14/5/10 Powerseller Profiteer Newsletter

 I was excited last weekend because…  

Hello! 

Last Sunday my husband and I decided that we would go and look at new cars. The one I am currently driving is now approaching 3 years old and I’m afraid I am one of those people who gets fed up driving the same model around after a while and I like to have something new – well not necessarily new, but something different. So, we figured that before its first MOT is due in July we would have a scout round and see what’s about.

So, after taking the girls’ to the park for a run around (to compensate for the fact that we were about to drag them from car dealership to car dealership for the rest of the afternoon – not something they would enjoy!) off we went – along with much squawking and complaining from the children.

I on the other hand was happy as Larry! The thought of getting a new car got me all excited because when I set my sights on something, it generally becomes my ‘mission’ for the next week or so (sometimes longer) until said mission has been achieved and I can put it to bed and move on to the next thing on my ever expanding list.

I think maybe I am also a control freak.

So, anyway we arrived at the first dealership and I was disappointed to find that there was nothing that took my liking. Admittedly, we are a little bit limited on choice as we require a four wheel drive vehicle due to living in an impossible to get out of, hilly location in the sticks when it snows. Granted, I know we only have snow once or twice a year at the most but it is extremely frustrating to be under house arrest during those times, especially when you have two children desperate to meet up with their friends and go sledging.

So it was on to the next one – again, nothing suitable. And the same happened at the third dealership. I was beginning to think that there was a global shortage of 4x4’s at this point. I spotted a ‘possible, maybe’ at the fourth place we visited but I didn’t like the colour (raised eyebrows and knowing looks passed between the salesman and my husband at this point) so that counted that one out. Gloomily my husband suggested that perhaps we should look online instead so that we could spread our search a little farther afield and should call it a day for now and head home. Cue big cheers from the children and a mini sulk from me.

Where is this story going? Don’t worry, I’m nearly there.  

On the way home we passed an independent garage with a forecourt full of cars and there adjacent to the roadside was a BMW X3 – possibly my favourite car of all time but sadly one that I have never owned. Cue screeching of brakes as I swerved dangerously on to the forecourt scattering Sunday browsers as I did so. I was out of the car in a flash leaving my husband and the girls’ open mouthed and staring at me as I bounded over to the vision in black that stood before me.

Oh I loved it! It was black, it wasn’t old (but not brand new), it had leather seats, it wasn’t automatic (hurrah) and there was room for the dog. Perfect.

Mileage? Service history? Tax group? Miles to the gallon around town? Not things that I would even think of considering, after all it was a nice colour and it was a BMW! But of course practical husband strolls up and says… “Hmm, mileage is quite high for its age…few scratches here and there….” Etc.

“What!” I shrieked like a mad, demented thing causing odd looks from bystanders. Because do you know, mentally I had already bought the car. That’s what I am like. I was on a mission on Sunday and that was all I could focus on. When I left my house two hours previously, my sole aim was to find and buy a car because that’s what was in my head at that point in time. I am impatient, take risks and often let my heart rule my head! I am also very stubborn. Sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes not.

But what has this got to do with eBay? Well, quite a lot actually because many, many people who buy things via eBay have exactly the same mindset as me. They want something, they want it now. They need a quick fix and they won’t stop until they have found it, ordered it and paid for it. Then they feel hugely proud of themselves for about 10 minutes until the excitement wears off and everything goes back to normal.

It’s called ‘impulse buying’.

The ‘need to buy’ is in all of us  

eBay is the ideal place for impulse buyers to gather. Think about it. It’s easily accessible, is open 24/7, it has a huge range of products in as many categories you can think of and theoretically you could order on a Monday morning and have your purchase in your hands on Tuesday (if you buy from a great seller who dispatches at super-sonic speed).

There are loads of people out there just like me who, once they have decided they want something, it is their sole aim to find it and own it as quickly as possible. These are the types of buyers that you really want to view your listings. So long as you have what they want and you tell them every last tiny detail about this thing using the power of your listing description, then they will buy from you.

And that’s why your description is so important. As are your gallery images and your keywords.

If my husband hadn’t been with me on Sunday, that BMW would now be mine because I wanted it so desperately at that point in time. I didn’t stop to consider it, weigh up the pros and cons or compare it with other similar BMW’s. Nor did I want to go away and do any research. I just wanted it now and I had my cheque book at the ready. The salesman must have thought all his birthdays had come at once.

eBay impulse buyers are the same, although usually on a smaller scale. They have the power of PayPal funds or a credit card at their disposal and are ready to purchase. So you need to make them want to purchase from you at the time when they are at their most vulnerable. That probably sounds like a horrible thing to say but it’s true. You are not forcing people to buy from you – at the end of the day the buyers are the ones that actually complete the transaction and punch in their payment details – but you must make your product the most desirable thing on earth so that when an impulse buyer reaches your listing they simply can’t do anything other than buy. They are already in the zone so you are halfway there, all you have to do is clarify that yes this is the perfect product for them and it’s exactly what they have been looking for.

If you learn how to write a powerful sales description for your product and get a good search position on eBay you will see your sales rocket whatever your product because you will be tapping into that plentiful supply of impulse buyers.

But writing a powerful listing description does take a little practice. There is a formula that you should follow which unfortunately I can’t go in to here, but which involves using a particular style of writing and combining words that connect with your readers, a particular layout and portraying a ‘need’. You might be interested to know that I include a whole section on this subject including video tutorials within my Ultimate eBay Success System home study course.

Click here for details

And, in case you are wondering, I didn’t buy the BMW. But wait! Only because I was dragged (almost kicking and screaming in a strait jacket) away from the car by my husband who talked some sense in to me and bought me a bottle of Lucozade to compensate. But this means that my mission is not complete. No new car…at least not yet anyway….don’t worry, there’s still time!

As always I wish you the very best of success,

Amanda

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I produce this newsletter on the understanding that these are my own personal opinions and experiences, which are as accurate as possible at the time of publication. I cannot be held responsible for any error in details, accuracy or judgment whatsoever. 

© Amanda O’Brien 2010 

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