Are you
sure you know the intricacies of running an online store?

In working
with numerous clients on their ecommerce projects, there has been one thing
that has stuck out. Logistics. Logistics, you ask. Well, we have assisted
handfuls of small business start ups with getting their product online. The
majority of the time, a business owner will ask for a simple website where
people can purchase product and/or using tools like Pay Pal. Sounds simple
enough – right?

The first
thing we do is ask a series of questions related to running their online store.
For example, if you were thinking about getting your latest hot product online
for people to see and buy, we would ask:

1. what product are you selling
        and do you have an expansive product line?
2. are you able to create a
        product matrix for everything you hope to sell?
3. do you have product ID numbers
        or SKU’s already mapped out?
4. do you have product images of
        every single item?
5. do you have product
        descriptions written, including price?
6. so you have a shipping account
        with UPS?
7. do you have a business bank
        account ready to receive funds?
8. once an order is placed, who
        will fulfill the order – you?
9. where does the inventory live?
10. who will package up the product
         an ship it?
11. how are you handling returns?

This is not
intended to scare anyone away from setting up shop online. It’s intended to
assist you in answering the most important business logistics, to ensure you
run a successful online shop.

It is an education
process, and a lot of ecommerce newbies may have never thought about these
questions. An experienced web development company should help you think through
these items and provide direction where needed. This is a two street and most of
the items listed above will require planning.

Good luck
and here’s to your online success.

Often times we get caught up in the monthly task of getting our email newsletters out. Here are a couple of tips to make them more valuable:

1. Poll your clients or prospects on a hot industry topic. Get them involved and do a follow up to this poll.
2. Ask subscribers to submit a business challenge to be answered in the next issue. Schedule a time to interview the subscriber and provide feedback to the business challenge.
3. Tell a recent client success story, but more importantly what problem was overcome. Back it up with real world business numbers.
4. Segment your current subscriber list into clients, prospects and vendors. Create separate offers and or communications to each audience. More relevancy equals often times leads to a higher response rate.
5. Offer a value add cross promotion with a partner. We saw a great mailer the other week. A local window covering company partnered with a organization company. The window covering company sent out a customer appriciation letter, which included a 25% off coupon for the home organization services. Brilliant!

Take action and turn your email marketing into profit generating results.