10 By Herb Lieberman How to Make e-Marketing Work Effectively How to do it For you, the market place, and for our industry If you are falling behind, or have not started e-marketing your business, I would like to suggest some simple rules for your potential success in this area. I hope you feel the same way! Ÿ Under promise and over deliver Forget the old marketing theme of, “if you throw enough stuff against the wall, some of it is bound to stick”. Or “I will deliver and negotiate”. You know these ideas are still prevalent with some in our industry. I found, for a very long time, that my greatest chal- lenge was “OPP”or other people parts when I tried to help my customer by locating parts not in my own inventory. That won’t work with e-commerce, so don’t even try it. It will cost you lots of money and your reputation. The word spreads fast via e-commerce. Do the opposite - “Under promise and over deliver!” That is the absolute number one way to achieve success through e- Commerce marketing. Anything less will come back to bite you. What have you done to capture eCommerce opportunity? Ÿ Face to face or on the phone We know that those off-line rela- tionships were key to building a loyal customer base. How did we do that? I did it by clearly and effectively com- municating with the customer face to face or on the phone. Especially with e- commerce marketing, you need to “tell ‘em what ya have, take the order and When the internet became a potential way to sell recycla- ble products all over the world, I said, “Now the largest of us and the smallest of us have an equal opportunity to market, sell, and deliver.” Today, I stand by that state- ment 100%, if we all meet the expecta- tions of the e-Commerce Market place. Ÿ Emphasize you and your brand Make your e-commerce listings reflect your personality and the “brand” you want to build on the internet. Ÿ Clean and identify parts Ÿ Use new shipping boxes By all means, please only use new shipping boxes. Not that I am against recycling of shipping boxes, but find a different purpose for the used boxes. The assumption of what is within the box, starts with the impression the con- tainer provides. Make a positive impres- sion by having your shipping boxes per- sonalized. Include the words, “handle with care”. Make sure when the customer opens the box the part will be clean and well identified. Nothing else is accept- able. Take extra care in making the best presentation possible outside and inside the container. tell ‘em again what to expect and when to expect it”. Ÿ Double verify everything Double verify everything at the time of taking the order and restate it at the time of shipping. Ÿ Establish the rules for returns and credits For your own protection put them in writing at the time of taking the order and include a note with the product in the box. To get your parts listed before your competition can cost you money as you will have to outsource that effort. Only you can determine if that investment will bring you the return you wish. But I can tell you for sure, even if you pay for that service, and you “over promise and under deliver”, you will be promptly put at the back of the listings. And it is hard to get back up front. I know of some who have been delisted for failure to perform up to market expectations according to their listing representations. I assure you that is not what you want to have happen. So, once again, the key is to “under promise and over deliver”. You can’t over describe your part. If the saying,“a picture is worth a thou- sand words”, is true, it is absolutely true in e-commerce marketing. After all, which part would you choose, one from a written description, or one you can see? In e-commerce marketing, your fin- gers may do the talking, but your eyes will make the purchasing decisions. Ÿ Follow up immediately after Describe parts clearly Confirm, reconfirm, communicate when the part has been shipped, and fol- low up after the order has been deliv- ered. taking an order A Little “Outside of the Yard” Thinking “Under promise and over deliver! That is the absolute number one way to achieve success through e-Commerce marketing.