The other night my Zumba instructor sighed and advised us regular attendees to come early to class for the next few weeks. She reminded us that after the first of the year our already full class will be inundated with - as she called them - The Resolution People. But, she reminded us with a smile, by early February they will be gone and we will have the studio to ourselves again.
I’ve never been one of the Resolution People. I prefer to set realistic goals throughout the year, find what works and stick with it. But I am drawn - after another year of a shaky economy threatens to wreak havoc on online sales - to take a good look at what needs improvement for 2010. General resolutions aside, here are some of the things I plan to do to strengthen my sales and online presence:
- Explore new sales venues. Selling your products or services in different venues not only gives you multiple opportunities for buyers to find your products, but also creates multiple pages on the web for search engines to pick up on. We currently sell on eBay and through an eBay ProStore, as well as listing a few things on Amazon. My goal for 2010 is to beef up our Amazon listings and begin to build a WebStore by Amazon Business. Branching out will mean more opportunities to attract customers and more independence from eBay, with whom I have an ongoing love/hate relationship (love the way their marketing channels customers to my listings, hate their fees and unrealistic expectations of sellers). Although some of the data is dated, this article offers still relevant comparisons between eBay and Amazon selling tools.
- Diversify products or services to reach a wider audience. There is a lot to think about when you consider diversifying your products or services. And as I research this topic myself, I find I have more questions than answers right now. Ask yourself: Are you ready for more; do you have the time energy, resources and funding to diversify? Do you know enough about the product or service you will be adding and the niche or need that it will fill? How will your new product or service complement and enhance your business as it currently stands?
- Strengthen our online presence through social media channels like FaceBook and Twitter.
- Clarify and enhance our brand. Even if you sell exclusively through venues like eBay or Amazon, there are lots of things you can do to directly market yourself and your products or services to the customers that are channeled through these sites. Including flyers advertising your other products, and updating your invoices, packing slips and the emails you send to customers with your logo and contact information are just two ideas.
- Spend more time out in the community. Spending a little less time in your solitary home office can be good not only for mental health but to help build a presence for your small business locally. Attending local Rotary and Chamber of Commerce events and building relationships with local vendors are just two ideas.
- Attend more workshops. The world is spinning crazy fast these days and keeping up with what is happening locally, in the world of small business and in the world of online marketing can’t always be followed exclusively online. Check out your local SBDC, or SCOREoffice, or even your local library or community college to find out what is happening and be a part of it.
- Explore free shipping. In the past, I have only rarely offered free shipping on eBay although we do offer it in our ProStore. My own online shopping habits and the success of the free shipping in our ProStore, have convinced me to conquer my fears and really make free shipping work for me in 2010. Instead of reinventing the wheel, here are eBay guru Skip McGrath’s thoughts on Free Shipping:
Free shipping can attract additional buyers, but obviously you would not want to offer free shipping on very heavy items as the cost versus distance can be a very high variable. But on low weight items it can make sense. I like to use free shipping with Buy-It-Now. I set a BIN price high enough to cover the shipping and my profit and offer buyers free shipping if they buy it now. - Explore international sales. Offering overseas shipping can give your online sales an added edge over competitors who will only sell domestically. Although some eBay sellers’ success has been spotty with international sales, I have had excellent experience, and plan to do more in 2010. By selecting the listing enhancement, UK Visibility, when you create your auction-style listings you can open your auctions to much greater European exposure than they would have in eBay’s US site alone. This enhancement ranges in price from $.10 - $1.00 per auction listing depending on the starting price of your item and is only available on auction-style listings. You can also list directly on eBay.uk, but I have never tried this method.
- Attend more trade shows. We spent Christmas morning with friends who have small children. As the kids opened each gift from Santa, my friends whispered to me: “You HAVE to sell that in your eBay store! It was so hard to find this year! You will make SO much money!” I didn’t tell them that what was hot this year will most likely be either cold or non-existent next year. One of the best ways to stay on top of the trends is to see what’s new for yourself. Attending trade shows puts you right in the middle of the cutting edge of new products and trends in your industry.
- Take more time to smell more roses. Working for yourself often means greater devotion to your work and therefore fewer vacations and less downtime for yourself. Keep your eye on the bottom line, but never forget what’s truly important and focus on that.
What are your resolutions for growing your business in 2010?
Outright is secure.