Less than $450 per year?

Jumpstart Your eCommerce Business

Do you find yourself getting stuck when it comes to deciding what you should be focusing on in your store?

Are you having trouble figuring out what is keeping your store from being the profit-maker you know it should be?

Would direct access to a seasoned eCommerce Expert help you increase the bottom line of your online store?

Find out how you can get unstuck and add rocket fuel to your online business.

Find Out More => http://ecomcatalyst.net/

You will gain direct access to me, Audrey Kerwood, on live calls and through a 24/7 online forum.

You will also have direct access to a new expert each and every month. Here is a taste of the caliber of experts you will be in contact with:

•    Leslie Rohde – SEO Expert
•    Chris Malta – eCommerce Expert, Owner of Worldwide Brands
•    Linda Bustos – eCommerce Trend Expert, owner of ElasticPath.com
•    Vin Montello – The Godfather of Copywriting
•    Ross Goldberg – Web Traffic & SEO Expert
•    Shirley Tan – eCommerce Expert, founder of American Bridal
•    Mike Wesely – Social Media Expert, Formerly ranked #1 in the World on Twitter
•    Eric Stafford – Conversion Expert
•    Sherman Hu – Video, Blogging, and New Media Expert
•    Plus many more

Find Out More => http://ecomcatalyst.net/

Another Round of Site Reviews

“Audrey – 
I’d really like to send you a huge THANK YOU! 
Your website review was awesome. It’s got us moving on all that stuff that needed to get done. We are completely focused on prepping for the big holiday season. That was such a thorough review and then delivered via video – I was completely impressed with the presentation!”
Lew Sabbag

“I am so close to my business that I don’t always see the obvious right in front of me until it is pointed out by someone OUTSIDE my box. I recently had my site reviewed by Audrey and couldn’t be happier with the suggestions she made. Every single suggestion made complete sense and I have no doubt they will all improve my conversions. I don’t ride on the “guruships” that travel around the internet and really value real world advice from someone making a real world living on the internet. Thank you, Audrey!”
Sean Woodruff

“WOW! Audrey, Thank you for the information you provided in my website audit. Even though I have been in the ecommerce business for nearly 10 it is easy to miss things that are (or are not) happening on your own site.  I really appreciate the insight. I have already started making changes and will be monitoring the improvements.  Thank you for the audit – it was well worth my time and investment!”
Michelle Chance-Sangthong

Another round of site reviews.

The feedback for my personal site reviews has been incredible and 
I’ve been inundated by requests from people who weren’t able to get in 
on my last round since I limited the number of slots to 50.

Well, I love doing these site reviews so I’m offering another 50 slots
 so you the opportunity to get your own personal site review.

I’ll go through your entire site starting at the home page and working 
all the way through your checkout process to see where your site can 
be improved for your customer usability and overall conversion.

Book Your Site Review Here: http://www.ecomsitereview.com

“Audrey’s ideas helped us double our conversion rate…
and sell FOUR TIMES the number of items compared to a year earlier…”

“Our web site was struggling with low conversion rates, and we knew it 
was not well optimized. Through her site analysis and suggestions for 
improvement Audrey’s ideas helped us double our conversion rate for 
the month of December 2009. We emphasized a particular product line 
and ended up selling FOUR TIMES the number of items we had when 
compared to a year earlier…”

Sylvia Seamands
Retired M.D.,
Online Store Owner

I normally charge $200 per site review, but for a limited time you can 
get your personal site review for only $97.

Book Your Site Review Here: http://www.ecomsitereview.com

I have 50 slots available so you want to book your site review now.

Don’t worry if you’re still building your site and aren’t quite ready to have it
 reviewed. Book your slot now and you can let me know when you want me
 to review your site. It can be anytime from now until June 1st 2011.

These 50 slots are going to go fast, so be sure to book your site review now.

I look forward to working with you to make your site irresistible to your 
customers and making you the money your store is worth.

Anatomy of a High-Converting Store Book

Interested in increasing your online store’s conversion? You can now get my acclaimed Anatomy of a High-Converting Online Store presentation to study at your own pace.

http://www.audreykerwoodblog.com/anatomyofahighconvertingstore

I put the entire presentation and a few bonus strategies together in a simple to download eBook that you can read, implement, and re-read at your own leisure.

This is a 34 page pdf book that goes through each of the conversion strategies I employ on all my eCommerce Stores. Every aspect and tactic is covered and explained. I don’t simply tell you what to do, I explain the psychology behind why it works. This way you understand why certain things work while others don’t and you can come up with new ideas tailored to your specific market.

This is learning conversion the smart way… actually learning it rather than just listening to it.

This book will show you how to get your visitors engaged and ready to buy from the moment they land on your home page. Then I go even further by explaining how to keep that level of engagement and excitement throughout your entire site, all the way through checkout.

These techniques and strategies will not only ensure you get more sales, they’ll also ensure your customers will be happy once they place their order and excited to get your products.

Anatomy of a High-Converting Online Store = happy store owners and happy customers. Can you beat that?

Actually, yes I can…

Oh, it’s only $5.99.

Grab your copy now and start getting more orders right away.

http://www.audreykerwoodblog.com/anatomyofahighconvertingstore

Setting Up eShop For The 2010 Holiday Season

Want to make the most out your online store this holiday season?

You need to start planning NOW… and have the best Christmas season your store has ever experienced.

On this webinar, I will be taking you step-by-step through my own personal eCommerce holiday preparation process. I’ll not only show you WHAT I do, I’ll explain WHY and HOW it helps bring in more sales each year.

Sunday, August 1st at 7pm Eastern – Register here: http://eComIncubator.com

Each step from the end of August right up through the New Year will be covered. You can see exactly what an online store needs to do to raise it’s holiday presence and profits.

There will be live Q & A with Audrey following the presentation and 2 special BONUS GIFTS for attendees.

This is a totally free event, I hope to see you there!

http://eComIncubator.com

The Million Dollar eCommerce Challenge

Did you know that in 2009, brick & mortar retailers
completely TANKED… while eCommerce & Online

Retail GREW by 11%?

2010 can be the year YOUR eCommerce business takes off…

Check this out:
=> http://mixiv.com/vp/87367/22869/

In the next 90 days or less, you can:

Get a brand new store up online and running profitably
from scratch – even if you have ZERO experience with
eCommerce or setting up online shopping carts…

Transform an under-performing online store into a profit
maker – I’ll show you exactly how to identify where
you’ve got problems and how to fix ‘em FAST…

I’m Audrey Kerwood. Since 2002, I have taught
thousands of folks just like you how to build and grow
profitable online stores…

Right now, I’m interviewing some of the most well-known
experts in eCommerce and giving away a ton of incredible
information for free:

=> http://mixiv.com/vp/87367/22869/

Check it out…

The future has never been brighter for independent online
merchants and eCommerce entrepreneurs!

To your store profits,

Audrey

P.S. If you hurry, you can have me personally analyze
your online store absolutely free… I’ll show you exactly
where to make simple improvements that’ll put more money
in your pocket, starting NOW…

P.P.S. I want to be your eCommerce Catalyst.
Once I show you my proven formula for eCommerce success,
you may rethink your entire business plan for 2010!

Here’s the link again:
=> http://mixiv.com/vp/87367/22869/

eCommerce Mistakes Over The Years

This is a reprint of an article I wrote for The Net Effect.

We all make mistakes. Whether it’s because we’re beginners who don’t know any better or we’re experienced storeowners having a “dumb moment” – it happens to everyone.

Of course you always learn from your mistakes but isn’t it so much better to learn from others so you don’t have to suffer the stress and/or profit loss to gain the knowledge? Absolutely. So here are my big eCommerce mistakes – we’ll start simple and go from there.

Some of these really are like duh… if you’ve made any of the same you can laugh along with me if you haven’t you can go right ahead and laugh at me while making a mental note not to do it yourself.

Whoops #1

The first order I ever received was paid through PayPal. It was simple; I got the order notification followed almost immediately by the PayPal payment receipt. It was awesome; I was on top of the world! Previous to store ownership I had sold on eBay and everyone paid me through PayPal, it worked the same way.

The second order was paid via credit card and so was authorized for the order amount… but not automatically charged. Since I had never had a merchant account or payment gateway and in all my store building excitement I set them up but didn’t bother to learn anything about them, I didn’t realize I had to charge the card myself.

I lost $200 on that sale and only realized it when I went to look in the backend to figure out how to do a refund.  I noticed it hadn’t been charged and the authorization had run out two days before.

Lesson learned, be sure you know how your gateway works or you may not be charging for your products.

Whoops #2

About eight months into the life of A2 Armory I got an email from one of my vendors about a new Braveheart Replica Sword they just started carrying. The price was low and the sword was hot! I immediately added it to the store, created an eye-catching ad for the home page, sent out a newsletter, and put a banner ad on a bunch of ezine type sites (they were still worth something then) – all without considering how many other stores were doing the same thing or the stock my vendor had.

I was able to fill two orders, the rest turned into irate customers who didn’t want to wait six weeks for the next shipment. Not fun.

Lesson learned, always check stock before running a big promotion.

Whoops #3

Finding a new vendor is exciting… all the new products and sales possibilities always put a smile on my face. But I don’t let myself get caught up and forget to make sure I know the vendor’s policies.

I once found a vendor with an awesome line of daggers and swords. I read all their sales literature and it seemed straightforward and acceptable. I added a bunch of their products to my site and since it was well-established orders for the new products started coming in right away. So far the new product line was performing exactly as planned.

I placed the first few orders and received an email from the vendor saying, “None of the orders placed meet the minimum order requirement for drop shipping and so would all be cancelled.”

Wait, what?

So I get on the phone, fighting to keep my cool, to find out what is going on. Apparently the sales literature was incorrect and the drop ship minimum is $100. Each of the items I’d added cost me less than $40 – I couldn’t sell their products unless I packaged them together. All the yelling was for naught, they wouldn’t budge. So I ended up cancelling the orders and dealing with disappointed customers.

Lesson learned, don’t assume anything about your vendor or their policies. Double check everything – at worst you spend a little extra time on the phone, at best you save yourself hassle and upset customers.

Whoops #4

A customer calls wondering what the charge from A2 Armory is on their credit card. I tell them who we are and what we sell and the customer says okay, he doesn’t remember ordering anything but he would sort it out. I say to please let me know if he has any more questions or needs more info about the order.

A few days later I receive a chargeback in the mail describing the order as fraudulent. I have no record of my phone call to send to the credit card company and the package has already shipped. The best I can do is refute the chargeback with my AVS information and the shipment tracking number, usually not enough for this type of chargeback.

I call the customer and get no response, same when I email. I ask that he please either refuse delivery or send the package back so I at least get the product back. I follow up my original chargeback case with a letter explaining that the product had already shipped and the customer was not responding to my emails for it to be returned, hoping they would see that something was amiss. No good, judgment in his favor and I never heard from him again.

Lesson learned, handle all customer issues yourself. Don’t rely on your customer to fix it, do the right thing, or even understand what’s going on. Once you relinquish control it’s hard to get it back again.

Whoops #5

There are problem customers who argue about restocking fees and return shipping then there are problem customers who threaten and/or waste huge amounts of your time.

I once had a customer who I’ll call Logan who fit into the second group. His first order from me was for a full armor breastplate and spaulders. He wrote me an email to tell me how excited he was to be getting his first real piece of armor and how he couldn’t wait to wear it, etc. It was nice – I like getting customer feedback.

After he received it I got another email. This one extremely hostile in tone saying the armor had cut him and was unsafe and if I didn’t take it back for a full refund I was going to be hearing from his lawyer. Whoa. I wrote back asking how he had put it on. After all the armor wasn’t sharp and if it was worn over something (as it is supposed to be) it would be very hard to cut yourself with. The response was more threats so I refunded him and paid for the armor to be returned.

A month later I got another order from Logan. It was for a sword and it was followed by an email asking if the blade was sharpened. I responded saying, “No, the blade is not sharpened but could still be considered sharp. Was he sure he wanted it.” The answer was yes, he was thrilled about the sword, he went on to say how beautiful it was and he was going to use it for display. Okay… I sent it.

Another nasty email asking if I knew what the word sharp meant. Once again my product was too dangerous and if I didn’t pay for it to be returned I was going to be in big trouble. I sent a semi-terse email back suggesting that Logan was handling the sword incorrectly and I would pay for the return again but he was no longer allowed to order from A2 Armory.

The next month Logan ordered again. This time he didn’t even get the chance to send an email about how excited he was. I cancelled his order immediately. He still tries to place orders from time to time but they are never filled.

Lesson learned, don’t deal with these problem customers – cut them off at the knees, they will only waste your time and money.

Whoops #6

A couple months after the Armory started to produce a steady income I decided to open a second store. I brainstormed, did a bunch of keyword research, and found a few drop shippers. I ultimately decided to open a store selling a line of dishware. I was meticulous about all the demand research I did and went in full force to build the store.

I had gotten everything in place – all my products, the site design, the merchant account, etc and it was ready to go. I started promoting it through paid ads and went to work getting it to rank in the natural search listings. In total I spent about two months dedicated to this store… all without looking closely enough at the supply side of the equation.

That was a major mistake. Ranking for every term related to my product line and bidding on the top spot in all the paid listings was my drop shipper. Their retail prices were too low for me to compete with, in some cases even lower than I could buy the items for.

They were unsympathetic when I called about it, saying their prices would not change. It was suggested that I concentrate on other ways of marketing like mail order or print ads and not try to compete with them. Yeah, okay, that’s ridiculous and I just wasted two months of work for absolutely nothing.

Lesson learned, do not neglect to research supply. Demand can be huge but if you can’t compete with other suppliers it won’t do you any good.

Learn from my mistakes, these are all big time and money wasters that will frustrate you and impede your forward progress.

eCommerce After The Holidays

In a way the holidays coming to an end is a relief. It’s an end to the hectic customer calls and emails, an end to extended working hours, an end to the year. Phew, it does feel good to relax.

The tough part is that when the holidays are over all too often the sales and profits plummet. Not a good way to start off the new year. But there’s not much you can do, right? I mean people were buying for Christmas, they’re not in the same buying mode now so it makes sense that sales would drop off… doesn’t it?

It doesn’t have to my friends. People have gotten cash for Christmas, they’re also gotten things they didn’t necessarily want and didn’t get things they did want. And, they ARE still in buying mode – only now it’s for themselves.

So how can you capitalize on the after holiday buying season? You can run after holiday sales and promotions.

Get on the phone with your vendors and find out what they have overstock on, then work out a deal to get you better pricing, and promote the crap out of that product. I’m running a “Get What You Really Wanted For Christmas” Sale in the Armory. As of this writing it is 4 days after Christmas… my sales have not dropped. And I don’t expect them to in any sudden fashion. They will eventually return to normal monthly levels, but not until around the middle of February and the decline will be a slow one instead of the typical drop off the cliff many eCommerce store owners experience.

So use your vendors, they will appreciate the continuing sales. Use your list, make them feel special and get them thinking that they most certainly do deserve to treat themselves. Use your store and your blog to get new customers buying with your super after Christmas discounts.

These tactics work and make the after holiday blow much much softer. If done right you won’t even feel it.

StomperNet eCommerce Simplified Webinar

Tonight at 8pm EST Todd Chism and I will be hosting a free eCommerce webinar!

We’re going to be sharing proven ways to easily build and grow your eCommerce store. And when I say proven, I’m not talking theory – these are things we do in our own eCommerce stores that you will be able to put into action immediately.

If you know me at all then you know I like to talk action, you can get theory anywhere. You can take what I tell you, apply it directly to your store, and start seeing results right away. I believe in keeping it simple – do this and this will happen. So join us tonight – for free!

http://budurl.com/StomperCommerce

The Customer is NOT Always Right

“The customer is always right.”

Yes yes, we storeowners already know that is rarely the case but we pretend they are anyway because it’s what we’ve always been taught. Businesses are supposed to meet all their customers’ demands… no matter how ridiculous.

Well I say no!

I rely on my customers to make my business possible. I care about their gripes and listen to their requests but when a customer mistreats my employees or starts to cost my business money, I draw the line.

Most issues are perfectly legitimate and most customers are fair about them; ie. if a product arrives damaged they don’t automatically assume you shipped it that way and fly off the handle.

There are going to be problems from time to time, that’s just the natural order of the universe. You’re even going to screw up a few times, no one is perfect. You just apologize, fix it, and maybe throw in a little something extra for the customer if it was a big error. Everyone ends up happy, or at least satisfied.

But there are times when you NEED TO FIRE A CUSTOMER.

If you have your policies spelled out on your site (which you should!) it is the customer’s responsibility to read, understand, and accept them before making a purchase. You need to have pages like your return policy, FAQ, terms and conditions, etc clearly defined and available for your customers. You should link to them from your site pages, your cart pages, and include links to them in your customer follow-up emails.

This is imperative for regular issues as well as major problems.

By making your policies clear and readily available you’re doing everything you can to make sure the customer knows and accepts the rules. I do this on every one of my sites without exception.

So when a customer balks about a restocking fee or tries to return something months after the return period has expired I can point them to the pages on the site and explain, very nicely, that they are wrong. Most of the issues end right there.

But every now and again you’ll get one that just won’t see reason. Here’s where you need to be judicious. If they are giving you a huge problem over a couple bucks, let them have it. It doesn’t matter if they’re wrong, they’re wasting your time and by letting them go early you’re probably saving yourself the hassle of a chargeback.

If it’s a large amount or they’re harassing your customer service reps, give em a pink slip. You should not have to waste your time and lose a chunk of money because they couldn’t be bothered to read your return policy. As long as your policies are clearly displayed and the customer got everything they ordered you are not in the wrong.

Make sure you always keep all customer information and correspondence because in situations like this you’ll need it to win the chargeback that’s most likely coming. I have only ever lost one chargeback in a case like this, the credit card companies are usually pretty fair and you give yourself a lot of leverage by presenting all the evidence you can to support your case.

Here is an example from my own experience.

I have no control how my customer’s monitors are set, what shows up as pink on my screen could look more like red on someone else’s; so in a store where I’m selling something very dependent on color, like my tapestry store, I have a note on my return policy page that says: Due to the variations in monitors, colors of the actual tapestries may vary from the pictures shown. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email us at info@european-wall-tapestries.com.

So when a customer wants to return a tapestry that isn’t quite same color they expected and are trying to force us to forgo the restocking fee I don’t bow down. First I offer them a free exchange – no restocking fee on the return if they want something else and if they choose a more expensive item I’ll give them a little discount to make up for the inconvenience.

If they refuse that and continue demanding, I simply let them know that those are our terms, they are clearly posted on the website, and I give them the information they need should they decide to return the tapestry. Then I end the communication. I am never rude or condescending – stick to the facts and be professional in your correspondence.

In cases like that, most of my customers accept the restocking fee and return the product and the others submit chargebacks. Let me just reiterate that this happens very rarely, I’m talking maybe 3 or 4 times a year.

These people will just keep arguing with you, you will not win.

Don’t be afraid to fire a demanding customer. By taking up your time or your employees’ time they are weakening your business and that is the opposite of what customers are supposed to do.

Next Page »