I saw an advert in a local newspaper the other week. It was a full-page advert about a sales manager. It was an utter and total waste of money for the business that placed it.

How do I know this?

Simple.

8 years of marketing and advertising for over 500 different companies has taught me one thing.

FACT: Your prospects don't care about YOU. They ONLY care about what your products and services can do for them.

Let me explain…

Your prospects are going through life (as is everyone else) listening to a special FM Radio Station. That station is called WIIFM?

"What's In It For Me?" Knowing how to answer this all important question is at the very heart of successful marketing. The sad facts is that the average business owner couldn't answer the WIIFM? if you held a gun to their heads!

The result is an abundance of insepid, "I" focused, self-serving, self-promoting, dead, dull and way-too-boring advertising. It is like a blight - a barnicle on the keel of humanity.

And.. you see it everywhere! - especially on the Internet!

So - - how do you answer the question "What's in it for Me?"

Want a hint? "Features TELL But Benefits SELL"

Mull over that the next time you have to write a sales letter, build a website, create an advert or promotional piece for your business.

Here's Another act For You: If your marketing doesn't answer the question "What's In It For Me?" you are wasting your time and money.

If your advertising agency doesn't answer this in EVERY single thing they create for you, then perhaps it is time to choose one that does.

Need help? Use the Contact Form Below…

This video from the USA shows an interesting subliminal advert. The video made it on to YouTube and has now seen over 1 million views!

How To Set Up an eBay Store

EBay is a useful tool to sell just about anything.  In order to make the most of EBay it is helpful to establish a store. 

Let’s take a look at the steps to set up an EBay store that sells well.

Step 1.  Register with EBay.  A basic account is free and will provide a wealth of getting started type information.

Step 2.  Understand the basic layout of a store.  Each store has:

•    Store Logo – This helps with brand recognition. 
•    Store Description – A couple sentences that describe the store including keywords which help potential customers         find the store. 
•    Promotion boxes – Highlights any current promotions the store has.  For example, free shipping through the holidays         or buy two get one for free. 
•    Search box – This gives customers the opportunity to search for a specific item.
•    Store categories – A list of the types of items the store sells.  For example, if a store sells jewelry then the         categories may be: necklaces, earrings, and bracelets etc…EBay offers more than 300 categories.  It will be helpful         to review the categories before sitting down to build your store. 
•    Gallery View.  Inside the gallery view are pictures of the products and a brief description. 

Step 3.  Decide which level of store to build.  EBay offers three store levels:
•    Basic Store - $15.95 a month
•    Premium Store $49.95 month.  Offers advanced business tools to increase sales.
•    Anchor Store $299.95 per month. Designed for high volume stores and offers advanced business tools.

Step 4.  Custom Pages.  EBay stores packages provide the option of creating a virtual store with a home page, an about us page, sizing and selection page – what ever you think will help represent your store and assist customers best.  Take a look at other stores to research the custom pages they offer.  Before sitting down to design pages, plan them on a piece of paper.  It’s often much easier to get an idea of what you want and how you want it to look on paper first.
 

Step 5. Consider using the design services offered by EBay.  They offer templates, tips, a directory of certified designers and a list of before and after web stores.  These are handy to help in the planning process.  EBay also offers a quick store setup option which operates like a web design wizard.  This may be the easiest way to get a store up and running.

Once you have registered for an eBay account, researched stores and your competition, decided what level you want to start at and paid for your monthly subscription it is time to build the store.  EBay offers tools to walk each store owner through the process and they make it easy to do it yourself.