If you want to make it big, you need to think big. The pathway to success always begins in the head. Online selling is as much about your mindset as it is about opportunity. What you need is to come out of the ‘sell whatever whenever’ paradigm and start treating this as entrepreneurial opportunity. Many sellers try to start small as individual sellers but you need to understand that the only thing that separates occasional hobbyists from aspiring sellers are the basics like knowing what to sell and where to buy it from and thinking of yourself as a professional rather than a Sunday seller.
Like I said before, online selling should be treated as a business model rather than just selling ‘whatever, whenever’. You need to discover a niche, connect your supply chain and then map out the product delivery system. Correct information regarding what to sell and where to buy it from is an art in which, if successful, you can build an online empire so to speak.
Whatever you do, always, always, prepare an excel sheet throughout the cycle of the product (from seller to you to consumer). Not only will you have to keep a track of payments (coming in and going out) but also the fees, expenses, profits etc. It will give you a very clear idea of where you stand and how viable this option is for you.
Online selling is a labour intensive job and you need to set up an office (in your bedroom, study, den perhaps) from where you can map out the operations. If you are serious about becoming an online seller, you need to have a place where you can safely engage in the handling, packaging and shipping of products and can effortlessly communicate with both ends of your supply chain (the suppliers and the consumers of your product).
If you are really serious about your goals,
you need to start giving them respect.
Once all this is done, then it’s just a matter of finding the right opportunity and getting a first mover advantage. Online selling is all about competitive advantage. You need an edge over your competition. Your product not only needs to stand out but your offering needs to create a good amount of value for your consumer. Offering free shipping is always a great way to lure in potential customers.
Last but not the least; you need to keep a look out for your feedback profile. The number one deterrent is a seller with a bad rating/feedback. To correctly gauge your performance, you need to keep engaging with the customers who post feedback and if you really want to make it big, you need to make sure that your seller’s rating are in the high nineties; anything below a 95 and people starting exploring other avenues.
Happy Selling!
Courtesy: Azmalo