When you are happy and busy in your business, the marketing that you did every single day back when your business was new and customers very few seems not very important. You have all the business that you need. Stop right there, take a step back, and think what you have just said. Ok you may have all the business you can handle, but what if one or two of those clients vanished, and a few more cut down on their orders, how would you be now ?

Customers come and go, they are not loyal to you at all, at any given time they will go somewhere else if the offer or service is better. You do not own your customer and they are free to go where they want. You also need a steady flow of new enquiries, and new customers coming into your business on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. You will never, ever stop marketing from the day you start your business till the day you finish and close up shop. (And unless you market yourself and yor business daily you could end up closing your business sooner than you thought)

You need to set aside time each day to market you and your business, mark it on your calendar and set aside time each day when you do something to market and promote. Some days you will be able to spend an afternoon or a few hours on it, and other days just a few minutes, but if you commit to do something each and every day to market your business then you will have a steady flow of customers coming into your business.

@ Write an article, press release, or blog post. With this do not just promote your business but give some useful tips and hints that would be of use to a new customer. By offering this free information people will trust you when it comes to buying from you. Once you have done a few of these you can write an article and just by tweaking a few words here and there you can turn that article into a press release and a blog post.

@ Attend a business networking event, Chat with people, find out what they are doing and see how you can help them build a better business. By taking this approach you are helping them yes, but by doing this you in turn will build a bigger business for you.

@ Also thank a customer for their order, by a letter and in this letter ask them to recommend a few friends who you can contact.

@ Keep your website and blog up to date at all times.

@ Go to forums and boards on the internet where your customers hang out, and again do not sell but answer questions and be of help. Again they will trust you and when the time comes to buy, you have a good chance of getting the sale.

Hope those five tips will help you build and market your business. They are just a start and there are many more out there. Just market your business on a daily basis and you will see new business coming into your business on a regular basis.

I would guess if you stopped most people in the street and asked them “Do they like change” a very large proportion will say no or not really. And only a few will say yes we like change or do not mind it. But like it or not change happens. Now I am going to be honest with with at times when change happens the reason we do not like it is because it takes us out of our comfort zone. We are happy where we are and when things around us change we need to change to take these changes on board.

But as with anything change will happen. Just think you are reading this article on a computer, 15 years ago it would have been in a magazine or newspaper, but because things change you are now reading it on a computer, but since the computer came out that too has changed and thats to people like Apple with the iphone and ipod touch, and other phone companies some of you will be reading this on the phone. All because of change and the fact the people were will to take on board and embrace change and move with it.

So what does this have to do with your online business and selling platforms such as eBay and Amazon. Well from the second you signed upto these companies to help you sell your items on the ecommerce platforms that sites have been changing. Some of the changes you will have seen as in the layout of the site and how the site feels and works. Other changes will have been to the code and the programs they use to run the site, these you will not know or see.

But other changes they do you will see, feel and know about and it is these changes that some people get so worked up over. They shout, they complain, they leave bad comments and some even say or do leave the site. but by doing that who are they hurting ? Yes ok on the surface they may be spitting fire but at the end of the day it is their business they hurt. They will jump from platform A to platform B. But when platform B decides changes are needed where do they jump ?

Sites such as eBay, Amazon, etc, do not wake up and say hey lets make this change today, to upset our sellers. No the changes have been thought out over a period of time. These sites need to keep all sides happy. Sellers, buyers, shareholders etc. At times sites may seem to favor buyers well yes as if there were no buyers no one will sell.

Changes are made after a long period of working out and thinking, and yes we may think why have they done that change, but a few months down the road a little light will go on in our head, and we will say now I see why that change was made. The changes will happen, as sellers we need to look at them and apply them to our business, and move on. And build bigger and better businesses because of the change.

6 Steps For Profit On eBay

Now that the New Year has come and gone, and you are getting settled into a New Year and a New decade, thoughts may have crossed your mind about starting your own business either part-time or full-time. But at the back of your mind you think, I do not have the capitol or the know how. Well that may be true if you are looking at starting up from from the bottom.

But just stop right there. There is a business out there that allows people to run a full or part time business or even I need some money next week type of of business. Cash on Demand type.

It is fully legal, allows you to start today with items you have around your home or office. Yes I am talking about eBay. And dipping your toes into online selling  With eBay is one of the best things you can do to start off with.

The marketing has all been done for you, and the site is visited by millions of people on a daily basis and from all over the world. But to help you get ahead start I have listed 6 ideas or tips that will help you avoid the pitfalls that new people (and some older people) who sell online.

1 – Titles

You a need a good title or heading, that contains good keywords, that will catch the eye of buyers.

2- Description

Write a good detailed description, again include good keywords, colours, sizes, if it is new or old. If it has a brand or model number include that.Also if it does have some markings, or cracks on the item tell the people, do not hide it. Always be honest. If you are not honest you will get bad feedback and will lose a sale.

3 – Keep An Eye On Spellings

Always check your spellings and also if you can get a friend to check your spelling. One reason is customers do not like bad spelling and another reason is the fact that search engines do not like bad spelling. For instance of you spell Brand New and Brand Knew. eBay, Google etc do not know you have spelt it wrong and when someone types in Brand New your item may not show up.

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4 – Pictures

Also take good pictures. Make sure they are in focus, and there is nothing else showing up in the photo. This does not look good and could make your item sell for a lot less money. If an item has a mark or a crack in it, take a picture and show it in the picture. Be honest, it will pay off for you.

5 – Think Good At All Times

Also be polite and friendly when you are writing headings, descriptions and emails. Try and answer emails within 24 hours, a lot sooner if possible. And when you get a nasty email, read it, get up from your desk, take a walk, make a drink before you answer.Please never fight fire with fire. It is not worth it. You have no idea why that person was not happy with a product. Be kind, be honest. And you will find this works and the customer will become a best friend.

6 – Send Out Goods On Time

Once the item has sold and you have been paid, where possible try and send this out on the same day, or within two days. Do not keep people waiting. You need to think like a buyer. You have just bought something online would you like to wait a few weeks for it. Guess not, the same goes for your customers, they would like it as soon as possible.

As we approach the end of another year and thoughts turn to 2010 and all those New Year   resolutions, something that a lot of people think is, de-clutter and lets get rid of all of those items I no longer use, we put them in a black black or several and to the tip we go.

Well stop right there, by all means de-clutter your home but do not go to the tip with those items you could be throwing away hundreds of pounds in cash. Sell your items on eBay. Spend the Christmas period when all the parties are over and start to list.

Very soon your home will be de-cluttered and you will have some extra cash in your pocket to help pay all those bills that will soon be dropping through your door.

Guess some of you may be saying oh yeah, but I know nothing about eBay and how eBay works………….. do not worry if you live in the Lichfield area of Staffordshire I run regular classes or even one to one classes you can find out more about my eBay Education Classes here.But also am willing to help anyone anywhere via email, phone, skype.

Now some of you will say oh I just do not have the time for all this, so sadly to the tip it must go. Stop right there again, I have been selling on eBay for well over 10 years now, and I can help you with your problem. I am also an eBay Trading Assistant and this means I will sell your items for you, I take all the pictures, handle everything and when all the items have sold and the customer is happy, you get a nice paypal or cheque in the post less of course our commission. Sorry we do have to charge a commission I mean we all have to live and eat.

But that aside why not give it a go yourself, I did and I loved it. It is easy, It is Safe and selling on eBay is fun and can make you good money. 

So if you need help in selling your items when you have de-cluttered and you live in the  Lichfield area give us a call.

Another resource bought to you by Andrew Milburn and My Auction Empires

In Love

I know In Love is a strange title for a business blog, but I have a reason. Today I was talking with a girl about product sourcing  and she asked me, do I have to love my product or can I sell anything.

To be honest this got me thinking for a bit, and to give me time I asked her to explain what she meant. (As an eBay Education Specialist knows that is a good idea to give you time to think)

Well she came back at me with “Well I love the clubbing scene can I sell products to it” So I went through the usual teaching. Is there a Market, have they got money, have they got a means to pay for the product, etc etc. And she answered yes to all. And when we looked online it backed up all she had said.

But I did warn her that at times being in Love can cloud your business judgement, and if you have fallen in Love with a niche or a product you could be selling well passed the time it can make you money.

Now this girl is one sharp cookie. She maybe only young, (she was doing a business course at the local college ) and you could see her thinking. She said Yeah see what you mean……So again being a bit naughty said see what………she said it is like love in real life. She explained that she could really fancy a lad at uni, and go out with him and fall in love, but soon the lad starts cheating on her , but she is madly in love and cannot see it, even though all her mates are telling her. And it takes her some weeks before the penny drops that he is bad for her. And during that time her energy has beed drained etc.

I said well yes, at times we can all sell a product that we love, and at times have problems dropping it, but if we enter a market with a product like that we must be prepared to drop it or else the product we are in love with will drain our business.

Now a question I would like to ask you all and please leave loads of comments for and againist.

Can we sell a product we don’t love , don’t have feelings for and really market it to it full potential?

Andrew Milburn / AndyUk