Maximizing your Ebay Profits by Selling to your Past Customers
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!
sebastian foss
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