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      <title>Articles by Drew020 on ArticleSnatch.com</title>
      <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/profile/Drew020/30504</link>
      <description>Drew020 is an author at ArticleSnatch.com Article Directory.  Below are the most recent articles from Drew020.  For more of articles by Drew020 please use the link above.</description>
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         <title>Does Your Message Match Your Market?</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Does-Your-Message-Match-Your-Market-/371663</link>
         <description>Does Your Message Match Your Market?

Dan Kennedy eloquently states a key principle in marketing by referring to the âmessage to market match'. Let's review this important concept.

Firstly, let's break it down. Your â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 âtransport' the message, such as an eBay listing, a classified ad, a yellow pages ad, a website page etc.

The â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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Does-Your-Message-Match-Your-Market-/371663</guid>
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         <title>The Power of Nice</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Power-of-Nice/371662</link>
         <description>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 â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 â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 â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 illustratesâ¦

I recently read in an issue of Entrepreneur magazine about the CEO of a company called âKaplan Thaler' â they're an advertising agency.** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Power-of-Nice/371662</guid>
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         <title>Collaboration Beats Competition</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Collaboration-Beats-Competition/371661</link>
         <description>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 â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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Collaboration-Beats-Competition/371661</guid>
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         <title>A.L.O Technique -- Use Testimonials</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-L-O-Technique----Use-Testimonials/371657</link>
         <description>A.L.O. is a term I coined (deliberately similar in style to S.E.O.) which stands for â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 businessâ¦

There's a famous British comedy series from the 70's that featured John Cleese (from Monty Python fame). It was called â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, âhmm, a satsified customerâ¦we should have him stuffed.â

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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-L-O-Technique----Use-Testimonials/371657</guid>
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         <title>The BIG Lesson of the Month - Sell With Personality!</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-BIG-Lesson-of-the-Month---Sell-With-Personality-/371656</link>
         <description>When we have friends around for dinner, my wife loves to bring out a personality test book called âPlease Understand ** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-BIG-Lesson-of-the-Month---Sell-With-Personality-/371656</guid>
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         <title>Renegade eBay Strategy-- The Unexpected Gift</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Renegade-eBay-Strategy---The-Unexpected-Gift/371655</link>
         <description>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&amp;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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Renegade-eBay-Strategy---The-Unexpected-Gift/371655</guid>
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         <title>Bids and Pieces - Are You Using Video Yet</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Bids-and-Pieces---Are-You-Using-Video-Yet/371654</link>
         <description>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 Â¼ of used car sales in the USA are carried out online, a figure which is sure to rise further.
HotSwap uses the slogan â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 âviewed' (albeit virtually) than a similar listing with only photographs or worse, just a description.** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Bids-and-Pieces---Are-You-Using-Video-Yet/371654</guid>
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         <title>Sometimes It All Just Goes Wrong</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Sometimes-It-All-Just-Goes-Wrong/371653</link>
         <description>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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Sometimes-It-All-Just-Goes-Wrong/371653</guid>
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         <title>If You Only Read One Column, Read This One!</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/If-You-Only-Read-One-Column--Read-This-One-/371652</link>
         <description>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 Iâ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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/If-You-Only-Read-One-Column--Read-This-One-/371652</guid>
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         <title>A.L.O Technique - Audio Messages in my eBay Listings</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-L-O-Technique---Audio-Messages-in-my-eBay-Listings/371651</link>
         <description>A.L.O. is a term I coined (deliberately similar in style to S.E.O.) which stands for â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 businessâ¦

 

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 â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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-L-O-Technique---Audio-Messages-in-my-eBay-Listings/371651</guid>
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         <title>How To 'Up-Sell', 'Cross-Sell', &amp; 'Bump'</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/How-To--Up-Sell----Cross-Sell------Bump-/371650</link>
         <description>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 â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 âThe Ronald'

So let's say you order a McDonalds meal.** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/How-To--Up-Sell----Cross-Sell------Bump-/371650</guid>
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         <title>What Do Customers Really Want?</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/What-Do-Customers-Really-Want-/371649</link>
         <description>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&amp;#8208;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:

Â·  If we're in the cinema industry, we think that we're in the business of selling movie tickets.

Â·  If we're an author, we think that we're in the business of selling books.

Â·  If we're a web designer, we think we're in the business of creating websites.** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/What-Do-Customers-Really-Want-/371649</guid>
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         <title>It's Movie Time</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/It-s-Movie-Time/371648</link>
         <description>I'm in a movie! Yep, it's true. Okay, so it's not a Hollywood movie and Meg Ryan wasn't involved (sadly), but it's still an exciting opportunity.

So what's it all about?

Well, my mentor, Dan Kennedy, who you may or may not be familiar with â he's the guy behind many successful infomercials on TV, like âProActiv' â he's also responsible for the success of countless entrepreneurs. Dan has put together a revolutionary DVD âadventure' that will probably be the most unusual 93 minute DVD movie you will EVER see - and the most USEFUL one you'll ever own, really!

Released this month, it's a new DVD movie called âThe Phenomenon'.

You have undoubtedly had the experience of having your good, promising ideas and best intentions for following through on them picked to death by doubters and critics around you....stifled by lack of resources.....buried under the pressure of day to day responsibilities....finally &quot;back burner-ed&quot; until you can somehow find the time to be more serious about them. Does that sound familiar to you? Some of your greatest opportunities and plans never get up to speed, right? EVERYBODY has these struggles.** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/It-s-Movie-Time/371648</guid>
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         <title>Renegade eBay Strategy-- Subtitle Secrets</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Renegade-eBay-Strategy---Subtitle-Secrets/371647</link>
         <description>In the world of eBay, the subtitle is the line below the main listing title. It's an optional add-on (â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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Renegade-eBay-Strategy---Subtitle-Secrets/371647</guid>
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         <title>eBay Feedback -- Keeping it Positive</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/eBay-Feedback----Keeping-it-Positive/371646</link>
         <description>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 â 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 â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 â be they buyer or seller. Let me give you an example.** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/eBay-Feedback----Keeping-it-Positive/371646</guid>
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         <title>How To Make Your eBay Listings Stand Out From The Crowd</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/How-To-Make-Your-eBay-Listings-Stand-Out-From-The-Crowd/371642</link>
         <description>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 â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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/How-To-Make-Your-eBay-Listings-Stand-Out-From-The-Crowd/371642</guid>
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         <title>A.L.O Technique -- Give Buyers a REASON to Buy</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-L-O-Technique----Give-Buyers-a-REASON-to-Buy/371641</link>
         <description>A.L.O. is a term I coined (deliberately similar in style to S.E.O.) which stands for â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 businessâ¦

Take almost any flight these days and as the plane reaches the gate you'll hear an announcement along the lines of: âwe realize you have a choice in which airline to fly, and we thank you for choosing _______â. 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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-L-O-Technique----Give-Buyers-a-REASON-to-Buy/371641</guid>
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         <title>The Secret Shopper Secret</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Secret-Shopper-Secret/371640</link>
         <description>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 âstealth' observations over the years â 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 â 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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Secret-Shopper-Secret/371640</guid>
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      <item>
         <title>How Much Money Are You Losing?</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/How-Much-Money-Are-You-Losing-/371639</link>
         <description>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, â the money is in the listâ. I trusted that wisdom and followed it from the start, but until recently it was still mostly theory!** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/How-Much-Money-Are-You-Losing-/371639</guid>
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      <item>
         <title>No Listing Fees For September -- What's the Scoop?</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/No-Listing-Fees-For-September----What-s-the-Scoop-/371637</link>
         <description>On August 29th, eBay announced that there would be no listing (insertion) fees for the entire month of September. Why have they done this and is it a good deal? If you just read the article about data and looked at the ânumber of users' chart, you'll have realized that September is on average the quietist month of the year, so an initiative like this to drive more sales is a good thing.

Before you get too excited, as with all offers from big companies, there's some small print to be aware of. Note that your starting price needs to be $9.99 or less, and you MUST buy at least a gallery upgrade at a cost of 35 cents. There are some exclusions, such as all eBay motors listings (which are popular year round).

So what's the bottom line with this promotion? Is it a good deal? Well, you'll probably save some money but it's not as exciting as eBay want you to believe. The regular listing fee for an auction that starts at 99 cents is just 20 cents.** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/No-Listing-Fees-For-September----What-s-the-Scoop-/371637</guid>
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      <item>
         <title>Rewarding Research</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Rewarding-Research/371636</link>
         <description>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 â 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:

Â·  The busiest days for visitors to eBay are Monday and Tuesday evenings.

Â·  77% of visitors to the site go to the search box first, the remainder login to their account.

Â·  The most popular category in terms of number of monthly visitors is âBusiness and Industrial' followed by âclothing, shoes &amp; accessories' followed by âcollectibles' then âcomputers'.** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Rewarding-Research/371636</guid>
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      <item>
         <title>Renegade eBay Strategy- Lessons from The Rainforest CafÃ©</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Renegade-eBay-Strategy--Lessons-from-The-Rainforest-Caf--/371635</link>
         <description>Luci and I were at Disney World in Florida a couple of months ago and we had a meal at âThe Rainforest Cafe' a themed restaurant that's popular with families. It's very similar to Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock CafÃ©, 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 â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:

Â·  Jump to the front of the line for reservations

Â·  Receive a $10 gift certificate for any meal

Â·  10% off entrees on any visit for up to 4 people, or a free appetizer for the table.

Â·  10% off retail merchandise

Â·  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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Renegade-eBay-Strategy--Lessons-from-The-Rainforest-Caf--/371635</guid>
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      <item>
         <title>Can You Compete With Google?</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Can-You-Compete-With-Google-/371634</link>
         <description>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 â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 â 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 âthank you' and the company's motto is âwe're here to help'. The obvious question is, â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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Can-You-Compete-With-Google-/371634</guid>
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      <item>
         <title>A.L.O Technique - A powerful, attention grabbing headline</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-L-O-Technique---A-powerful--attention-grabbing-headline/371633</link>
         <description>A.L.O. is a term I coined (deliberately similar in style to S.E.O.) which stands for â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 businessâ¦

 

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 â 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: â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**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-L-O-Technique---A-powerful--attention-grabbing-headline/371633</guid>
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      <item>
         <title>Why Your Email Might be Misunderstood</title>
         <link>http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Why-Your-Email-Might-be-Misunderstood/371632</link>
         <description>Every so often I'll receive an email from a customer who misunderstood the comments in my email to them, and took them completely the wrong way. When a customer draws a wrong conclusion it can lead to all kinds of challenges.

According to âThe Academy of Management Review', they found that most people view the content of emails as more negative than they were intended to be. What's more, even emails that are written as a positive message are often interpreted by the recipient as neutral.

As an example of what causes these issues, when someone rushes the process of writing an email, they often shorten sentences and remove greetings that have always been an essential part of letter writing in the past. Also, since most people aren't very good typists, this often results in poorly prepared emails that don't fully convey the accurate intended meaning.

With my eBay business, there's no question that I've found this to be true. In fact, my experience gained in this matter led me to implement a policy whereby, if I've received a negative feedback (very rare, thankfully), I never contact the person via email â only via telephone.** End Summary**&lt;p&gt;About the Author:&lt;br&gt; http://andrewlock.com/ 
 http://myauctionacademy.com/ 
 http://sendmyfreegift.com/ 
</description>
         <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
         <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Why-Your-Email-Might-be-Misunderstood/371632</guid>
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