Do you sell online? are you playing the google add words, Facebook boost, Instagram post game, are you trying to sell products online and you ask yourself why is no one buying my stuff?
You have done pretty much everything you need, you made the product, you took pictures, you placed it on Facebook and Instagram, you sent it to several people to try out and review, you got good feedback, you sell a couple here and there and then its seems like nothing happens. Does this sound familiar? it does to me I always find myself dealing with this, the questions of how come this is not selling if I have done everything?
I like to imagine that my online store is like a brick and mortar store, meaning I have my store, I have some products up on the shelf and I am just sitting behind the counter waiting anxiously for a new customer. I sit and wait for new customers but will they come?
Imagine a customer that is truly interested in one of my products he is walking through internet boulevard and he sees a tiny sign with one of my products, he is interested but in order to get to my store he has to go through several streets in to an alley to find me. As he is walking he sees that the Amazon store is right at the next street and decides instead to walk in to amazon and buy a similar product instead. How can I compete with the huge amazon store?
Then you say well why don’t I just sell my products on amazon?, sure I actually have them on amazon but to find them you would have to walk to aisle 100,000 and look for my product at shelf 1000, right behind the other products which are cheaper.
Why would a customer prefer to walk several miles to my store instead of amazon?
The only reason I can think of is because he feel’s some kind of connection, if I was to stand at the corner of internet boulevard with a sign showing my store, I would have a better chance of making that connection. I could may eye contact, talk to the customer understand his needs and walk him directly to my store, that way he can see what products I offer.
This is what I am focusing on at the moment, personal connection’s, personal attention’s. The stores I remember the most are the ones where I would walk in and the first thing I would get is a smile from one of the sales clerks or they would offer me coffee or water as I walk in. These are the places you never forget.
I am visualizing this at this time and trying to see how I can make that personal connection, but through the internet. Its possible many others do it, at this point all I can think of is going that extra step, sending that extra email, writing a personal note on the products I ship, responding quickly to customer questions, ultimately being helpful.
What else can I do? any ideas?
RLDH 