Smart marketing For Product-BaSed BuSineSSeS€¦ · store (those would be your featured product categories instead), collecting email addresses and providing easy ways for your customers

Smart marketing For Product-BaSed BuSineSSeSModule Two: Website

© M arie Forleo Intern ation al Pg. 1 m arieforleobscho o l .com


contentSQueStionS

QueStion 1 — I have a vision for my website and I’m having trouble seeing how I can incorporate opt-ins. How can I apply all of this wisdom to my online shop? Page 4

QueStion 2 — Since I sell a product, is WordPress really the best platform for me? Is there an e-commerce plugin I could use? Page 12

QueStion 3 — PayPal seems pretty common for online product sales. Is it OK to use? If you don’t use it, why not? Page 16

QueStion 4 — How should I approach Module Two if I have a retail busi-ness and I want to drive people to my brick and mortar store? Page 21

QueStion 5 — I know we’re focusing on websites, but I’m curious how to engage with my clients in person too. Do I need to do both or does this just need to happen online? Page 26

QueStion 6 — What are some good opt-in offers or freebies for a prod-uct-based business like an art gallery or a clothing store? Page 32

QueStion 7 — Since I’m selling a product and not coaching or a service, do I need to put my photo front and center on my website? Do I need to intro-duce myself at all? Page 37

QueStion 8 — I want my site to have a premium, clean look. How can I add opt-ins and freebies to the mix without my site looking like an infomercial? Page 41

QueStion 9 — Do I have to have a newsletter as a product-based business owner? Page 44

QueStion 10 — My website is up but I’m hesitant to open an online store. How can I make sure I meet demand there as well as in my brick-and- mortar shop? Page 45

QueStion 11 — Best practices are clear for a service-based website, but mine will be for e-commerce. How can I balance my online store with engaging content? Page 49

QueStion 12 — I love using Etsy to sell my product, but all my marketing efforts take traffic to my website. Should I be using Shopify (or something else) to sell directly? Page 52

even deePer: Page 56 — More Insights on

Module Two

SPotlight caSe StudieS: Page 57 — Megan Petersen Page 58 — Tracy Matthews Page 60 — Nell Foster

it’S “You” time: Page 61 — Your Notes on Module Two

Welcome!Welcome to the second PDF in our series devoted to B-Schoolers with product-based businesses. Here, we’ll walk through some of the toughest questions we get asked about selling products online, making your website work for you (from your online shop to your about page), and much more.

We’ve collected a ton of insights and personal stories from a

number of B-School grads who’ve faced—and conquered—

their own website challenges. You’ll also find three more

inspiring grad case studies. Don’t forget to use the space at

the very back—it’s there for you to take notes and get those

big thoughts down on paper.



I don’t want my site to be this unclassy, opt-in crazy place since it is a super simple and classy online jewelry shop. I cannot imagine putting an opt-in on my about page which is so clean, although I can see adding more copy. I know my website is a cash machine but I want my buyers to feel “safe” and not constantly pitched too. If I had an information-based business I think it would be different because I would have so much free content and there would be a huge reason to opt in. I want to implement all of this B-School wisdom and don’t want to miss the chance to have a successful website. Does anyone else with an online shop have this problem or maybe some solutions? Also, do you have any ideas for resource pages for an online shop with no real content? Would my resource pages just be my product pages?

“I totally get where you’re coming from. I also want my buyers to feel safe and not constantly pitched to. I also wouldn’t want to run an un-classy, opt-in crazy website. So it looks like we agree there. But I’d like to challenge you for a second.

You mentioned that you understand how this works for an information-based busi-ness, but you don’t believe it would work for an online shop. So I’d like to share a few examples, and I hope this might provide some inspiration for you and others running an online shop. There’s a fashion company that sells a lot of high-end clothing. They sell John Varvatos, Versace, and things like that. Loads of people use and love them. How do they do it? When you browse their website, they ask you for your email. If you don’t give them an email, you can’t browse their website. They are that aggres-sive. But it never feels that way. What’s the company? It’s called Gilt. Click around and you’ll notice how they ask you for an email address every chance they get. But notice how they don’t call it an email list, they call it a membership.

There’s another clothing company that took off over the last few years. They don’t even have a website you can browse until you ‘request an invite’ to join their service. How do you request an invite? You must provide them with an email address and your zip code. It’s called JackThreads.

My personal favorite suit-maker is a company called Ermenegildo Zegna. If you’re not familiar with them, they create high-end men’s clothing and suits. What happens when you browse their site? They’ll hit you with a pop-up form with a request to sign-up for their email list every chance they get.

QueStion 1

anSWerS

marie SaYS: Pure Genius From Our Guest Contributor Derek!

http://gilt.com

https://www.jackthreads.com/


anSWerSQuestion 1

What does this all mean? Don’t look at it like ‘building an email list.’ Instead, build an ‘insiders’ club’ where people who sign-up for your mailing list get preferential deals and prices. Don’t make it public, make people request a membership just like Jack-Threads. Or if that’s not your style, instead of building an email list, simply ‘require’ people to ‘log in’ by providing their email. You could grant them features like the abil-ity to save their shopping cart from day to day, and things like that. You’ll find people will log in for these features. You’ll build your email list; they’ll get convenience just like Gilt. (Or you could just take the Zegna route.)

You know your products are awesome. You’re not scared to build your email list because you know your customers will happily sign up. You’ll know your customers want to hear about all the new products and promotions you have lined up. I hope this helps provide some inspiration and insight!”

- Derek Halpern

“Opt-ins do not have to be busy or cluttered. You could add a simple bar at the top like HelloBar.com, or a basic pop-up like Pippity.com. They come in and out smooth-ly and can be easily put away by the viewer. Pop-up opt-ins get a bad wrap because of all the old pop-up ads of the old internet, but studies show that people will use that opt-in more than any other on your site.

As far as a resource page, it could be anything you share that helps you do what you do. Maybe it’s links to some inspirational sites you enjoy, supply shops you use for your products, links to your shops and/or your hosting companies, or people that do products that complement yours. It could even be lists of things you do when you’re not working—decompression time. You’re only limited to your own imagination here.”

- Dave Conrey

https://www.hellobar.com/

http://pippity.com/


anSWerSQuestion 1

“Great question. There is a way to implement opt-ins using a very classy and subtle approach. On your about page, perhaps you don’t have an opt-in box, but instead at the end of your story, you have a simple line in the same font as the rest of the page saying, ‘I’d love to keep in touch, click here to sign up for updates on X brand and my story.’

Secondly, perhaps you can integrate the opt-in into the footer or header of the page, so it’s more covert and the copy is simple and to the point. Your offering doesn’t have to be a PDF, it could be free shipping, or 10% off the first order, or a free ring sizer.

For resources, given you sell jewelry, I suggest providing some value-added infor-mation. Consider what people think about when they buy jewelry: How to store it? How to clean it? How to care for it? Should it be insured? This information might be valuable to your customers. Products should be on your shop page not under resourc-es or whatever you choose to call it. Here’s one example of a clean home page with an opt-in at the bottom. Here’s another example of a high-end jewelry website.”

- Kristi Soomer

“While I don’t feel that resource pages are always necessary with an online product store (those would be your featured product categories instead), collecting email addresses and providing easy ways for your customers to subscribe is still just as valuable with a product-based business as it is with a service-based one. With classy design, opt-in boxes can be integrated into your home page, about page, and blog without coming off as ‘pitchy.’ In fact, if you are providing the kind of free content that your ideal customers are interested in (related in subject area as your products), the chance to be the first to find out about new products (especially if there is a chance they could sell out quickly), or secret subscriber-only discounts, your clients will be grateful that you’ve made it so easy for them to sign up. Because I make my items by hand, and many of them are one-of-a-kind, the chance to have first dibs and be notified as soon as they are listed is one of the incentives I offer for my own customers to sign up for my newsletter. After that, there are sale notifi-cations, exclusive discount codes, notices of new blog or guest articles, and personal stories. There are lots of ways to make it worth their while to hand over their email address other than free content, though that can definitely be a large part of a prod-uct-based business’s strategy too.”

- Megan Petersen

http://tieks.com/

http://www.tiffany.ca/shopping/default.aspx?mcat=148204


anSWerSQuestion 1

“Browse the themes available in WordPress and find one that highlights your type of business and what you want to convey. I use Autofocus which highlights photos, and when you click on the photo, you go to the post. There is room for an opt-in at the top of the home page as well as opt-in boxes on each post (side and bottom).

As for resource pages, I have these: inspiration, handmade, how-to, and videos just to give you an idea. Your site doesn’t have to look cluttered. Mine may be too sparse, but I really want to emphasize the visual first, so look around, there are many great WordPress themes!”

- Laura Jacquemond

“Think more about your target market (like in the Ideal Customer Avatar exercise). What are their interests and how can you give them entertainment or information about those interests? It doesn’t have to be about jewelry. Your emails could include a free recipe or an inspiring quote, if those are things your customers are interested in. It would give them the incentive to open your emails, keeping you in front of them.”

- Allison Rivers Samson

“You’ve honed in on something your customer values: simple, clean beauty. They don’t want to be jostled or pushed into loving a product. They want to glide into the purchase of your beautiful, exquisite products. Realize that your process for putting an opt-in form should reflect these values. There is a way to put a tasteful and subtle opt-in on your website. It doesn’t have to be loud and it will connect with the people that it needs to.”

- Whitney English

“I think this is a mindset issue first and foremost. If you provide value with your newsletters, then you should feel great about giving people the chance to opt in to your newsletter. People buy from you because of your story, so in your newsletter make sure to share lots of tips and advice that is relevant to your audience as well as behind the scenes of your process and your company. (Any kind of entrepreneur can do this, even with jewelry, you can give tips on what outfits to wear, how to take care of jewelry, etc.) People love to see that! On my site, for example, I give people the chance to win a year’s worth of soap and that’s a huge value to a lot of them. Or you can offer them free shipping, free samples, or a discount for signing up for your newsletter since you don’t have content to offer them in return.”

- Andreea Ayers


anSWerSQuestion 1

“Let’s talk style. Your opt-in does not have to look like an old ‘Crazy Eddie Going Out of Business Commercial.’ You can choose to reword your sign-up bar and opt-in in soft-tone language. You can choose to be understated especially if that goes with the rest of your brand. We all know a brand is more than a font choice, but this is a good example where once you have done all your work if you are loyal and consistent to the style and personality of your brand the answers are all there. Use the visual clues you set the tone with and create these features on your website.

Then put your design hat on or grab the one you hired to choose a font size and color scheme that is classy and fits in. Please look into Hello Bar. This Bar sits right at the tippy tippy top of your page and becomes quite unobtrusive to the rest of your site. You need it present, it performs an amazing function for your business, but I think the focus should be on style in this situation to find your happy place.”

- April DeMarco

“Is your Ideal Customer Avatar shopping for themselves or as a gift? A great guide on choosing the perfect gift, for instance, would be a really classy opt-in.”

- Kristi Hayes-Devlin

“It’s possible to have a classy, unobtrusive opt-in. It could be as simple as a place for people to subscribe to your newsletter or blog. I don’t love the idea of an online shop with no other content; it feels impersonal, unfinished, and is likely to get passed over. Is there a way to share more of yourself or your story on the site? An about page with photos of you and your story and a blog with peeks into your process, trends, lovely photos, whatever speaks to you and your audience would go a long way to add sub-stance, soul, and value to your product-based site.”

- Sonia Ruyts

“It all comes back to your Ideal Customer Avatar and what she expects. You may think that your site is too busy, but what does your ICA think? There are simple and classy ways to put an opt-in on your site. Take a look at other websites that you love and see how they approach this. In many cases, for product-based businesses, your product counts as some of your ‘content.’ The beautiful photos, product descriptions, and lovely stories can take the place of the info-based content that service-based businesses usually provide.”

- Angie Green


anSWerSQuestion 1

“We came to the same conclusion and have an opt-in for the newsletter on the front page and we post the newsletter on social media. This has been a good choice for us so far. Don’t feel pressured to implement every trick from B-School right away—use what feels right for you at the time, while pushing your comfort zone. If you see re-sults from just a couple of things, it may make sense to add others.”

- Robin King & Lynn Flanagan-Till

“A well-designed opt-in does not need to be unclassy. You can keep the text and design simple and perhaps make it a highlight color or format it in bold. As long as you position it toward the top of your page above the fold it will still be noticeable. To make you feel more at ease, check out higher-end, quality websites from labels you admire. You will find most successful businesses these days have some kind of opt-in. This might help to make you feel more comfortable with the idea and give you some ideas on how you can implement yours in a genuine, classy way.

I find resource pages on product sites can be non-relevant and sometimes boring. I see my blog page as my resource page—it is where I share extra info on my products, and create informative and inspiring posts to inform, delight and inspire my custom-ers. It’s a great way to tell your brand story and the story of your products without feeling ‘pitchy.’”

- Natalie Long

“I do believe that an opt-in can be just as inviting and non-pitchy for a product-based business as it can be for a service-based business. You gotta find the right opt-in for your Ideal Customer Avatar. That can be tricky, and it can take a bit, but it definitely is possible. If you have created the perfect little opt-in for your customer, it will not feel pitchy to them at all! It will feel like ‘being taken care of’ or like an extra-service.

All you gotta do is give your customers that huge reason to sign up. What would they want from you that you could provide them for free? What would excite them? And if you do not wanna go with x% off of your first purchase or free shipping (which I see many product-based business doing) there are so many other awesome options. You could create some sort of information-product (PDF, little course, e-zine, inspiration-al lookbook, ebook, etc.) for your customers that they would really love. Maybe there is a certain knowledge or service that you can offer your customers that would help them with one of their problems or that would help them with their buying decision.

Think of all the questions that your ICA might have before buying from you. Can you package the answer to one/some of those questions into a little free offer? Maybe you could create a style guide for your jewelry, or how to pick your perfect jewelry, or how to take care of your jewelry, or a lookbook with jewelry styled in different ways, etc.


anSWerSQuestion 1

(Cont’d) I do not think that your resource pages are your product pages. As I under-stand it, resource pages are content that will help your ICA to find you. So if you imagine your ICA searching, what would they be looking for? That is what your resource pages want to address, so your ICA finds your site and can learn about your products. Also, if you have an online shop with no ‘content,’ I would strongly sug-gest to add a blog or some other form of content to it. Having a blog is more work of course, but it makes it so much easier to differentiate yourself and put you into your online representation.”

- Ursula Markgraf

“But you are an information-based business owner. Yes you sell jewelry, but you can have an opt-in box for the latest fashion accessory news, or the new shipment you have just received, or to collect points, or write a newsletter about a particular jewel. You could show your products and other products that they would go with (bags, clothes, etc.) or you could have an article about what type of jewelry you have, the metals used, the gems that are used.”

- Shirley Plant

“This was a huge one for me, and as we speak you can see my current website vs. the one I am launching next week. A beautiful, clean minimalistic homepage, vs. an inter-active site that sells because that is what we want to do—sell! I also, had to convince my design team to change their original design which they were not happy about.

As a previous spa owner, I was reminded of something that I learned from one of my very successful product reps: the products on the shelf are not going to sell if they look like they are in an art gallery. It feels unapproachable to the customer and they won’t even want to sample or touch them. So an opt-in page with an irresistible offer is totally fine. They are looking at your website because they are clearly interested in jewelry. What experience are you selling to them through your jewelry? Use that as a basis for your opt-in!”

- Gunilla Eisenberg

“You absolutely don’t need to junk up your website with opt-ins everywhere, but definitely make it an option. Building a list is extremely important, but with a prod-uct-based business it can be more of a secondary goal. But don’t disregard the work of creating a list. Make sure the option is there. I think it will surprise you how many customers will sign up. Staying in that top of mind position is very important. Always be communicating with your customer.”

- Jenny Hansen


anSWerSQuestion 1

“I understand what you mean, but I don’t think that opt-ins have to be unclassy. It sounds like you already have an eye for simple, classy design. Why not use it to create a beautiful, streamlined opt-in box? My website is also pretty simple and minimal-istic, so I’ve designed a really unobtrusive opt-in box which I embedded on almost every page. My web programmer also made a ‘floater’ (an opt-in box which moves down as you scroll down the page) which I think looks pretty funky! (On mobile de-vices it’s at the bottom of each page.) I personally don’t see the opt-in box as a pitch to my customers but more like an invitation to connect on a personal level. Through offering regular newsletters, little personal updates, giveaways and sneak-peeks, I actually feel closer to my customers. Some people may need months, or even years, before they’re ready to buy from you. It’s particularly tricky when selling a product online, because they can’t touch it. If you’re still a young company, there won’t be many reviews on your products yet either. Reaching out to potential customers with a regular newsletter can be just the thing to help build that level of trust.

With regards to resource pages, you could give people tips on how to choose acces-sories, cool inventive ways to store their jewelry (other than a in a box), or how to choose the perfect gift for a friend. Have a peek at other cool companies. For in-stance, I really like what these Dutch designers are doing. They let their customers send in old buttons and keep-sakes and they make necklaces and bracelets out of them. They also offer to repair for broken jewelry.”

- Elzemieke De Tiège

“I totally relate! At first I really wanted my website to just show off my artwork. I didn’t want visitors to feel pitched to. That didn’t feel artful to me at all. But I got over that! If you believe in your product, and you know that the right person will benefit from it, it makes sense to stay connected! I have an opt-in on my main page, after most of my blog posts, and it also automatically pops up after 8 seconds on my website. People who sign up want to hear from you! Those who are annoyed by your pitches aren’t your ideal customers.”

- Nina Huang

marie SaYS: A-To-The-Men!

https://www.elzemieke.com/

https://www.elzemieke.com/work

http://www.bybjor.com/c-338632/memory-jewelry/

© M arie Forleo Intern ation al Pg. 1 2 m arieforleobscho o l .com

Is WordPress the best platform for a product-based business or should I stick with something like Shopify? If I do decide to use WordPress, is there a good plugin for e-commerce?

This really is a personal choice and I always recommend folks do their due diligence before making a decision. If your primary function is to sell products online and you’re comfortable with Shopify, then by all means stick with it. It’s an amazing platform and they’re very committed to helping their entrepreneurs succeed.

I’m a strong believer that there isn’t just one answer or platform out there for everyone. It’s all in what you want to do with your website and how it fits in with your business plan, your level of tech knowledge, support, etc. While it is possible to set up a shopping cart through WordPress by installing a plugin like WooCom-merce, Cart 66, or WP Ecommerce, you should really do your own research and based on your unique situation, make the best, most educated decision for you. Cart66 has a nice comparison online here.

xoxo

Marie

“I believe there are many different options available for makers these days, and selling on WordPress is a whole lot easier than it used to be in the past. Spaces like Shopify and BigCartel can certainly do a lot for you, but you have to weigh the cost versus benefit for your products and your customers. The beauty of many of these options is that you can test them for free and see if you like them. I would say ex-periment with a couple and see what suits you best—but don’t get stuck. The idea is to provide an easy way to get the product in the hands of the customer, make it easy for them to buy, and for you to give good support. Whichever sites makes those jobs easier is the one you should use.”

- Dave Conrey

QueStion 2

anSWerS

http://cart66.com/blog/shopify-vs-wordpress-e-commerce/


“Yes and yes. This is a personal decision that needs to be made on your own! There are many options for e-commerce platforms. WordPress has plugins such as Woo-Commerce. But there are other options like Shopify or Volusion. Each offers similar features but has differentiators and is for different sized businesses. Ask yourself if you’re looking for a turn-key solution or are you comfortable with coding? How many SKUs do you plan to sell? Here is a starting point for comparison of a few of the top options. This is not exhaustive. Research is your best friend and so is Google.”

- Kristi Soomer

“There are plugins to sell products on WordPress, though you may find it easier to use a store platform, such as Shopify, or many of the others on the market. Consid-er all of your business’s needs before deciding. For example, you probably want an integrated blog, the ability to create coupon codes and gift certificates, and plenty of space for future growth. You also want to make sure your platform allows you to adjust the back-end of your coding and CSS, even if you don’t think you’ll be straying from your pre-set template until later on. You want to make sure you have as many options available to you and the future growth of your product business as possible.”

- Megan Petersen

“I’m a huge Shopify fan!”

- Whitney English

“I use WordPress (org) and although I’m still configuring aesthetic changes, I’m pleased with the platform. I’m still having a bit of difficulty aligning WordPress with my blog, Mailchimp, opt-ins, etc. but in general I’m pleased with the platform and trust the difficulty is my artistic brain not aligning with the tech side of things. Although I’m not personally familiar with it, I spoke to a web designer today and he uses Muse and loves it.”

- Elise Muller

“I love WordPress, but I think that an e-commerce platform like Shopify or BigCom-merce is much better for an online shop! There are so many features with these plat-forms and they are potentially much more secure than a WordPress site. There are some great plugins for WordPress e-commerce, but I know so many entrepreneurs who start out with WP because they don’t want to pay the monthly fee for an e-com-merce platform and then a few months down the road they switch to something like Shopify or BigCommerce.”

- Andreea Ayers

anSWerSQuestion 2

http://ecommerce-software-review.toptenreviews.com/


“I personally created my website—all three actually if you start with aprildemarco.com and then click the nav bar links to my jewelry or fine art site on Squarespace. I love it! I went through the module and sat through all the WordPress praise and yet could not wrap my little head around code. I was paralyzed in denial. I am a visual person so I wanted ‘WYSIWYG.’ That’s not jiggy talk, that stands for What You See Is What You Get. I wanted a content management system that would allow me to create each page as I would a PDF or document. Still I could not move forward because I felt that all the cool kids were using WordPress and I should force myself to do it. There are no rules about using one over the other.

Choose a Content Management System and shopping cart feature that:

• You can get to easily to update daily if need be• You are not killed with fees for purchases and can handle your band-

width and grow if necessary • Plays nicely with others. Can it integrate Pinterest? Can it have videos?

Talk to people who love theirs and browse many templates. I love my Squarespace. The point is to have one you can work and works reliably. There’s no one answer.”

- April DeMarco

“We have tried so many platforms and have found Shopify to be the best fit so far. We love it! We have our blog, store, and stats—they’re easy to read and all in one place. Also, they have excellent SEO.”


“I use Shopify and although it’s not cheap, I love it. It is worth considering if you can afford it, as it’s extremely simple to set-up and use, there are beautiful themes, both paid and free, and it has never failed me once in the two and a half years I have used it. It also keeps getting better as companies create amazing apps (both free, like Sum-all (amaze) and Yotpo, and paid like Sloyalty. It’s also easy to integrate Mailchimp, PayPal, Stripe, etc.”

- Jessica Stark

“As a web developer (my other business) I think WordPress can be used for any type of business. I’ve built many types of e-commerce sites with various plugins and e-commerce packages. I think WooCommerce, by far, is the most robust and flexible for any business. The add-ons make it a very affordable solution for any size company.”

- Gretchen Cawthon

anSWerSQuestion 2

http://www.aprildemarco.com/


“I think there is no right or wrong answer to this. To me, WordPress is the best platform. It works for me, I can update and change it and I love that I can customize anything! It is awesome. If you want to check out my site, here it is. The drawback to WordPress is that it does have a learning curve when you first start using it. But then, I’d rather take the time to learn something new and be in control.

So I would always recommend WordPress. Yes, there are plugins for e-commerce, even themes. Just google it—you will get lots. But if you try WordPress and you just can not get the hang of it, well, the best platform is what works for you. If you find that WP just does not work for you (for whatever reason) go with something else. I would however be careful with sites like Etsy or the like. Whenever you are selling on one site like that, you run the risk that if something happens to that site or if the site decides that you should not be selling there anymore (for whatever reason), you lose your income immediately. So I would always try to stay as independent as possible and to not put ‘all your eggs in one basket.’”

- Ursula Markgraf

“I opted for a WordPress site using a WooCommerce plugin and a PayPal cart. This was the right solution for my company because the recurring costs on the site are lower and you have maximum flexibility in terms of the design of your site.”

- Tania Reuben

“There are tons of plug-ins for WordPress. I would recommend identifying what you want your shopping cart to do, with must haves and nice to haves, and then you can look at what is out there. There are also options for custom programming your own shopping cart but be prepared to pay someone to help you design and possibly main-tain it.”

- Bethanie Nonami

anSWerSQuestion 2

www.ursulamarkgraf.com


PayPal seems common for online product sales—is it okay to use? If you don’t use it, why not?

PayPal is absolutely a personal choice. You must consider your current budget and the level of complexity you want in your business right now. I’ve always had a merchant account because I had a particular vision for how I wanted to feel about my business and how I wanted to be perceived.

xoxo

Marie

“PayPal is still the standard in web payment, but it’s no longer the only answer. Peo-ple are calling serves like Gumroad.com and Selz.com the ‘PayPal killers,’ making the process of adding an automated and customizable e-commerce solution to any site as simple as a few clicks. There will be a lot of growth in this area in the very near future, so keep your options open.”

- Dave Conrey

“There are many options for payment processing solutions for online product sales. The ‘right’ option for you depends on many factors. What is your predicted sales volume? Who is your Ideal Customer Avatar? Do they need to see and recognize the payment processor’s brand? Would you rather pay a monthly fee or per transaction? Does it integrate with your e-commerce platform? Do they charge you to transfer to your bank account? How are refunds managed? What are the security features in place? Research the options and discuss in the forums. Here is a good starting point.”

- Kristi Soomer

“I use Squarespace for my website that is is shopping-integrated. I pay $30 a month and I am really happy with it. It’s another option!”

- Nina Huang

QueStion 3

anSWerS

http://sixrevisions.com/tools/online-payment-systems/


“You want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to buy from you. For many online sellers, this means accepting multiple forms of payment. Most common-ly, people will offer the option of paying either by credit card or PayPal. Some people prefer PayPal, some prefer to pay directly from their credit cards, what’s important for you and for your maximum sales is that you can satisfy both desires.”

- Megan Petersen

“After years of using Authorize.net, we switched to PayPal and haven’t looked back. There might be a time when you want to upgrade to Authorize.net, but PayPal is a great starting point, and it keeps getting more and more robust. It’s hard to imagine that we’d ever switch back to anything we used to use, as platforms like Shopify and PayPal continue to improve and gain stronger followings.”

- Whitney English

“We recently began to offer PayPal as a payment option, in addition to Visa, Mas-terCard, and American Express. It’s a great alternative for people who might feel uncomfortable entering their account numbers on our website. If there is a barrier between you and your customer, remove it!”


“I’ve been using PayPal for over 10 years and I love it. It gives my customers the option of paying with PayPal or credit card and deposits are made to my account within 2-3 business days with low fees. I’ve also been using ‘Square’ on my iPhone and I’m pleased with this source. Deposits are made the next day and set up is free. On large sales I notice Square charges more than PayPal. Most of my customers pay online using their PayPal account, fewer go direct with their credit card. Any custom-ers charged with Square (local market vending or over the phone sales) have been extremely pleased with this buying option and its been seamless.”

- Elise Muller

“PayPal is a great option to start with, but if you want to ‘go pro’ you will have to get your own merchant account, especially if you want to sell your products to stores. Most of them won’t want to pay with PayPal. My rule of thumb is that if I have under $2000 in monthly sales, then PayPal is a great option. But once you go past that, you should sign up for a merchant account as well.”

- Andreea Ayers

anSWerSQuestion 3


“My advice is to get honest about the number of products for sale on your website. I am going to say that from a professional art and design background that few things are uglier on a beautifully thought-out website than twenty PayPal buttons all pushed in HTML code.

In my opinion, all these guys know what the other is doing and have become ex-tremely compatible in cost per transaction and % sales fee. Are you selling one, two, or three items? Then go ahead. But if you dream up a store with pages of inventory, I want you to think really hard about not just creating a better solution. Squarespace uses Stripe to process its shopping cart and the online design of my shops are seam-lessly uninterrupted by yellow and blue buttons.”

- April DeMarco

“Offer your customers a few ways to pay. Many like PayPal. Others do not. I use that plus a merchant account.”


“Some people love PayPal, and some people hate it. I’d always have a secondary option available—I love Stripe. Also, PayPal doesn’t play well with product-based businesses in the ‘adult’ category.”

- Angie Green

“I am definitely on PayPal’s cheerleading team. It’s a name most people recognize and therefore they feel safe using it. They take a relatively small fee compared to other brands and it’s super easy to make international sales as the customer can elect which currency to pay you into.”

- Peta Serras

“PayPal is good because people have trusted it for a long time when it comes to online shopping. It’s also great to use as you can print shipping labels and packing lists di-rectly from their site, but it’s a nightmare for accounting at least in Canada with our taxes. Yikes. There are transactional fees, but welcome to online commerce. I assume there will be a ton of discussion on pricing, but when you sell products you need to keep in mind not just the cost of creating your products, but also all the hidden fees that come with online selling and shipping. There are many. Be forewarned.”

- Jessica Stark

anSWerSQuestion 3


“I accept PayPal and direct bank deposit to process transactions which both work really well for me. Although PayPal’s transaction fees are reasonably expensive, they are a well trusted name and it’s easy to set up an account. We are also setting up cred-it card payments—I want to provide more flexible payment options to make it as easy as possible for them to shop at my store. When making this decision it’s a good idea to consider your best customer and how they prefer to pay for your type of product.”

- Natalie Long

“PayPal is a great option, but it shouldn’t be the only one you offer. Not everyone has a PayPal account and even though PayPal accepts credit cards, it requires that you set up a PayPal account first which turns people off. When discussing payment gateways with my e-commerce web clients, I recommend that they use PayPal in addition to a regular credit card gateway like Authorize.net.”

- Gretchen Cawthon

“I use PayPal for my dietary consulting business so that I may offer my consulting around the globe. I find it very easy to use, be it to send an invoice or to collect a pay-ment. I use Clickbank for my online courses and affiliate program as I do not want to have to keep track of clients and paying my affiliates. Clickbank is easy to use and very efficient.”

- Shirley Plant

“Absolutely. PayPal has credibility now and people know that they can trust it. Hav-ing PayPal will make your customers feel safer doing online transactions and is a great, easy option if you don’t have a shopping cart set up.”

- Jenny Hansen

anSWerSQuestion 3


anSWerSQuestion 3

“We use PayPal. When we grow it might be worth changing, but the other systems have monthly fees that as a new company we weren’t ready to take on. Plus consum-ers are comfortable paying with PayPal—there is good confidence in the security of the system.”

- Tania Reuben

“In my opinion, PayPal is a great option for people that don’t have good or great credit to get approved for a merchant account. The benefit of the merchant account is all your client has to do is reach in their wallet, get their credit card number, and pay you. But in order to pay with PayPal, they have to set up an account. If they don’t have one, they have to really want to buy your stuff pretty bad to take the time to set one up. I think PayPal is great for a new business. You will still have processing fees but they are similar to the fees of a merchant account.”

- Bethanie Nonami


How should I approach Module Two if I have a retail business and I want to drive people to my brick-and-mortar location?

Create ways to use your website and online presence to invite prospects and your existing customers into the physical store. For example, if you have a cheese shop, think about using your website to promote and share info about classes, workshops, free tastings, etc. Maybe you allow online ordering and in-store pick-up (saving people time!). Perhaps you can do a private, members only party. (A member is someone who is signed up on your mailing list).

This is about being creative with your marketing efforts (which includes your website) to pull people into your store. Your website is another marketing vehicle for you to communicate your message to the community and get people back into the store. Of course, that includes making sure you have the basic info up on ev-ery page: hours, location, phone number, etc. The way you approach this module is no different than anyone else—it’s all about using your website as a vehicle for your marketing and your messaging.

xoxo

Marie

“Simple—tell them right up front to visit your retail shop and give them the address right from the start. This begs the question: why do you want them to only visit your shop? If you’re avoiding the e-commerce solution for some reason, maybe it’s time to ask some new questions.”

- Dave Conrey

QueStion 4

anSWerS


“Do you have a website? If not, I would take this opportunity to develop your web presence. The reality is that many retailers are ‘omni channel’ today, meaning that they sell and service customers online, in-store, on mobile, at shows, pop-ups etc. Each of these channels provides an opportunity to guide the customer through and push them to specific channels.

If you are trying to drive traffic to your brick-and-mortar store from your website, ask yourself what would make a customer shop in-store? Do you have capabilities on your website for people to reserve and pick up products in-store? Are there special in-store only discounts? Will people receive a bonus for shopping in-store (i.e. a free styling session or a reusable tote). Think about what your Ideal Customer Avatar wants out of your shopping experience. Design your customer experience with the customer at the center of it all.”

- Kristi Soomer

“First of all, realize that you still need a website. Second of all, realize that you need a map, a phone number, your business hours, and your address on that website, all clearly marked. There is nothing more annoying than finding a local store’s website and not being able to find this info. Thirdly, make sure your site is optimized for mobile. People will be driving to find you and need to be able to navigate your site on their phone. Fourthly, connect your brand with your core, both online and off. What-ever passions, values, and strengths you have as a person need to be reflected in your store and on your site. Your website is a chance for you to offer an online experience for the non-local customer.”

- Whitney English

“Most people stop at the website for an address, phone number, hours, or to share with a friend on Facebook. Be sure they can easily get their needs met and that your website gives them an amazing reason to come into your store. Your opt-in might be a coupon they can use in-store, for instance, or a coupon for an item they can pick up in-store. You definitely want them to share your site with local people, so make sure your resources are shareable. Knowing you’re there means a customer can come to you.”


anSWerSQuestion 4


“First—you want to use the online site to get people in your door? Have you ever searched for a new home or apartment online? How valuable were the photographs of the spaces that interested you? I would say to situate much of your photography in-house. Make people feel as though they are there. This might sound like you are replicating the experience of being there but that’s not just it. We want people to be able to envision themselves there so much that they are eager to see more in-person and be a part of the experience. Show great photos of customers smiling and happy in your store.

Second, take advantages of your site features to clearly direct people to where you are and the many ways to get to them. See if you can link to Google Maps so that mo-bile web users can hit directions and find you. Moreover provide incentives, sales, or bonuses that can only be had in person.

Third, throw trunk shows and get creative to have live events that drive a person’s incentive for getting in their car and finding you!”

- April DeMarco

“You can use the website to drive traffic to your physical store by building up an email list and offering subscriber-only sales, discounts, and VIP treats. Make sure you have great directions or a map, info on parking, and be sure keep your hours updated (especially around holidays) on the site.”

- Angie Green

“My website helps me to stay in touch with my customers that don’t live locally. It also helps me showcase new inventory, sales, and fun happenings. I also incorporate local ‘happenings’ because my shop is located in a tourist town so I want to give folks lots of reasons to come to town and shop while they are here.

Basically my advice would be this: use this module as a great way to stay in touch with customers as well as building your customer base. Also make sure your vendors are listing your business on their sites as well. Often times people will go to the site of a brand you carry looking for businesses in their area that stock it.”

- Lindy Bragg

anSWerSQuestion 4


“Use it primarily as a place to capture emails so you can send promos to get people to come in to your shop. Make it the main place people go to get up to date information about what’s happening at your store and see if you can connect some really great Yelp reviews, just so you have more visibility on the web and drive traffic to your storefront.”

- Melissa Camilleri

“I built a website for my sister’s veterinary practice. She doesn’t sell anything online, but uses her site to let customers know about their services and office hours. She also runs a lost/found page for local pets and has pet memorial pages where people can post a photo and pay tribute to their pets. Letting the customers interact with her pages doesn’t cost her anything and brings repeat traffic to the site where customers will see the monthly offers and news she posts.”

- Gretchen Cawthon

“Depending on what kind of retail business it is, you could offer a weekly flyer on your site about sales or new arrivals. You could offer a coupon to people for their first visit to your store, you could run a giveaway or contest and ask a question that makes people come into your retail location to get the answer. Have an opt-in box saying ‘be the first to know’ so they are the first to hear about sales, or new products, or arriv-als.”

- Shirley Plant

“I have a facial boutique that sells retail products too. I think having an informative, attractive website is super important because customers are always looking to see if what you offer resonates with them. Also, it’s a great way to get press.”

- Gunilla Eisenberg

“Having a retail location is amazing and super valuable. You can really reach out to your community and build your brand within your local area by hosting events. Cre-ate your own events or support other causes and brands by hosting events for them at your store. Also, what products do you sell and would the makers of those products want to do a trunk show at your store or a launch party? They will bring in a lot of their own customers and get the word out about their event in your store. It is a great win-win situation.”

- Jenny Hansen

anSWerSQuestion 4


“You still can benefit from this module to simplify your navigation and your pages but you sound like you need more emphasis on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) which is a whole other animal. You can still use your website to drive people to your store—in fact most people are searching online to find your business. If you make custom baby-soft scarfs, then you can do SEO on those terms. Videos can also go a long way. Instagram and Pinterest are fantastic platforms to showcase what you buy. They’re also great at building a following and allowing others to share your products. There are several B-Schoolers that focus on those two platforms.”

- Bethanie Nonami

anSWerSQuestion 4


Since we’re focusing so much on websites in this module, I’m curious about the importance or necessity of also engaging with my prospective clients in person. Do I need to build my brand both online and off as a product-based business owner, or is it OK to only be online?

Do whatever feels exciting and most true to you. If you want to meet people in person, that’s awesome—do it. If you don’t, then don’t. That’s the beautiful thing about business and entrepreneurship. You can do it however you want. There’s no one right answer, only your answer.

xoxo

Marie

“The only way I know how to answer this without knowing more details is to say that you should be serving your clients where they are best served. Think less about what works best for you, and more about what helps you get your work into their hands, then interact with them accordingly.”

- Dave Conrey

“Yes! Even the most pure-player online businesses are going offline and engaging with their customers in real life. A wonderful example is a menswear e-tailer, Bonobos (bought by Nordstrom in 2012). Bonobos used to sell exclusively online, but recently they opened ‘Guideshops’ in strategic cities where customers can’t even purchase product and walk away with it.

Why would they do this? They understood that with their more tailored offerings that their Ideal Customer Avatar wanted to ‘try before they buy’ and also that men hate shopping. Their ‘Guideshops’ are true experiences. They get their own personal stylist and an email follow-up with selections. Here’s a reference.”

- Kristi Soomer

QueStion 5

anSWerS

http://www.bonobos.com/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/03/12/savvy-small-business-bonobos-pants/1916885/


“No one’s going to send you to the corner if you conduct all of your business online. Plenty of product-based businesses are doing that already. However, if you get the nagging feeling that you are missing out on some great potential growth and revenue for your business, it never hurts to dabble in the ‘real world.’ It can be very beneficial to interact with your customers in person. You’ll get more honest and immediate feedback regarding your products, and you’ll quickly learn how to adjust your offer-ing to make them more appealing to your Ideal Customer Avatar.”

- Megan Petersen

“For me, it’s been beneficial to engage with customers in person by doing a few fairs and salons this past year. It’s a good way to get customer feedback on your products, you can see their reactions and use their actual words in your copy. You can also build your list at fairs by collecting email addresses. I actually started a line of hair accesso-ries because lots of ladies said they’d love to wear my pieces in their hair. I also have been working on selling my products wholesale to shops. This way, I have revenue coming from different places. I also know of makers who give occasional workshops in a specific technique they’ve mastered.”

- Laura Jacquemond

“It’s definitely okay and depends upon how you want to engage with your clients. If you do have in-person opportunities, why not take them? Sometimes potential customers enjoy perusing a website to get more of a feel for a business before being ready to make a purchase.”


“If you have the ability to meet ‘face-to-face’ by all means do so. 99% of my customer base has come from the various local markets that I’ve vended at. As I own a plant-based skincare line I look for flower shows, farmers’ markets, local slow food en-deavors, etc. There is so much ‘catch phrase and manipulative marketing’ going on, customers sincerely appreciate honesty, ethics, and learning about the product we’re selling.”

- Elise Muller

anSWerSQuestion 5


“This is entirely up to you! If you want to do trade shows or craft shows, then that’s a good way to engage with your customers in person. But you can have a business that is entirely online as well. I think that things like blogging, videos, and your newsletter are a great way to connect with your audience if you don’t have an in-person pres-ence.”

- Andreea Ayers

“It is absolutely OK to build your website as an online business only. As an artist and a jeweler I used to have a studio outside of my house. Before that, friends came to the house—something I did not mind. Now that I have a beautiful website at Covet & Adorn I want people to use that. I do not have a storefront location and my studio is in my home now. New customers still wanted to come to my home if they were local to pick out work, try it on, and not pay for shipping. After being pushed to do this once, I did not like it at all. I had to draw a line.

I think it depends on what kind of business you have. Most importantly it is key to make your presence online feel so authentic that they are spending time with you and making a real connection. There is no rule to this. I think this is best answered in Start the Right Business. Do you have the lifestyle and resources to commit to a retail space? Is that what you want?”

- April DeMarco

“Connections are critical. Only you can know if those connections are in-person or online. I am primarily online but make connections at conferences and other events.”


“You can create your business to be whatever you want it to be. So if you prefer to only run your business online, do that. If you feel like you want to engage with customers in person, do that too. There’s no one right way to do it. But if you (as the owner of your company) are a major part of your branding, I think that meeting peo-ple in person can only help you find more clients.”

- Melissa Camilleri

anSWerSQuestion 5

http://covetandadorn.com/


“I am the somewhat hidden personality behind my brand, and although I do think engaging with my customers face-to-face would be great, I have not needed to in order to be successful. So, if you’re a bit of a social hermit like me it’s doable, but cus-tomers love meeting makers. (I’ve actually been recognized on the street!) Make sure that even if you don’t want to be an in-person kind of ‘personality,’ that you are still very accessible in other ways. Accessibility is key.”

- Jessica Stark

“I do think that it is possible to have a successful business just exist online. I do not think that any brand necessarily needs to be offline as well. However, there are cer-tain advantages that being offline can give you that you might not even know about. At least I didn’t.

When I started, I wanted to have an online-only business. I was not interested in offline at all so I made no plans or efforts to somehow get in touch with my Ideal Customer Avatar offline. When I put my new website up I was approached by local handmakers, artists, and the like and they asked me whether I would like to partic-ipate in their handmade markets or events. At first I was reluctant, after all, I was not interested in offline. And at first I only did it because I thought it would be a nice way to supplement my income, but it was so much more. For the first time ever I got to see the reaction that people had when they saw my products, when they touched them, and looked at them. Yes, I did get some feedback from customers online as well. But it is not the same. The way you connect offline is so different. Not only is it just lovely to see how customers react to my products, it also gives me new ideas, valuable feedback for what to change or work on and awesome insights into what my ideal customer thinks, is worried about, or would like to see.

Now, I do not know if this would be the same for every product-based business own-er. I sell handmade products and for me offline so far meant handmade markets or events. I know that this sort of offline venue does not apply to other product-based businesses so maybe it will not be relevant to you. But what I wanted to point out is that even though it is not necessary to also go offline, it might have advantages or certain aspects that help you. So it might be worth it to just test it. After all, it is your business, and if it does not work or you do not like it, you can just stop.”

- Ursula Markgraf

“What are you most comfortable with? In person or online? For me, with my cook-book, I find it works very well to do both. Give seminars and meet people in person, and give seminars online as well. Same with my dietary consults—I offer one-on-one and over the phone as well. I will also line up book signings as people like to put a face to a product.”

- Shirley Plant

anSWerSQuestion 5

marie SaYS: Great Story!


“I think this goes back to the question: what kind of business do you want? Brick-and-mortar (meaning engage in person), laptop (location independent). Online alone is perfectly fine.”

- Gunilla Eisenberg

“If it is working for you, keep doing it. If you are getting sales from social media ac-tivity and all of your online efforts are working that is fantastic. But don’t hide behind an online wall—that one-on-one connection is so valuable for any business. Talking with people and building relationships will open doors for new customers and busi-ness connections. You should always build both ways.”

- Jenny Hansen

“In my experience, it can be really helpful to have face-to-face contact with your prospective clients. When I first started my business, I worked away for eons with very little result. After about a year, I took part in a series of art fairs and my mailing list shot up from 12 to 65 subscribers! Luckily for me, my bank account shot up a fair bit too.

The internet is an amazing tool, but nothing beats that personal connection when speaking to someone in person. Plus, when you sell products, there’s a tactile element to your business which is hard to emulate online. I’ve noticed that, when people are able to touch and hold my work, they connect with it on a different level. I’ve actually witnessed people fall in love with my work. Nothing can replace that, it’s a really spe-cial moment. Actually, when I’m in a slump I think of those moments and it always helps lift me up. It’s your decision how you want to run your business but, especially at the start, I would try out lots of different ways to connect to your customer. It’ll help you find what’s right for you.”


“I still sell most of my products in person. My goal is for that to change, but that is the reality today. Pure Natural Diva Botanicals is a new brand and people buy it after they’ve had a chance to see how well it performs. You still can’t smell or touch online.”

- Tania Reuben

anSWerSQuestion 5


“For me, my market spends most of their days buried in paperwork and fires. I can-not close a sale online, nor can I really sell things online to reach the people I want to reach. I don’t want to sell 1oz of fuel additives to a soccer mom, I want to sell 55 gallons a month to a business. If your objective is to get face-to-face, then have a compelling offering and a CTA that will get them to share their phone number to call and set-up an appointment.

Can you only sell online? Absolutely! But you need to make sure that you are seen as credible, trustworthy, and that you provide enough information that they feel com-fortable only buying from the online store. Maybe you can offer guarantees? Don’t forget—just because you are online, doesn’t mean that you don’t need to provide outstanding service before, during, and after the sale.”

- Bethanie Nonami

anSWerSQuestion 5


What are some good opt-in offers or freebie ideas for a product-based business like an art gallery, a clothing store, or a jewelry designer?

“I would go with some exclusive deals that only people who subscribe can get. If I’m an art gallery owner, I would give subscribers first dibs on new art offerings or access to limited edition work for subscribers only. A jewelry designer might have exclu-sive coupons for subscribers or maybe they can get special earrings to go with a new necklace design only offered to subs. Entice them with VIP exclusivity and they will bite.”

- Dave Conrey

“Art gallery: free guide for best practices in hanging and displaying art, unique ways to display art, educational ebook on new upcoming artists, etc.

Clothing store: style guide, closet checklists, discount off coupon, free shipping, etc.

Jewelry: how to care for your jewelry guide (store, clean, display), free ring sizer, jewelry checklist, style guide (how to wear which necklace with what, what earring, etc.).”

- Kristi Soomer

“As a seller of handmade jewelry, some of the incentives I have used are ‘be the first to know about new products,’ (this is especially significant if you sell original art or other one-of-a-kind pieces), ‘get exclusive deals,’ and a free shipping coupon. Some other incentives could include a free PDF style guide, a list of storage and care-tak-ing ideas, or promised free content on subjects your Ideal Customer Avatar would be interested in, delivered via your newsletter.”

- Megan Petersen

“How about free guides on how to take care of your clothing or jewelry? Different ways of wearing your product?”

- Nina Huang

QueStion 6

anSWerS


“Artist interviews, designer interviews, jeweler interviews. Think about educating clients about art, clothing, dress style, and jewelry style. Get creative and turn the categories into lifestyle swaps: turn a piece of art into an outfit, the outfit into a room, the room into a necklace, the necklace into an art piece. Use your creative strengths to curate a lifestyle that is reflected in the artistic pieces.”

- Whitney English

“Show how your product is used. Offer ways to help people decorate, pair clothing/outfits, and accessorize with jewelry. Share ways that customers can choose a few items to round out their needs in case they don’t have the budget or desire to pur-chase 10 things at once.”


“Free shipping, a discount on their first purchase, free gift with their first order, a chance to win one of your products, an ebook with fashion ideas or how to’s.”

- Andreea Ayers

“Get creative! I am not kidding when I say that now you are in B-School, you have a way to jot down notes everywhere you go! When I was travelling and I needed tea but I was all bent out of shape because the deli didn’t have my favorite sweetener or almond milk. Right there I knew what I wanted. I wanted what I myself would value and could not find. In that instance I invented a tea bag that already had powdered stevia and dry almond milk in each pouch that I could carry with me.

What in tarnation does this have to do with awesome opt-in offers? Everything. It’s obvious and popular to offer free shipping or a discount code. You can do better than that. Creating a unique opt-in offer or freebie is one more awesome chance to show your personal style and personality.

Say you are a dinner guest at Diane von Fürstenberg’s house. You better bring a hostess gift. I am sure it would not be the same thing that you would bring Jack Nicholson. Each of these people we assume has different tastes and different values. For Diane, maybe an art print, Jack is totally a cigars guy. Go back to your avatar work and ask yourself: what would my customer like the most? It can be a video tutorial or a PDF list. People love lists and tips. Remember that you are an amazing person with experiences far and wide in your field of knowledge. What you may take for granted is of value to others.”

- April DeMarco

anSWerSQuestion 6

marie SaYS: Yes! Yes! Yes! Get Creative!


“Subscriber-only early access to sales and events, an immediate coupon code to use when purchasing online (‘new friends get 20% off!’), or some special VIP treat.”

- Angie Green

“Discount codes online or in-store. Also, one of my favorite boutiques puts out a re-ally beautiful plate of small baked goods each day and offers their customers a cup of tea when they walk in. It’s not anything extreme; it’s just an unexpected treat to set you apart from others.”

- Melissa Camilleri

“Think about questions you are commonly asked and think about creating a guide that answers that. Using jewelry for an example, it could be how to store your jewel-lery or even how to clean it. It could even be a guide about styling that addresses cur-rent trends and gets your customer to purchase different products from your store or it could be a styling guide that addresses current trends and prompts the customer to add on to something they already purchased. They might have purchased the ear-rings but when they see it styled with the hair in a certain way they might feel like they have to buy the matching headband to complete the look.”

- Peta Serras

“Free shipping on the first order, 10% off the first order, raffle ticket for a monthly prize, free gift.”

- Natalie Long

“We did a year full of flowers (12 months of beautiful pics) for your screensaver and 10 must haves for gardening.”

- Nell Foster

“For me, I use my art in a daily email called the Daily Dynamite. Check it out here. Each of those posts are scheduled in WordPress and as they get published, Aweber automatically sends them out via email to my daily subscribers using a template I set up. For an opt-in bonus, I made a couple of posters from the best quotes that can be downloaded and printed.”

- Gretchen Cawthon

anSWerSQuestion 6

http://www.girlscantwhat.com/category/daily-dynamite


“For the opt-in offer I find it most helpful to think about what it is that my ideal cus-tomer wants from me in the first place. What does she come to me for? Yes, my ideal customer might want to buy jewelry, or clothing, or art—but what is the underlying desire? It sounds a bit tricky, but once that is clear it is possible to find free offers that directly speak to that same desire, which has the added benefit that people not only want to sign up. Plus they also feel understood by you. That is always an awesome way to connect.”

- Ursula Markgraf

“How about a jewelry polishing cloth that you send out for free? I have a friend who works at a high-end sunglass store and they have replaced the cloth to clean the glasses with a really luxurious, velvety one of their own. It has their name on it and is much more gentle on the glasses.”

- Gunilla Eisenberg

“Tory Burch has a great example of an excellent opt-in. You might want to consider that as an example. Click on the mailing list link.

Opt-in ideas that we give for jewelry designers:• We don’t like discounts but if you must, 10% off your first order• Free shipping on your first order• Free jewelry cleaning guide—this converted like crazy for my first post

B-School site, but I got a lot of opt-outs• Style guide• Insider deals and events• Private sales and special offers• Exclusive subscription to my magazine• How to wear it• Secret invites to exclusive events”

- Tracy Matthews

“A good idea for product opt-ins is providing info about what is happening with your product line. Offering news updates on new products, promotions, any media atten-tion that you receive, where your materials come from, what your mission statement is, values of your product, how people use your product, etc. Offering free shipping, promotional discounts, contests and giveaways—go back to some of your brand mod-els. Anything and everything that makes your product different and unique can be communicated.”

- Jenny Hansen

anSWerSQuestion 6

marie SaYS: Solid. Gold.

http://toryburch.com/


“I’m an artist and my opt-in offer is free shipping on your first order and a little sur-prise. (You get exclusive access to a short film I made.) I sometimes give away prints on Facebook and I recently offered all my subscribers a free set of my latest post-cards. A clothing or jewelry shop could offer a one-off discount, a free product guide with luscious pictures, or an accessory. Freebies will always be an investment, which can be hard to meet when you’re just starting out, but they can really help build trust and customer loyalty. Plus, they spread the word about how fabulous you are!”


“I would say events, gallery exhibits, have a guest artist (a local artist even) be there for the event, offer some type of educational seminar, share things you need to know before you invest in valuable art. That can be a lunch-and-learn session or an eve-ning happy hour type event. Same thing for the jewelry store, I would say you can offer events, gatherings, maybe present the latest jewelry styles. The type of message would depend on if you are selling $20 or $2,000 necklaces. You craft your message to appeal to the exact person you want to attend and buy. You can offer wine and tapas or a discount for attending. Maybe you offer a makeover with a makeup artist or stylist. You can emphasize urgency in your CTA since they are all time and date-based events.”

- Bethanie Nonami

anSWerSQuestion 6


I’m selling a product (not coaching or services). Do I need to put my photo front and center on my website or even formally introduce myself at all?

“Nope! Even if you were a coach, you don’t have to do this. It’s your site—do what you want.”

- Dave Conrey

“Nope. But people are curious and interested in who you are. While you want to make your about page mostly about them, it is still an ideal place to put a picture of yourself. It helps to build trust, which is extraordinarily valuable in the online mar-ketplace.”

- Megan Petersen

“If you want people to feel like they are buying from a friend, yes. It’s a branding move. If you want people to feel like they are buying from the Wizard of Oz, use smoke and mirrors. Neither is wrong. There is a right place for both.”

- Whitney English

“It depends on how much your brand is an extension of yourself. Since my name is in the name of our business, we do have a page where people can ‘Meet Allison’ since it’s a natural question someone may have. People want to see that there is a real per-son behind a business. It doesn’t mean you need to plaster your face on every single page, but why not bring the personal element in at least a little bit?”


“It’s a good idea to have your photo and story on your about page. This is what is going to separate you from the ‘big box stores’ or other big companies that have many employees. People often buy from smaller companies and entrepreneurs be-cause they can relate to their stories or they love those particular products over the mass-produced. If your product is not mass-produced, there’s a story behind it, and what better way to connect with your customers than to share your story!”

- Andreea Ayers

QueStion 7

anSWerS


“If it’s feasible, a photo of you using your product on your about page is great. Defi-nitely introduce yourself on your about page. If you are an artist, introduce yourself. If you’re truly irrelevant to your product, you may not belong on your homepage. (I am present as a voice in articles and on my about page).”


“It’s not necessary to put a photo of yourself front and center on your website if it doesn’t fit your product or business. But it is excellent to have on the ‘About Us’ page to deepen interest in your story.”


“I would answer yes to this question. This sets us apart from big box industry. It per-sonalizes our businesses, products, and brands.”

- Lindy Bragg

“It depends on what you want your brand to be. Is your story crucial to your brand? If so, then you should at least have an about page that communicates who you are. I think people are very attracted to stories, more than we may think. It helps build trust in a company if you know something about the person behind it. Who I am as a person, what I did as a job before I became a jewelry designer, and all of my interests and talents totally play a part in my brand. However, I know of a lot of brands that approach it differently and do well. You need to figure out what your brand calls for and then do that.”

- Melissa Camilleri

“No front-and-center pic—unless you are selling pictures of yourself? No. Didn’t think so. But your story is vital. Make sure it is findable. But it will not be what ul-timately sells your do-hickeys. Actually, the thought of a front-and-center selfie for products is creepy.”

- Jessica Stark

anSWerSQuestion 7

marie SaYS: Really Smart Point!

marie SaYS: LOL! So True.


“What is the first thing you do when you discover a cool, new product? Click to their site and at some point on that first visit you will click on the ‘about page.’ People want to find out your story—you don’t just want a customer to buy your product, you want them to ‘buy into’ your brand and feel connected. By creating an amazing about page with a photo of you looking gorgeous, some juicy or interesting info about why you started the brand, why you created the product and what you hope it does for them, how you think it will make them cooler, happier, or make their life easier, you are giving them reasons to buy into your brand.”

- Natalie Long

“I say yes. I find it more personable and I am more likely to respond to people when they contact me and refer to me by my first name. So I think it makes me more ap-proachable when people see me and and read my bio. I only do this on my about page and in an occasional post. Sometimes I will post my own photo on social media, but I use one of my characters as my avatar. I think this question will differ for people de-pending on if they see their business as a one-owner model versus a large company.”

- Gretchen Cawthon

“I do not believe there is any ‘must’ in business. For everything you will find people that do or do not do it and still succeed. However, here are a couple reasons why I (personally) think it is a good idea to have a photo or at least somehow introduce yourself:

• Trust! People buy from you if they trust you. No matter how awesome your product is, unless people think it is safe to buy from you, they will not buy. Putting your face on it—literally—makes people trust you more.

• What does your Ideal Customer Avatar think? Would she or he want to know you?

• Those are your products out there. You can be proud of them. Show it!• Introducing yourself and sharing your ‘why’ or your story is an awe-

some way to connect with your ideal customer. Why would you leave that opportunity unused?

• To quote Simon Sinek, ‘People do not buy what you do—they buy why you do it.’ Your about me section is an awesome place to share your ‘why.’

• According to Derek Halpern the ‘about me’ page is the most often vis-ited page on websites. First of all, why do you think that is? Second, do you really wanna miss out on that?

anSWerSQuestion 7


(Cont’d) So the short version of this: No, you do not need to put a photo on your site or introduce yourself. But why would you do it the harder way?”

- Ursula Markgraf

“Good question! No, your product is what needs to be front and center, but you need to be seen too. Have a picture and information about yourself on the about page. Cus-tomers will connect with you.”

- Jenny Hansen

“Yes! I do a lot of shopping online and getting to know the person behind the product not only influences my decision to buy, but it also makes me return to the site again and again. You don’t need to put your headshot right on the homepage, but it’s really important that you allow the customer some way of connecting with you, the su-perhero behind the scenes! As you probably know, the about page is one of the most visited pages on a website. If you don’t have one, your customers are missing out!”


“People are buying from you and will likely want to know, like, and trust you before they spend their hard earned dollars. Pure Natural Diva Botanicals has a slider front and center and there are product images, pictures of me, and even my children.”

- Tania Reuben

anSWerSQuestion 7


What advice do you have for those of us that retail products online (such as clothing) that want to maintain a super premium/clean look for their site? I started adding in opt-ins, and all the other suggestions last night as well as free content, etc. and now I feel like my site looks like an infomercial. How do you find that balance?

“You’ll find opt-ins on even the classiest of luxury product sites. Seriously, google a few and see for yourself. There are classy-looking design options and pop-ups that can be used without tarnishing your brand. If you think the word ‘free’ does damage to the overall impression of your site, use ‘exclusive’ or ‘complimentary’ instead.”

- Megan Petersen

“Approach your site from the standpoint of what your customer wants, not you. Do they want a clean site? Do they want more information that would prompt them to sign up for a newsletter or click through to read a blog post? As creative entrepre-neurs, we often start out by saying we want ‘this look’ or ‘that feeling,’ but the ques-tion really needs to be: what look and feel is the customer going for? If they want a clean look and feel, tuck that sign-up box down in the footer.”

- Whitney English

“The key is design. A blog with free content absolutely can be elegant and clean. An opt-in can be set to only appear once for an IP address, so your customer is not greeted with an opt-in every time they visit. With a good designer, your opt-in can be tasteful.”


“You can have your opt-in form in your header (preferred) or footer and you can set it up in such a way that it’s simple and not overwhelming. The free content can be a part of your blog or can be in a separate ‘resources’ section, which can just be an extra menu item in your navigation bar.”

- Andreea Ayers

QueStion 8

anSWerS


“Keep your opt-ins in keeping with your website. Employ a great graphics designer if you don’t have an eye for this stuff to create a cohesive website. You obviously want your opt-in to stand out, but not so much that it’s a beacon. Make the opt-in desirable enough and it will stand out for itself. Place it in a similar place on each page of your website that is easy to see. Don’t have the customer go looking for the opt-in by hav-ing it too small or at the bottom of the page where they are having to scroll down too much before they see it.”

- Peta Serras

“Pages and tabs, no pop-ups, no front-and-center sales page. You have your store-front, which must be kept classy and beautiful, and easy navigation to get to the goods. Don’t make your website into an infomercial. Also, this isn’t 1997—you don’t need all of their info as soon as someone finds themselves on your site.”

- Jessica Stark

“Keep the design of your site simple. Some design tips:

Color palette—keep it simple, no more than three or four colors in your graphics and background. Let your images be the main feature.

Fonts—have one or two main fonts, keep them consistent, and make sure they are easy to read. No swirly, handwritten, calligraphy-style fonts.

If your homepage is quite ‘busy’ a white background does wonders to help your page feel cleaner. The info will jump out and your products will look fresh.

Don’t make your opt-in too big. You want the opt-in to stand out but you don’t want it to take over the whole page.

You want your product pics to still feature above the fold. Use position, color, or bold-ness of text to help it stand out rather than size.”

- Natalie Long

“One thing to consider here is how most people end up on your site. If it’s via search then having a lot of opt-ins is important because they may not stick around long enough to stumble across a page that has an opt-in. If most of your traffic is being driven from your social media or direct because you have a large local following, then I think you can leave your opt-in in one place, preferably the one you see most traffic coming in on (probably the home page).”

- Gretchen Cawthon

anSWerSQuestion 8


“I think you always have to modify anything that you are learning to fit your specific situation. It is kind of like designing a store: are you zen or are you industrial? Define your brand and create the look and feel that you want your customer to experience. Feminine, unisex, full of color, all-white? You can create a very clean site with an opt-in that is less in your face. Look around at brands that you like. But also keep in mind that brands that are very established can get away with being different or experimen-tal sometimes because they already have a loyal customer base.”

- Gunilla Eisenberg

“I believe the Pure Natural Diva site has all the opt-ins that are recommended in the module, and I don’t feel that it looks like an infomercial. I think it’s all in the execu-tion.”

- Tania Reuben

“I have a CTA on each page at the bottom—no sidebar or opt-ins all over the site for me. My CTA goal is to get in front of the client. I want them to leave a phone number so I can call them. I am not a fan of my pages being broken up too much but that is just me.”

- Bethanie Nonami

anSWerSQuestion 8

marie SaYS: Yes! Execution Is Key.


Do I have to have a list and a newsletter as a product-based business owner?

Yes. I believe every single business on the planet has to have a list: a list of pros-pects and customers. People that you can reach out to about new products, ser-vices, sales, giveaways, etc. We’re going to dig more into the details of your list in Module Three but for now, as you go through this module, yes, you do need a list, no matter what your business is.

xoxo

Marie

QueStion 9

anSWer


My website is up but I am hesitant about selling online as a product-based business owner. Most of the time it’s hard for me to stock and keep up with demand in my brick-and-mortar store. I believe adding an online store would help, but how would I meet the demand in the beginning?

“If you know you have a successful product that flies off the shelves, maybe now is the time to make a worthy investment in a larger amount of product in order to main-tain the demand. It might mean getting some financial help to offset the costs, but if you’re selling that well, you might recoup your investment fairly quickly. At different points in your business, you may want or need to take a leap in order to grow. Now might be that time.”

- Dave Conrey

“Do you have guaranteed traffic? If not, put it up and measure the traffic. As you scale up, you can potentially outsource fulfillment or hire more people. Your customers online may be different than in-store, which could be incremental revenue for your business, so why wouldn’t you go for it?”

- Kristi Soomer

“Start off by only listing products that you can easily replenish. It’s hard to say with-out knowing what you sell, but you could also look into ways to obtain more invento-ry through purchase or by hiring employees to help with the creation process.”

- Megan Petersen

“First, narrow your focus, both in audience and in product offering. It’s a lot easier to keep up if you’re not offering 89 products from 50 different vendors, and you’re not trying to talk to six different client avatars. Second, try as much as possible to only offer on-demand products at first.”

- Whitney English

QueStion 10

anSWerS


anSWerSQuestion 10

“Perhaps list a product with ‘five available?’ That way you’re controlling the amount of inventory, sales, etc. Also, ‘limited availability’ makes folks want to get on the pony.”

- Elise Muller

“You can start out by investing a bit more in your inventory. If you already have an existing customer base and you know how well your products are selling, you can use that to gauge how much inventory you should stock. If you don’t already have a customer base, it’s going to take a bit of time to build that up before you start selling a lot of products on your website. If you plan to launch with a huge press mention or something similar, definitely start with more inventory than you think you can sell. If you have any leftover inventory, you can always run a special sale or sign up with a daily deal site to sell through your inventory.”

- Andreea Ayers

“This is a question I’m struggling with, too! We have told our customers that we are happy to ship to them and take phone orders. People most often call us to order something they have seen in a photo on Facebook or Instagram. This is giving us the opportunity to work out our payment and shipping flow on a small scale. I think you need to get inventory management running smoothly in the store before creating an additional stream.”

- Sonia Ruyts

“In any product-based business (whether you are online or not), if you are having a difficult time keeping up with demand, you need to either a.) increase your prices, b.) get more efficient at producing what you make, or c.) hire help.”

- Angie Green

“I am working on this at present. I’m finding the best solution to inventory stock and demand is to work with vendors that will ‘drop ship’ upon demand, making sure the products you offer are always in stock at the production level. Or you can manage your site daily, taking down items that have sold out. Talk with designers and ven-dors. Sell them on the fact that your online store will also increase sales for them!”

- Lindy Bragg


“I am going to have to say that based on your question I see two issues. Issue one: why are you not making enough profit to grow? If you are blessed to barely keep up with in-store demand then examine your pricing structure for your industry. In jewelry, many newbies forget to pay themselves in the business and have to eventual-ly stop because they do not make enough money. They also start off by underselling their items making future growth an impossibility. Look into your industry standards for pricing. I am guessing that you are not selling your items at a high enough price point to benefit from the profits to grow. The blessing here is that you seem to have a popular enough and tested product that people want and it gives you great reason to know it would be successful online.

Issue two: go back to Start the Right Business. If you are content where you are in your local success and don’t want to grow online, or in a chain, or towards wholesale, or manufacturing then know it. There are many opportunities to re-examine these questions as you go through your business model with a fine toothcomb in B-School and this is one of them. Growing online may mean you have to step back from do-ing so much and hire more people while stepping into more of a leadership role to oversee a growing business. There are many people who know they can’t do that. Ask yourself those initial questions again about where you see the future of your business. Larger isn’t better for everyone.”

- April DeMarco

“That is something you need to figure out from day one. I’ve never wanted this busi-ness to be huge (big no, profitable—heck ya!) so that’s not an issue for me. Our prod-ucts are manufactured here in California (made in the USA was important to me) so the cost is higher. You can probably find someone to do small runs in the beginning. If you can’t keep up, then you have to come up with a different strategy or let it go.”

- Nell Foster

“If there is a lot of demand for your product that is a good thing, right? I do get your fear. I was afraid of this a lot. What if the demand does increase and I can not keep up? This fear kept (and sometimes still keeps) me from actually working on putting myself and my business out there. The thing is this: there are so many businesses out there that are super-successful and have a huge demand that they can not meet. What do they do? They have a waitlist. Or they announce certain dates when they put new stuff into their store so people who want to buy it know when the products are available.

Find some of these business examples for your niche. (If you are really stuck, ask in the Facebook group—that has always helped me.) Every time your fear creeps up, think of those examples. They do it! Why should you not be able to do it?”

- Ursula Markgraf

anSWerSQuestion 10


“The same way you did when you opened your store. You will figure it out. Make sure that you are in communication with your manufactures and know the turnover times. Really think about if you’re ready to add online purchases. If you are making a lot of money in your store and don’t need the extra income stream, then don’t do it for now. But if you’re ready, go for it.

Sometimes we think that the second we offer online shopping, we will get thousands of orders that will pour in, but they don’t. Just give yourself the time to fill those or-ders and if you need to hire someone to help you fill orders and manage your online store, you can.”

- Jenny Hansen

anSWerSQuestion 10


It’s really clear how to use best practices for a service-based site but my site will be an e-commerce site. My whole brand is based around “living the lifestyle” that my products can bring and my site will have lots of fun, informative content and how-to-videos and audio. I was once told it’s paramount that the store is up front. What is the best way of balancing fun and engaging content with a store?

“I think this depends on the personality of your brand. If people are used to you being up-front with your products, then maybe the blog takes a back seat to the product but is still readily available for people to view from the navigation menu. However, if people enjoy hearing your stories and use them as a basis for finding out more about your product, you could put the written content first, but reference and link to the shop often. You could also bring a little fun to the products themselves with some in-teresting descriptions or stories. Woot.com has made a name for themselves by doing this (they create ridiculous stories to go with every product they feature), and it helps them sell millions of products every year.”

- Dave Conrey

“Yes, the store needs to be upfront as this will improve conversion. Otherwise visi-tors may get confused. But that doesn’t mean you can’t integrate your content into your store. Perhaps you have a main slider image on your homepage (perhaps it flips between products) and value-added content. You could also put links at the bottom of your footer, or backlinks/pop-ups in product descriptions (such as ‘Show how to style this hat’).”

- Kristi Soomer

“Put your content on your blog (which should be integrated onto your site) and link to that content in your marketing, along with a nice shiny ‘check out the blog’ button on your home page.”

- Megan Petersen

“I think your fun content should be highlighted (where the customer lands) since that’s what is going to engage people and drive them to your shop. Not many people will drop into your shop and buy immediately. Use your resource pages to guide peo-ple to the lifestyle aspects they want to check out and have the shop easily accessible in the navigation bar.”

- Laura Jacquemond

QueStion 11

anSWerS

http://www.woot.com/


“Try a sidebar with videos and links to your fun content.”

- Whitney English

“I think ‘fun and engaging’ is important. Perhaps amidst the ‘fun and engaging copy’ you can place a hyperlink leading to a specific product? Depending on how many products you’re offering perhaps the store can be built around your copy? If you have a lot of products I think tabs for each category makes purchasing clear for consum-ers.”

- Elise Muller

“I think you can have a lot of fun with your store, as long as someone who lands there can know in the first few seconds that you have a brand with products to sell. This can be done by having a ‘featured products’ option on your homepage, or a ‘shop’ link on your menu bar that is very visible, or even a graphic that shows some of your products and invites your customers to check out your store.”

- Andreea Ayers

“Use your blog and social marketing within your products to link to fun lifestyle stories and generally engage your customers so they can envision the lifestyle your products are handing them. It’s likely to be the reason they buy from you rather than your competition. I have divided my site into three main sections after taking B-School: ‘shop’ is right up front, but I also have a general resources page and a whole page telling the story of our products.”


“Definitely show people using your products front and center on your home page. Show the lifestyle you’re focused on through imagery around the site. A good exam-ple of this is the Life is Good company.”

- Gretchen Cawthon

“I think if you have a clean website design with different tabs, including one for your store, this is easily possible. Make sure to put links from your ‘fun’ pages (blog, about me, other pages you might have on your site) back to your shop. You can also link from your store to your content, so potential customers get extra resources and feel extra taken care of.”

- Ursula Markgraf

anSWerSQuestion 11

www.wrapsodybaby.com

http://www.lifeisgood.com/


“Make the fun, great content! Just make sure that the store is visible, and that buying is easy and your product doesn’t get lost in the content.”

- Jenny Hansen

“You can have the store front and center and be fun and interesting on Pinterest and Instagram. They’re both huge retail platforms with very low cost for advertising. If your stuff is hot, it spreads through the masses. It will take time to start and time to update. To me, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are all great platforms for certain people, audiences, and markets. You can still have fun with the design and make it easy for them to buy on the home page.”

- Bethanie Nonami

anSWerSQuestion 11


I would love to hear your thoughts on selling products through external sites like Etsy. All of my marketing efforts, business cards, etc. drive traffic to my own domain name, but for a customer to actually purchase something, they have to do so off-site on Etsy. I’m happy with their service, but wonder if I should be using Shopify or another system to sell directly from my site.

“One of the biggest differences between Shopify and Etsy is that your Shopify shop does not come with it’s own traffic already in tow. Etsy has over 30 million users who are looking to buy, and Etsy has connections to Google. (The search engine is very friendly to Etsy sellers.) However, you are right in that it can be annoying for people to have to leave your site just to purchase, which is where a hosted option like Shopi-fy might be right for you. Since Etsy is relatively inexpensive to get started, maybe you could open an account, test the waters and see how it works out. You won’t sell out right away, but at least you can gauge interest.”

- Dave Conrey

“Etsy is a great ‘starter site’ for makers/creators. This is because it has the potential for the right products to drive free traffic through their search and features. Also, if your Ideal Customer Avatar is already on Etsy, it makes it easier to find him or her. The community for makers/creators on Etsy is fantastic, and the overall cost is fairly low.

However, the biggest limitation with Etsy is that you don’t own the customer data and your ability to customize your website experience is very limited. Customer data is significant for list building. It is important to get this data as it can provide valuable insight and repeat sales potential. As for customizability: you can’t add opt-ins and every store basically has the same, limited experience. The branding is extremely limited to one-banner. You can’t start ‘conversations’ with customers through live chat. The checkout process is long. (Which is a proven cart abandonment factor!)

If you’re truly building a brand, your own website is the best way to go. You will be able to build a customized experience that your customers want. It will take more effort and legwork to get the traffic, and then transition into your own store full-time. Perhaps you can have both for awhile?”

- Kristi Soomer

QueStion 12

anSWerS


“Marketplace sites such as Etsy are an awesome way to land new customers, but you should also seriously think about selling off of your own site. When you sell on a marketplace site, your options are limited, and you are on a platform where the competition is literally a search click away. On your own site you can integrate your content, your branding, and whatever else you want to its full extent and have com-plete control and ownership of it all. It’s also easier to collect email addresses from your own site, which is important when it comes to retaining customers.

It’s not; however, an either/or situation. I recommend selling on marketplace sites in addition to your own website. With every new customer you land on Etsy, you can send them a business card and coupon code to use on your site. These are often cus-tomers who may not have discovered you otherwise.”

- Megan Petersen

“I use Etsy. The main banner on my site actually takes people directly to Etsy. (It opens in a new window.) It’s worked well for us.”

- Whitney English

“Yes, you should absolutely have your own domain with a store in addition to your Etsy shop for a few reasons. If Etsy shuts down your shop (which has happened many times without warning), your business is gone. Also, you can’t collect email addresses from your customers when they buy through Etsy and there’s no way for you to con-tinue your relationship with them if you don’t have their email address. You also can’t have a blog on Etsy and a blog is very important when it comes to connecting with your customers. For these reasons, you definitely should have your own online store as well as using Shopify or another system.”

- Andreea Ayers

anSWerSQuestion 12

marie SaYS: Super Smart Tip!


anSWerSQuestion 12

“You will find people that do wonderful on Etsy. I find this an anomaly. The common factors for successful sellers on Etsy, aside from a few real rockstars, is that they un-derstand it is an insulatory community. Yep, you need to invest all sorts of time liking the other sellers so they buy from you. You can have a shop and an item listed and it shows up on page 39 of the search results for say, Turquoise Necklace. Let me ask you, have you ever in your life gone past page two on Google for any search request? Oh sure you can invest money and pay to show up higher in search results and if you are lucky enough to get a buyer to your own Etsy shop you may lose her in an instant if she is the least bit distracted or confused and can find 1,000 other Turquoise Neck-laces.

Etsy Sellers are notorious for underselling their crafts, their time, and their products. So Etsy buyers are spoiled by inexpensive steals. The market becomes a competition to undersell driven by the mass environment of underpriced industry fare. I don’t think this practice supports the arts at large or the value of handmade items at all and am not a fan. (Can you tell?) Art should not be so cheap that it is taken for granted or devalued.

If you have the ability to have your own website, and you’re able to dictate your own brand by controlling the entire experience for your product you will end up with a buyer who becomes a loyal customer. In the end there is no reason that you cannot experiment for yourself. It is not expensive to set up an Etsy shop. See what’s right for you. I will tell you that it is better than no shop!

Here’s a great suggestion: If you are bound to get an Etsy shop because you have not figured out a CMS (Content Management System) to create a shopping cart on your website you can take a look into what is called an Etsy Mini. It provides an HTML code that will paste a mini shop listing of your Etsy store into a free-standing website. I have seen this look quite seamless and it offers a middle of the road option for some people.”

- April DeMarco

“Why not sell through both? Etsy gives you the chance to be found through search more easily, and it is easy to list products there. But why not change the website to also be e-commerce? With your own e-commerce site, you are able to create more of the environment that you want, to give the client the feeling that you want to convey, and the personality of your brand.”

- Natasha Wozniak


“I would say, if it works do it. But always be aware that you are not in control of Etsy. So have a back-up plan for the worst case scenario or ‘spread out’ where you sell in general. It has happened to a couple of handmade business owners that they got shut down by Etsy or there shop was temporarily taken down until issues were resolved.

If Etsy is your only place to sell, that means you will lose all of your income if it goes down (for whatever reason). You do not always have to do something wrong. Mis-takes happen and have happened. Until things are resolved you would have no means to make sales. Do not risk that or have a plan about how you can quickly set up a new store just in case.”

- Ursula Markgraf

anSWerSQuestion 12


even deePerMore insights on Module Two

on overcoming Your WeBSite FearS

“Module Two took me step-by-step through website creation, opt-in offers, and understanding conversions. I was amazed that I was able to clearly see and be taught how to build a website. I told myself for a year that ‘I was too right brained to ever make a website’ which wasn’t true at all. I followed Module Two step-by-step and was able to create a beautiful website all on my own. Actually having a website up helped my business so much! I have a place to send customers that are interested in my product.

Having a site up also gave my business a huge professionalism boost and when customers saw that I had a site, they all of a sudden started to take my product more seriously. 85% of my sales come from interested customers who see my product, look at my website, and then call to place an order. I didn’t realize how much not having a site was holding me back. If I would have just dove into the Module with a more open mind, then I would have been making sales and moving forward months sooner than I was. It took time, but it was easy to understand the ins-and-outs. It wasn’t scary at all and it gave my product credibility!”

- Jenny Hansen

the imPortance oF keePing it SimPle

“Go with the easiest thing that you can manage. I list my product on my main web-site, but when you click to purchase it goes directly through to my Etsy site. Etsy is easy for me to manage, whereas WordPress is not my cup of tea. When you are start-ing out, keep it easy. Let your product speak for itself. If it’s good, people don’t care how they get it from you. They just want it. I’ve made plenty of sales just by sending a PayPal invoice to someone that has heard about the product on Facebook or other social media and they don’t even bother to go to my website. Keep as much money in your business to start with and then move to fancier operating systems later or use the money to hire help. Just get product moving and people talking.”

- Rhonda Lee


megan PeterSen

Jewelry Designer

MegansBeadedDesigns.com

How did you start your business?

I’ve been on my own since my mom died when I was 16. I worked my way through college with three plus jobs, and continued having to work three-to-five jobs after I graduated at 20 just to keep the bills paid and credit card limits from going over. Even with a full-time day job, I still had to take on an evening job, a weekend job, and free-lance work in-between. The only time I wasn’t “on-the-clock” was when I sleeping.

Then, for some reason, I decided to pick up jewelry making again. I started beading when I was about five, but had taken a break for the past few years. I was quickly ad-dicted again, but this time, viewed it as an opportunity to free myself from having to work so many jobs. For the first year of my business, I didn’t make much in terms of profit, but I had fallen in love with learning about how to run a business, write a blog, and all that other great stuff. I still wasn’t able to cut down on my part-time gigs, but I was getting close.

Finally I made “the jump” and put in my notice at my weekend job and evening job, to ensure that I could attend holiday craft fairs. I double and then quadrupled my efforts online, which included signing up for B-School.

I’m not vastly wealthy (yet—I am just beginning), but I am grateful that my business allows me to only work one “regular job.” I may still have to spend a lot of time work-ing on my business, but it is the sort of fulfilling work that lights me up inside and motivates me to no end.

What was your biggest B-School insight?

B-School gave me the push to start my own website and an email list. I was only selling on marketplace sites before, and blogging on a WordPress-hosted blog. I was limiting myself and my growth potential for not taking the leap. Now, even though my list is still less than 300 subscribers, I am so proud of it and my website, which is something I did not believe could happen in just a year’s time.

SPotlight caSe StudieS on B-School Product-BaSed BuSineSS oWnerS

http://MegansBeadedDesigns.com


Any advice you would give someone else starting a product-based business?

I wish I would have started building my own website right from the start. I think of all of the energy I spent directing people to the marketplace sites I’ve sold on and cringe. Those are all potential emails I could have captured and Google juice I could have created!

Is there anything else you want to share?

As an introvert it was at first very hard for me to “sell.” I blogged, but it was about anything and everything else besides me and my products. With B-School, I realized it’s not about me, it’s about my customers. They want to hear about my products. It’s only right to give them what they want.

tracY mattheWS

Jewelry Designer

tracymatthews.com

How did you start your business?

I started designing jewelry in college so by the time I had launched my wholesale business, I’d been doing this as a hobby for about seven years. Since my passion was design and fashion, I knew that this was my calling. As a child, I used to sketch wed-ding gowns for my Barbies so it’s not a coincidence that I’m designing engagement rings now. When I decided to take the leap, I was terrified. My biggest fears were not necessarily of failing in business, but that I wasn’t a good enough designer. It didn’t take long until I was getting lots of sales and when I landed my first big account, I hired my first employee.

Going back to the fear of not being good enough—I realized about four years in that the jewelry I was designing wasn’t in alignment with how I perceived myself as a de-signer so I took a huge course correction. I’ll call this course correction number one. I was terrified of alienating my existing clients because I was about to change courses on the types of things I was designing. For a few seasons, I started on a new experi-mental path that was received OK.

Eventually, my new collections took off. However, when I decided to drop the “old” collection I did lose some of my best core accounts. I was disappointed at first, but staying true to my value and in alignment with my soul, I ended up building a much bigger business.

Fast forward a move to NYC from San Francisco in 2006. I was at the top of my game. Then it all came crashing down. The stock market crash had a huge effect on my wholesale business. Many of my core accounts went out of business and I was left with $100K or more of bad debt from clients who didn’t pay. I labored over it for about six months: what to do? Keep on trucking or move on. I hated my business.

http://tracymatthews.com


My gut was telling me to let go. My ego was telling me to hang on. I felt like I had lost a child, but I made one of the most difficult decisions ever and decided to close my business. I felt like a failure for a little while, until I realized that this perceived failure was the biggest gift ever! I’m glad I trusted my intuition.

My raving fans weren’t very happy that I decide to shut down. It’s been over five years now and I still hear from them. Trusting my intuition, I knew I was meant to design. I decided to start over but to approach my business in a different way. I really investigated what didn’t work the last time around and made business adjustments to build a better business this time. The risk paid off. It took a little while to get my ideal clients on board. However, within 18 months I had gone form $2000 in sales to $30K in profits. Today, I work with only the clients who light me up! It feels great to be able to say no! I think the strength that I found to keep going was in trusting myself. It hasn’t always been easy, but the second I started valuing myself and my talent ev-erything changed. I started attracting the right types of clients and they keep coming back for more. It’s amazing.


I signed up for B-School because something was telling me (back to my gut) that I needed to do this program, that it was going to open a door for me. I get so teary-eyed thinking about it because I can’t imagine where I would be today had I not found it.

Besides the awesome content, the community of entrepreneurs is insane. I always felt so alone, like I had no one who could truly understand my plight. The women (and men) in the B-School community changed my life for the better. I have never felt so supported and lifted up. I honestly would not be here today without B-School. I would probably be poor and teaching yoga full-time. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I knew that I was bound for something so much bigger.


Be committed. Believe in your talent. Stand out from the sea of others. Create a brand story that sets you apart. Create something that is different than what everyone else is doing. Communicate why you are different and unique. Be yourself. Keep on truck-ing. You should not be afraid or ashamed of failure, it’s your biggest teacher and it might just open the door to a sea of abundance, wealth, and happiness that you never knew existed.



My biggest takeaway: go through it all as best you can but don’t get discouraged.


It can take three times as long as you think and cost three times as much (at least). Make sure you have enough money behind you—in a product-based business you go through it fast. My initial manufacturer (construction and sewing) was so slow and oftentimes not responsive to calls. After quite some time, I finally ditched her and found a new one. I personally got along with her great but had to let go. Do what’s best for you and your business.

Is there anything else you want to share?

This is my third business and I’m in my 50’s. It was important to me to be able to have time off with this business (not work 15 hour days!) so I really had to learn how to work wisely. I’m constantly learning new things everyday with this internet-based business. At first I fought technology but after I learned it was going to march on without me, I wised up. Some days are like heaven and some days are a kick in the gut so you gotta roll with it!

nell FoSter

Accessory Designer & Founder of Joy Us garden

joyusgarden.com

marie SaYS: Yes! Yes! Yes!

http://joyusgarden.com


it’S “You” time!This is your place to take notes, make observations, doodle, dream, and think about what you want for your life and your business. Don’t hold anything back—you can do this!


noteS


our amazing contriButorSWe could not have made this PDF without the help of the brilliant B-School grads listed here. A big thank you to them for all of their invaluable insights, strategies, and stories.

When you have a moment, check out their websites and their work and don’t forget to look out for them in the member’s area and in the Facebook group.

alliSon riverS SamSon Vegan Baker & Founder of Allison’s Gourmet, http://www.allisonsgourmet.com

amY camPBell Founder & Owner of Brilliant Imports, http://www.brilliantimports.com

andreea aYerS Entrepreneurial Expert & Founder of Soaps to Live By, http://www.launchgrowjoy.com

angie green Founder of Letters Across America, http://www.lettersacrossamerica.com

aPril demarco Jewelry Designer & Artist, http://www.demarcostudios.com & http://covetandadorn.com

Bethanie nonami Environmental Specialist & Founder of Enviro Global, http://enviroimpact.com

Brandon Wagner Fabric Designer & Founder of Palette Fabrics, http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaletteFabrics?ref=pr_shop_more

dave conreY Graphic Designer & Founder of Fresh Rag, http://www.freshrag.com

eliSe muller Founder of Mountain Spirit Botanicals, http://mountain-spirit-botanicals.com

eliSheva manekin Founder of Loop Design Studio, http://www.loopdesignstudio.com

elzemieke de tiège Artist, http://www.elzemieke.com

FranciSca Pineda Shoe Designer & Founder of BHAVA, http://bhavastudio.com

grace kang Owner & Chief Buyer of Pink Olive, http://pinkolive.com

gretchen caWthon Founder of Girls Can’t What? Gifts & Tees, http://www.girlscantwhat.com

gunilla eiSenBerg Founder of Gunilla Skin Alchemy, www.gunillaskinalchemy.com

JenniFer gaBiola Brand Activist, Designer, & Poet, http://www.dawningsoul.com

JennY hanSen Founder of Create Spring Water, http://createbeverages.com

JeSSica Stark Founder of Stark Skincare, http://www.starkskincare.com

kriSti haYeS-devlin Designer & Founder of Gypsy Mama LLC, http://wrapsodybaby.com

kriSti Soomer Fashion Designer & Founder of Encircled, http://www.encircled.ca

laura JacQuemond Accessory Designer & Founder of Blue Terracotta, http://blueterracotta.com

lindY Bragg Owner & Founder of Calypso, http://www.calypsoclothes.com

http://www.allisonsgourmet.com

http://www.brilliantimports.com

http://www.launchgrowjoy.com

http://www.lettersacrossamerica.com

http://www.demarcostudios.com

http://covetandadorn.com

http://enviroimpact.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaletteFabrics%3Fref%3Dpr_shop_more

http://www.freshrag.com

http://mountain-spirit-botanicals.com

http://www.loopdesignstudio.com

http://www.elzemieke.com

http://bhavastudio.com

http://pinkolive.com

http://www.girlscantwhat.com

www.gunillaskinalchemy.com

http://www.dawningsoul.com

http://createbeverages.com

http://www.starkskincare.com

http://wrapsodybaby.com

http://www.encircled.ca

http://blueterracotta.com

http://www.calypsoclothes.com


our amazing contriButorSWe could not have made this PDF without the help of the brilliant B-School grads listed here. A big thank you to them for all of their invaluable insights, strategies, and stories.

megan PeterSen Jewelry Designer & Founder of Megan’s Beaded Designs, http://www.megansbeadeddesigns.com

meliSSa camilleri Jewelry, Stationery, & Gift Designer, http://www.shopcompliment.com

natalie long Designer & Founder of Bowerhouse, http://www.bowerhouse.com.au

nataSha Wozniak Jewelry Designer, http://www.natashajewelry.com

nell FoSter Accessory Designer & Founder of Joy Us garden, http://www.joyusgarden.com

nicki traikoS Artist & Founder of life I design, http://www.lifeidesign.com

nina huang Animal Artist, http://ninahuangart.com

Peta Serra Founder of Pilates Evolution Now, http://pilatesevolutionnow.com.au

rhonda lee Artist & Founder of Infusion of Life, http://infusionoflife.com

roBin king & lYnn Flanagan-till Co-Founders of R.L. Linden & Co. skincare, http://lindenbeauty.com

Sara PociuS Jewelry Designer & Founder of Sara Pocius Jewelry, http://sarapocius.com

SatYa tWena Milliner and Founder of Discover Pique, http://satyatwena.com & http://discoverpique.com

ShirleY Plant Nutrition Expert & Founder of Delicious Alternatives, http://www.deliciousalternatives.com

Sonia ruYtS Owner & Founder of Stash, a Yarn Shop with Soul, http://stashlocal.com

tania reuBen Founder of Pure Natural Diva Botanicals, http://purenaturaldiva.com

tracY mattheWS Jewelry Designer, http://tracymatthews.com

urSula markgraF Button Designer & Founder of The Crafting Gypsy, http://ursulamarkgraf.com

vickY oluBi Founder of My Curls haircare, http://www.mycurls.co.uk

victoria claYton Founder of Shave with Valor, http://www.shavewithvalor.com

WhitneY engliSh Stationer & Designer, http://whitneyenglish.com

http://www.megansbeadeddesigns.com

http://www.shopcompliment.com

http://www.bowerhouse.com.au

http://www.natashajewelry.com

http://www.joyusgarden.com

http://www.lifeidesign.com

http://ninahuangart.com

http://pilatesevolutionnow.com.au

http://infusionoflife.com

http://lindenbeauty.com

http://sarapocius.com

http://satyatwena.com

http://discoverpique.com

http://www.deliciousalternatives.com

http://stashlocal.com

http://purenaturaldiva.com

http://tracymatthews.com

http://ursulamarkgraf.com

http://www.mycurls.co.uk

http://www.shavewithvalor.com

http://whitneyenglish.com

Documents

Smart marketing For Product-BaSed BuSineSSeS€¦ · store (those would be your featured product categories instead), collecting email addresses and providing easy ways for your customers