Helping Struggling Sellers

I was reading the boards a couple days ago and learned that there are several (at least) sellers that are lost and do not know what to do. Of course we are all learning how to be successful it the vast www and we are lucky to have such a large group of sellers that we can all learn from. Everyone has something valuable to share - ideas, experience, new opportunities, talents.... the breadth of knowledge available in our collective minds is tremendous, but if we don't know how to use this opportunity of having access to such a large body of knowledge than the value is lost.

Any time a selling peer struggles the probability of losing hope and giving up is amplified. We have all made the courageous move to start over working in what is essentially a blank slate. When someone does not observe some sign of progress relatively quickly their spirits begin to suffer and we just might lose a valuable member of our community as a result. None of us want to see anyone leave Bonanzle especially to succumb to the abuse of eBay because they feel that is their only option.

I would like to help our struggling peers succeed, but being only one person I can't tackle this job alone. I wonder if other sellers who have managed to figure out how to use the vast - rather overwhelming quantity of tools we have available to us thanks to many of our friends' efforts in researching possibilities- by becoming a mentor to our friends who need help?

If you would like to be mentor please let us know by saying so here. If you need help please say so here too.

Our success & Bonanzle's success are dependent on the success our the entire Bonanzle community - it is in our best interest to help each other succeed.

Are people looking but not buying? Is your booth conversion friendly?

As Online Sellers we have 2 challenges that we must overcome
1) How do we get their attention
2) Once we have their attention – can our listing/booth close the deal

Logic tells us that before we put all of our efforts into gaining attention we should have our listings and booth in the best possible position to convert – close the deal. It is silly to spend all of our time getting clicks only to have them click right back out. Yep, that is a waste of time. Many of the modifications made to help to close the deal will also lend to the efforts of driving traffic as well.

What can we do to increase the probability that our listings & booths are optimized for conversion? You need to ask yourself how you as a consumer make your purchases. What aspects of the shopping experience most influence your decision to purchase or not. Are you doing everything that you value as a consumer for your audience?

An important thing that we all must adapt to- is that we have a new target audience. On eBay the user base is very tolerant of poor quality images, policies being the bulk of the text in the description, titles with odd descriptors such as – NWT, NWOT, NIB, NWOB……, lack of seller branding, and clicking on categories with essentially nothing in them. However, on Bonanzle we have a new audience, an audience that isn’t familiar with the ways of the bay and when they come across one of our listings and/or booth they might not be tolerant of our uniquely eBay style. Do you have traces of eBay “culture” in your listings/booth that might scare them away? We need to make adjustments to provide an atmosphere that our new audience is familiar with so they are comfortable and confident buying from us.

A good place to start thinking about things you can do to make your potential customers comfortable is to spend some time browsing other ecommerce sites. How do they do it?
• Where are the policies located?
• How much description is written and about what?
• How do they stage the items for photos?
• How do they set up the categories – the terminology used to write the categories?
• How do they write the title for items – how much detail is in the title?
Ok – let’s disperse and browse other ecommerce sites and then come back and share our observations. Note: Do not go to any “alternative sites” these are the same examples of what we already have. We need to know how the rest of ecommerce does it – not how eBay affected people set up.

One more thing-

Many people seem to believe that the eBay user base is the whole of ecommerce shoppers, but it isn’t. eBay’s user base accounts for only 14% of all ecommerce (domestic & international). Does it make more sense to cater to 14% of online consumers or 86% of online consumers? Personally, I prefer a greater pool of possibilities. I am more interested in optimizing for 86% of all online consumers rather than alienate them by stubbornly holding onto poor eBay habits. If I focus on this group making up 86% of online consumers I am actually positioning myself to appeal to 100% of online consumers. Consumers who shop on eBay will shop elsewhere, but consumers who do not shop on eBay are not that likely to shop at booths that are saturated in the traits of the eBay culture. If I lazily stick to my eBay ways I will limit my audience to 14% of online shoppers give or take a few. Hmmm just might be worth getting off the rear to adapt to this new audience don’t you think?

Please participate in evaluating other ecommerce sites and share your observations so we can all benefit.

Sellers For Bonanzle facebook Group - come join

Follow Bonanzle News
Share Promotional Ideas
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add pictures

Anything Bonanzle related is both welcome and encouraged

This is it guys - submit your nomination

Nominate Bill for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year 2009 - Last Day to Nominate is March 16th

Click here to fill out the nomination application

This is the information you need to fill out the nomination application

Bonanzle
Bill Harding
9805 NE 116th St
PMB #7450
Kirkland, WA 98034
Contact: 206-396-7321 (that is the Bonanzle press number)
Email could be support@bonanzle.com or mark@bonanzle.com
William B. Harding LLC has been in business for over two years


Do it as soon as you can - read the directions you don't have to do anything other than put in the above information - select nominee under assistant/contact & fill out your information. That is it you don't have to fill out any of the other stuff

Vote Bonanzle As Best Startup Company 2009

A great opportunity for you to vote Bonanzle as the Best Pacific Northwest Startup of 2009. Click the post title to Nominate Bonanzle :)

You can also choose Bonanzle as most Bootstrapped Startup, and startup with best Blog

You Can Vote Bill Harding Best New CEO, Best New CTO

Just be sure to provide the why you feel Bonanzle and/or Bill is the best ......

facebook group

Ok I created a facebook group for us- of course it is Sellers For Bonanzle :)

If you haven't yet added me as a friend in your facebook let me know so we can get together. If you do not yet have a facebook open one and let me know your name so I can add you to my list.

The group is public so anyone can join, link, comment, add pictures or video.

Come on over and join the Sellers For Bonanzle facebook group- click the title of this post to find us.

Well, I am going to promote my friends Bonanzle Booth

Dakota Exchange Deals Black Hill's Gold Jewelry & some sterling. She is still on the Bay, but like the rest of us - or most of us - she wants to leave the sooner the better. Anyway, to get an idea of the breadth of her inventory Dakota is the largest Black Hills Gold Jewelry on the Bay. Her inventory (unique items) is double the quantity of her closest competitor on the Bay. Fabulous asset for Bonanzle to have acquired a seller with such a large inventory of Black Hills Gold items :)

This is her Booth

Dakota Exchange

She currently has 1900 + listing with about 1700 more to add. It is taking some time to get everything listed, because she did not use the importer.

On the 14th Dakota is having her first Bonanzle Booth Chat Auction

Times - We will begin the auction on 03-14-09 at 8pm CST which is 6pm Bonanzle time (PST).

Items being offered - the listed price is not the start bid it set high to reserve it for the auction.

Black Hills Gold Amethyst Silver Ladies Ring

Black Hills Gold On Silver 3 Stone Inlay Ladies Ring

Black Hills Gold Blue Topaz Marquise Ladies Ring

Lab Created Blue Opal Heart SS Ladies's Ring

Green Agate Claddagh Sterling Silver Necklace

Black Hills Gold Roses Sterling Silver Teardrop Necklace

Black Hills Gold Sterling Silver Filigree Bracelet

Definitely check these items out and of course the rest of Dakota's Jewelry

Dakota Exchange