Selling Tactics

Streamer asked:


I will readily admit that human induced global warming is a very vulnerable theory. The periods of time used to measure the phenomenom (centuries) are statistically insignficant when compared to the age of our planet. After reading a bunch of scientific literature on both sides, I tend to think that we are responsible and if we don’t make an effort to curb our emissions there is a risk that things will take a turn for the worse…maybe I won’t see it in my life time…but my daughter might…or maybe her children. But then again…does it really matter? What’s the downside to reducing our CO2 emmissions? Most critics will tell you that it could spell economic disaster for the US. Talk about a “chicken little” reaction. The US economy overcame the effects of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act. CRCLA, TOSCA, RCRA etc…why do republicans have such little faith in our ability to weather CO2 emmission control? Bottom line, the biggest threat to the US economy is China and India. And let’s face it, our economic strength lies in our innovation and not necessarily in duplication (read production)…so let’s innovate CO2 control and alternative energy…in every way imaginable…and sell it to the rest of the world. Here’s a fact….oil is finite and one day alternative energy just becomes plain old… energy. Wake up people…this is not a potential drag on the US economy….but one of our greatest opportunities. So many of the republicans on this issue are eager to mention terrorism as more worthy of our national attention and resources. We all know how terrorism is funded…I think about it every time I go to pump….so any theory…no matter how far fetched or unlikely or unprovable…that is going to support the development of alternative energy is…at the end day…a net benefit. In my mind the middle east suffers from a serious case of relevancy…let’s change that ASAP. For those of you republicans that might have a problem with pursuing policy using “chicken little” tactics…don’t forget about the WMDs you so readily sold…poor Colin Powell…forced to construct a house of cards (card by miserable card) in front of the UN…talk about getting sold out. But wait…I’m a democrat and I’m glad we went to Iraq…and I don’t think we should leave any time soon? Why? Because look at the effect…we created a theater of conflict far form home…and let me tell you…it’s much easier for an angry syrian to sneak over the Iraqi border under the cover of night then it is for the same syrian to get a visa, a plane ticket to the US and a terrorist cell taking applications. (There’s also the issue of moral responsibility…you can’t go to some other county…turn it on it’s head…and leave) So all of you angry republicans…shut up about global warming…take a minute and think it through…I mean all the way through. You sound silly when you say “there’s no way of proving it”….of course we can’t prove it…that will take a few million years….but disproving it is equally impossible. And the silly links you send around…created by pundits for pundits…stop already. “The growing momentum of dissenters”…so stupid I can’t take it. So maybe it’s not true…so what. What’s the downside? God forbid we teach our children a little stewardship…it might not be global warming…but there’s one thing I can guarantee…unless we change our current frontier attitude towards our natural resources we will eventually ***** up our planet. Finally…what if it’s true…what if in 30 years we have really screwed things up? Have fun explaining/stammering to your grandkids about how “we needed definitive proof” and I suggest you hide the old photos of you in the Hummer.

LIONEL

N. Robbins asked:


Almost every online business follows a basic model. This is a tried and tested system that would allow you to effectively sell your products in the World Wide Web. It is an automated system that could act as your sales agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even when you’re offline. Have you followed this basic model so far?

Let’s have a checklist:

? Have you pinpointed your target market?

? Have you come up with a product to sell?

? Have you created a search engine-optimized website?

? Have you promoted your website well, through article marketing, forum marketing, blogs, and outside links?

? Have you come up with a sales page for your product?

? Are you garnering enough traffic for your sales page?

? Have you integrated a follow-up system in your website?

? Have you determined a price for your product?

If you have done all these things, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t rake in some substantial earnings.

The only concern left that we have to tackle is how to sustain your profit. Surely, if you’d gather a stable stream of visitors for your web page, you’d be able to generate some sales. But you should always aim for more.

And this can be done through cross-selling and back selling.

Cross-selling involves the sale of products related to the main products you are selling. For example, you are selling an eBook on dog grooming. You could offer supportive products like dog grooming kits, dog instructional videos, and the likes. You don’t have to come up with these products yourself. You could simply look for other online businesses offering these items, and you could sign up as their affiliate. As an affiliate, you just have to refer people to the other business’ sales page, and when the visitors you have referred would decide to make some purchases, you’ll get a commission for every sale!

Back selling is slightly more complicated. It involves offering your other products at the exact points of sale. Points of sale are those moments during the instruction when your customers are most willing to purchase something. By offering them other products during these times, there is a higher likelihood that they’d buy from you! These points of sale can be broken down into:

? That moment when your customer clicks on the order button. He will be diverted to a new page for his payment details. You could include a pop-up for this page advertising your other products. Better yet, the pop-ups could even employ urgency marketing to better your chances of bagging more sales.

? That moment when your customer has just purchased a product from you. Normally, he’ll be redirected to a Thank You page. In the Thank You page, you could advertise other offers as well.

When automating your online business, do keep these in mind. If you manage to integrate cross-selling and back selling tactics in specific points of your website, you’d be able to rake in more profit! It’s as simple as that!

Do you need some products to cross promote of to offer at the backend of every deal? You could check out the many affiliate programs online. For sure, there is one which is relevant to the subject your business is servicing. Simply choose the products that complement what you’re offering, or at the very least, target the same audience your own products are aiming for. This would provide for you the greatest chance of success when it comes to the aforementioned supplements for your online sales.

NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the “About The Author” resource box. Thanks! :-



THURMAN

tlksump asked:


He was arrested for selling stuff that looked like marijuana. Why is that even a crime? I don’t understand. I mean who got hurt here besides the dumbass who paid the 500 dollars for what he thought was genuine yet illegal drugs?. Pretty clever I think. And what’s the difference between him profiting from emtrapment and those sting operations police are on all the time to try and catch drug dealers and *** offenders on-line. Granted, their intentions are to save lives and not simply make a profit from naive individual but it’s still hypocritical to me. If it’s illegal for us to use those tactics it should be for them too. Now I’m talking about person to person here, not businesses trying to sell counterfeit stuff. That’s different. You buy some random thing from some guy off the street you do so at your own risk. If it helps, this story took place about a week ago Indianapolis so hopefully that helps.Thank you very much for any help
Has no one heard of this crime before? I suppose it would help maybe if I remembered what he used to make the fake marijuana but it isn’t all that important really. The point still is, he made and sold what looked like marijuana to some guy and got in trouble for it. I don’t understand why.

MARIANO

Jeev Trika asked:


No marketing is accidental. And if it is, then its not marketing in the first place. Marketing strategies are put into place with specific results in mind. The inclusion of the Internet into marketing tactics has brought along a lot of changes to the marketing landscape. It is no longer only the big companies that have a presence online. On the contrary, smaller firms feel that by having a presence online they are provided with an equivalent platform from where they can complete with the big fish. So there are numerous marketers analyzing and planning and putting their Internet marketing campaign into action, but what does all this mean? What are the tactics that are employed for ecommerce? And is it really very different from the tactics that are used for traditional marketing?

As has been mentioned many times before, the Internet does not just do one thing. For a regular user, the Internet might mean emails, chat and googling. But these same aspects for a marketer seem like opportunities because these are points of contact with existing and potential customers. Websites, emails, Internet advertising etc. are all ways in which businesses make their presence felt online.

Email is an especially popular form of Ecommerce marketing tactics. There are a number of reasons for that. First of all, email is all about accessibility. It works as business communication as well as personal communication. And what is more? Almost everyone seems to have at least one email account. Keeping all these factors in mind, email becomes one of the easiest ways to get in touch with a large number of people at one time. Of course, one cannot ignore the cost factor. Actually sending out emails is free compared to the costs that are involved with direct mails, catalogues and newsletters.

Another trend that we are seeing these days is the change in usage of press releases. Press releases used to be all about newspapers and journalists. That is no longer the case. The nature of press releases have changed so much that now these are being sent directly to target audiences. Many firms are placing their press releases for potential customers to find when they access search engines.

Most people think only of a website when hearing the word “Internet marketing”. Of course, having a website is a major part of Internet marketing communication, but do ensure that you do not restrict your presence online only to your website. Once you have a product that you are convinced about and are ready to sell it online, it is time to put up your website. These days almost everything is available online and there’s a reason for that: it is possible to marketing everything online. Now, having an informative website is important, but you should be thinking one step ahead and aiming to have a website that works towards selling the product also. Make sure that your website encourages action in your target audience because that is, after all, the bottom line. Purchase is what you are looking for.

Keep in mind that your strategies are not only short term. Short-term plans are, of course, exciting but long terms plans are what will really get your results. Work towards involving your customers and getting them to interact with your business. Opt-in lists, coupons and freebies are all things that add to customer relationship and, in the long run, loyalty.

Contrary to what many might believe, the effectiveness of your ecommerce marketing tactics is not all about how big your budget is. Of course, having a big budget means that there is more room for you to do the things you might want to do. At the same time, it is possible to have an effective ecommerce marketing plan with a smaller budget. The main thing to keep in mind is that your marketing tactics are relevant. It is extremely important that you are speaking directly to your target audience and reaching them where they are. Just existing online is not enough; you have to appear at the right places.

It all comes down to the point that you need to understand your position and that of your target market. So even tough there might not be one golden formula that takes care of marketing online, understanding your business in relation to your target audience is the first step to effective ecommerce marketing.



TRACY

Unted4Peace asked:


Obama uses a strategy of divide and Conquer based on Race, Age, and Socioeconomics.

Sure he also uses the Ad Cocepr of: New, Beffer, Different… A Kinder Gentler America, and Hypnotism repeating the same words and phrases over and over and having Surrogates do the same, and he tries to make his campaign like a religious revival and uses Jihad techniques as well.

However, this question is about dividing people based on Race, Age, and How much Education and Money you have and the peer pressure associated with doing that.

Obama sets it up that if you are Black, Young, or Highly Educated… He is the candidate of choice. First why? What has he done for any of these groups… and is that an honorable way to campaign.

I think Obama has divided people to meet his ambitions and has no plans or ability to put Humpty Dumpty ogether again… and he’s selling books… so I bet he doesn’t lose sleep over the fact that he’s hurt the Democrats and Divided People in the USA.

MARLON

Nevada Pokerqueen asked:


I am an Ebay seller (3 yrs). Ebay has a policy to pull listings if S&H is too high compared to starting price. I had four intimates listed at 99 cents with $6.50 S&H and they were pulled. Said I was circumventing fees (not allowing them to get money off the listing price.

They have encouraged SELLERS to list low pushing the 99 cent deal. Sellers can not recoup losses if the S&H does not cover the fees and shipping. It is a no win situation.

Any woman would die to get lingerie for a total or $7.00. I cant belive how little I been selling new items for. List at 99 cents and they sell for 99cents.

Any other buyers having problems with new policies?

TIMOTHY

Eric Rogers asked:


If you’re ready to put your home on the market, it’s time to look at the inside of your home with a critical eye. The good news is that there are many very simple, inexpensive projects you can do that will greatly improve a buyer’s opinion of your home.

Several popular TV shows now focus on improving the interior appearance of homes in order to increase their market value or appeal. Often, properties showcased on this program undergo amazing visual transformations through very small changes. We can use this attitude - more for less - to improve the appearance of your home as well.

Always remember our motto - more for less. We want to focus on small, inexpensive changes that impact the VISUAL appearance of your home. Wiring the home for high speed internet (things that will not be seen by visiting buyers or only used in situational circumstances) or spending big bucks for major improvements, like adding granite countertops, will surprisingly yield less than you think.

1. Look Down

This is an important factor for many buyers - what type of flooring you have and most importantly, what the condition is. I’ve literally seen buyers walk away from a home simply because the carpet was overly dirty. You can prevent negative appearance or outright rejection by making sure your floors look their best. If you have carpets, rent a steam cleaner for the weekend and put it to use. They are rather inexpensive and can really rejuvenate carpets, especially older carpets. If you have laminate or hardwood, use a floor cleaner and when it dries, a no-slip floor polish. Make sure you do this in advance of any showings or open houses - you don’t want the house to smell like the cleaning isle of your grocery store. Speaking of which…

2. Destroy Offensive Odors

This one’s tough to judge. Often, we get so used to the smell of our own homes, we can’t be objective anymore. Enlist the help of a friend (your REALTOR is a good choice) who you’re sure will give you an honest evaluation. Here are some common sources of home odors and ways to combat them:

Pets: keep the litter box/bird cage/pet areas spotlessly clean. If you have a room that pets frequent, it might be a good candidate for some potpourri or a non-offensive air freshener. Febreeze is a great odor masker - if you have pets (especially dogs) that climb on the couch, chairs or lay on rugs or carpets, give those pieces of furniture a quick spray in advance of your open house.

Food Odors: certain types of cooking can really add strong scents to your home. Make sure you keep your kitchen very clean - get rid of any grease that might have collected on your stove, hood, floors or cabinets (check up top too). Get an oven cleaner and wipe out the inside of your oven. Also, make sure any kitchen trash is disposed of promptly. Finally, if you know visitors are coming soon, refrain from cooking anything with powerful odors - take yourself out as a treat for working so hard to get your home ready for sale.

Musty Smells: Often the harbinger of water problems that should be checked out, a musty smell is a big turn-off for a buyer. Certain places tend to collect this odor - basements, lower bedrooms, rec. rooms off of walk-in basements, attics or sun rooms. You can try to reduce this by using a de-humidifier regularly (if you own one) in the problem location for a few weeks before any showing. Carpets often collect this odor - make sure you steam clean them (see above). Also, this might be a good candidate for a non-offensive air freshener. If you suspect there is a water problem, get it checked out by a professional.

Just a couple tips on air fresheners: less is more. Make sure you don’t overpower your buyers with air fresheners. This often raises their suspicion that something is being covered up even if there is no real reason for them to be suspicious. Try to use non-offensive odors - lavender, chamomile, light citrus - heavy scents like pine, rose or heavy citrus can be a real turn-off. There is also a good option that I’ll discuss in my last tip of this guide.

3. Fix and Touch Up Walls

Just a few minutes with some spackle, a bit of light sanding and a couple dabs of touch-up paint can repair that hole in the wall from when you bumped it moving furniture, those expansion cracks, nail pops or other wall blemishes, even if you have no repair skills. It just has to look decent, not perfect. Stick down any drywall tape that’s peeling with some spackle and touch up - it tends to be rather unsightly and is easy to notice. Oh, and….

4. Should I Paint Entire Rooms?

It depends. If you have the time to do it yourself or if things look really bad, painting can be a great enhancement. Plus, if you do it yourself, it can be done fairly cheaply. Try to rent a paint sprayer at your local rental store - you’ll be amazed at how easy it is. Strong colors are often an issue with many buyers. You may love pumpkin orange in the family room, but will they? Neutral colors are the best - remember you’re selling this house - you can paint your new one whatever colors you want, but you have to maximize your home’s appeal to as many buyers as possible. Trust me, stick with neutrals here. If there are sections of your home that you feel could really use a new coat, use your judgment. Just remember - more for less.

5. Remove Personal Touches

You want your buyers to identify with your home - to see themselves living there. One thing that distracts from this is seeing a picture of your family every time they turn around. I know it might be sad to see all the pictures come down, but it needs to happen. Just think of this as part of the packing process. It’s also a good time to take all of the homework, pictures and drawings that your children have done off of the fridge or walls.

6. De-clutter Your Way to a Sale

Keep your home neat and tidy for visitors. This is one of the toughest things about having your home on the market - the feeling that your home always needs to be at its best. Even a little can go a long way here. Make sure toys are picked up and put away, home office spaces are kept neat and tidy, storage is stacked in an orderly fashion, laundry is put away, workshop organized, the kitchen is in order and all of those hundred other things you do when company is coming over. A neat home inspires feelings of peace and order in buyers - both good things.

7. Open up the Home

There are a few easy things you can do and a few more difficult things - the good news is that all of them don’t cost much. One of the biggest transformations that happens on those TV home makeover shows occurs when furniture is rearranged to create the impression of more space. Take a critical look at each room in your house - if you have the time, move the furniture around a bit - see if one position is more spacious than another. If you have a digital camera, take pictures and compare them side-by-side. Another option is remove furniture altogether. This is a great idea because not only will it make the house feel more open, but it will give you a jump on packing. I would suggest moving the furniture completely out of the house - perhaps rent an offsite storage area or if this isn’t possible, store all removed items neatly on one side of the garage. Some buyers don’t even look in the garage and if they do, better to have one room full of stuff than the entire home. The final thing is to leave all of the curtains pulled back - this makes a room look more “breezy” and the additional natural light is always a plus.

8. Clean, Clean, Clean

This is a very useful selling tactic, so you really can’t get away with not doing it. Keep those carpets freshly vacuumed, counters wiped down, kitchen cleaned top to bottom (the kitchen is the most important room to many buyers), bathroom completely **** and span (bathroom is often the second most important room to many buyers) and everything dusted. A few other tips - clean the bugs out of the light fixtures - they are a big “YUCK!” Give any woodwork a once-over with some furniture polish and clean those window sills and panes. Make sure you keep all dishes washed and off the counter - dirty dishes are a big turn off. Also, make sure all your closets are organized and neat - buyers will be looking through them to get an idea of storage space - be prepared!

9. Windows and Doors

Surprisingly, this is fairly high on a buyer’s annoyance factor. A sticky or noisy door will make any buyer stop a second and go “hmmm”. The good news is that this is an easy fix - a can of WD-40 takes care of the creaks and for those sticky doors, buy a bar of paraffin wax (found in the canning area of your grocery store) and rub it a bit on the area of the door that looks worn. For windows, make sure they open easily - start by cleaning the tracks - often you will find lots of dirt and grime that prevent the window from opening cleanly. If this doesn’t do the trick, try some WD-40 or a little paraffin wax here too.

10. Prepare the Home for Showing

Our goal here is to make the home as bright and “homey” as possible. There are a few selling tricks that you can use that will really establish this environment.

- Bake something - cookies are a good option - toll house is fine - just don’t burn them. We’re going for the aromas here. Freshly baked cookie smell is like expensive perfume to home buyers.

- Offer cookies (works out well with the above), or in the summer, cold bottled water. Buyers like these personal touches and they will subconsciously raise their opinions of your home.

- Open all the curtains and turn on all the lights - you want your home to feel breezy, bright and open. Change any bulbs that are out. If it’s winter and you have one, light the fireplace.

- Set the table as if you were going to have a nice meal with company. You want to sell your dining room as an entertaining space and place settings help build this impression.

- Turn on some light music - nothing offensive - smooth jazz is a good option. Keep the volume low - in the background.

- This one is vital: remove any small valuables from sight. I’d like to think that all home buyers are always on their best behaviors, but sometimes this isn’t the case - better to be safe than sorry.

- The most important thing you can remove from your home to help it sell is yourselves. Take your family out for the day or out for a few hours during the open house/showing. Usually, when a homeowner is present for an open house, it never goes as well - the buyers always feel like they’re imposing, and that’s not what you want. You want them to spend time in your home.



MACK