your profit high!
Try these steps and watch your sales and, more importantly, your profits go through the ceiling.
1. Email past customers every time you have new products.
2. Email a newsletter to your past customers, including some great tips along with a couple of benefits as to why they should come and look at your products today.
3. Ask customers to take action and give them a specific reason.
4. Promote a special deal on a featured product. For example, offer 10% off that new power saw or a free upgrade on one of your products.
5. Send thank you cards letting customers know just how important they are to your business and how much you value them.
These are just a few simple things you can do. Think about it for a while as you try to understand what makes people happy. Things that make you happy will most likely make your customers happy. Give your customers what they want and they will give you a thriving eBay home-based profit machine.
I believe these tips to maximize your eBay profits by selling to your past customers will increase your profits tenfold. Remember, if you want something to work and you want your business to get off the ground quickly, you must plan your strategy and then act on it.
You will be surprised at the response you will get. It shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to write an email offer that could pay back some hefty profits!
Janiece Smith is the author of Internet’s top-selling eBook teaching everyday people how to make their own small fortune selling on eBay®.
Discover The Secrets Janiece Smith Used To Earn Up To $11,212 Per Month Selling On eBay. Her New eBook “How An Overworked, Traveling, Soggy Sandwich Eating Dental Hygienist Made up to $11,212.00 a Month––100% Online” allows you to easily and quickly apply the author’s secrets of finding and selling products on eBay® to create huge amounts of instant profits!
Click here for more details
http://www.expressprofitsonline.com
Bookmark to:
by Janiece V. Smith
© Janiece V Smith - All Rights Reserved
http://www.expressprofitsonline.com
Knowing the different personality types will save you the trouble of trying to figure out what each customer is thinking.
I have outlined the major personality types you’ll encounter while selling on eBay. This list may not include everyone, and, believe me I have encountered some real winners. If you’ve been selling for any length of time, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If not, just wait and see! If I were to put together one of those books, like the world’s dumbest criminals, it would include the world’s dumbest bidders. Are you ready?
Following is a list of the major personality types:
1. The Unhappy Buyer––Some folks will be disappointed with your product or service regardless of how good it is. Someone cut them off in traffic and they’re taking it out on you. Many of these customers are down right rude and won’t care what you have to say, because whatever you have to say is WRONG!
2. The Post-Auction Heckler––Post-auction hecklers think that the bargaining begins when the auction ends. Put your foot down. There have been many times when I have had an auction end with no bids only to have someone email me wanting my product for a ridiculously low price. Forget them; keep your product and try again. You will sell it.
3. The Deadbeat––The most irritating bidder in the world is the one who tells you, “The check is in the mail.” Of course, the promised check never comes. Plan on 1–4% of your auctions ending this way. There is not much you can do about it. You can file a non-paying bidder report with eBay, but it does not help the frustration. You just have to keep moving right on past these people and never look back.
4. The Impatient Buyer (or Antsy Buyer)––People are impatient and want their goods fast. The Antsy Buyer is the embodiment of this time-honored sales principle. Just try to be patient with them. Clearly explain your sales and shipping process.
5. The Ghost––This is the person who has won an auction but who you never hear from again. They pay you and you ship it, but they never leave feedback and then simply disappear. They really are not bad or good for your business. They are just happy being in their own little world and would rather not reply to any emails you send.
6. The Confused Buyer––This customer can never figure out anything but really wants to buy your item. After they buy the item, they can’t, for the life of them, figure out how to pay for it . All of this computer stuff is just too much and way too confusing for them.
7. The Shopper––This customer will spend a lot of money with you each time they buy. They usually purchase a little bit of everything you have listed and can sometimes spend in the hundreds of dollars just to save $10 on shipping.
8. The Analytical Buyer––It’s usually not worth the time to answer this person’s nonstop questions. If you get an analytical buyer be prepared, because they could ask you 50 questions in nine different emails. Yes, even though everything they asked was right in the auction listing. It takes time to answer emails and you should tell this person the answers to these questions are listed in the auction. Try and be nice but remember time is money!
9. The Late Payer––This customer does not seem to care when you want the payment by, they will pay you when they are down right ready. You can tell them payment is due within 10 days or you will re-list the item. Then, 30 days later, you will receive payment with an apology and an excuse. Who knows what they were thinking. You just have to return their money and move on. Many times the product will have already been sold to a new winner through a new auction.
10. The Happy Customer––This person is happy from the day they win the auction. They immediately become your new best friend and you feel like they will most definitely be a customer for life. If there is a problem, they are very easy to work with and never seem to get unhappy. Don’t we wish all customers were the Happy Customer?
There you have it: Buyer Personalities 101. I assure you, without a doubt, if you have not yet run into any or all of these personality types, you soon will. I hope this gives you an inside look on what to expect when considering selling on eBay. Have fun with it and much success!
Janiece Smith is the author of Internet’s top-selling eBook teaching everyday people how to make their own small fortune selling on eBay®.
Discover The Secrets Janiece Smith Used To Earn Up To $11,212 Per Month Selling On eBay. Her New eBook “How An Overworked, Traveling, Soggy Sandwich Eating Dental Hygienist Made up to $11,212.00 a Month––100% Online” allows you to easily and quickly apply the author’s secrets of finding and selling products on eBay® to create huge amounts of instant profits!
Click here for more details
http://www.expressprofitsonline.com
Bookmark to:
by Janiece V. Smith
© Janiece V. Smith - All Rights Reserved
Amazing Ebay eBook Reveals How One Woman Made $11,212 A Month On Ebay–And How You Can Too!
During my time as an eBay ® consultant, people have asked me many questions. Often, people ask questions that are contrary to the success of their business, and it’s my job to redirect their thoughts in a more appropriate direction.
Consider the following question: “I have all of my items listed and I’m not getting as many bids as I’d expected, should I lower my pricing?”
I cringe when I hear this question, yet I understand why people ask it. It’s logical that, if something isn’t selling, it must be too expensive, right? Wrong!
There are several answers to this question, none of which are to lower the price. Today, I’m going to address a key factor that anyone can implement to increase their sales––a call to action in their item description.
What is a call to action?
A call to action is a very simple word or phrase that tells your “browser” what they should do next. This may seem obvious, but one of the biggest mistakes you can make as an eBay seller is to sit back and “hope” that your browser will become a buyer.
It is important to put aside your need to be subtle in your ads. Instead, come right out and tell your potential customer what they should do next. You can use words or phrases such as the following:
*Bid Now and Save Money
*Bid Now, Don’t Miss Out on This Incredible Deal
*Buy Now, Before the Price Gets Too High
*Bid Now, Quantities Are Limited and Moving Fast
*This Is a Hard-to-Find Item, Bid While It’s Still Here
You get the idea. Your product may have a special element, which will make this part easy. But, even if your product isn’t unique, you can still come up with an effective call to action.
Increase your sales immediately.
Using a call to action is not something new and it is more than just an idea. This method of selling has been repeatedly tested over time. Experts report that you will increase your sales by 80% simply by telling your browsers what to do next.
Bonus Tip.
Remember, you also have the option of giving potential customers more than one call to action. For example, assume that you have an eBay ® business selling collectible trains and you get a visitor who is looking for one particular item. This browser comes to one of your listings and sees that it isn’t the one they’re seeking. Because your “buy now” call to action might not work here, you’ve lost this person as a customer, right? Wrong again.
You have two things you can do at this point. The first is pretty well known and practiced, which is to direct the potential customer to a complete list of related items. Provide a call to action, such as, “If this item isn’t what you’re looking for, please click here (link to your entire list of auctions on eBay ® ) to see all of my train-related listings.”
The second, and my favorite, is to invite potential customers to sign up for free information. Provide a call to action, such as, “Click here to visit my About Me page and discover how to receive free, weekly tips about buying collectible trains on eBay without getting scammed.” Collecting names of those who are in the market for your type of product is absolutely priceless.
Watch for an upcoming article about creating and using newsletters to increase Internet sales.
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Janiece Smith is the author of Internet’s top-selling eBook teaching everyday people how to make their own small fortune selling on eBay®. Discover The Secrets Janiece Smith Used To Earn Up To $11,212 Per Month Selling On eBay. Her New eBook “How An Overworked, Traveling, Soggy Sandwich Eating Dental Hygienist Made up to $11,212.00 a Month––100% Online” allows you to easily and quickly apply the author’s secrets of finding and selling products on eBay® to create huge amounts of instant profits!
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