Articles by Drew020 on ArticleSnatch.com

Does Your Message Match Your Market?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Does Your Message Match Your Market? Dan Kennedy eloquently states a key principle in marketing by referring to the ‘message to market match'. Let's review this important concept. Firstly, let's break it down. Your ‘message' is WHAT you tell the customer to persuade them to buy your product or service. Incidentally, don't confuse the message with the media or medium used to ‘transport' the message, such as an eBay listing, a classified ad, a yellow pages ad, a website page etc. The ‘market' is your audience of customers. Your current or future potential buyers. So the marketing message you put out should be a good fit with your audience of buyers. Sometimes it's more instructive to learn from the wrong way of doing this than the right, so let's do that. In preparing this article I had to look no further than my computer screen. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

The Power of Nice

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Nice. It's the four letter word we need to hear more of. I don't know about you, but I think we seem to be back to the days of ‘lunch is for wimps.' We're surrounded by a cut-throat business environment where workers think nothing of trampling on each other in the fight for profits. And if you haven't squished a competitor by lunchtime then you're weak. You can probably tell that watching films like ‘Wall Street' where every day begins with a three large cups of coffee, and every interaction, even between employees is shouted, sends shivers down my spine. That's not my idea of fun. I believe in being nice. You should know that I'm not some ‘save the world' Greenpeace tree hugging, carob eating idealist. If you are, that's fine. I'm realistic and optimistic, and I know that despite my best efforts I'm not going to please everyone, but I do try. And I believe it's the right thing to do, as this example illustrates… I recently read in an issue of Entrepreneur magazine about the CEO of a company called ‘Kaplan Thaler' – they're an advertising agency. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Collaboration Beats Competition

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I believe in cooperation rather than competition. I think it serves customers better when they have a choice. And let's face it, not every product or service suits every customer. So if someone doesn't like my style of coaching, I'll happily refer them to someone else who might be a better fit. That's cooperation rather than competition. As proof that cooperation can work, look at some other examples from ‘big business'. Three cinema chains: AMC, Regal and Cinemark formed an alliance to share the development and production costs of converting around 14,000 movie theaters from 35mm film to superior and more reliable digital technology. All three companies benefit as a result. Yahoo News, the most visited online English language news site in the world, has collaborated with newspapers such as AP, Reuters, USA Today and others to provide video content for the online versions of these print publications. Rather than fiercely protecting this original content, they share it (for a fee) which in turn allows print publications to offer their customers high quality video content. Bringing this around to eBay, what can you do to work with, rather than against your competitors in that marketplace? **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

A.L.O Technique -- Use Testimonials

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

A.L.O. is a term I coined (deliberately similar in style to S.E.O.) which stands for ‘Auction Listing Optimization'. It can be defined as ANYTHING you can do within the eBay environment that increases the number of buyers, or that prompts buyers to go directly to your website. Each month I discuss an A.L.O. technique that you can implement in your eBay business… There's a famous British comedy series from the 70's that featured John Cleese (from Monty Python fame). It was called ‘Fawlty Towers' and Cleese played a cantankerous hotel owner in a sleepy little seaside town in England. On one occasion a guest approaches Cleese's wife to tell her that he'd had a very enjoyable stay. This was such an unusual occurrence that Cleese, who had been listening across the reception, muttered, “hmm, a satsified customer…we should have him stuffed.” I love that scene, but in all honesty, you should be deadly serious about having happy customers, and that's the topic of this ALO technique. Every eBay listing you create should use testimonials (comments from happy customers). **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

The BIG Lesson of the Month - Sell With Personality!

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

When we have friends around for dinner, my wife loves to bring out a personality test book called ‘Please Understand **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Renegade eBay Strategy-- The Unexpected Gift

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Something happened last month that NEVER happens to me. I opened a package from an eBay order to discover that not only had the item been superbly packed with ample bubble wrap to protect the contents, but there were a bag of M&M's sitting on the top of the bubble wrap. I whipped out my camera so you could see what I saw. Here it is: The gift was so unexpected that it caught me off guard. I teach this stuff, and it still caught me off guard. Why? Because it never happens! Think about it. When was the last time you received a package that contained a special gift, something special that you didn't order and were not expecting? I'm confident that most if not all readers will have to think long and hard about that one. Anyway, I was so taken aback that I later analyzed how I had felt when I opened the box. What surprised me was that even though I teach people to include a gift, when I opened this box, I had a grin from ear to ear, I had a smile on my face, and my opinion of the seller skyrocketed. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Bids and Pieces - Are You Using Video Yet

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I've been preaching for a looooong time about using video in eBay listings. It's really easy to do (yes, even if you're not a geek) and it's persuasive. If you want to sell more, using video is one of the best things you can add to your listings or your website. The user interface is intuitive and fun, and it's remarkably easy and fast to find the kind of vehicle you're looking for. At that point, you can view a user made video to get a tour of the car, inside and out. Currently, about ¼ of used car sales in the USA are carried out online, a figure which is sure to rise further. HotSwap uses the slogan ‘seeing is believing' to tie into their use of video throughout the site, and in doing so they raise a very valid point. Seeing IS believing. In other words, buyers are far more likely to pursue a car that they've ‘viewed' (albeit virtually) than a similar listing with only photographs or worse, just a description. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Sometimes It All Just Goes Wrong

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

If you've been in business for awhile, you'll have experienced occasions when everything goes wrong. Despite your best efforts, circumstances beyond your control conspire and some of your customers have a bad experience. What do you do? Bury your head in the sand? Leave the country for a couple of weeks? Change your phone number? Well, you could, but that won't solve the problem. Earlier this year, one of the most popular airlines in the USA, JetBlue faced such a dilemma, and we can learn a lot from how they dealt with it. What happened? Well, there were some major weather problems which had a knock on effect at JFK airport in New York, until the airline experienced a major melt-down. Many hundreds of passengers were stuck on airplanes for as long as 11 hours, without going anywhere. And apparently the subsequent effects continued to be felt for about a week, with countless flights badly affected. The news media latched onto the story like a bulldog and they wouldn't let go. That meant that the airlines woes were VERY high profile. What did they do? **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

If You Only Read One Column, Read This One!

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In the March issue of this newsletter, I featured an interview with Jeff Johnson, a very smart marketer who's a good friend of mine. I enjoyed this interview very much, and even though I‘ve heard Jeff speak many times, I took away some tips that have made me many thousands of dollars in profit since then. I raise this subject because I want to remind you that I'm absolutely certain that ANYONE that reads each issue and listens to the audio interviews will have at least one full sheet of action points they can apply in their own business EVERY MONTH, regardless of whether they're currently selling on eBay or not. BUT The Key of course is, TAKING ACTION! This newsletter was never meant to be about eBay exclusively. It's about MARKETING! Yes, the area that I most commonly apply the techniques to is eBay, but eBay is just a tool. It's not the be all and end all of any business, it's just a tool. Anyway, back to Jeff. ONE tip that Jeff gave was to scan USA Today, or your national newspaper every day. It takes about 15-20 minutes. Why did he say to do this? **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

A.L.O Technique - Audio Messages in my eBay Listings

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

A.L.O. is a term I coined (deliberately similar in style to S.E.O.) which stands for ‘Auction Listing Optimization'. It can be defined as ANYTHING you can do within the eBay environment that increases the number of buyers, or that prompts buyers to go directly to your website. Each month I discuss an A.L.O. technique that you can implement in your eBay business… I've been using audio messages in my eBay listings for years. I can't understand why anyone would not use this technology to improve their marketing. I'll explain why should you include voice in your listings? For one thing, whether we acknowledge it or not, we all crave human interaction on some level, even online. When potential customers hear a warm, friendly, helpful tone, that helps to persuade them to buy from you. Having a message play automatically when a customer loads your listing (or website page) also helps to ‘hook' them or draw them in. Few people will click away while a message is playing - they want to hear what you have to say. Audio messages also give you another way to describe your product or service effectively. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

How To 'Up-Sell', 'Cross-Sell', & 'Bump'

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Don't worry if you don't know what those terms mean. That's why I'm here. And if you do know what they mean, I bet you're not using them all in your business, so consider this ‘slapped wrists' time. Up-selling, cross-selling, and bumping are all terms that describe different ways of extracting MORE money from a customer AFTER they've already committed to buy a basic item. You see, it's important to understand that when people are in the mode of buying, they are highly open to suggestions to buy more! This is particularly the case when the offer is in some way related to the original purchase, AND even more so if the offer appears irresistible. The best way of illustrating these marketing techniques for you is to refer you to McDonalds, the most ubiquitous fast food restaurant in the world. They've had plenty of time to perfect their sales process, and they sometimes manage to get all three techniques into a single transaction, which is very impressive. Learning from ‘The Ronald' So let's say you order a McDonalds meal. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

What Do Customers Really Want?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It's very easy for us to have blinkers on with our own business, so much so that we can fail to see really IMPORTANT issues that come along. This is one of the reasons I'm such a fan of mastermind groups. When you meet in that environment with other like‐minded entrepreneurs, you get numerous fresh sets of eyes on your business, and they'll ALWAYS find important issues that you would have otherwise overlooked. Dan Kennedy, my mentor, taught me a very powerful lesson. In a moment I'll share it with you and I'm sure it'll make sense to you, and be logical, but I guarantee you that you're making the mistake in your own industry. How can I say that? Because we ALL do, to some degree. The mistake is in failing to realize what customers really want. For example: · If we're in the cinema industry, we think that we're in the business of selling movie tickets. · If we're an author, we think that we're in the business of selling books. · If we're a web designer, we think we're in the business of creating websites. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Renegade eBay Strategy-- Subtitle Secrets

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In the world of eBay, the subtitle is the line below the main listing title. It's an optional add-on (‘listing upgrade' in eBay speak) that currently costs 50 cents on the eBay site (35p on eBay.co.uk). Now, if you listen to the chatter on many of the eBay forums (don't do that by the way), you'll hear countless sellers dispense the advice that you shouldn't bother with the subtitle because it's too expensive. Well of course it's expensive if you're running hundreds of listings every week like most sellers do! More on that in a moment. You can see a subtitle circled in the listing example below: So you understand what we're talking about, right? Renegade eBay sellers use the subtitle effectively as a marketing tool. Let me explain. Since the title is ONLY used for keywords in a properly prepared listing, the subtitle provides a great way to SELL the sizzle. By that I mean, the benefits rather than the features which tend to be covered by the title. Let's look at an example. In the next image you can see the title keywords that are purely factual. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

eBay Feedback -- Keeping it Positive

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

If you've ever received a negative feedback rating on eBay and you're genuinely passionate about providing good service, you'll know how crushing it is. Usually sellers take it personally and feel emotionally wounded. I'm serious. The fact is, eBay feedback IS important. Actually, it's vital for your success, and although the system has its weaknesses and flaws, overall it accomplishes what it set out to do. What's that? To protect users from individuals who abuse their standing as a buyer or seller. A quick reminder of how it works – in each transaction both the buyer and seller can rate each other with a choice of a positive, neutral or negative rating. Notice I said ‘can'. It's not required or compulsory to leave feedback, but most eBayers do, because they like to receive as many positive ratings as possible. The vast majority of transactions go well and each party awards the positive rating to each other. Something that's very important to understand about eBay feedback is that you ONLY receive ONE feedback point for a transaction with another user – be they buyer or seller. Let me give you an example. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

How To Make Your eBay Listings Stand Out From The Crowd

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

There's never been a time in history when we're more bombarded with advertising than now. Everywhere we turn we're confronted with a marketing message in some form or another, assaulting our eyes, ears and in some cases our noses (think of the perfume scented pages of many lifestyle magazines). The downside from an advertiser's perspective is that with so many messages in the mix, it's becoming increasingly difficult to get people's attention. Also, we're all becoming better at tuning out the bombardment. In some cases we've even been given tools to help us, such as the ‘30 second skip' feature on a TIVO, which has the sole purpose of allowing users to jump through commercials and quickly get back to the program. Fortunately, within the eBay environment these challenges are lessened because when people use the site they are naturally in buying mode. They WANT to buy. That's a huge advantage compared to many other forms of advertising which can be classed as interruptive. However, it's not all plain sailing. More on that in a moment. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

A.L.O Technique -- Give Buyers a REASON to Buy

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

A.L.O. is a term I coined (deliberately similar in style to S.E.O.) which stands for ‘Auction Listing Optimization'. It can be defined as ANYTHING you can do within the eBay environment that increases the number of buyers, or that prompts buyers to go directly to your website. Each month I discuss an A.L.O. technique that you can implement in your eBay business… Take almost any flight these days and as the plane reaches the gate you'll hear an announcement along the lines of: “we realize you have a choice in which airline to fly, and we thank you for choosing _______”. This probably sounds a little cliched to many seasoned travelers because it's so ubiquitous, but it's done for a reason. The message is true - it acknowledges how competitive the industry is and thanks customers for their choice. It's ironic that more eBay sellers don't realize the very same thing applies to themselves. Buyers have a choice. Even if your product is completely unique, they still have a choice to buy, or not. So let's talk more about this important aspect that is ignored by most sellers. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

The Secret Shopper Secret

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

A friend of mine in England is occasionally employed as a secret shopper. The company she works for asks her to visit various stores around the region where she lives , to assess all aspects of the way employees interact with customers. Also known as mystery shopping, the aim is to get honest feedback about what's really going on inside the business. I've heard plenty of stories about her ‘stealth' observations over the years – like the receptionist who was sound asleep for more than one hour while numerous potential customers came, waited, and then left without being served, or the outburst of abuse given by a store manager to a staff member who was serving a bust checkout line – the employee was then left to carry on serving the customer while still in flood of tears. My friend used to say that the worrying part of her job was that there was little middle ground. Most of her experiences were either delightful of painful. Which brings me to the key point I want to make to you: When was the last time YOU secret shopped your own business? **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

How Much Money Are You Losing?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

So, I was just looking at my financial statements for this last moth in an eBay business I have. What I saw was a thing a beauty. First, I'll say that this particular eBay business has 4 income streams built within it: (1) sales from eBay, (2) backend sales of a high priced info product to current customers. (3) joint venture deals. And (4) affiliate sales through my email list to past customers. It's the last one that I notice a change on. The first two income streams make up the bulk of my business. Backend sales to current customers made up over 40% of my income until now. Affiliate sales to my email list have done something fantastic! I believe it has hit a critical mass. What the heck does that man? Well, it has hit a point that i make more in a week pitching other people's products then i do selling my front as end products! Since day one in this internet business world I have heard, “ the money is in the list”. I trusted that wisdom and followed it from the start, but until recently it was still mostly theory! **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Rewarding Research

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I've never been a fan of number crunching or compiling data, in fact that's putting it mildly. Truth is it makes me shudder just thinking about it, but I've come to realize that whether I like it or not is irrelevant. Research data is valuable, so it needs my attention (and yours too). I've also learned that I don't have to be the one to pore over the excel spreadsheets – there are plenty of other people who get excited at equations and graphs and charts and algebra. I bring this topic up because this stuff is important to any business, including selling on eBay. For example, by taking the trouble to research the data, here's just a few of the important stats I've learned about eBay users: · The busiest days for visitors to eBay are Monday and Tuesday evenings. · 77% of visitors to the site go to the search box first, the remainder login to their account. · The most popular category in terms of number of monthly visitors is ‘Business and Industrial' followed by ‘clothing, shoes & accessories' followed by ‘collectibles' then ‘computers'. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Luci and I were at Disney World in Florida a couple of months ago and we had a meal at ‘The Rainforest Cafe' a themed restaurant that's popular with families. It's very similar to Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock Café, in that there's nothing extraordinary about the food, but it's a bit more fun than going to a regular restaurant chain. They've created an interesting environment, even if the animals are animatronic (Disney have a lot to answer for). Anyway, while standing in line I picked up a leaflet promoting their loyalty program called ‘the safari club'. There's no question that it was an attractive offer. For a one time fee of $15 some of the benefits include: · Jump to the front of the line for reservations · Receive a $10 gift certificate for any meal · 10% off entrees on any visit for up to 4 people, or a free appetizer for the table. · 10% off retail merchandise · Discounts at 6 other restaurants To be honest, it was the first benefit that swung it for me, simply not having to stand in line for 30-45 minutes to wait for a table. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Can You Compete With Google?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Who would dare compete with Google, the biggest Internet player of them all, the giant that dominates online search? A company called ‘Mahalo' is doing just that. What they've done is simply ingenious. Their ultimate aim is to have all their search results powered by humans – in other words, a real person researches which sites provide the best information for a given search term. By comparison, Google is powered by computerized robots that trawl websites and make their best guess as to the nature and relevancy of the content. But computers often get it wrong. That's a weakness that Mahalo has used to its advantage. Mahalo is a Hawaiian word for ‘thank you' and the company's motto is ‘we're here to help'. The obvious question is, ‘how are they getting human powered search results for so many terms?' Actually, they're not. While they're going as fast as they can, they've been focusing their efforts on the most popular search terms that account for the largest percentage of queries, and ignoring local searches, say for a restaurant in your area. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

A.L.O Technique - A powerful, attention grabbing headline

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

A.L.O. is a term I coined (deliberately similar in style to S.E.O.) which stands for ‘Auction Listing Optimization'. It can be defined as ANYTHING you can do within the eBay environment that increases the number of buyers, or that prompts buyers to go directly to your website. Each month I discuss an A.L.O. technique that you can implement in your eBay business… I don't know the exact figure, but I'm sure a survey's been done to determine how much time the average buyer will look at an auction listing for, before deciding whether to continue reading or moving on. What I do know for sure is that the figure will be very low – probably less than 10 seconds. So what can you do to capture the readers attention and encourage them to read on? A powerful, attention grabbing headline, and that's the subject of this issue's A.L.O. technique. Famed marketer David Ogilvy wrote: “On the average, 5 times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that, unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

2 Hotels

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Last week I stayed in two hotels in the same city. Both hotels were similarly priced (not cheap) and both were well known, international brands. Beyond that, they couldn't have been more different. The first hotel had unfriendly check-in staff who made me feel like they were doing me a favor by letting me stay there. Then I discovered that the lights in the room were only controlled by a switch by the door, so you had to get out of bed to turn them off when you were ready to sleep! I'll spare you the details of the countless other annoyances, but to top it all, the radio alarm clock by the bed was ridiculously complex to set, to the point where I, mister ‘techy' himself, had to call down to the front desk to ask for instructions on how to do it! Oh, get this. I mentioned this the next morning to two friends who were also staying at the same hotel, and they both said they had done the same thing! **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Profiting From 'Want it Now'

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Imagine if you could tap into the minds of buyers and discover what they want, but have been unable to find on eBay. Well, you can do exactly that with the ‘Want It Now' sub-section of eBay. Any eBay member can list a request in ‘Want it Now' for free, to let others know about an item or items they're looking for. There's a huge opportunity in this field that has been largely overlooked. So how can you profit from this? It's simple. Look for items that appear frequently, and fulfill the need. I'll give you an example. On one occasion I noticed that users of eBay were looking for a particular book, a novel that was out of print in the USA. I looked on Amazon and other online book sellers, but no one had the book, which is obviously why so many people had turned to eBay. However, on further investigation I found an abundance of copies available on Amazon.co. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Come On, Take Some Responsibility!

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

So, I got a comment on our blog at Renegade-eBay-Sellers that both amused and saddened me. A guy named ‘Fred' commented on a podcast Andrew and I did recently about the strategy of starting items off at 99 cents. Fred said we were wrong! That was the part that completely amused me. Us wrong, come on, that's crazy talk! In case you don't know, the 99 cent strategy is where you start an item out at 99 cents in order to draw attention to your auction, which means more people will be attracted to it, and subsequently all the strategies to take them off eBay to your site (hide them away) come into play - as well as starting a bidding frenzy that has the possibility of taking the auction price above your normal buy it now price! There are many other advantages to this strategy, but those are the main ones to help you understand the basics of it. After I stopped laughing at the thought that we may be wrong ;) - I read the rest of his comment. **End Summary** Topics: ebay]]> online]]> auction]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> http://andrewlock.com/ http://myauctionacademy.com/ http://sendmyfreegift.com/

Articles by Drew020 on ArticleSnatch.com

Does Your Message Match Your Market?

The Power of Nice

Collaboration Beats Competition

A.L.O Technique -- Use Testimonials

The BIG Lesson of the Month - Sell With Personality!

Renegade eBay Strategy-- The Unexpected Gift

Bids and Pieces - Are You Using Video Yet

Sometimes It All Just Goes Wrong

If You Only Read One Column, Read This One!

A.L.O Technique - Audio Messages in my eBay Listings

How To 'Up-Sell', 'Cross-Sell', & 'Bump'

What Do Customers Really Want?

Renegade eBay Strategy-- Subtitle Secrets

eBay Feedback -- Keeping it Positive

How To Make Your eBay Listings Stand Out From The Crowd

A.L.O Technique -- Give Buyers a REASON to Buy

The Secret Shopper Secret

How Much Money Are You Losing?

Rewarding Research

Renegade eBay Strategy- Lessons from The Rainforest CafÃ©

Can You Compete With Google?

A.L.O Technique - A powerful, attention grabbing headline

2 Hotels

Profiting From 'Want it Now'

Come On, Take Some Responsibility!