6 Surefire tips you can start doing now

The first month of 2012 is now coming to a quick finish. It seemed like we were just discussing the holiday shoppers and Cyber Monday deals, when suddenly we are now thinking about Valentine’s Day deals. Time flies, but it seems like it goes a little faster for online sellers. The good news is that preliminary numbers indicate that buying hasn’t really slowed down. Sales are holding steady as we begin 2012 and we are excited for them to continue into the spring months and hope you are too.

But no matter the times, it is imperative that we maintain consistency and do the same things that worked last year while also adapting and evolving to what our clients need.

Here are 6 Surefire tips on things you can start following now to increase your odds of success:

It is all about Simplicity: Too many sellers think they need to sell everything under the sun, but this is not true. Yes it is important to have an active store with hundreds of items for sale, but you don’t have to sell within 45 categories to increase your odds. Too much is sometimes just too much. Keep it simple and you will find more rewards and more time in your day to do the things you love.

Don’t Neglect the Importance of Photos: The biggest impact you can make on your listings is the influence a picture makes in the purchasing process. The better the photos the better the odds your pictures make someone feel they needed to purchase it. You have the ability to post numerous different images, so you should take advantage of this option, but please remember 10 bad photos doesn’t do anyone any good. Also read our 5 Tips to Paint Pictures in Your Items Descriptions

Build Confidence: The main reason we created Addoway was to create a safer alternative for shoppers. We wanted shoppers to think “Addoway” when they decided to buy online, especially because there are so many options out there today. As a seller, you play the biggest role in helping us create that environment. Your objective should be around building confidence in your store. You can write blogs, write testimonials, talk about yourself and your business, and even show the other platforms you sell on today or have in the past. Shoppers want to feel confident when they purchase. They don’t want to second guess their decisions, so take the time helping them not second guess buying from you.

Customer Service Excellence: This point will be a part of every blog we write about selling more, because no other point is more important. You need to provide exceptional customer service. Be that seller who responds the fastest, ships the quickest, and packages their items a more carefully. Take pride in what you do and how you communicate it and you will go far as a seller.

Stay Active. Stay Committed: I can’t tell you how many times we get a question about why a certain seller is not selling anything. In most of these cases, the seller has just imported their items and left. Their first time back to Addoway was to send us a support ticket asking us what is wrong. Well simply put, “you are not running a business.” You can’t be successful if you don’t put any work into your work. Selling online is a full-time commitment. This doesn’t mean just finding these to keep you busy, but instead ensuring you are making an effort to WIN. Winning comes from hard work, practice, and failing (Yes, you need to fail too). Failing makes us stronger, but it only comes from trying new things and finding out what works and what doesn’t. Give yourself a chance and work at it. You can’t just post and run and think sales will come. This is not 1995.

It is all about who you know: Successful people make it a priority to spend time with other successful people. Find a successful seller or two and spend time with them. What do they do right? What have they tried and not tried? Why are they successful? Where do they spend most of their time? How many times have they changed their product lines? It is important to spend your time with people who are where you want to be. Don’t spend the time with those who are not working hard and what you want to achieve, because you are just going to find yourself in the same boat. In corporate America it was all about, “dressing for the role you want, instead of the role you have.” Well in eCommerce it is, “involving yourself with those sellers you would like to become."

We hope you find these tips helpful and hope you share some of your own in the comment section below. Also check out our: 6 Real Simple Tips to Becoming a Successful eCommerce seller no matter where you sell