Our dinner hosts provided a savory selection of vegetarian, gourmet and loaded Italian pies from Pizzicato in Sellwood. Crisp fresh salads, hot and cold beverages and of course home baked desserts, rounded out the repast.
As folks tucked into Gloria's delicious pies, conversational hum filled the meeting space. All attending were invited to introduce their businesses while sharing information about their current careers as Home Business owners. Last introduced ( certainly not least) was June's guest speaker Joe Rettke.
Describing his block and mortar business The Missing Link. Joe illuminated the process of filling winter's Bike season downtime by opening a storefront on e-Bay, allowing him to continue his 'seasonal' business year round.With inventory from his storefront on Sandy, Joe opted to explore this as a new opportunity. His sales & success on e-Bay benefited from his working knowledge of his product line and customer habits. Translating this knowledge, he listed products he knew were marketable.
With that working base he knew where potential clients interests and purchases would lead. Building the cost of his sellers fees within the pricing structure assured the cost of his online storefront remained profitable. Utilizing the BUY IT NOW option simplfied and streamlined the process and reduced listing fees.
Honest descriptions, photos & product weights with packaging contribute to the ease of maintaining return customers and eliminating any potential problems.
The Missing Link is an International Bike Shop: Joe ships internationally from his online store. Despite constraints in shipping, preparation of customs forms and occasional delays, an increase in potential sales by offering international sales is a definite benefit.Key components Joe maintains in both avenues of his sales structure is positive feedback. As soon as a client completes the purchase process, Joe provides sincere ++ Feedback. Another key to receiving the same is partnering with USPS and shipping within a day of completed transactions.
Research and thought about an e-Bay storefront are paramount. In order to avoid common pitfalls, Joe offered this advice:
- Be thorough with descriptions.
- Know the weight of your product including packaging materials as well as your shipping container size.
- Avoid negative feedback.
- Utilize the tools in place within the e-Bay resources to resolve any disputes.
- Be consistent and timely with shipping.
- MAINTAIN POSITIVE FEEDBACK.
Joe's success in both his 'real' and 'virtual' storefronts reflect his adaptability and why he continues to thrive in his career choice!
Guests were invited on a tour of Joe's virtual storefront. During the tour, Joe provided answers to attendees questions & described developing Joe's Moonshine.
As the meeting wrapped up, attendees were able to share their thoughts and aspirations as well as benefit from other's knowledge about online marketing. Mingling and sharing clean up chores, new acquaintances were made and old renewed.
July's meeting will be held the 3rd Thursday of 2008 on July 17th. The topic will be: "Why Networking Doesn't Work For So Many: And What To Do About It". Guest speaker Bob Gallo, owner of Touch Point Marketing will provide insight on his experience garnered over several decades.
Home based business owners are invited to attend an AHB Dinner Meeting. Follow the link at the AHB website to register for the July meeting.
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1 comment:
I enjoyed your presentation, Joe - thanks for sharing your experiences.
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