Welcome to Episode #33!

One of your key pieces of software for an online store is your shopping cart. You will need specific features to help showcase your merchandise but it also needs to be easy enough to navigate so customers can make a purchase. Having a cart that is too complicated or not secure will scare off potential clients.

This week my guest is Jennie Willis from Tutti Frutti Kids and she shares her troubles setting up an online store with a host who did not care about her success and with a shopping cart that was too complicated and did not have the key features Jennie wanted. Jennie is now a satisfied user of Shop Kit Plus and has many tips for avoiding the troubles she encountered.

If you have additional questions about Shop Kit Plus or how to start your own online business, I offer different private coaching packages. Sometimes a little one-on-one time is all you need to make sense of all this ecommerce information.

Have you experienced troubles with hosts or shopping cart programs? Feel free to share how you resolved your issues by leaving a comment below.

 

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Welcome to Episode #32!

A common part of running your own business or making your own product is solving customer service problems. It’s just a fact of life that you cannot make every customer happy.

But what happens when an irate customer feels entitled to a discount or refund? Do you have a return policy that is visible or acknowledged at the time of purchase?

This week I discuss the Top 5 Ways Businesses Get Scammed and share some advice on how to take steps to avoid these situations.

Have you been scammed by a customer? Feel free to share the steps you took to resolve the problem by leaving a comment below.

 

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Welcome to Episode #31!

Every website owner depends on traffic to make their business successful. But how do you obtain that traffic, especially targeted customers who want to buy what you are selling?

This week we are discussing the basics of keyword research: what are keywords, why keywords are important to the online entrepreneur, why every website owner should do keyword research, and what tools are available to do this online research.

If you would like more detailed SEO (Search Engine Optimization) lessons, join us at SEO PowerUp. For 52 weeks you will get detailed SEO lessons to apply to your own website.

Or you can sign up for my one-on-one coaching services for even more personal guidance.

Have any tips to share? Feel free to leave a comment below!

 

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Welcome to Episode #30!

Are you overwhelmed with everything you need to accomplish with your new online, product-selling business? Any small business startup is nerve wracking, risky, and confusing, whether it is an online store or brick and mortar shop.

This week I share a startup checklist which will help product sellers stay focused and positioned for success. Staying organized and clear headed during a small business startup is essential to the success of your business. Afterall, if one or two important steps are skipped, those mistakes may delay the opening of your store. Here is a printed copy of the checklist.

If you are still confused, overwhelmed, or uneasy after looking at the startup checklist, consider one-on-one coaching. I will help you understand the steps you need to complete and help you stay on deadline.

I would love to hear how you celebrated Earth Day and what you do regularly in your business to help save the earth’s resources. Simply leave a comment below!

 

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Welcome to Episode # 29!

At some point in the future you may find yourself in need of selling your online business. Maybe you grew tired of running a business or you had an emergency and no longer have time to devote to growing a business. No matter what the reason, do you know your next steps?

My guest this week is Heather Sanders from Oh My Stinkin Heck and she shares her experiences and Top 3 Tips for selling an online business. She has sold three businesses and learned some very important tips and information with each sale.

If you find yourself in this situation of wanting to sell but would like more in-depth advice, I offer one-on-one coaching services.

For those who do not want to use a broker and need more information about placing a sale price on your website, take a listen to WAHM Talk Radio this week. Kelly goes into great detail with her guest about what makes your website valuable.

And if you have personal experience with selling a website, either good or bad, please share by leaving a comment below!

Did you know that today is Get To Know Your Customer Day? How do YOU learn about your customers? Feel free to share your tips below.

 

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Welcome to Episode #28!

If you have any kind of web presence, certainly you’ve heard the phrase, “The Money Is In the List.” This is true for any business.

This week my guest is Shannon Cherry of Be Heard Solutions and she shares her top three tips for building your mailing list and why this will help grow your business. She has a very unique idea for drawing targeted customers to your website and explains why it pays to know who is in your target market.

If you would like additional help from Shannon with building your targeted list, check out Shannon’s list building webinar as mentioned in the show.

Be sure to listen to the end of the show because Shannon has a very special bonus offer just for my listeners!

Do you have any unique ideas for building a targeted list? I’d love to hear your feedback so feel free to leave a comment below.

 

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Welcome to Episode #27!

Now that you have your product, your website, and even prospective buyers visiting your site, you need to convince them that yours is the product they want. How will you motivate them to make that purchase?

This week Michelle and Stephanie discuss how to create a personal feeling on your website that will entice customers to buy your product. This is often a difficult challenge because your customers do not have the option of seeing and handling your products. The look of your website and the product descriptions need to do all the sales work.

If hiring a copywriter is not in your budget, Michelle recommends the Product Descriptions Pack. The other useful products Michelle mentioned on the show are Presenting Your Products and SEO PowerUp .

We’d love to hear some of your tried and true tips for motivating customers. Do you think it’s easier or more difficult to make sales online? Feel free to leave a comment below!

 

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Welcome to Episode 26!

In our quest to start your product selling business the right way, it’s now time to figure out where you will buy your supplies or wholesale merchandise. If you are manufacturing your own product, then you need vendors for your supplies. If you are a retailer, then you need vendors who sell the completed products for you to resell.

This week Michelle shares the Top 10 Ways to Find Vendors as well as tips and questions to ask each vendor, such as minimum orders and how quick is their delivery. Doing careful research is important so that you aren’t faced with surprises, such as large minimum orders or frequently delayed deliveries.

Sometimes it takes many phone calls or emails to several different vendors to find one whose terms are compatible with your business. Don’t just settle for the first vendor who agrees to do business with you. Shop around, compare wholesale terms, and then determine which vendor will work best to help your business succeed.

 

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Welcome to Episode 25!

New business owners - especially work at home moms - frequently underprice their products thinking that they need to be less expensive than their competition. Over time, however, will it be worth all your time and effort to only be making $3-$5 per hour? Probably not.

This week Michelle and Stephanie Fish from Buckeye VA discuss how important pricing is in making your business successful. Learn Michelle’s pricing strategies, implement them in your own business, and build a strong customer base which is likely to purchase more than once.

 

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Welcome to Episode #24!

Now that you have completed your market research and business plan, it’s time to turn this business dream into a reality. Now is the time to come up with a financing plan.

Your first step toward financing is to determine your basic startup costs. Basically, how much money will you need to start producing and selling your products? Be sure to listen in as we discuss this list in detail…there may be some costs that you didn’t think of!

The second step of your financing plan is to figure out where your startup money will come from. If you have been planning for awhile, you can use money from your savings account to bankroll your business, or use money from your current job to serve this purpose. We also discuss some other creative ways to finance your business.

Please do your research very carefully and talk to financial experts at your bank or even an accountant before committing to any specific type of financing.

 

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