October 21, 2019 Industry news
Read the latest blog in our exclusive series with Seller Sessions, this month sharing editor Danny McMillian's golden insights from his Amazon road trip.
Hello October! Last month was quite busy with events all over the globe. On my road trip, I got to share these experiences with the most amazing Amazon crowd.
We had the opportunity to bring to the show some remarkable people who have started off as curious bystanders and supportive husbands, to full time Amazon sellers making it to the seven figure clubs. One thing I note in these conversations is that there is no hold back when our expert guests share everything they know (even when we know for a fact that we are working in the same line of industry). This is because we know that there is enough bread to go around.
Amazon is not a shark tank like most people have us to believe. It pays to be vigilant with your Amazon and e-commerce accounts, but you don’t have to resort to destroying the competition to make money. Amazon is what it is: hard work and continuous learning.
Insights from Amazon sellers
So, before I started off on my road trip, Brian Johnson, founder of PPC Scope, graced us with his presence and talked about his fumbling moments and learning moments. In this one of a kind in-depth episode, we uncovered how everything seemed like a preparation leading him to his success to Amazon. One thing that stands out is that the road to success is littered with failures. It was not an easy journey but definitely a remarkable one.
Another upstanding fellow that we got to interview, Steven Black as he gave us an overview of his unique method of creative copywriting. In this conversation, Steven gives us his tips and strategies on:
- How "not" to sell your products,
- How to build up your audience
- The proper way of doing copy-write
He looks at copywriting as hunting tigers and not selling snake oil. A lot of diamonds in that conversation that any Amazon or e-commerce (even writers!) can pick up and the best thing is -- these tips are free! Now why would he do that? Well, Steven Black is a one of a kind copywriter with enough understanding that technique may be copied, but style and experience are things that can’t be downloaded. These things take time and like aged premium wine (not that he is old!), the longer one stays in this business, the better they get.
September taught us several lessons we will never forget. One morning we were caught off guard by how high our ad spend had gotten, but with investigative skills and documentation, we were able to get back $9000. Check out the episode with David Liggins and find out how we did it. You will never know, your account might have been bleeding small amounts in ad spend fraud without your knowledge.
Another lesson comes from an unexpected source, Soon Chee, a good friend of ours who has also had an experience that will leave your hair standing on its ends for days! He woke up to an $800,000 seller scam where ten thousand alien listings appeared on his seller account overnight. One vital thing we learned in handling such situations: Stay Calm. We have included tips on how to resolve these problems.
On the upside, we also had a unique conversation with Sylvia Stefanowicz and got some tips on how to select the best variation of a product, especially in fashion, a category that only the brave in Amazon dare to enter. Find out how she makes it work and you’ll never know when inspiration can hit you with an idea.
If you are still undecided about opening a business in the EU, this is one episode that can help you make up your mind. Alex Chernenko of Chern.co has lived in Ireland for the past 16 years helping Amazon sellers get registered in Europe. In this session, he shares with us the options of how Amazon sellers can enter the EU with lower corporation taxes.
My Amazon road trip
I started on my road trip last month and you can catch me speaking on the other events listed below. One thing is for sure, I learned a lot and shared a lot. I went to Brighton, Lithuania, Romania to attend Linnworks, Amazonienii, and recently, the PPC Congress. Spending time with a community of like-minded people is a breath of fresh air. It energizes you to keep doing what you are doing and keeps burnout at bay.
So what more can I ask for?
Vote in the SellerPoll
Last but not least on my long narrative, is SellerPoll. We will be running the poll until November, so make sure to have your vote counted in selecting the best in each of our nine categories.
We secured sponsorship with cross border payments provider PingPong. We are pleased to partner with PingPong as we feel they share the same values.
Note: In the interest of fairness and transparency PingPong, Seller Sessions the Podcast, Seller Sessions Live, DATAbrill or myself are not eligible to win any of the awards.
Previous blogs in this series
Seller Sessions Corner – March 2019
Seller Sessions Corner – April 2019
Seller Sessions Corner – June 2019