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Correctly Setting Both Your's and Your Customers Expectations For Multi-Channel Marketing
Posted by David White at 3/12/2008 9:12 AM and is filed under uncategorized 
I have been reviewing chat boards from many ecommerce sites over the past several weeks and find one common thread. Every one of these venues is experiencing 2 things. First, growing pains. With the influx of users searching for different marketing venues, ecommerce sites are having to ramp up IT equipment and personnel.
Second, comments in the chat rooms discussing lacking sales.
It is time for internet marketers to set the correct expectations for both themselves and their customers.
Let's tackle your expectations first. Internet marketers need to expect lower sales initially! Let's remember that eBay's growth came initially by WORD OF MOUTH! In the beginning eBay did not do any TV, radio or print advertising. Their growth was due to the sellers and buyers talking to their friends. I know this to be true because I was there! I started my ecommerce business on eBay in May of 1997. I quit my full time job in 1998 because my ecommerce business was making more money than I was in my job. I saw the growth, and know when eBay started advertising. As we look to open other marketing venues, we must remember that in order for these venues to grow, we the sellers MUST do OUR part to promote them. In order for the other ecommerce sites to grow and prosper it is up to US! If we as business owners are looking for marketing channels that have the same traffic as eBay, our expectations are simply not reasonable.
Now for setting our customer's expectations. We need to drive our customers to our new venues. Only by doing this will they find us! Whether this is your own website, or another ecommerce site, we as business owners must lead our customers to our product! Our customers must know where we are selling!
Certainly eBay is the Big Dog on the block, but that does not mean we have to stay on the porch! We, the sellers have the power to set the proper expectations as long as ours are reasonable.
Remember it has taken 12 1/2 years for eBay to reach this position. We can only expect an uphill climb, but hey they once said Mount Everest could not be conquered!
Listen to our weekly internet radio program on eBay and internet marketing, eBay & Beyond: Basics to Business by going to www.basicstobusiness.com . Let us know what you think!
Second, comments in the chat rooms discussing lacking sales.
It is time for internet marketers to set the correct expectations for both themselves and their customers.
Let's tackle your expectations first. Internet marketers need to expect lower sales initially! Let's remember that eBay's growth came initially by WORD OF MOUTH! In the beginning eBay did not do any TV, radio or print advertising. Their growth was due to the sellers and buyers talking to their friends. I know this to be true because I was there! I started my ecommerce business on eBay in May of 1997. I quit my full time job in 1998 because my ecommerce business was making more money than I was in my job. I saw the growth, and know when eBay started advertising. As we look to open other marketing venues, we must remember that in order for these venues to grow, we the sellers MUST do OUR part to promote them. In order for the other ecommerce sites to grow and prosper it is up to US! If we as business owners are looking for marketing channels that have the same traffic as eBay, our expectations are simply not reasonable.
Now for setting our customer's expectations. We need to drive our customers to our new venues. Only by doing this will they find us! Whether this is your own website, or another ecommerce site, we as business owners must lead our customers to our product! Our customers must know where we are selling!
Certainly eBay is the Big Dog on the block, but that does not mean we have to stay on the porch! We, the sellers have the power to set the proper expectations as long as ours are reasonable.
Remember it has taken 12 1/2 years for eBay to reach this position. We can only expect an uphill climb, but hey they once said Mount Everest could not be conquered!
Listen to our weekly internet radio program on eBay and internet marketing, eBay & Beyond: Basics to Business by going to www.basicstobusiness.com . Let us know what you think!
Nicely done, and the timing was perfect. I'm launching a shopping cart over the next couple of weeks, and I fully expect it to run at a loss for the first several months. It's nice to see someone blogging about ecommerce.
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Nicely done, and the timing was perfect. I'm launching a shopping cart over the next couple of weeks, and I fully expect it to run at a loss for the first several months. It's nice to see someone blogging about ecommerce.
Reply to this