It was 5:45 pm and I was still stuck in the office (just outside Boston) and I wanted to communicate with my readers but didn’t see anything that really excited me. It must have been writer’s block…Rough.

20 minutes later… I was back in true form and finally came across this interesting (hedge word) new article that has the wheels turning. I came across an article at

http://www.shopperculture.com/shopper_culture/2011/01/digitail-.html

which takes a snapshot of the new wave of buying mentality that is taking grasp of Americans, especially young Americans, today. Feel free to check it out, but I’ll offer up my take.

Why are we all looking at ways to get our hands on the newest technology, most innovative software and hottest products these days? Because they sell! Correct! You know what else sells? Food; Soap; Clothes; Deodorant; Dog Food; Toilet Paper; etc. Right? These things not only sell, but they are proven items, they have been selling for a hundred years.

Do you think about selling them? Do you? Why race to be the first in line of the newest product when you can simply, stop, look around, and say what is all around me? If it is around me, then I must have purchased it. If I have purchased it then I’m sure others will purchase it.

The HOW. Am I telling you to go out and stock up on 400 boxes of Irish Spring soap? Maybe, if it’s a good deal or you have a body odor problem. Kidding! In reality, try your hand at purchasing a commonly used household item in bulk. Make sure it’s on sale and that it is a good price. Put it up for auction and see what it goes for. Worst comes to worst, you won’t have to buy toilet paper for a couple months.

What am I actually saying? I do not know if we have truly arrived at a marketplace that can support buying household items online in bulk at a discount. I do believe we will get there someday and that day is definitely sooner than later. What I do know is that if we continue to simply follow the trend and expect to revolutionize our lives, incomes by following a beaten path, we will fail. We might tread water for the mean time, but sooner or later we will get tired of having to be at the forefront of all the newest gadgets and fizzle out.

Don’t be a jack in the box, be yourself out of the box. Use logic, don’t overcomplicate the process. Be bold enough to take a leap.

Ok, you’re all set up! We have been working together for a couple months now; you’re going strong with your online business. I’m glad to see you have put the knowledge we have shared to good use. It is great to hear the success stories, it is even better to participate in discussions on how the successful want to do it better.

I was recently talking to a client who, we’ll call Frank, and he worked out of his garage in Indiana and was buying/selling custom watches throughout the world. Through our initial course and being a member of our coaching program, Frank was able to become an eBay power-seller after 5 months from starting his company. He was doing so well, so why not just keep chugging along down the path of prosperity? Well, he is, but Frank was nearing retirement and wanted to finish securing his future.

He had one month left on his coaching program and wanted to be at the $500.00 mark per week which would allow him approximately $20,000 in extra income per year after taxes. Currently, he was within the range of $410.00-$425.00 per week. He was short about $3,900 per year on his goal.

What to do? Frank was already spending as much time per week as he felt comfortable. He did not want to expand into another product line. Frank tried to change the price point of the watches and they did not sell as well. We examined the everything.

The HOW. What’s the everything? It’s everything else that had to do with his business besides his product. Frank worked from his garage and was constantly interrupted by his wife, grandchildren and friends because they knew where to find him. They thought they were being nice but they were preventing profits! We created an “hours of operation” sign and set ground rules not to be interrupted unless an emergency during working hours.

Since Frank was not born in the computer age, some of his computer skills were not up to par. We examined the current methods he was using to conduct and track his business. We found a spreadsheet as well as a research system that helped increase his productivity ten-fold. These systems helped Frank move from a partially paper based system to completely digital and also cut costs to some of his current processes.

We also found that he was spending too much time and money on shipping costs. We helped him set up an account with a preferred shipping partner that not only saved him time and shipping costs, but reduced the daily costs of running his business.

We need to remember to make more money does not necessarily mean sell more products or sell at a higher price. We want you to be successful and operate in an efficient manner so we can spend time on the more important things in life.

Oh yea. Frank’s selling at $535.00-$545.00 per week while working the same amount of time.

Is this statement still true?

Do you think there will ever be a point where we don’t ever interact face to face at all? I’m talking futuristic stuff here. We are approaching that point aren’t we?

Well maybe not, but that is definitely the direction the world is headed in. And for good reason. The internet is cost effective, instantaneous and a plethora of information. But I’m not writing to give you a benefits speech on the World Wide Web.

Instead, I wanted to discuss what wholesalers are looking for in potential representatives of their products. We have to be careful that we don’t get so hung up on finding wholesalers that we don’t ever look inward to check and see if we are worthy resellers or dropshipee’s. Think about that for a second, how do you differentiate yourself from the others in the industry trying to make it out on top like you are?

THE HOW.

As promised, I will always give you “the how,” so that not only do you have the information at your fingertips, but that you also have the ability to act on it.

That human connection is not dead I say! Walk into a wholesaler’s office or warehouse. Introduce yourself, state your claim and ask to speak with a sales representative or the manager. If you show the dedication and specificity towards that particular wholesaler, they will take favor to you. Ps. they’ll have a harder time saying no in person!

Get out of your comfort zone. I know that you all love to search online for the best selling products. Guess what? You’re just like the next person! Find a traditional product or a niche, look for a market that sells but is not constantly being updated and oversaturated. You might think this is a bland, below-average strategy but if you become an expert at selling wicker furniture, for example, you will have a selection of wholesalers who deal wicker furniture that would love to work with you.

Perception is reality. Therefore the image that your company projects is what it is. Incorporate or become a Limited Liability Company which will legitimize your business in their eyes. Create a business card, a real one, not a flimsy, white one. Have it printed on real card stock, with color that is somewhat resistant so that when you’re building these relationships, you are as increasing your credibility.

Finally, GET HELP! The Beatles said it best, “Help, I need somebody!” This is because we work better in teams, when we’re guided through a process. We need people to bounce ideas off and provide real-time critique and feedback. If you don’t know where to turn, call into the office and we’ll point you in the right direction. Heck, come on in if you’re in New England and we can have some human interaction!

I was recently talking to a new client who was extremely excited about starting the course and couldn’t wait to dive into the material. After a couple weeks, I gave her a call to see how things were going. She told me that she “was past half way through the course and had watched all the videos I gave her, three times!”

I was super excited, feeding off her energy, and began to question her about her listings and how her sales were coming along?

She said, “Oh, well I haven’t listed anything!” She sounded like I just asked for her social security number and mother’s maiden name!

I was shocked and instantly began to replay the conversation to see where I went wrong. “I haven’t even read the second half of the material yet,” she continues.

Finally I say, “But the ‘getting started’ video was on your desktop? Wasn’t that your first video?”

She replies, “Oh yea, I know how to get started and list items, but I want to finish reading everything first.”

What is she waiting for? Magic? Some pixy dust? She is waiting for the perfect moment, with perfect items in perfect markets. It’s not coming!

This is a process. It takes trial and error. Do not wait for a perfect moment. Gain knowledge, understand that knowledge and apply that knowledge.

The HOW. Look through your material, listen to what steps you have been directed and act on them. The system will be excellent without being perfect!

Resolutions. How many have you kept over the years? 1? 2? 4? Anymore than that and you’re either part of the 10% of all people who actually keep their resolution or you’re lying!

Well, when we don’t have the knowledge on how to do something, can we be held responsible for it?

Just the other day, my Uncle, asked me if I had helped my Aunt set up her new Wii System. I said “Nobody ever asked or told me to do that, how was I to know she needed help?” I guess because I’m the most tech-savvy in the family, I’m expected to rush to the scene of any technological construction or emergency!

Here are the 5 key principles on HOW to keep those 2011 Resolutions…

Break your goal into a series of smaller goals.

One big goal is hard to obtain and can seem daunting to say the least. Break it up into small obtainable goals that you can reach in a couple days time or maybe a couple weeks at the most. You will see more progress and be more encouraged.

Tell Friends and Family about your resolution

By announcing your goal to your friends and family, you will be accountable for that goal and (if they like you!) they will help support you in reaching your goal.

Remind yourself

Make a tool that can be a constant reminder of your goal.  For example, a picture of your reward for achieving your goal or an encouraging statement somewhere you will always see it.

Small rewards

Institute some kind of system of small rewards. Buy yourself a gift for reaching a checkpoint or do something nice for yourself at a key mark in your progress.

Map your progress

Create a chart or spreadsheet to map out the progress you’re making. Be sure to include checkpoints and milestones. This will provide a visual reminder of how hard you are or aren’t working!

One of my goals this year is to make sure I don’t just TELL you to do something. I want to tell you HOW to do something. I am going to give you the knowledge and ability to run a successful business in 2011!

“Here is the answer which I will give to President Roosevelt. Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”

-Winston Churchill

As an eBay seller, what are your tools? Carpenter has his hammer, lumberjack has his axe and a miner has his pick. These are all the tools that they use in their daily job. All necessary to get the job done and have been developed as the most effective over time.

But in some cases couldn’t these items be considered weapons? Unfortunately, many acts of violence have occurred where these weapons were used. But when we think about those things, we consider them tools right, not weapons?

As a society, we constantly use military terms like “weapons” to describe various things. An NFL player’s speed might be considered a “weapon,” a brilliant scientist might have an amazing mind which could be considered a “weapon” or even a great real estate agent might have great marketing and sales abilities which they consider “weapons.”

Again, as an eBay seller, what are your tools? More importantly what are your weapons? Your computer, the internet, web sites such as eBay, craigslist and Amazon.com are all considered tools but only once you know how to use them to their fullest extent can they be considered weapons.

I want to tell you about the website Auctiva and how you can turn it into your online selling weapon. It’s not just the attractive templates and scrolling gallery, the integrated image hosting with supersizing, free scheduling and listing profiles or bulk editing of live listings, but the overall ease, listing quality and savings Auctiva can bring to your business that can make it a weapon.

This is the how. Visit their website at http://www.auctiva.com/default.aspx to start your free trial period and take the video tour. If you don’t notice the ease, savings and quality that Auctiva can bring then I want you to call the office and we will direct on how to capture the true potential of Auctiva.

It’s that time of year again when football just takes over. It feels like just yesterday when I was strapping on the pads at Springfield College. Nothing is more exciting then waking up on a game day and just waiting for 7pm to hit. I’d be down in the locker room at 5 suiting up waiting for that opening kickoff. My teammates and I all pumped up as we ran out the locker and down to the field with hundreds of eyes on us. Maroon and white flags flying as the school cheerleaders have the crowd up screaming. This is my favorite time of year.

I remember traveling on off days to go watch my brother Adam at Worcester Academy who played running back and strong safety.  He was a highly scouted multi-sport athlete growing up and went on to play college athletics at the University of Hartford.

This time of year is one we both look forward too. Every weekend that I get a chance, I meet him at my parents and watch game after game. Whether its college or the NFL, it’s always exciting rooting for our favorite teams. Right behind us in the kitchen, my father will be preparing a meal and then joining us in the living room. We won’t move from the couches all day until the last game is played. Our cell phones ringing but not even realizing it due to our eyes glued to the TV screen. Finally, after a great summer, football has arrived and the Patriots are going to make another run for the Super Bowl.

eBay Seller of the Month

Eric Johnson from Chicago, IL

Insider Online Secrets,

Thanks so much for putting me on the path to making money on eBay. Within 30 days I’ve made $5,049! Your course combined with the support you provide could make anyone a winner. The 30 day challenge got me off my butt and made it happen. I even used your marketing techniques to utilize craigslist and drive traffic to the listing on eBay.

Eric Johnson

What’s Happening on eBay

Available the week of September 7 there are going to be a few features you are going to want to keep an eye out for.

• The eBay Listing Analytics application. This application allows you to track the performance of your listings. And my favorite part is it’s free!
• Pass on your shipping discounts to your buyers with the Shipping Calculator.
• Take advantage of more shipping options for special domestic areas including Alaska and Hawaii.
• Use enhanced My Messages to manage your buyer emails.

Also, becoming available week of September 13 there is going to be another new feature.

• Bulk edit more fields, revise up to 500 listings at once.

Finally coming September 20, there is going to be a whole new shopping experience when shopping for iPods,GPS,MP3’s,etc. It’s required that you use an eBay catalog to list but you will be able to offer Good ‘Til Cancelled listings—AND you pay no Insertion Fees when you list or relist with the catalog. Space is limited so register now and take advantage!

Topic of the Week

Importance of Feedback on eBay

As an eBay seller you need to understand that feedback on eBay is as pertinent as one’s credit history when you are trying to acquire a bank loan. If your rating is too low, shoppers will be too scared to purchase items from you. Having a good rating is THE most important consideration when determining whether an eBay seller is to be trusted or not. It is really not difficult to maintain a really positive rating, but if you are just starting your eBay business and have zero feedback, it can be a wee bit difficult to get your business off the ground. As a matter of fact, having a zero feedback is just as bad (if not worse) than having a bad rating.

So, the really easy way that you can build a positive rating is to start as a buyer. Doing this will not give you comments as an eBay seller, but it is really the simplest way that you can start building your reputation. A whole lot of people believe that a good and responsible buyer can also make a good seller – so, this is not a waste of your time and money, particularly when a large number of people will not look beyond your general rating (this is the combination of all the comments you have made)

Don’t go overboard – seriously, you do not need to spend colossal sums or spend most of your time bidding on items. You should bid on a lot of small and affordable items or you can simply buy things that you will always use. As soon as you have received your items, make sure that you leave a POSITIVE feedback immediately for the seller – this will typically be enough to make the seller leave a positive feedback for you. If the seller does not leave a comment for you at all, it is appropriate to send him or her (or them) an email politely asking them to do the same for you. You can also mention that you are trying to build up your reputation on eBay and how vital their feedback is to you.

Make sure that you always leave a positive post soon after you have received your item(s).  Well, if you had a negative experience, try your best to work with the merchant before you even think about leaving a bad comment. Many sellers are actually more than willing to mend their mistakes, as mentioned earlier, feedback and a good reputation are both very important on eBay – and in addition to this, you will want someone to do the same for you as well. If the seller refuses to fix his or her mistake or simply did not care enough to fix the mistake to your satisfaction, it is alright to leave a negative feedback.  Are you thinking “he or she might leave a negative feedback for me! Hey, I am trying to build a good reputation here!” Don’t worry; sellers can no longer leave a negative feedback for buyers, so they will not (cannot) retaliate.

An eBay Tool to be Familiar With

Turbo Lister Tool

The turbo lister tool is a great tool used to list multiple items and upload to eBay in bulk!  I highly recommend it for store owners who are dealing with a lot of products. Also another great feature is it is a FREE download right off eBay. Here are a couple features of the tool

eBay Turbo Lister is a FREE listing tool to help you create professional-looking listings, as well as upload and edit items in bulk. Try the latest version of Turbo Lister that makes listing on eBay easier than ever.

• Easy bulk listing and editing capability
• Search tools to find items fast
• Toolbar and special views for better control of your listings

The night goes on and people slowly start to depart as a few of us remaining around the burning fire knowing this day is soon over.  Now we have to wait 364 more days till we do it all over again.  The day after is the worst, as is any day after a big event, but we invite a few close friends to come finish off the leftovers and clean up the yard.  Usually this is where I try and sneak off into the house and just relax.

The next thing I have to look forward to, is the tickets I recently got as a gift to the red sox game. I try and get to at least 2 or 3 games a year, though my schedule makes this difficult. There is nothing better than a 65 degree night sitting behind home plate watching a game while the vendor throws you peanuts from 35 feet away and somehow always gets it to the hands of the person who ordered them. Next thing you know while paying for them, everyone is jumping up out of their chairs because Big Papi just hit a homer.  I love the sport and I love the atmosphere of Fenway Park.  It’s nice to have these few days to just relax.

eBay Seller of the Month

Connie Dalton from Flynt, Michigan

What were the Items that were sold and specific profit for each item?

Connie: 2001 Chevrolet truck for $6000, Swiss army knife for 9.50,  Starbucks coffee mugs  for 9.95, leather coat for $149.99

What you are going to do with the knowledge that you learned?

Connie: I am going to continue to grow my business and make more money

How long did it take you to make the Money? Did you find the system easy?

Connie: It took me about two weeks to make the money. I spent the first two weeks studying the material.  Yes the system was easy to understand.

What hesitations you had before getting involved in the eBay product?

Connie: Not knowing what to do and how to get started.

Have you had any computer experience or not before getting involved?

Connie: I had very little computer knowledge.  Mostly just email.

Testimonial -

I have really taken advantage of the material that I received. I have read every book and watched every DVD.  It has been so helpful.  The Auction Profit Generator program has been very beneficial. It has helped me take things that I had in my basement and garage and turn it into more $6000 in less than a month.  I intend to continue, first of all cleaning out my own things, and then move on to better things.

Thanks

Connie

What’s Happening on eBay

August 3, 2010 until September 7, 2010, eBay is offering FREE listing for auction style! FREE insertion fees for up to 100 auction style listings! Start the bidding at any price so this is great for those big ticket items and only pay if your item sells!

This is a great savings that I unfortunately cannot take advantage of. One regulation they have is you can’t get the savings if you own an eBay store. But, for everyone who has not set up a store yet and is just getting started, get those listings up and save the money! Doesn’t seem like much but when your listing 10 or 15 items up for sale, and every time you relist, your saving $10-$20 a time! Also you can use this money that normally you would have spent to list and offer Free Shipping. That way the money you would have spent on listing you can now use for shipping and offering Free Shipping will help your products move faster!! Take advantage of this great deal these next few weeks!

Topic of the Week

Owning an eBay Store

Have you ever thought what it would be like to own an eBay store instead of setting up your very own website in order to promote and sell your products? Well, setting up your very own website is not a bad idea but you will have to work EXTRA hard in order to get half of a third of the traffic that eBay gets, that’s all.

Owning an eBay store is really an awesome way to meet prospective customers and the great thing is that you do not need prior experience to become an eBay power seller – non whatsoever. Owning an eBay store comes with so many advantages and of course, profits too.

eBay conducted a study which showed that eBay stores have seen 25% increase in sales just within three months of setting up shop.

As an eBay store owner, you get to save money that you would otherwise spend on paying fees. This is because you get to pay way less fees in comparison to the fees you get to pay on other auction sites. As an eBay store owner you also get to enjoy FREE subscriptions and other promotional offers as well. In addition to this, you are provided with the opportunity to convert a one-time buyer into a loyal customer – that is, if you’re after sale customer service is appreciated.

If you own an eBay store with a professional look and feel, you will no doubt improve our credibility as a merchant and your image as well. As a store owner at eBay, you have benefits provided for you such as access to eBay’s Business Resource Center – at this resource center, you get to choose professional business cards, which you can download absolutely free off charge. Your eBay store can utilize its other features such as long duration for listing products, automatically re-listing of products and lots of other features that will help you effectively manage and save time.

Your eBay store will also come with a unique URL that will help you effectively promote your business both online and offline. Because eBay is quite similar to linking sites, you can rest easy knowing that this will help search engines successfully direct traffic to your site (thanks to eBay).

You can also personalize your store to suit your personal taste and style – yes, just as you can “dress up” your own website the way you want it, you can also do the same with your eBay store. You are also provided with the choice of creating up to twenty categories so that every individual category can be made to suit your needs. This way, you can show a variety of buyers only the stuff they are really interested in purchasing and also use a compelling image to suit each item. Each store also comes with its own search engine, offering the shoppers the opportunity to find what they are looking for at a much faster rate.

Other benefits of owning an eBay store include:

• 30 day free trial
• Free sales report
• Allows you to promote other items as well (Cross Promoting)
• As a qualified eBay store, you get to have a free monthly listing of eBay keywords.

An eBay Tool to be Familiar With

Seller Manager Tool

The seller manager tool is a great tool I highly recommend. It helps all you medium-volume sellers manage your eBay listings. It allows you to keep track of what’s selling, what sold, what you need to leave feedback for, etc! Below I added some great features of the seller manager that you should add to your eBay business—AND IT’S FREE!!

• Track active listings
• Generate bulk feedback and print invoices
• Print invoices and labels in bulk

Helpful Selling Manager Links

Read the FAQs
Join the Discussion Board
Get Online Help

Features

Sales Management

• Quickly view which post-sale activities you’ve completed with the helpful status columns
• Use customized email templates and stored feedback
• Automatically relist items

Bulk Features

• Relist multiple sold and unsold listings at once
• Send feedback to multiple buyers all at once
• File, track and manage multiple unpaid items and Final Value Fee requests