Rock Your Brand Podcast

If you’ve not experienced the frustration of a well selected private label product that simply won’t sell yet, you probably will in time. When a product won’t sell but it looks like the market is a pretty good niche to be in, there are usually some fundamental things wrong with the product listing itself. On this episode of The Amazing Seller, Scott Voelker and his friend Chris Schaeffer look over a real life product listing of a product that’s having those exact problems and true to form, the listing itself is much of the problem. You can hear all the details on this episode of the podcast.

How beneficial would it be to have an experienced seller tweak your private label product listing on Amazon?

That’s exactly what you get from these Hot Seat sessions of the Amazing Seller podcast. Scott Voelker and Chris Schaeffer take their time walking through the fundamental and advanced steps to optimizing product listings of private label products that have been submitted for help. They normally find a little bit of both and help struggling Amazon sellers get over the hurdles so they can begin selling their products more consistently. There’s not a regular schedule to these hot seat sessions so you should subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss them, and hear how Scott and Chris advise today’s seller on this episode.

Is the market of your private label product a good market to be in?

How can you know if a potential private label product is one you should take a chance on or one you should leave alone? The best way is to research the broader market that product is in and the current sales of that particular product or things that are similar. By using some simple software tools (many of them free) you can discover exactly what the market for that product is like and whether there is enough room in it for your product to push in and grab some of the sales. Scott and Chris chat about the details of doing that and a whole lot more on this episode of The Amazing Seller.

 

Quality, clear product images are vital to a good product listing.

The product listing that Scott and Chris are looking at today has one major problem that both of them notice immediately; the images do not possess the quality and clarity of any of the other products in their niche. It’s the main reason Scott and Chris believe this product listing has only gotten one organic sale so far. You can hear what they recommend to upgrade the images and how they’ve seen an improvement of the images change the sales of a product dramatically, on this episode. But that’s not all. There are other suggestions for this seller that Scott and Chris make so be sure you take the time to listen. What they share could be the key to YOUR private label product getting even more sales.

Don’t start your exact match PPC campaigns too soon.

As Scott and Chris look over an actual private label listing on Amazon on today’s episode they notice that the seller is already running an exact match PPC campaign, and both of them feel that he’s probably wasting his money. Why? Because he’s not taken the time needed in order to truly understand what his exact match keywords should be. It takes weeks and sometimes months of broad match campaigns to receive enough data to show exactly what keywords are most used when finding your products, and then it takes some time to discover where the actual clicks and sales are coming from within those keywords. Only when those milestones have been crossed you might be ready for an exact match campaign. Find out more on this episode.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:04] Scott’s introduction to this episode and his friend Chris Schaeffer.
  • [4:40] The scenario Scott and Chris are addressing today.
  • [5:17] The importance of the data in evaluating sales problems.
  • [6:30] A look at the stats on this product.
  • [8:35] Sorting by estimated sales to get a different view.
  • [12:19] Why the review counts don’t scare Scott or Chris.
  • [13:20] The concern of the niche being dominated by one brand.
  • [14:40] The importance of quality, clear images for clicks and product sales.
  • [22:12] Optimizing the title for better keywords and description.
  • [27:58] Optimizing the backend of the listing including keywords.
  • [31:13] Pay per click considerations for a poor selling product.
  • [40:37] Looking at the numbers of the competition for the sake of giveaway planning.
  • [44:09] Considerations for the future of this product to research more sales.
  • [46:12] A quick summary of what needs to be fixed on this episode.
  • [46:55] How to use the data from CamelCamelCamel to research competition and make sales projections..
  • [53:00] Bundle possibilities for this product listing.
  • [55:34] Why you need to model what’s working in your market.

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE

Direct download: TAS222.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

One of the most powerful things that any entrepreneur can do is to make sure they are around others who are of the same mindset that they are. The energy and motivation that surrounds getting together with those kinds of people increases your level of energy and motivation just from being around them. On this episode Scott reveals the top 5 takeaways he had from spending time with like-minded people at the recent Seller’s Summit. Be sure you listen to Scott’s takeaways and learn some tips about how you can move your private label business forward.

What could Pinterest do for your private label product sales?

One of the things that Scott was aware of but not well verse in before the Seller’s Summit conference is the power and effectiveness of Pinterest for driving interest and sales to a product. Being an image based platform, it’s a powerful way to make the appeal of your product instantly attractive to people who are most interested in it. You can hear Scott’s thoughts about Pinterest and how he’s going to be moving into PInterest marketing in the months ahead, on this episode of the Amazing Seller.

Are Facebook Ads relevant for private label sales?

Facebook Ads are one of the things out there that can be a bit intimidating at first. It requires money, it requires a bit of knowledge about how the platform works, and it takes time to learn. But it’s one of the most powerful ways to drive very targeted, specific traffic to your webpage or product sales page and in time, you’re going to have to get going on Facebook Ads. With FB Ads you can put our products directly in front of the very people who are most interested in your products. Hear what Scott’s thinking about Facebook Ads and how he’s going to be moving into them sooner rather than later.

eCommerce stores outside of Amazon are still making incredible sales.

One of the things Scott has been talking about a lot lately is the task each private label seller should be aiming toward of setting up their own sales channel outside of Amazon. For most of us that’s going to mean setting up your own eCommerce store on your own website. These stores are very effective and many, many people are making incredible money building their own store that sells products independently of Amazon. Not only do you get to keep a lot more money (Amazon doesn’t get any), you also get to interact directly with your customers - which is invaluable. Find out more about how eCommerce stores are rocking online sales on this episode.

Do you have a sales funnel started? It could be one of your missing power tools.

If you don’t know what a sales funnel is, here’s the short answer: A sales funnel is a systematic, planned sequence that you take prospective customers through that narrows their focus from interest in what you have to say and sell, all the way to becoming a paying customer. You can learn how to build an effective sales funnel, and you should because it’s such a powerful way not only to get sales, but to get repeat sales from loyal customers. On this episode Scott gives his thoughts about sales funnels and tells some of what he’s doing to build out his funnels more, so be sure you listen.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
  • [1:51] The biggest benefits of being at conferences, and the TAS online version.
  • [3:06] How you can get started with private label sales.
  • [4:10] Takeaway #1: The power of being around like-minded people is HUGE.
  • [8:30] Takeaway #2: Pinterest marketing could be a powerful next step.
  • [13:09] Takeaway #3: Facebook Ads is a viable way to increase product sales.
  • [19:44] Takeaway #4: eCommerce stores are still a powerful way to build a business.
  • [23:30] Takeaway #5: Building marketing funnels is a huge part of building a business.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Direct download: TAS218.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

Today’s episode is a bit unusual for the Amazing Seller podcast because it’s a recording of a live event where Scott was asked to speak about using Amazon’s tools to launch and rank products. He spoke at the Seller’s Summit, an event put on by Steve Chou of www.MyWifeQuitHerJob.com and was a great opportunity for Scott to meet many people interested in making money online. His talk was very well received and serves as a great introduction to those who are unfamiliar or new to the Amazon platform. Be sure to pass this episode along to those you know who have been talking about selling products on Amazon. There are some great insights on this episode.

Scott’s journey to Amazon private label sales was not a straight line.

Scott had a significant business background when he first came upon the idea of selling products on Amazon. He had helped his father run a construction business, established and run his own photography business with his wife, and then moved into online sales. Private label sales made perfect sense to Scott because he saw it as a way to take advantage of Amazon’s built-in mechanism for getting and selling to customers. You can hear Scott’s journey and how he’s come up with a 5 step formula for finding and launching products on Amazon, on this episode.

Never forget that Amazon is a search engine for buyers.

Think about that for a minute. Anyone who’s doing a search on Amazon is doing so because they are considering the purchase of something. Millions of people have their credit cards on file with Amazon already so a purchase decision once they’ve found the item they’re searching for is that much easier. If there was a way that you could take advantage of that incredibly effective buying environment, wouldn’t you want to do that? That’s exactly what private label sales on Amazon allows you to do. Learn about the Amazon platform and how you can get your very own products for sale for searchers to find, on this episode.

There is only one thing that causes your products to rank higher in Amazon search.

What is that? Sales. As your product sells the Amazon search algorithm considers that it’s a product that people who are searching actually want to buy. Naturally, the more purchases of your product that happen, the more Amazon considers your product to be desirable by real people who are searching. With that in mind, it’s vitally important that you know how to optimize your listing for the things people searching for it will be looking for. That means you have to learn how to use keywords in your listing and in your Amazon dashboard to make it clear to the algorithm what your product is and how it relates to the searches people are making on Amazon. Listen to this episode to get more detail on how you can make your products stand out on the Amazon platform.

Where do promotions (Pay Per Click) come in

When you have your listing optimized for search you still may not get many sales simply because your product listing is not being found frequently in the flood of products that are on Amazon. You need to do something to boost your product to the top of the search results. That “something” is paying for your product to be promoted using Amazon pay per click. Amazon PPC enables you to choose the keywords you want to target and when people search for those keywords your product appears at or near the top of the listings. You can learn the entire simple approach Scott uses to set up his PPC campaigns for products, on this episode.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:04] Scott’s introduction to this episode.
  • [1:47] Get in on the next LIVE event.
  • [3:17] Introduction to the topic.
  • [6:30] How Scott got into selling on Amazon and why it was appealing.
  • [10:26] The big thing you need to understand about Amazon sales.
  • [15:00] Product research is the key to being a success on Amazon.
  • [17:15] First you need to understand how the Amazon platform works.
  • [22:15] How to get your products to rank in Amazon’s search engine.
  • [27:15] Using Amazon’s product reviews to get intel on how to improve products and sales.
  • [29:03] Why you need to optimize your product listing and how you can do it.
  • [45:00] How to use Amazon PPC for your products.
  • [56:27]

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Direct download: TAS221.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

There are so many things to learn when it comes to selling a private label product on Amazon. But you don’t have to learn it all from scratch, you’ve got a friend who’s been down the road a bit farther and is willing to help you get going and be a success. Scott Voelker publishes these Friday “Ask Scott” episodes to answer your Amazon private label sales questions. If you’d like to submit a question to Scott for one of these Friday Q&A episodes, you can find out how to do that on this episode.

PPC issues: Balancing inventory and income to get the right amount of sales.

A caller for this episode of the Ask Scott podcast episode, the seller had a great problem that he needed some advice about. He is selling his first product at a rate of 30 sales per day. That’s a wonderful start. He gets most of his sales through Amazon Pay Per Click and has established a daily budget to ensure that he doesn’t spend more than his budget allows. The problem is that he’s selling so much of his product that he runs out of budget by early afternoon each day. He’s afraid to increase his PPC budget because he might run out of product. What would Scott do? You’ll get to hear his answer on this episode.

Launching a product that is not on Amazon, but self-created.

A listener called in to ask Scott about his situation, and it is a very unique idea. He and his wife have created a product of their own and would be able to source their product components from Alibaba in China. He’s curious what they should do because there is nothing on Amazon that is even close to it but they believe that it would sell very well. He’s curious about whether he should try to sell the product on Amazon or not? What would Scott do? As always, you’ll hear Scott’s response on this episode of the Amazing Seller Podcast.

Pay Per Click headaches and figuring out the problems.

When you first begin running pay per click to promote your Amazon products you need to start with broad match categories using the keywords that you are hoping your product will rank highly for. You let that run for around 7 to 10 days to discover which of those keywords are actually converting into sales. Once that happens, you should take the keywords that have gotten sales and put them into their own broad match campaign to put your entire budget toward those keywords that work. Once you do that for another 7 to 10 days, you’ll need to take the winners from that campaign and put them into an exact match campaign to crank up your sales on your most profitable keywords. You can learn a lot from this episode as Scott answers a question about Amazon PPC.

Have you gotten your basic education by receiving Scott’s free private label course?

What are you waiting for? Scott has created a free 10 day course to help beginners to the Amazon private label community learn how he’s gone about researching, buying, packaging, promoting, and selling his own private label products on Amazon. It includes everything you need to know to get started. If you want to learn how to build your own business the private label way, you need this free course. Nothing is held back so be sure you listen to this episode of the podcast to find out how you can get into the 10 day course.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the episode!
  • [0:25] How to ask your question for Scott to answer.
  • [1:10] How to connect with the TAS Facebook community.
  • [3:16] How to get into Scott’s free private label course.
  • [4:23] QUESTION ONE: My PPC is running out of budget too early, what would you do given that I’m working with limited inventory?
  • [12:07] QUESTION TWO: My wife and I have invented a product and want to know if we should try to sell it on Amazon.
  • [22:25] QUESTION THREE: My PPC “phrase match” is causing my ACOS to go up too high. Can you give me some advice on what I’ve done wrong?

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE

 

Direct download: TAS220.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

 

When Scott attended and spoke at the Seller’s Summit a few months ago he met Mike Jackness, an Amazon seller who makes over 7 figures from his private label products and the two of them hit it off right off. Mike got into private label sales when he purchased a website that was already selling its products on Amazon. Over time, he replaced all of those products with his own private label products and began working to drive traffic to his products outside of Amazon through Facebook Ads, contest, and much more. This episode is not for the newbie, it’s stuff that experienced sellers who are already having success can apply to increase their revenue over time.

What is a sales funnel?

The term Sales Funnel has to do with getting people who are interested in your products onto an email list and using a progressive series of emails to build a relationship with them with the end result of them becoming a customer, and hopefully, a repeat customer who tells others about your products. Mike Jackness tells the details of how his team set up their sales funnels, how they got their initial email subscribers, and how they used a variety of tactics to give them great content that was truly helpful and build the relationships that translate into trust and then sales. You can hear all of those details on this episode of the podcast.

Building an email address through contests.

Mike Jackness has used an online contest platform to drive two vital things: his number of email subscribers and the social sharing and social proof of his brand’s reliability. On this episode Mike shares the details of how he ran his contests, the timing of the rewards and winner announcements, and how they leveraged the social component to greatest advantage. This is some advanced, high level stuff that you’ll want to hear, especially if you’re already experiencing a good deal of success as a private label seller on Amazon.

How to build trust through your automated emails.

When you get someone to subscribe for your email list, the last thing you want to do is send them a series of emails that ask them to do things for you. Instead you want to provide them tons of value, tons of helpful things that make them wonder why you are being so generous. You want them to know that you care about them, that you want to give to them in a way that is related to your products or niche. Once you’ve established that trust, then you’re ready to ask them to do things for you - leaving reviews, buying more products, taking advantage of discount codes, and more. You can hear Mike Jackness describe how his company did that very effectively, on this episode.

Using an email list to create new product ideas.

Mike Jackness has been learning from his email list processes daily for some time. One of the things he discovered was that his mailing list was a great resource for helping him narrow down the ideas for new products, and it’s not only helped him produce items that are tailored to his audience but also to avoid mistakes that would have cost them thousands of dollars. It’s a great way to poll your users and customers to not only make smart business decisions but also to be of greater value to your audience or customer base. Mike’s insights are very helpful and you can hear much more than what has been described here on this episode.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the episode and his guest!
  • [2:30] Get into the free private label course.
  • [4:20] Why Scott wanted to have his guest on the show.
  • [5:51] The site purchased and how Mike’s gone about replacing its products with his own.
  • [7:45] Not wanting to be relying on one channel of revenue.
  • [9:42] Building a funnel to capture email addresses: at the right time.
  • [10:31] How Mike went about building his email list: the first steps.
  • [12:48] The task of building a contest to fill their email list (and get some orders).
  • [22:41] Different approaches to driving traffic without already having a huge following.
  • [28:24] Training an email list to open their emails.
  • [30:52] Facebook Ad fails and how they corrected their mistakes.
  • [37:38] Using the email list to get new product ideas.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

Direct download: TAS219.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

Your opportunity to hear and ask your own questions from an experienced Amazon private label seller is here - it’s the Friday “Ask Scott” session. Today’s episode features a handful of questions about adding products to your private label lineup, how to utilize the analytics provided from your Amazon seller account, , and tons more insight surrounding those topics. If you are getting into sales on Amazon, don’t reinvent the wheel. Listen to these Ask Scott episodes to ensure that you aren’t making mistakes you don’t have to make as you build your business on Amazon.

Should I choose a second product related to my first one that is in a very competitive niche?

A caller on this episode is doing well with her first private label product and is ready to add a second product within the same market. But the product that makes the most sense to add to her lineup is going to be difficult to sell simply because the market is very crowded and competitive. What should she do? Is it smart to even make the effort or would she be better off choosing another item to sell? Scott’s got some ideas about what she should do including what he suggests new sellers do to avoid this kind of issue if possible. You’re going to get some gems from this one, so be sure to listen.

There are lots of reports inside the Amazon seller dashboard. Which should I be using?

There are many ways to learn from your current and past sales and make adjustments to increase your private label product sales even more. One of the best ways is to get the hard facts on how your products have been performing. You can do that through many of the reports that Amazon provides in your seller dashboard. But where should you start and which reports are the most helpful? On this episode Scott shares the reports that he uses, how he uses them, and the results he’s seen from doing so consistently. You won’t want to miss this one because it will give you some trustworthy tools you can use to increase the sales of your products.

What’s the best way to understand air freight from China?

A TAS listener called in to ask a question on this episode of the podcast regarding having his products sent via Air Freight from China. He’s not sure what to do to make sure that he’s not personally tied up in the process too much or to ensure that he avoids entanglements when it comes to customs. Scott answers his question directly with some simple advice that will give this Amazon seller a direct route to the answers he needs. You can hear Scott’s advice on this episode of the podcast.

Are you new to private label sales? Get up and running within the next 10 days.

One of the ways that Scott has created to help newbies understand private label sales and learn how to find and launch their own products successfully is his free 10 day course that walks through the 5 steps involved in selling on Amazon. He doesn’t hold anything back, telling you everything you need to know to choose a good product, test it to ensure that it’s a quality item, make your first order, list it on Amazon, and optimize your listing and start promotions to get your sales going. You won’t believe the value Scott provides in this course, and you can find out how to get it on this episode of the podcast.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of Ask Scott!
  • [4:35] QUESTION ONE: When choosing a second related product the numbers look incredibly competitive. Should I still go for it?
  • [12:58] QUESTION TWO: Can you comment on the analytics in Amazon that we can and should use?
  • [22:10] QUESTION THREE: I’m shipping air freight from China. What are the things I should look out for to make sure my items aren’t held up in customs?
  • [27:00] The value of understanding the reports and your sales numbers.
  • [27:50] How you can ask your own question.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Direct download: TAS217.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

Have you ever had a time where you saw your Amazon private label product sales drop for a day, or two, or more? What have you done to check on that once you notice it? If you’re not checking on it, you could be missing out on sales because your listing is suppressed by Amazon for not adhering to the terms of service. On this episode Scott shares his own story of how a new product he place onto Amazon was suppressed, why it was suppressed, what he did to fix the problem, and what he suggests you do on a regular basis to monitor your product listings and ensure that your products are always live and ready to get more sales.

How Scott discovered that his Amazon listing was suppressed.

A normal part of Scott’s day every morning is to log into his Amazon seller account to check the status of his sales, inventory, and products and to check whether any red flags or issues have come up - like returns, seller feedback he needs to respond to, etc. But while he was traveling he was unable to stick to that routine and while he was offline some strange things happened, resulting in one of his listings being suppressed. Essentially, his listing was offline, not allowing anyone to see his listing or purchase the product. How did Scott figure out that the listing was being suppressed by Amazon? Listen to this episode to get all the details.

What can you do to unsuppress a suppressed listing?

 

Once you discover that your private label product has been suppressed by Amazon (taken off line) what can you do? First you need to scan through your listing in an effort to identify the things that might be wrong with your listing that is causing the suppression. It’s not always an easy thing to do because Amazon may not always tell you the specifics. You may have to go tab by tab through the back end of your listing to find any warnings or highlighted areas. It’s a tedious process but eventually you’ll find the problem. Listen to this episode to hear how Scott corrected a problem on one of his own listings and what he suggests you do to avoid this problem on yours.

Tips on optimizing your private label listing.

Scott has talked about this issue quite a bit on previous episodes but since new people are coming into the Amazing Seller community every day, he feels it’s appropriate to repeat some of the most important things. One of those is how to optimize your listing, including your titles, proper keyword formatting and completion, bullet points, images, descriptions, and more. On this episode Scott walks through those basic things again to help you first identify the problems your listing may have and second, to help you correct those problems so you can get your listing running as smoothly as possible, which will result in more eyes on your product and more sales.

Adding your primary keywords in your title is a powerful tactic for listing optimization.

If you’re trying to optimize your listing you have to start with your title. The title is the main thing that is going to be searched by Amazon to make keyword matches with search queries, so it’s important that you craft a keyword rich but natural title for your product to make the most of the keywords that people are searching for. That’s how you’ll increase your chances of your product being seen by people who are searching for it or something similar. On this episode Scott gives you his best tips for optimizing your titles including the rationale behind them and how you can go about doing them on your listings.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
  • [0:32] Get into the next upcoming workshop.
  • [2:52] How Scott discovered his listing was suppressed by Amazon.
  • [4:12] What could cause a listing to be suppressed? It depends…
  • [6:10] Why Scott’s title was causing issues with his listing.
  • [8:20] Steps Scott took to resolve the problem.
  • [9:50] Signs that your listing might be suppressed.
  • [12:46] Tips on optimizing your title with keywords.
  • [15:00] Updating keyword fields and bullet points and description.
  • [19:00] A dip in rankings when you change your title: be patient.
  • [20:37] The importance of finding relevant targeted keywords.
  • [23:00] Pay close attention to your listing after making tweaks.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

 

Direct download: TAS216.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

It makes sense that when your Amazon business is up and running well, you may want to add a totally different brand or niche to your overall business strategy. There are so many opportunities that kind of approach can provide. When heading in that direction it might be tempting to open a second seller account with Amazon. Is it legal (with Amazon)? Should you do it? Scott’s got some very clear ideas about the subject and is eager to share them with you on this episode, so be sure you listen to get some perspective on whether or not it’s time for you to create a second seller account.

Why do you want to open a second Amazon seller account?

Many people who are successful at Amazon private label sales are entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs are known for having tons of ideas bouncing around in their heads. One of the struggles every entrepreneur faces is keeping their own ambition and eagerness in check so that they don’t get too strung out. It may seem like a great idea to build a new brand but most people take that on far too soon. On this episode you’re going to hear Scott’s thoughts about why you should reconsider that choice and what things you can do instead to maximize your profitability and business.

What are some of the hassles of opening a second Amazon seller account?

When you open a second Amazon seller account you’re not breaking any rules. Amazon will let you do it, but they will want to see certain things in place. For example, you’ll be required to have a different business entity for that account than the one you have on your first account. You’ll also be required to provide different banking information. These are just two things you’ll have to restructure in order to open a second account - and there’s even more besides these. Scott’s going to walk you through every one of the things he can think of that makes it difficult to manage and deal with two brands and two Amazon accounts. It’s all on this episode so make sure you take the time to listen.

Building out a product line instead of starting a brand new brand.

Instead of building a second brand, what would happen if you totally maximized every opportunity you have in your current private label market? In Scott’s experience, most people who are selling on Amazon have not done their due diligence to build out their product line and opportunities to the greatest effect. They’re missing things like sales funnels, email lists, external sales channels, social promotions, and more. Where are you in the stages of building out your current product line? On this episode Scott will show you the kinds of things you need to consider when thinking through whether you should open a new Amazon seller account or not.

Why an external sales channel is the next step for any Amazon business.

Scott strongly believes that every Amazon private label seller should work hard to establish a sales channel outside of Amazon after sales on Amazon have become consistently successful. He subscribes to the idea that you should never put all of your business eggs in one basket - and though Amazon is a very LARGE basket, it’s still only one sales channel. On this episode Scott walks through the main ways that you can build your own sales machine independent of Amazon and tells you why you should focus your efforts there instead of building a second brand on Amazon. It’s a great summary for you to consider, on this episode.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast!
  • [4:03] Starting two differing brands - Is it time to take that leap?
  • [9:00] Considerations when growing/scaling a business - multiple accounts.
  • [14:32] 5 reasons to reconsider opening a second seller account.
  • [18:06] The complications that come from a second brand as opposed to a broader existing market.
  • [19:45] Why the next phase for any Amazon business is external sales channels.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Direct download: TAS215.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:53pm EDT

Any little (or big) thing we can do to increase the likelihood of people who search for our products to actually click on our product is worth the time it takes to get it done. On this bonus episode of The Amazing Seller Podcast Scott is chatting with his friend Greg Mercer about the testing he’s been doing on his Amazon listings and the great increases in click-throughs and sales that have come as a result. You’re going to want to hear how these simple tweaks can increase your bottom line without costing you a dime.

A picture is worth a thousand words… or increased click-throughs and sales.

Scott is merciless at emphasizing that you keep everything you do on your private label listing completely above board. You want to follow Amazon’s terms of service and requirements to the “T.” BUT - many people don’t realize the areas of flexibility that exist within those guidelines, especially as it relates to images. On this episode Scott and his friend Greg Mercer chat about the small changes they’ve made to their images that have caused greater amounts of click-through and purchases in a very short time. You can do the exact same things on your product, so find out how on this episode.

25% off your first month of Splitly - Automated split testing software for Amazon private label listings.

 

Greg Mercer is already well known in the Amazon selling community as the creator behind Jungle Scout. But now he’s added a new product to his company that enables you to automatically and on an ongoing basis, split test your private label listings so that you can ensure they are optimized the very best for click throughs and sales.It’s called “Splitly” and as a TAS listener you can get 25% off your first month of Splitly service. Listen to this episode to hear all the things Splitly can do for you and how you can get your 25% off.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast episode!
  • [1:35] Upcoming workshop - get registered now.
  • [4:00] Split testing, conversions, optimizing your listings through tweaks.
  • [5:41] The basic tweaks Greg Mercer has done to increase conversions.
  • [7:44] Tips on good main images and tweaks you can make to it.
  • [14:54] How to do your testing in a way that gives accurate results.
  • [19:09] A case in point Scott learned from another seller: drawing the eye.
  • [21:34] Why you can’t think you know the answer: do the split test.
  • [22:07] How changing your price can make dramatic differences.
  • [26:00] Why it’s important to test over a longer period of time (a few weeks).
  • [29:52] Other minor items you can split test: bullets and description.
  • [32:25] Split testing your product title for product ranking.
  • [37:10] The software Greg has created - Splitly - specifically for Amazon.
  • [42:03] How you can get into the upcoming live workshop using Splitly.
  • [44:00] Greg’s last advice to people regarding split testing and optimizing listings.

RESOURCES MENTIONED


When you’re starting something new it’s great to be able to ask someone who has been down the path before you. That’s what these Friday “Ask Scott” sessions are for… an opportunity for you to ask Scott the pressing questions that are on your mind about private label selling and selling on the Amazon platform in particular. There are many things Scott has learned the hard way that you don’t have to learn that way. You can glean lots from what Scott has to share and he’s happy to do it. Be sure to submit your questions to Scott to keep these Friday episodes going!

What is needed to set up a seller account on Amazon?

A listener has been doing some initial product research and hasn’t set up his Amazon seller account yet. He’s curious what pieces of information he needs to have in hand before he tries to create an Amazon seller account. It’s a great question that Scott answers in depth on this episode. It starts with simply having a social security number and logging in, so depending on what products you’ll be selling and what your overall goals are you may want to have some other pieces in place. What are they? Scott’s going to cover all of it on this episode.

Things you need to know about getting product reviews through review groups.

A listener called in on this episode to ask Scott what she should do in her situation. She’s a professional reviewer, reviewing products in all kinds of niches in order to receive free products. She takes the job very seriously and gives quality, unbiased reviews. But recently her account has been banned from doing reviews. She wonders if it’s related to a review group she’s been a part of in the past. Scott’s got some very practical advice for the seller relating to review groups as well as some “heads up” info for Amazon sellers about what you should and should not expect about the results you get from review groups.

What should I do if my product is being purchased in lots and resold on Ebay?

A listener called in with an interesting situation that Scott was eager to tackle on this episode. His products have been selling well, even 4 or 5 at a time. He had a hunch that something odd might be going on so he checked up on it and found out that his products were actually being bought in lots of 5 or 6 at a time and resold on Ebay. He’s not sure what to think of it. Should he contact the purchaser and tell them that they are not allowed to resell his product or is it a great asset to have someone buying his product in bulk? What do you think? Scott’s got a very clear answer and he shares it with you on this episode.

When a potential product has great cost margins, should you sell it in bundles of two?

Another listener has been doing her product research and has found a product that she believes will be a winner. Part of the reason she likes the product so much is that the cost and profit margins are very large. That means she’ll be able to make a very good profit. She’s wondering if it would be worthwhile to offer the product in bundle packages to differentiate herself in the market and gain more sales. Scott’s advice is very helpful and gives a couple of options for this listener to consider, so be sure you listen to apply what he says to your situation.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
  • [0:39] Scott’s introduction of Chris Nelson, a TAS listener at the event Scott attended.
  • [1:37] How you can leave a question for Scott and get into a live workshop.
  • [3:28] QUESTION ONE: What do I need to have set up in order to create a seller account - and what legal issues do I need to be aware of?
  • [8:55] QUESTION TWO: I’m a legitimate reviewer but have been banned by Amazon because I was part of a review club. What happened?
  • [16:17] QUESTION THREE: I notice that my product is being purchased in lots and resold on Ebay. What should I do?
  • [21:04] QUESTION FOUR: I found a product with great margins and wonder if I should sell them in bundles of two?

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Direct download: TAS214.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

You may have noticed lately that Amazon is advertising within your seller account for their non-U.S. sales platforms. They are trying really hard to get current sellers to expand into different marketplaces. For some time Scott has been giving that option some thought but when he received an email from today’s guest, Nick Kemp, he was even more interested. Nick has been selling on the Amazon Japan marketplace for some time and is experiencing a good deal of success. In this conversation Scott and Nick chat about how it’s working, how he got into the Japanese market, and his road to private label success.

What do you do when your private label item is infringing on another’s patent?

Today’s guest was beginning to sell a lot of his product and decided that it was time to get more listings on Amazon. He chose a related items that was very unique because of its design and sourced it from a China supply company. But he soon discovered that the supplier had signed an agreement that they would not sell the product in the U.S. but hadn’t told him. He discovered that sad fact by receiving a letter from the patent owner’s attorney telling him he had to stop selling the product immediately or he would be sued. It was a $10,000 loss for him and he’s still recovering. Listen in to this conversation to get some tips on how you can avoid that sort of thing with your private label products.

Making money in the Amazon Japan marketplace faster than the U.S.

Within a very short amount of time after launching his products on the Japanese marketplace, Nick Kemp began to see sales. In his experience one of the advantages to selling on the Japanese marketplace is that you typically don’t have to get near as many reviews to begin selling your products. A well optimized listing seemed to be all it took and Nick was selling a good number of items per day within no time. On this episode Nick tells you how he began selling on the Japan marketplace step by step, so be sure to listen.

Ranking on page 1 within hours on the Amazon Japan market.

When Nick finally jumped through all the hoops to get his products listed in the Amazon Japan marketplace he wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. It was literally only a few hours after listing his products that his item was showing on the first page of the search results for his product niche. He was amazed, as most of us would be, and felt the impact of that in his sales almost immediately. But there are plenty of difficulties to face as well. You can hear Nick’s story on this episode of The Amazing Seller podcast.

Why the difficulties of getting on the Amazon Japan market are worth it.

If you’ve already experienced a good deal of success selling on the U.S. or U.K. marketplace and want to expand your sales, the Japan marketplace may be the way to go. Nick Kemp says that you’ll have to jump through certain hoops to make sure you’re doing so legally and in a way that works with the Japanese culture. That includes language barriers and other things as well. But he’s convinced that it’s worth doing simply because the Japanese marketplace is virtually untouched in terms of volume and competition. If you’re at that point of expansion, listen to what Nick has to share so you can assess the situation for yourself.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast.
  • [3:45] Who is Nick Kemp and how did he get started selling in the Amazon Japan marketplace?
  • [8:00] A first product flops because of patent issues.
  • [13:30] Getting into the Japanese marketplace on Amazon.
  • [17:00] Particular things needed to sell in Japan.
  • [19:20] How Nick researches sales prospects in the Japanese marketplace.
  • [21:13] Dealing with language issues: listings, products, labels, etc.
  • [24:38] Jumping into a super competitive niche in Japan.
  • [29:50] First steps to getting your products on the Amazon Japan marketplace.
  • [33:00] Why the hurdles of selling on Amazon are worth the price.
  • [40:52] How funds transfers and income works on the Japan marketplace.
  • [43:15] Nick’s future plans for his business pursuits.
  • [50:30] Final advice for people new to the Amazon marketplace.
  • [53:30] Assessing the right time to move to international marketplaces.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Direct download: TAS213.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

The Amazon sales platform is open to 3rd party sellers (like you) to sell products to people who are already shopping for things they want and need. That’s the amazing benefit it is to sell your products on Amazon. However, there are certain categories where not just anyone can sell products. Amazon’s reasons for doing this is mainly to protect the consumer by ensuring that the people selling products in those categories are legitimate sellers who are not selling items that will be harmful or fake. Chris Schaeffer is a pro in these things and he unloads how he goes about getting products ungated, on this episode.

The category that I want to sell product in is blocked to new sellers (gated). How can I get in?

It happens quite often. Someone does their diligence in product research and discovers that the end of that process that the category their product falls into is blocked to new sellers. How can you get past that? Is there any way? That is exactly what this episode of the podcast is all about. Scott and his friend Chris walk you through 5 Steps you need to take in order to get your private label products into a gated category on Amazon. Be encouraged, their experience shows that you can always get into the category, it just may take time and some hard work. Be sure you listen to find out how you can get your product into the categories they belong in.

How does the Amazon Brand Registry fit into the ungating process?

 

If you have not gone through the steps to register your products and brand in the Amazon brand registry, that is one of the first things you need to do if you want your product to be considered for categories that are currently gated. Amazon will not consider your product if you have not verified your product through brand registry. On this episode of the podcast, Chris and Scott are going to walk you through the steps involved in getting brand registered, and show you that it really isn't as hard as it might sound at first. If you need someone to hold your hand, this episode does exactly that.

Make it easy for Amazon to approve your “ungate” request.

Anyone selling products on Amazon is able to apply for their products to be considered for a blocked or gated category. Chris Shaffer advises that if you were going to do that, you make it easy for Amazon to say yes to you. How do you do that? By getting all of your documents and requested things in order before you apply to have your product considered. Amazon is very clear about what it takes to become eligible for selling in those categories, so you need to do your part to meet their requirements before you even apply. On this episode Chris walks through what those things are so that you will be able to gather your information and go in with your guns loaded.

Don’t let the gated categories on Amazon get you frustrated.

The process of getting your products into gated categories can be quite irritating and frustrating. Sometimes Amazon will reject your product request and not provide any reasons why they have rejected it. Other times, they will respond with very big reasons that don't make sense. It is important that you understand that those things are just part of how it is, and that you need to do everything on your end to make it easy for Amazon to approve your request. Keep going, walk through the things you have submitted very carefully to ensure that they meet Amazon's standards, and even follow the tips Chris lives in this episode to restart the process if need be. And his experience, every request can be approved if you approach it the right way.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
  • [2:59] Why categories on Amazon are gated (to protect consumers).
  • [4:58] How gating impacts pay per click (PPC).
  • [5:40] Is it possible to place your product into a different category if you’re gated out of the one it belongs in?
  • [8:45] Select the category you want to be in.
  • [9:45] Why you need to switch to a pro monthly plan to get started ungating.
  • [11:30] Hitting the Amazon seller performance targets.
  • [12:50] How new products figure into the gated category issue.
  • [13:43] Working with your supplier to get verification regarding your products.
  • [14:40] Particulars you need to make sure are correct.
  • [16:40] The importance of having a website for the sake of Amazon brand registry.
  • [18:25] Making sure you have your documentation together (including 3 invoices).
  • [21:46] What to do if Amazon doesn’t give much reason for rejecting your request.
  • [24:00] Why you need to make it easy for Amazon to approve your request.
  • [26:43] Additional steps to take to get yourself approved.
  • [29:49] Why it took Scott and Chris 3 weeks to get ungated in one situation.
  • [32:12] Recap of the steps you need to take to get your product ungated.
  • [34:40] Why you should consider the possibility of gated categories during your product research phase.
  • [36:09] Chris’ final word: don’t let this frustrate you.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Direct download: TAS212.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

If you’re an Amazon seller, either through Retail Arbitrage program or through private label products, you know how frustrating it can be when you hit a snag in your business and don’t feel that you have anywhere to turn. Wouldn’t it be great to have a “voice of experience” you could turn to who could guide you through the challenges? That’s EXACTLY what you get on these Friday episodes of the Amazing Seller. Scott Voelker does his “Ask Scott” session to field your questions about Amazon sales and the challenges of doing it right. If you want to submit your questions for Scott to answer on one of these Friday shows, you can find out how to do it on this episode.

How can I improve my pay per click (PPC) campaign so it doesn’t cost so much?

A listener to the Amazing Seller recently called in with a question about his pay per click campaigns. He’s at a point where 70% of his profits is being eaten up by the cost of paying for traffic through Amazon PPC. Something about it just doesn’t feel right and he wants to know what he’s doing wrong. On this episode Scott responds to his question with some insights about how you can modify your PPC campaigns over time to hone in on the exact keywords that are going to bring you the biggest bang for your buck. You can hear Scott’s response on this episode.

What warehouse should I send my products to as an international seller?

Anyone who sells private label products on Amazon Has the option of sending their products to various Amazon warehouses for the option of making sales in various countries. On this  episode of the podcast, an international seller calls with a question about where she should send her products to get the best sales. She's also concerned about the kinds of taxes she will have to pay if she is going to send her products to the United States. Make sure you tune in to listen to this episode where Scott replies to her question.

Should I go after a product with lower margins but higher volume?

Scott usually recommends that sellers look for products where they can make at least $10 of profit on each sale. But on this episode of the podcast listener calls in to ask whether it is worth it to sell products that only get $4 to $5 profit on each sale but has a very large volume of sales possible. You might think Scott would say to avoid that kind of product, but he actually says the exact opposite and gives you very clear reasons why he would go for it. You can hear his entire answer on this Ask Scott session of the podcast.

How long does it take for products to rank to page 1 after an initial surge of sales?

On today's episode of the podcast Scott reads A post from a member of his Facebook community, reporting how his product launch has gone. He had some great and initial sales and just looking forward to a very successful product line. But his product is still on page 8 of the Amazon search rankings. He is curious how long it takes for products to rank all the way to page one after an initial surge of sales like he is experienced. On this episode Scott gives some great insights about how products rank within the Amazon framework, and what you can do to boost your products toward the top. You won't want to miss this one.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
  • [1:47] How you can get in on Scott’s next live event.
  • [3:29] QUESTION ONE: 70% of my revenue is going to PPC. What’s wrong with the way I’m doing it?
  • [10:36] QUESTION TWO: I’m an international seller and I want to send from China to an Amazon warehouse. How do I choose the right location?
  • [17:50] QUESTION THREE: Should I go after a product with lower margins but higher volume?
  • [22:43] QUESTION FOUR: How long does it take to rank for your product after a surge of sales?

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Direct download: TAS211.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

Any change to your life and lifestyle will require you to make some sacrifices. Today’s guest is a tremendous example of a person who was willing to put in the kind of hard work required so that she could do what she wanted in her life - stay at home with her kids. Raquel’s story is one that we hear all the time, a parent who longs to have the time with her children and is willing to do anything to make that happen. You’re going to hear a tremendously inspirational story as Raquel tells how she went from selling on Ebay to Retail Arbitrage on Amazon and why she decided to move toward private labeling, the decision that has so far grossed over $73,000 in sales. Make sure you listen tot his one - it’s worth it.

The challenges with Ebay and Retail Arbitrage.

For a while Raquel was making a good amount of profit finding things to sell on Ebay. She had great margins and was able to find some things that were selling pretty well on a consistent basis. But the difficulty was that she had to take new pictures for every listing and had to do all the shipping herself. That led her to Retail Arbitrage on Amazon which was worlds better, but it still required the daily hustle out in stores and closeout sales that she was trying to get away from. That’s when she began learning about private label sales and connected with the TAS community. You’ll want to hear Raquel’s story to hear another path that has been followed and how she began with $100.

Multiple products within the same niche.

Raquel’s approach to finding products was to look through various resources to discover product ideas. One of those was a junk email that she received from a company that was unsolicited. That’s where she found a bundled set of products that she felt she could purchase, split apart, and remake into her own bundles. That enabled her to have multiple SKUs to sell within the same niche, which was a great way to diversify her approach to the market. That has enabled her to get cross sales and to begin customizing products to offer in addition to the things she’s already selling. Her first custom order from China is now underway. Be sure you listen to Raquel’s story - it’s full of insights into how things could work for you when you’re just starting out

How Raquel used reviews to determine what she could do to offer in-demand products.

As Raquel began offering her first products she spent time reading the reviews of her competitors. It was in those reviews that she discovered things that buyers of those products wished were different about the products they were already buying. That gave Raquel a lot of insight into modifications and unique tweaks she could make to her products to make them more desirable to buyers and thereby take over the sales of brands in her niche that are not providing those customized options. It’s a “gold” way to create true value for customers and carve out a niche for themselves that will be sustainable long term.

We want to build a business that enables us to give powerfully.

 

In this conversation Scott asked Raquel about her future plans for her private label sales business. She and her husband have given a lot of thought to what they want to do with the successes they are experiencing. Her husband truly enjoys his job so there are no plans for him to quit. But the two of them have come to a place that they hope to pay off their house within a short time and then be able to meet needs of people they come across. That’s a powerful “why” for anyone, being able to make the lives of actual people better.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

  • [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast and Scott’s guest, Raquel.
  • [1:03] Why you don’t need to start private label sales with a ton of cash.
  • [2:47] Who is Raquel and why did she try her hand at Amazon sales?
  • [5:50] From Ebay to consignment, to retail arbitrage on Amazon.
  • [14:00] A junk email that offered some new possibilities for Raquel.
  • [23:10] The minimal things Raquel did to launch her first products.
  • [26:15] Getting her products brand registered.
  • [30:51] Raquel’s plans toward the future.
  • [34:40] How Raquel helped a friend get started selling books on Amazon and how she advises new people to get going.
  • [36:30] The goals Raquel has to build consistent sales throughout the year.
  • [37:27] How Scott sees Raquel’s story as an example for those who are making excuses.
  • [38:18] Raquel’s current thoughts about retail arbitrage.
  • [41:00] Why you need to just start - even if you’re starting with a small amount of money.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

 

Direct download: TAS210.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

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