Definition of ISoCaR^TM:

"Incremental System of Compound and Reinvestment"


It's all in the name. Expectant parents often say:

"I'll know his/her name when they're born."

And there's probably no place on earth where a name is more important than on the web because the first thing you "meet" is the ... domain name.

So, in line with the post on the 20th entitled Thinking Outside the eBay Box, here is today's incremental tip:


Choose an eBay Name, and especially an eBay Shop Name, that describes your business AND receives a large number of enquiries in the search engines i.e. Google, Yahoo and MSN.


Remember that both Keyword Elite and Adwords Analyzer can save you oodles of time when it comes to discovering popular search terms. However, just a brief word of caution:

When you're combining what you are selling and a popular search term to create your names, be sure to create ones with longevity in mind. Steer well clear of the search terms that are a media-frenzy today and a distant memory in just a few months time.

Keep compounding those incremental steps,

Mark

"Mum ... you'll never guess what my boss told me today?"

These were the words that, excitedly, came out of my mouth when I was 17 years old after a day at the office. What "TC" (my boss) had told me before leaving work that day and what my Mum would say in response, would have an impact so invisibly deep it would take TWO DECADES to unravel before making any sense.

I had been working full-time for close to nine months as a "Computer Assistant" by this time. TC had high hopes for me. He had seen me as both a "street-rat-rogue" and a bundle of non-stop energy that was ready to soak-up and learn everything possible in the office. I had worked hard enough to win him over, earning myself a 25% pay increase in those few short months. Pretty good going really.

On this particular day, TC said that if I kept on improving at the same rate I could be earning £6,000 within 2 years. Well, that just sent my excitement off the Richter scale! When I was a kid my Mother banged-on about the "top bosses" earning £6,000 and how hard it was to get that kind of salary. However, here I was being told that I had the potential to earn what a boss-man grossed each year.

Well, when I went home with that fire in my belly and told my Mum what TC had said (which, by the way, was very strange because I NEVER had conversations with my Mum anyway), she said in her usual cutlass-tongue:

"Your boss doesn't know what he's talking about! You'll never be earning that. Only the big bosses earn that kind of money."

There we go again; my mother's refrain. And yes I know, I know - I had heard it all before.

But why was it so different this time? It was different because, this time, it applied to ME. This time it wasn't my Dad. Nor was it one of my 3 older brothers or 4 older sisters. This time it was me ... just me.

And guess what? My Mum was right. I wasn't earning £6,000 two years later; I was earning £10,000! In my usual "I'll show you" style, I took the challenge on and came out ahead. Or had I?

(Let's leave the "inner ramifications" of this event for another post.)

Anyway, my mother, God bless her, did what the vast majority of people do in life, eBay sellers included. And that is ... she stayed Inside the Box. It's a common trap we all fall into at some time or other. However, how much faster will your eBay business grow by thinking outside the eBay box?

Well, where does the majority of a website's traffic come from? Correct ... the search engines. Evidently, SeoMoz.org (and Google themselves of course) believe that, at least, 50% of the global Internet population will turn to Google on the Web, let alone the other search engines.

Every listing that you create on eBay to sell your product range will become a searchable web page. Hence, the same principles relating to keywords, search phrases and Google, apply to your eBay listings too.

So why would it be any different because your Internet business is eBay-driven?

Let's reiterate a point shared on an earlier post: although it's tempting to view eBay as a website with a special case, it isn't. If you're using eBay as your key selling outlet (if not the only outlet), it will grow much, much faster by exploiting the huge traffic that Google, Yahoo and MSN are able to send you.

Ensure that your listing description on eBay is "keyword rich". If you can afford tools such as Keyword Elite and Adwords Analyzer, then they are most definitely worth the investment. When someone is searching for a product they DON'T automatically think "ah-ha, eBay for that". They are most likely to use Google, Yahoo or MSN (or one of the other search engines). That's why Keyword Elite and Adwords Analyzer are vital - they cut down on the time it takes to discover the words potential customers are using to find the product they want; the product you just so happen to sell!

So, think keywords.
Think search engines.
Think EXTRA traffic from Google, Yahoo and MSN.

Above all, think outside of the "eBay Box".


To your rapid growth,

Mark

There's been an awful lot of talk this year about The Secret and the Law of Attraction Now I have to admit that I enjoy reading, watching and listening to what many see as just psycho-babble clap-trap.

We seem to be living in a world that has swung 180 degrees into disbelief when it comes to anything intangible. All too often, spiritual is confused with religious, yet these two aspects of life are diametrically opposed.

So how does this help me develop the approach to rapid eBay selling?

Well, let's answer that by taking a quick step back in time, to our school days and the science labs.

Do you remember those experiments that you pretended to pay attention to, you know the ones with the magnets, small iron nails and paper clips? Experiments seemed either too complicated and irrelevant; or they seemed too simple and irrelevant. Either way, they just seemed irrelevant - didn't they?

Little did you know that rather than poking those stubby iron nails in the buttock of Anne-Marie all those years ago, you should have been listening to Mr Harris. He knew that, one day, something would come along that could make you a veritable fortune with what he was teaching you. Oh, if only you had listened, eh?

You see, the physics of magnets is like a micro-expression of far greater universal laws that are, even, apparent when selling on eBay or any business for that matter. When you put together your listings on eBay do you see yourself and your listing as "magnets"? Without realising it, are you attracting "looky-loos" - prospects where there is no immediate magnetism?

Rather than selling, I have come to believe that I am either attracting potential buyers or repelling them. The colours I choose for the listing, the language and tone of the writing, the imagery used or lack of it. Whatever I decide upon I only look to make myself attractive to certain people.

I accept that MOST people will be repelled by my listing. Yes, repelled! (The stats prove that. Examine the ratio of visitors to buyers for any listing.) Therefore, they will NEVER EVER EVER have anything to do with me, let alone buy from from me.

It's nothing personal. There's just no magnetism; no attraction factor.

So, don't sell ... Attract.

Make it as easy as possible to attract the right prospects by ensuring that your fundamentals are solid. Your product Category, listing Title and item Description must all match-up. This is a vital trio to start attracting the maximum number of suitable prospects. A Dell PC, for example, is not the same as a Dell laptop. Pretty obvious right? As well it should be but telling prospective buyers that it's an "Inspiron" in the item description without telling them in the title, is too late. You have reduced the number of people drawn to you and your sales as a consequence.

Nothing escapes the "Attraction Factor" - not even the world of eBay selling!


Mark

People appear to fall into one of two camps - those who do and those who complain at those who do.

A few years back I read a book entitled "Thick Face, Black Heart" by the author in the title of this post. I've had a strong interest in the martial arts for many years (Muay Thai in particular); so, this book caught my eye whilst frequenting a bookstore close to my client's offices at the time.

Throughout the book the author draws on the facets of the ancient Chinese warrior. She cogently leads the reader through a path of how to survive and prosper in warfare, (and in business). We learn how to develop a "thick face" that is, strangely enough, an inner layer that is resilient to the comments of others. Then she goes on to explain that we must also have a "black heart" - one that takes decisive action without regard to the effect of the consequences on others.

Admittedly, this kind of advice can easily be misconstrued and used as an excuse for wanton exploitation of others. However, Chu qualifies what is truly meant when the Chinese refer to having a "black heart" when she says:

And then she further qualifies what is meant by saying ...



And if ever there was a situation that "Thick Face, Black Heart" was needed then handling negative feedback on eBay is that situation. When I refer to "handling" I don't mean the mechanics of good customer relations. No. I'm referring to how you "handle" what's going on inside of you.

So firstly, accept that as sure as you would almost certainly get beat-up pretty badly if you stepped into a ring with Mike Tyson (yes, even an out-of-shape Tyson), there is every chance you will receive negative feedback on eBay the more you grow your eBay business.

When someone complains for shoddy product quality or packaging, failing to deliver on time, poor communication or something akin to these, then we must take it on the chin (no pun intended). Their complaint is valid. The complaint is legitimate.

However, some people just seem to be born pissed-off ! No matter what is done, NOTHING seems to appease them. In their own closed world, perfection is normal. Errors of judgment are not made and mistakes do not exist. Handling this inside can be difficult, especially if you're an individual that is passionate about selling on eBay. This is your "baby" and when someone is insulting your "child" well ... let's just say that being emotionally centered is not as easy as we would like.

The great thing about developing a "Thick Face and a Black Heart" is that this is a genuine life-skill. It's not just an eBay, Negative-Feedback-handling skill. These attributes enable you to stay firmly rooted in the camp of those "that do" - a place where life is far more fruitful and enjoyable!


Stay focused,

Mark