One thing many eBay sellers neglect is to
actually communicate with their buyers – not with some automated
‘suggestion’ system, but with actual person-to-person contact. If you can be
friendly and sound nice, then you can make them think you’re doing them a favor while
you make a few extra sales.
‘I Could Throw In…’
When you receive an order for an item that costs a lot for
shipping and needs some kind of equipment, this is an ideal opportunity to make a
‘friendly’ extra sale. For example, if someone has just bought a computer, you
could send an email like this:
“I’m just emailing you to ask if you’d like
a mouse or a keyboard – since you’re buying a computer from me, I can throw in
any accessories you want without charging any extra shipping. If you’re not
interested though, then don’t worry about it – it was just a thought.”
Note how informal this email has to be. It can’t stink
of sales, or the whole ‘communication’ thing will be ruined. Would you rather
buy something extra from someone who says “you might as well, since you’re
paying shipping anyway” or from someone who says something like “our valued
customers will also love our GREAT DEALS on mice – check it out!” I know what my
answer is.
Know Anyone Else?
Here’s a simple thing to try: when you thank your
buyer, simply say that if they’re pleased with you then you’d really appreciate
it if they could spread the word. Many eBay buyers feel like they’ve got a real
bargain, and combining this with good customer service could be enough to make your
customer go out and start writing down your eBay store’s address on pieces of paper
for their friends. If you notice a lot of orders coming from the same town, then
you’ll know that this technique is working.
Any Problems?
If you contact the buyer a few months down the line to ask
if their product is still working fine, you might find that they’re having a problem
you can fix, by sending a spare part or an upgrade. This is another opportunity to make a
sale – not to mention helpful for them.
Anything to Sell?
If you’ve just sold them a brand new item, ask your
buyer if they have an old one that they might like to trade in. They will often be
delighted to take you up on your offer, since they were wondering how they were going to
get rid of their old one anyway. Give them a fair price for it and offer to pay their
postage and you won’t believe how happy they’ll be – and the chances are
you can make a good profit on what they send you.
When everything is going to plan with your buyers,
it’s nice to be able to spend a while every week leaving them all big chunks of
positive feedback. But how do you make this feedback the best it can be? We’ll take a
look at the dos and don'ts of leaving feedback for buyers in the next email. |
