Archive for February, 2011

Does Your New Business Website Sell For You?

February 22nd, 2011


Searching the Web

I want you to think about the last time you used Google at home. What was the reason you typed something in that search box? I would dare guess that you wanted to solve a problem or ask a question for which you needed an immediate answer.  As research shows, most customers are online to solve some type of problem for themselves.

Why not let your website be an answer to your customer’s problems? Search engines are designed to rank pages based on the content found within the page that relates to the keyword that the searcher typed in. The “crawlers” that search and check the relevancy of a website want to see words, links, and any other information that will be most likely to answer the searcher’s question. A site with relevant and organized information is more likely to do that and is ranked higher on Google.

1.  Post Relevant Information. People searching for answers to their questions on the web are very similar to the “crawlers” sent out to scan websites. We want relevant, helpful information quickly. While promoting your company isn’t bad, promoting your company at the wrong time, in the wrong way can be. Most people don’t want to have to dig to find the information they want. There’s nothing worse than digging through page after page of advertising or self-promoted links that never provide an answer to your question. When customers come to your website encourage them to stay by featuring relevant, easy-to-understand content. Answer questions. Solve your customers’ problems. I dare you!
2. Make Your Website Look Legitimate. “A Stanford University study found that nearly half of all site evaluators (46.1%) used visual cues, such as the site’s overall design or look, to assess a site’s credibility.” Can you afford to lose customers because your website doesn’t look credible? No because if they aren’t buying from you, then that means they are buying from someone else! So it’s highly recommended that you put time and money into optimizing your site so that it will be picked up by search engines, or at the very least, recognized over your competitors. You really do only get one chance at a first impression, so why not maximize your website’s design and keep customers on your page.
3.  Provide Value. At this point, you may be thinking ‘great,’ but the point of my business is to make money. True. But what better way to gain trust than by helping someone or giving them something for free? “Studies show that we are persuaded more by people who have done something for us first. We give bigger tips to servers who give us a mint with the check.” (5 Ways to be Persuasive) So give valuable content to your customers and they’ll be more likely to buy from you rather than your competition. Consider posting tips, discounts, and tutorials on your website.
4.  Make Your Site Easy to Navigate. There are standards to web design that every business owner should take into consideration when choosing a design for their site. Great care should be taken as an owner decides what content goes on each page and what other pages it links to. All links should take the reader to relevant information and be easy to find.
Your pages should have the navigation bar on each page for simple navigation. But most important of all, make the buying process easy for the customer. The more steps between the seller and the final checkout, the less likely the buyer is to complete the purchase. Does your new business make it easy for the customer to check out? How many clicks away from your home page is it to checkout? You want to limit it as much as possible. The same goes for your content. Try to keep everything around 3 clicks away from every other page.
5.  Call Your Customers to Action. List the benefits of your product when appropriate and have a strong call to action. Your customers should know that you want them to do something while they visit your website. Don’t let them get away without signing up for your e-mail newsletters or buying your product.

These days your company can’t afford not to be helpful. With millions of people searching the web, customers are sure to find your site if you’re providing something useful to them. If you’re not getting the results you want, it’s never too late to improve your site. Begin today by making your site that much more user friendly and helpful.

Want more tips on how to help your online business succeed? Check out our blog or follow us on twitter: @gogodropship
Have any other comments or suggestions on how to improve an online store?

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Calculating Shipping Costs. Is it Worth it?

February 20th, 2011

Shipping can be expensive and a hassle. Yet shipping is part of running an eBay business right? So what tips are sellers offering to bring down the costs of shipping?

1. You can print the labels from home and take advantage of free carrier pickup through priority mail. These two eBay options will save you time and money in postage and gas. The greatest things about these services is that they are free.

However, take into consideration how much it’s costing you to print labels. Are the labels or paper and ink expensive to buy? If so,  it may be worth a trip to the post office. Consider your options.  Maybe convenience will outweigh any costs you encounter.

2.Recycling boxes can be another way to save on shipping. Collect boxes and packaging materials you’ve received and use them again to ship your merchandise. Not only are you helping the environment, you’re saving yourself lots of money in packaging. Just remember to use the standard sized boxes you can so your aren’t charged extra for large dimensions. Using too large of a box for your product may also cost you extra, and cause damage to your product if it shifts around and is broken.

3.Package your goods tightly and if it something of greater value consider buying insurance on the item. In the long run it may be worth it if the item breaks and you can’t receive payment from the buyer due to the damage.

3.Avoid shipping outside of the continental U.S. Shipments to Alaska and Hawaii can add up quick and aren’t generally worth the extra shipping costs. International costs may even hike your price up more. It’s just not worth it, especially in a countries without as rigid and organized shipping protocols as  the USA. What a moral defeat to be out the money you spent on your product, the shipping, and get back feedback. Don’t do this to yourself!

4.Drop Ship. Drop shipping an item is convenient and often cheaper than paying to store and ship and item from your home. When you buy from suppliers who drop ship, your product is delivered straight from the supplier’s warehouse to your customer’s door.  This hands off method of selling is a great alternative to traditional selling on eBay.

The truth is that everyone  runs their business their way. Shipping works fine for some, while for others it is an unnecessary hassle. In the end, the choice is yours.

For specific shipping costs check out these sites:

Ebay Packaging Costs

UPS

United States Postal Service

Fed Ex

For more about selling on eBay, starting an online business, or staying on top of social media follow us on twitter @gogodropship

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Tips for Selling on Ebay

February 18th, 2011

Starting an eBay business can be tough. You may wonder how to even go about starting out. But, thanks to a few experts like Erica Mueller, I’ll help you  begin selling on eBay with some simple and valuable eBay tips.

Buy or Collect the Following Items:

1. A digital camera that will take close-up and crisp pictures including the items you want to sell.

2.A white sheet and a black bed sheet- Put your objects in front of these sheets to get clear pictures and make your product stand out. If possible take these pictures outside, because the light is generally better outside.  If not possible, shine a light or lights on your product.

3. A scale- This will give you an idea of how much to charge for shipping.

4. Packaging Materials

Set Up a Few Accounts:

2. Paypal- Allows your customer to purchase items with a credit or debit card and adds trust to your site.

3. Flickr- This site allows you to host your eBay pictures for free since eBay charges you to host your photos.

Research:

On eBay- Look at the categories that other sellers are selling under. Look at the very top of the eBay page after typing in a search inquiry.  Find the category and sub category the product was listed under. It will look like this:

picture frame lot,  collage picture frames,  vintage picture frames,  wooden picture frame

This should give you some ideas in terms of what category in which to list your product.

Now take a look at pricing.  What is that specific product generally selling for?  Can you even compete?  Can you perhaps include shipping in your overall price to make it more attractive to the buyer?  If there’s too much competition, consider finding a product to sell in a less competitive category.

Also, take this opportunity to look at the titles and descriptions the sellers are using. A product description can make or break a sale.  Is it new and still in its original packaging?  Be accurate.  Be specific.  Put your product on a pedestal. Every product has a story, so tell it.  Remember, besides the title (which is crucial), the first two lines of your product description will help spark the buyer’s interest so give it thoughtful consideration in describing it.

Give Your Items Strong Titles:

You only have so much space when you create a title so think seriously about Erica’s tips on the subject. Using a man’s dress shirt as an example she said :

“Here’s a little secret: in as few words as possible list the size, color, sleeve length, gender, and brand. Then put USED or NEW at the end. Do NOT put things like Excellent Condition, Like New, Beautiful, Barely Used, etc. People are not going to search for “Excellent Condition” or “Barely Used,” they are going to search for “Men’s Long Sleeve Blue L.” Using “Like New” is against eBay policy.”

When you come to the subtitle option, it’s your choice. It costs extra, but it may be worth it.

Now it’s time to list! Make sure and list all the details you can about your product. Be honest and make it unique. If their is a small stain, or a missing part make sure and list that. Erica suggests that these details be listed in small red print. Remember if you don’t list these details you will hear about it by means of poor feedback scores. So be upfront.  Customers will appreciate you for it.

Shipping:

Make sure you charge a fair amount for shipping. Get estimates of shipping costs using the weight of the product and the size of the box or envelop you will be using.  You don’t want to lose money here. Ebay even offers a service where you can print out your shipping labels and pay for the shipping costs through Paypal. It doesn’t cost extra and will save you a trip to the post office.

Better yet,  if you don’t want to bother with the pains of postage and shipping products consider drop shipping. When you drop ship you buy a product from a manufacturer, who then ships the product from their warehouse directly to your customer. You can even purchase a drop ship directory which will list thousands of suppliers in one convenient place. This directory will give you access to millions of products.

With some novice and expert advice you’re ready to get started. Don’t lose momentum. You won’t need to be an expert to enjoy selling online, all you’ve got to do is take the first step.

Visit Erica Mueller’s and the HubPages sites for even more eBay selling information.

For more tips on starting your eBay business and even more business ideas follow us on twitter: @gogodropship

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How do I Know What to Sell on eBay?

February 16th, 2011
Ebay

Ebay

How do I Know What to Sell on eBay?

This is a fair question. There are some guides for potential sellers, but the truth is that a little creativity and a lot of research are what will really help a seller do well on eBay. Ebay Pulse is a guide that will give you an overall idea, but remember that many of these products are within markets that are already over-run with sellers. Categories like electronics and phones have so much competition, it’s almost impossible for a new seller to compete. So how can you compete?

Find a Niche Market

Niche markets are the key. Are you involved in social media? What topics are trending? Justin Bieber  has been a popular topic as of late. Could you sell a product based on a celebrity or news? You bet.

I  had a professor suggest that his students sell shirts with funny slogans about the latest celebrity scandals. By watching what key words are popular on Google, he said we’d know what kind of shirts to sell. Looking at current trends and news may inspire you. Just remember that in this type of business, you have to know when to stop selling. You don’t want your product to be old news.

Stay Ahead of the Game

Trending products can be the same way so don’t wait until you see that an item is gaining popularity in retail stores to move forward with it. Why? 1. Retailers will be hard to compete with because they buy in bulk and can get lower prices than the average seller. 2.The fad will be ready to end and you’ll get stuck with unsold merchandise. You have to stay ahead of the game.

So much of success is timing, luck, price, and/or innovation. You really have to nail one or two of these categories to be successful. If your product is creative enough or sought after enough, you’ll never have a problem selling it. However, you may have just as much luck selling something as common as a hot dog by selling it at the right time or for the right price.

My alma mater allows the business program to sell items on campus as part of their entrepreneur curriculum every semester. For some students, it’s their most dreaded semester.  For others, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity they’ll never forget.  Some of them included things like stick-on covers for laptops and cell phones, and wood plaques with etched poems, photos, and pictures on them.  But some of the most profitable businesses included a hot dog stand, a sunglasses booth, and a garbage service.

Make Your Product Successful Using Timing, Price, or Innovation

The hot dog stand offered a cheap, accessible meal to the students on campus. The sunglasses booth offered a seasonal item in high demand, at the right time, and benefited from the great weather on campus.  The garbage collectors heard that girls struggled to take their garbage all the way across the parking lot to their dumpsters. They offered an innovative convenience which was simply taking out the garbage for them at the right price.  Because their overhead minimal and there was no other competition, outperformed every other student-run business.  They didn’t  become millionaires from it by any means, but sometimes half the battle is succeeding at something small.

The less saturated your market the better.  But then you’ll have to create a need for your product. You’ll need to advertise your product extensively to create awareness. But if competition already exists, don’t worry. Let them open the door of awareness and you can enter the market as another, perhaps, better option.

So what technique will help your product succeed? Will it be timing, price, innovation, or pure luck? While we all hope for a little luck, why not make a plan and stick to it? You can’t generally compete on all of these levels, so why not pick one or two and concentrate on competing on those levels.

There’s a rule of thumb in advertising that I’ll call the “Business Triangle.” Each corner of the triangle represent three things. 1. Price 2. Quality 3. Speed. Like the principles above, you can’t have all three without at least one corner of the triangle suffering. If you pick speed and price, quality will generally suffer. If you pick price and quality, the speed will be affected. Think about this and use this to market your products. If you take more time because you are looking to deliver quality to your customer, advertise this on your website. Pick two of these qualities and apply the principles to your products and your website.

Lastly, if you want to be innovative, be innovative.  Retail chains like Walmart do well because they offer everyday items, but there is something to be said of the smaller company that offers unique, handmade, or one-of-a-kind items.  There is value in it.  Take Etsy for example.  They have become a popular website for this very reason.  So although there is plenty of thinking and products to offer “inside the box,” don’t be afraid to venture outside of it.

So as a recap, remember:

1. Do your research

2. Find your niche

3. Let timing, price, and/or innovation work for you

4. Find a market that isn’t over-saturated

5. Pick two areas of the business triangle in which to compete

6. If you’re going for innovation, consider the value of a one-of-a-kind product

Be fair to yourself and sell a product that can be successful. By doing your research and taking into account these tips, you can build yourself a profitable business on eBay. Good luck, but then again, with the right product you won’t need it.

Want to get more tips for having a successful online business? Visit us on Twitter: @gogodropship or read other posts on our blog.

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How to Recognize A Drop Ship Scam

February 11th, 2011

“Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.” C.E. Stowe

Today, I want to help you do things as they ought to be done, by helping you avoid drop shipping scams. They happen all too often and ruin so many dreams of starting an online business. So how can you tell the difference between a scam and a great opportunity?

I hate to sound cliche, but gut does have something to do with it. Does it sound too good to be true? Does the reward outweigh the risk involved?  If something is inexpensive, I always ask myself, “Now what does this business stand to gain by offering this so cheap?” If you can’t think of a good answer, be suspicious.

Get as much information as you can about the offer before diving in. Also, perform your proper due diligence beforehand. It’s amazing how much information you can find on the internet just by doing a few quick searches. My Dad always jokes that if you type in a product name and then “sucks,” you can find out any problems people have with a product. Of course there will always be at least one or two sour grapes that are angry. But if you find lists of complaints, don’t do business with that company period.

If you want to check if the company has a history of problems with the public, you can check them out with these three sources:
1.http://www.bbb.org/
2.http://www.complaintsboard.com
3.http://www.ripoffreport.com.

These sites are a quick way to avoid a scam.

As far as drop shipping is concerned,drop ship directories will charge a fee because you’re paying for their directory and customer service, freeing you of the stress and hassle of finding a supplier.

If a drop ship directory offers you its directory for free, I would be suspicious. Putting together a directory and customer service to back it up is a time consuming and an expensive process. Most legitimate companies don’t just give away such valuable information. So check out the costs. Are they unbelievably cheap or outrageously expensive? If so, be careful.

If the business is from overseas, you also have a higher risk of being scammed, especially if you’re a new seller. Consider keeping your first transactions within the united states. If you do decide to do business overseas, Matt Siltala recommends that you ” . . . call your merchant account company, or bank and ask them what are the proper steps to take in order to confirm an overseas payment.”

I hope that fear of being scammed won’t make you opt out on a great opportunity to sell online. Selling online can be so rewarding and quite profitable with a little hard work. Just remember to put your common sense to work and invest in what will help you succeed; not something that will waste your money. Let’s not let the scammers rob us of what could be a great opportunity.

For more information on recognizing scams check out these websites:

http://www.allbusiness.com/specialty-businesses/home-based-businesses/3875805-1.html
http://www.smallbusinessbrief.com/articles/products/004603.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Drop-Shipping-Scams&id=530537
http://www.ripoffreport.com/Search/GoGo-Dropship.aspx (Customer protection Site)

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Money, Money, It’s a Rich Man’s World.

February 8th, 2011

Because making money is the reason most people decide to sell online, “How much money should I be making off of the products I sell?” becomes a common question.  Obviously you need to be making enough to cover you costs, time, and efforts. The problem with many new businesses is that they don’t understand all of the underlying costs of running a business. Small things like packaging, gas, and investments of time  add up quickly.

Selling online contributes to the challenge because selling online sellers have greater competition and competition naturally  drives prices down. Some sellers operate on such a slim profit margin, you may wonder how they ever make a profit.  However, with some research and strategy you can sell products that will put money back into your pocket.

What kind of a profit margin you receive depends entirely on what you sell. Things like electronics are harder to gain a profit on because of the costs required to make them. Competition to sell these products, is also a huge factor.

High ticket items may appeal to you, but it’s important to look at the demand for the product. It may seem great to receive a $100 profit from a sale, but if an item sits on the shelf for months before you sell it, it may actually be losing its value. You may be losing money in theory, if you could be selling ten $10 items every week, but instead focus your time and efforts on one high ticket item that takes forever to sell.

The best items to sell are items in a niche market. The less competition you have the better. The risk of low competition is that you’re not sure if the demand for your product is as high, since no one is currently marketing the product.

Take a look at this article for more ideas of how to sell online successfully. http://www.entrepreneur.com/sales/article206390.html

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Patience and Persistence

February 4th, 2011

Just be patient.  No one likes to hear this phrase, especially not while waiting for results from their new business. However, patience is a key to having a successful business. Now, don’t misunderstand me. Patience doesn’t mean you just sit around and wait for the dough to come rolling in. Life doesn’t usually work that way unfortunately.  I mean persistently working to improve and grow your business. Marketing and sales for a new business are a lot like an experiment. You change one thing at a time, track your progress, and then tweak the small things that need to be changed.

A Yahoo business article says that growth for new businesses is slow in the beginning for a two reasons. 1. It takes shoppers a little while to know your business is out there. 2.When they get to your site it takes them a little while to decide if they should order from you. They wonder if you are a legitimate online business. They don’t want to be ripped off. Can you blame them?

But, as you grow and word of mouth cycles, you’ll gain loyal customers. Just be patient and do all you can in the mean time to encourage and reward their trust.

Some  Improvement Ideas to Make While Waiting:

1. Find Ways to be Seen Online

Use seo to optimize your website. Check out these seo tips for some help knowing what to change about your site.

Participate in social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Digg.

Post your products in various locations, so that more eyes will see your products.

2. Research New Product Possibilities

Look online and see what’s selling. Subscribe to blogs and newsletters about running a business.

Know as much as you possibly can about your product.

3.Improve Your Website and Postings

Write unique product descriptions and have a quality picture posted on your website.

Produce content that will draw people to your site. If you sell sports gear, why not write about players, trades, and the  championship or playoffs.

Make your website easy to navigate. Test it out on friends and family to see if it is easy to navigate.

4. Develop a good relationship with your supplier. They’ll be more likely to help you if you’re not a pain to them.

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Think Social Media Won’t Help Your Business? Think Again.

February 3rd, 2011

Business is all about reaching your target market. In advertising  getting to know to as much as possible about your target market is key. So who is your buyer persona? Getting to know your buyer persona means you know all you can about who is buying your products. Where do they spend their time? What do they enjoy? Where are they from?

At this point you may be thinking, tell me something I don’t already know. Well if you know this, why not consider reaching your target market online through social media? Maybe, you haven’t realized  the far reaching influence of social media. I insist you watch this video to get an idea of what I’m talking about.

I would like to reiterate my favorite quote in this video, ” Social media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.” I honestly believe this will continue to change the way business is done.  Is this a resource your business is tapping into? If not, will you be the business that becomes part of the conversation or not even realize a conversation is going on?

Check us out on twitter @gogodropship for more new business and social media tips!

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