There is a common false impression from people who are joining the work at home force. They think it’s going to be easy to work from home. The truth is it’s not easy. It takes a lot of focus, control and a clear plan to achieve a productive work day at home. After all, you certainly didn’t choose to work at home to put in 80 hours a week and not see your kids, did you?

Remember to take a break and rejuvenate your mind.

You need to stay on schedule, even if you are working in your pajamas! Working smaller amounts of time will enable you to stay focused on direct tasks. Set a timer, cell phone alarm, anything that will get you to walk away from your computer and be done “working” for the day. Or, take a break throughout the day, even if that means getting out of the house for the afternoon with your kids.

If you are having a hard time sticking with a daily or weekly routine one suggestion is to seek assistance with your scheduling. You could spend about 30 minutes with someone on a weekly basis to discuss what you need to complete. Consider it a weekly coaching session to help keep you on track. Maybe you can sit with an eBay buddy.  Develop a schedule that will map out what you need to do each day. Try not to over extend yourself – maintaining the balance between work and family.

Get organized and stay on task.

Don’t you get your best ideas when you’re away from your desk? Ever have a vivid idea when you’re taking a shower, driving your car, or just relaxing in bed?

 Jot them down right away, and get them out of your mind while it’s fresh. It’s better to get them down on paper or type a note in your cell phone. A clear mind means a productive day!

The ‘notes’ feature on your cell phone is one thing that has been a great tool which is readily available, so begin to utilize it. It comes in handy when an idea pops in your head while you’re out of reach of a pen and paper. A lot of cell phones have the option to email, so shoot an email to yourself!

Later, when you’re ready to sit down to work, make up an organized game plan. Take small amounts of tasks to complete at chunks of time. Maybe an hour or two each. Try to keep yourself on your schedule and do not over budget your time otherwise you will have a difficult time getting anything accomplished.

 Carry out each task a step at a time!

It’s common to think that once a task is completed you’ll rake in the sales. Easier said than done, I’m afraid! Take your time and do it right. Building a business doesn’t happen over night. It takes several years for many online businesses to get established, so be patient!

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called “Spark an idea Thursday.” As part of this tradition, I’ll be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each week’s topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about Creating a WOW Experience.

Naturally, when I heard this topic, I started thinking about customer service and awesome ways that small business owners can really make their customers say, “Wow!”

I also thought that with Jenn being our eBay Go-To Woman, she might have a slightly different perspective than I do. So we chatted about this topic on the phone for a bit and I put together this list of ways to create a WOW experience in your online business.

1. Jenn said that from a buyer’s persective, she is WOW’d by added bonuses with real value that arrive unexpectedly with her order. She said that the bonus must have real value, and be something more than just the typical free shipping.

She suggested adding a free sample of a new product for a customer to try, throwing in an extra, complementary item with the product purchased. She cautioned though that the extras must be of actual value – not just a $10 gift certificate when everything in your store is $80 or more.

2. Going above and beyond to provide your product quickly and with great quality is another way to give your customer’s that WOW experience. Just this week, I had a client order a banner advertisement as part of my Watersweb Hot Summer Sale. He sent in his order and within a few hours, I had the banner done, revised and returned to him.

His response:

Just got in and saw the banner! Wow!!!!! That’s EXACTLY what I was thinking! Great, awesome, stupendous!

Now, that was a WOW experience for him! Getting things done fast and done right is a sure-fire way of impressing your customers.

3. Jenn and I both agreed that unexpected follow up makes us think, “Wow!”

One thing that I teach my clients is that when a customer complains, or if you see there is a problem with their order, this is a perfect time to call up the customer, see how their doing, find out what is going on, and most importantly, find out what you can do better.

The side effect of this phone call for the customer is that she is thrilled her problem has been taken care of – and WOW’d that you called her out of the blue to handle it quickly and efficiently.

Of course, sometimes you can’t make a phone call, so even an email that you send is better than just waiting for the customer to call you.

And of course, you can contact your customers randomly and out of the blue to find out how their doing and what you can do to help them.

Make sense?

Head out there and start WOWing your customers!

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called “Spark an idea Thursday.” As part of this tradition, I’ll be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each week’s topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about Motivating Others

This is something I can totally relate to in the eBay world.  I work with eBay sellers every day, coaching and helping through eBay challenges. 

Sometimes, the solution can be as easy as a second set of eyes glancing over an item to put the last piece of the puzzle together.

Other times, it can be a little nuge to get someone motivated to get back in the game. 

Here are some key phrases I like to use when helping to motivate others:

“Take Baby Steps!”  It’s very common to see the end result before you get started with a project.  The result is usually grand accomplishment with nothing but success, wealth and happiness.   There is nothing wrong with thinking big – we all do it.  Just realize all of the little steps in between that you need to do, to get to your grand finale.  Mapping each little step, is more motivating than skipping ahead to the end and stumbling backwards to start over again.  Don’t forget to cross off each accomplishment along the way!

“Look at how far you’ve come!  I’m so proud of you!”  Doesn’t it feel good when you look back on how far you’ve come in your eBay selling?  Remember when you had no clue how to do those little things that you just breeze through today?  Do you remember when you made your first eBay sale?  How awesome was that?! 

“Keep your focus crystal clear!” Don’t get me wrong, money IS motivating! But, what drives you to stay focused to move forward everyday improving your business?  Is it your kids?  Saving for a vacation?  Finacial freedom?  Quitting your day job?  Maybe it’s a few of the above!  Whatever the reason, keep that focus on the prize and don’t lose sight of it no matter what.

“I Support YOU” Be supportive and/or have a support system!  I can’t tell you how many spouses don’t like their significant other selling on eBay.  I can relate.  My hubby wasn’t always on my side either.  We have since worked through it and he supports everything I do online.  “Do whatever it takes” is what he tells me!    Those four words are VERY motivating to me!

There are a lot of eBay community groups, forums, Facebook groups and people on Twitter that are die hard eBay fanatics that will listen and support the beginner to the most advanced eBay seller.  Support is very important and very motivating in every way.

I’m always an email, comment or a Tweet away, shoot me a message if you have a question or need help getting out of a rut!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you motivate others!

Hope this helps!

Stock up with a wide variety of items to meet the needs of a broad audience.  Doing your research and learning what items sell well for you should be key items to keep in stock.  If you are passionate about an item that does well on eBay, than that’s an added bonus.  I choose a variety of new and used Boutique clothing items, and mix in toys around the holiday season.  That’s what works for me.  A BIG thing to keep in mind is stock ALL seasons ALL the time.  There are different countries in opposite seasons making potetial sales endless.

BUT, be mindful of getting stuck in your comfort zone.  Try new things and expand slowly building your customer base to a wide range of repeat buyers.  Selling clothing, for example, limits you to one target market.  It may require reaching out to a larger source of suppliers found at World Wide Brands.  Find items that compliment what you already sell. Make it more of a ‘one stop shop’ feeling to the buyer.  If you sell children’s clothing – compliment it with maternity clothing, and/or baby bedding.

Happy Selling! 

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called “Spark an idea Thursday.” As part of this tradition, I’ll be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each week’s topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about Improving Your Workspace.

Don’t you feel refreshed and ready to get things accomplished when your workspace is neat and organized?

I love a clean work area.  For me, there is nothing worse than sitting down to a mess of paperwork in front of your computer. Or having to step over piles of items you need to take pictures of and get listed to your eBay store.  It’s so UN-motivating. 

Do you have a pile of invoices and packing slips that have to be filed?  Articles that you printed out that have to be read?

Try this:

I like to call it the ‘paper game’.  Take the pile of papers that are stacked in a pile in-front of you and make them disappear once and for all.  And I don’t mean putting them in the trash can under your desk . 

Start at the top of the pile.  Take the first piece of paperwork in your hand and don’t put it down until it is filed away in it’s appropriate place.  Do this with each piece of paperwork until your are done with the pile.

On to your eBay inventory.  This is a tough one for some of us – it’s OK.  Keeping things organized may depend on the items you sell.  Storing clothing is a little easier than storing toys.  I used to use the big rubber bin method:

OK, yea – I’m 5ft. tall – as my business grew – so did my bins, all the way to the ceiling!  Not a very productive use of time when your digging for an item to ship that is in the very bottom bin!  So, I cleaned up my bins and went to the shelving method:

MUCH more organized.  When an items sells, I can see it, reach out and grab it in a second and ship it out the door.  Isn’t an organized space a happy space??    Oh, and the treadmill in the last picture – sold it on eBay. 

How do you organize YOUR space?  I look forward to hearing from you!

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called “Spark an idea Thursday.” As part of this tradition, I’ll be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each week’s topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about enjoying a holiday business free .

Can you really enjoy a holiday when you’re running an online business?

One of the things that I love about being plugged in techologically, is that I can take my business with me wherever I go — to a relative’s house in Texas, to the lake a few miles away or a beach in Florida.

The downside of this is, it’s not easy to let go and take a few days off without constantly running back to the iPhone or the laptop to check on business.

This is not good.

One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that you’ve got to give your brain — and your family! — a break from your business. If you don’t, you’ll get burned out and your customers will sense this from your attitude. It’s very important to take time away from your business and a holiday is the perfect time to do it.

So how do you take time away from your business, when you’re the only one running the show? I have two recommendations.

If you’re a very small business and the products or services you are offering are not time-sensitive, then you can simply shut down the business for a short time. Close the doors and hand a sign, so to speak. Here’s how:

1. Put a notice on your website notifying your visitors that you’re on vacation until a certain date, and that you’ll fill all orders when you return.
2. Email your existing customers, letting them know that you’ll be gone and that you’ll handle any orders or emails when you return.

While this is a good solution for some business owners, it may not be feasible for others. Like me, for example. As a web host, I can’t just close the doors and say I’ll be back in three days. Too many clients have questions that need to be answered within minutes after we receive them.

Those of you who can’t just close up shop, need to start outsourcing now. Even if you don’t plan on going on vacation until next year.

What is outsourcing? It’s when you hire someone else to do a specific job for you. That someone else is often a virtual assistant who provides the same services to many businesses. For example, one of my VAs provides customer support via helpdesk to several clients, including me.

Why start outsourcing now? Because you need time to get to know your new assistant, and she needs time to get to know your business. This way, when you leave for your vacation, you’ll know that she’ll be able to handle whatever comes her way. And she’ll know how and when to reach you in a worst case scenario.

While it’s very tempting to take your business with you, it’s also very important to take a break and rejuvenate yourself. Outsourcing can help you do that. If you’d like to learn more about outsourcing, my friend Alice Seba has a resource for you called Outsourcing Sweetie. I highly recommend it, as Alice is one of my mentors who helped me learn the importance of getting the help I need in my business. Click here for her free outsourcing tips.

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called “Spark an idea Thursday.” As part of this tradition, I’ll be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each week’s topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about Email.

This is a great Spark an Idea topic!  In one of my previous posts, I spoke briefly about the eBay DSR (Detailed Seller Rating) Scores. 

Communication (one part of the DSR score) is such an integral part of everything eBay, especially as an eBay seller. 

It all starts with your first email to the buyer who purchased one of your items.  This is the email that will ultimately win the future relationship of repeat sales.  You’ll want to walk through every step of the transaction from the begining, to the end and beyond.

Do you do a little Happy Dance when you sell something from your eBay store, or have an auction that has ended way higher than your wildest expectations?  I know I do a little dance! 

Well, so does the person who won that auction or found that something special in your eBay store!  They’re pumped and ready to receive their items as soon as they submit payment! 

Here are a few tips to follow up with, using email to create a lasting relationship.

When you start to build your email list, you will want to utilize the email marketing tool on eBay.  This is a wonderful tool and can be fully automated.  Mine is set to shoot out an email once a week, showing any newly listed items.  

Before you know it, you’ll begin to see repeat buyers and track your progress to see what is working best.

Happy Selling! 

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called “Spark an idea Thursday.” As part of this tradition, I’ll be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each week’s topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea To Finish What You’ve Started.

From Jenn:

Happy Selling! 

You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want. — Zig Ziglar

That quote just hits home for me. In a nutshell, it says what your business should be about. In reverse — if your business isn’t helping people get what they want, then it’s going to fail.

I look at my every piece of my business and ask myself: Is this helping someone get what they want?

What do you think?

Are there pieces of your business that aren’t helping other people get what they want?

What are you going to do today that will help someone get what they want?

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called “Spark an idea Thursday.” As part of this tradition, I’ll be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each week’s topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about Goal Setting.

My husband and I do this at least once a month: We decide that neither of us wants to cook. And we don’t want sandwiches. And yesterday was payday, so, “Hey! Let’s just go get something to eat.”

So we hop in the car and head to town. About halfway down the road, Steve asks me where I want to go to eat. I respond that I’m hungry, but not for anything in particular.

Steve tells me that he isn’t either, but he needs to know where we’re going so that he knows which way to turn — north or south.

You see where this is going.

We have no specific goal — just that we want food, and we don’t want to make it — so at some point in the trip, we end up sitting at an intersection and hoping no one pulls up behind us before we decide what we want to eat.

The point? The business owner who starts out without a goal is going to end up sitting at that intersection…

This business owner knows she wants a successful business, but really has no roadmap for success. And she can’t plan her trip because she has no idea where she is going.

The results:

• One client came to me with more than a dozen blogs setup at Blogger, each on a separate topic. Each blog had one or two posts written more than a year ago.
• Another client had me design a site. She sent me most of the information I needed to create her site. I did as much of the work as I could and sent an email requesting more information. She sent it — a year later. Her lack of a solid goal, and her fear of success, lead her to put off the website project.
• A colleague spent thousands of dollars on seminars, information products and other learning resources — but never setup a website, never put a plan into action.

In spite of my lack of fast food goalsetting, I’ve realized how important it is so set goals for your business. If you’re a bit scared of setting goals, or aren’t sure where to start, try these tips:

1. Determine where it is you want to end up. Do you want to sell 1 million widgets? Do you want to earn a living as an image consultant? Are you wanting to take the baby sling market by storm with your innovative design? Write this goal down.
2. Now it’s time to be realistic. What steps do you need to take to make this happen? Do you need to build a website? Do you need to take classes, or educate yourself through research? Do you need to create a product?
3. Talk to people who have done what you are doing, or done things similar to what you are doing — the experts. Find out what kind of timeline you’re looking at. Is it going to take five or ten years to sell 1 million widgets? Is it going to take 2 years of school and 5 years of on-the-job experience to become an image consultant? Is it going to take a year of trial and error and testing to come up with the perfect baby sling pattern that can be reproduced enmasse and in different sizes?
4. Write down each step you need to take and how long you estimate it will take. Pin this up on your wall and mark off each step as you complete it.
5. And finally, the most important step: TAKE Action!

Don’t forget: If you’d like to speak with someone who can help you with your action plan, who is not afraid to take action, contact me for a free 30-minute consultation.

Be consistent! 

I had a great chat last night on the 2009 Hot Seminar Series hosted by Kelly McCausey.  One of the obsticals that we discussed about eBay selling was consistancy. Work at a pace you are comfortable with. Your business is not going to grow overnight. Burning the midnight oil is only going to make you overwhelmed and want to give up. You can’t expect yourself to list hundreds of items to your eBay store in one day.  BUT, if you’re consistent at listing a few things each night (or whatever you’re comfortable with) – you’re goal of filling your eBay store will be accomplished before you know it!  Also, constantly listing will keep the Search Engine traffic coming.  If you don’t keep listing – the traffic will decrease – ultimately so will your sales.

Stay Focused

I’m a very schedule oriented person.  If something is minute later than scheduled – it just throws me into a tizzy!  I’ve been getting better at not letting some things bother me – but when it comes to being focused on my business, there must be a strict schedule so I can stay focused and accomplish what needs to be done in a reasonable amount of time.  Focusing on one thing at a time will ensure that you’re putting 100% into what needs to be done.  This will make sure it’s done right the first time – and that feels good!