Ready to make some money this holiday season? Then grab a glass of lemonade and sit down to read this post. Because what you’re about to read will be key to your holiday income success.

Starting on July 5th, with the kick-off of the back-to-school shopping season, the countdown begins to 2010 holiday sales. There are  almost 9 weeks from July 1st to September 1st, when 38% of online shoppers will begin their holiday shopping.

If you wait until Fall to starting thinking about and preparing for the holidays, you’ll find yourself in catch up mode from September to December, and as a result leave a lot of holiday money on the table.

Preparing begins with the actions you take in July.

Every year at this time, I begin helping people prepare for holiday sales.

Unfortunately not enough people take action early on. And there’s nothing worse than rounding the holiday bend in November and watching sadly as your holiday sales slip by.

Don’t let this happen to you! The time is now…

To get you started, I’ve listed some of the holiday prep steps you’ll take this year:

• Creating a holiday inventory list
• Choosing your affiliate products & signing up for the programs
• Creating a holiday marketing plan
• Ordering last-minute inventory
• Organizing your physical products
• Snapping up packaging supplies on the cheap
• Creating holiday advertising graphics
• Planning your website and blog “seasonal decor”
• Creating holiday gift sets
• Setting up your holiday blog/ sales pages if you are an affiliate marketer
• Setting up your email marketing campaign
• Bringing in seasonal help

Now if the thought of putting together a plan for the holiday selling season feels overwhelming to you and you’re wondering how you’re going to find time to add yet another thing to your already overloaded schedule, there’s relief in site.

With 15 holiday selling seasons under my belt (whew!)  – 7 offline & 8 online!  I have the planning and action steps for holiday income success down to a science. Stay tuned, for the upcoming announcement about this year’s Holiday Selling Guide.

If you want to be the first in line to plan your holiday sales, enter your name and email address below for early bird notification:

-Lisa

If you sell physical products, affiliate products or information products, you’re on the brink of the next big online selling season – back-to-school.

Even though many people are just getting into the swing of summer fun, those who have children attending school or who are attending school themselves are already starting their back to school shopping.

To see how back-to-school sales trend, you’ll need to use one of my top research tools Google Insights. You can see by the chart below that searches for the keywords “back to school” are already trending upward:

Teachers prepping the classroom are looking for ideas for their classroom bulletin boards and starting to buy classroom supplies.

And keep in mind that in many parts of the U.S., school starts in late August. So if you sell any merchandise related to back to school purchases, it’s time to get it listed now!

If you’re an affiliate marketer, your back-to-school affiliate sites should be up and running.

If your blog covers parenting topics, school related topics, fashion, technology, accessories etc. you should be reviewing and promoting  back-to-school affiliate products.

The back-to-school shopping season runs from July through the end of October.

July is the pre-season. August and September are in-season. October is post-season. (Post-season back-to-school shopping takes place after the kids have arrived at school, taken a look at what everyone else has/or is wearing and then head back online to round out their “must have’s”.)

That’s 4 months of heavy back-to-school related selling opportunities.

So while you may still be enjoying the summer, your business should be featuring merchandise or affiliate products that are in-demand by back-to-school shoppers.

Here are just a few of the hot products online shoppers will be looking for over the next few months:

• Laptops
• Netbooks
• Laptop cases
• Brightly patterned backpacks
• Rolling backpacks
• Sports bags
• Motorcycle boots
• Ankle bootsGirls school uniforms
• Boy’ school uniforms
• Locker gear (mirrors, shelves, decor)
• Running shoes
• Gym clothes
• Teacher supplies
• Art supplies
• Eco-friendly lunch boxes
• Eco-friendly hot mugs and thermoses
• Cosmetics
• Costume jewelry
• Watches
• Anything with a peace sign on it (clothes, jewelry, accessories)

And some hot brands…

• DV by Dolce Vita
• Dolce Vita
• GUESS
• House of Harlow
• Jessica Simpson
• Michael Antonio
• Miz Mooz
• Modern Vintage
• Nine West
• Rosegold
• Steve Madden

All this back-to-school traffic headed will also impact you if you sell non back-to-school related products as well. Once people are back inside and at the computer shopping for back-to-school supplies, they’ll also catch up on shopping for themselves.

How will you capitalize on the back-to-school shopping season?

Tell me below.

-Lisa

If you sell physical products online, the next 90 days (July – September) are key product sourcing months for your business.

Not only are there a variety of product sourcing opportunities to take advantage of  during this time, but it’s also the last chance you’ll have for  lead time when it comes to preparing your product line for holiday sales.

Whether you are sourcing products wholesale or sourcing locally, there are a number of opportunities to be aware of and to capitalize on over the next few months.

8 Ways to Successfully Source Inventory This Summer

1. Trade Shows. The best (and a must for all professional sellers or would be pros) way to source wholesale products is by attending an industry trade show. There are trade shows for every product category. The biggest benefit of attending a trade show is the ability to see hundreds of vendors exhibiting all in one place. You get to meet them, look at their products and write an inventory order during the show. The suppliers also get to know you.  Even if you don’t write an order at the show, 3 months down the road when you do call to place an order you already have a foot in the door. Making a call to say “Hi Steve, this is Jen – we spoke last July at the sporting goods show.  I’d like to place an order for the new  hockey sticks you showed me.” is a much better way to start a vendor relationship than making a cold call.

Locate all the industry trade shows here. And if you are traveling on vacation this summer, be sure to see if there is a trade show happening at your destination location.  You may be able to write off part of your trip (DISCLAIMER: Check with your accountant on this.)

2. End of season supplier specials. With the turn of season happening, now is the right time to contact your suppliers and pick up great deals on end of season merchandise. And as an online seller, you can you carry merchandise farther into the season than the brick and mortar stores do.  On the Internet people buy swimwear all year around. Take advantage of your supplier’s seasonal turns.

3. Place holiday season pre-orders. The hot holiday wholesale products sell out fast.  Call your supplier now and ask them what they expect to be their #1 selling products for the rest of the year.  Place orders now in anticipation of pre-holiday season delivery.

4. Retail resale. The back-to-school season starts in your local stores on the 5th of July. This means there will be racks and racks of saleable merchandise marked down and ripe for the picking by online sellers. Do your pricing research before you buy and then take advantage of these deals. Big box retailers are also clearing their toys shelves to make space for this year’s holiday inventory. For years I picked up Lego sets at Target at up to 70% off which I turned around and sold for a profit during the holidays. Again, you have to know your merchandise!  Not all Lego sets will sell well.  So use a tool like Terapeak to assess supply, demand and pricing potential.

5. Retail pre-sale. Your local stores are also bringing in the hot toys for the season! And while you won’t get these at a discount, if you have enough inventory capital to buy and hold, you can make a lot of money when these toys are in-demand and sold out by November. You MUST and I repeat you MUST do some trend research to find out what toys are expected to be hot this season.  Part of your job as an online seller is to know what will sell!  Want the insider tips on the latest product trends, be sure and sign up for my  free Hot Trend Alerts! newsletter. These trends don’t just cover toys, they cover all types of hot niche markets.  They also apply to affiliate marketing and information marketing!

6. Local sourcing. Yard sales, estate sales, thrift store sales abound from July-September. There is an unending supply of inventory for anyone who wants to get started selling on eBay or who is already in the business of selling unique, one of a kind items. When it comes to sourcing from yard sales and estate sales, start early and go back late. Start early for best selection then go back at the end of the day to see what can be picked up for free or purchased in bulk. Where are you going on vacation this year? What products are made/sold locally that you could stock up on and sell online? Do some research online and learn about the regional products of your destination.

7. Find suppliers who will drop ship. If you want to find suppliers who will drop ship products for you, you need to do so sooner rather than later – before supplier orders heat up! This applies especially if you have a plan to have products drop shipped over the holidays. Test out drop ship suppliers this summer, before the holiday rush starts!

8. Expand your product line with importing. If you’ve been thinking about importing products from China, using a service like the new AliExpress can help you expand your product line through importing with minimum expense and risk. Take some time to thoroughly research your importing options before your online sales ramp up in September.

As you can see, there are lots of sourcing opportunities over the next few months. Now that you know what the options are, take action! Don’t let this chance slip by.  Pick one or two of the methods I’ve outlined above  -the ones that are right for your business – and go for it!

Last week Overstock.com launched a new online marketplace “The Main Street Store” designed to attract small U.S. businesses, including minority and women owned businesses who manufacture or hand-craft their own products.

Upon learning about this marketplace I immediately liked what I saw.

My enthusiasm for this marketplace starts with the the Main Street Store mission statement issued Overstock’s CEO Patrick Byrne:

The ‘Main Street Revolution’ is a partnership between Overstock.com and small and minority-owned business owners across the United States. This initiative creates a national marketing and distribution channel for producers of consumer products by providing the opportunity to sell their products on Overstock.com and O.biz (our B2B website).

It is designed to increase the visibility of small and minority-owned businesses which currently lack exposure to national markets.

By joining our network these small businesses can reduce their supply chain costs, and open their products to a mass audience. This represents a grand opportunity for producers and consumers nationwide to participate and contribute to the national recovery effort.

There is a huge need for this type of “shopping local” marketplace in the ecommerce landscape.

And the potential for groundswell support is massive.

Much like eBay in the early days, the human factor behind what Overstock calls the “Mainstreet Revolution” has the potential to boost sales for millions of U.S. based businesses.

I once read this quote from CEO Patrick Byrne:

We tried to run it like we were building an old-fashioned billion-dollar business, not a New Economy billion-dollar business. We run the company as if there is no public market, and we are just trying to build real value.

They are providing value with the Main Street Store.  Note: In January 2010, the National Retail Federation ranked the company #2 in the U.S. for best customer service.

How to Get to Main Street

The Main Street Store can be accessed by clicking the See More tab on the main navigation bar. As the site and selection grow, I hope that the Main Street Store will be more prominently featured on the home page.

The Main Street Store can be accessed by clicking the "See More" tab on the main navigation bar.

Because the site has recently been launched, there are currently only a few thousand products listed on the site, and that’s where you come in.

Requirements to  List Products on the Main Street Store

I emailed Overstock to get the details for participation in Main Street Store and immediately heard back from  Overstock’s Aminah West on  the details of the program.

Main Street Store is open to:

• Small, U.S. based businesses with fewer than 25 employees
• Inventory can be resale products or products that you make.
• You must be set up as a legal business entity. If you need help setting your business up as a legal business, you can find out how to do that here.
• Ship via a traceable carrier like UPS, FedEx or USPS
• Provide product images to Overstocks’ specifications
• Use Overstocks inventory management tools
• Products must be made in the USA.  There are some exceptions for specialty and niche items. Resellers or distributors are not allowed on the Main Street Store.

For the full list of requirements, contact  mainstreet@overstock.com

Currently, Main Store Store offers the ability to list in the following categories:

• Jewelry
• Clothing
• Gourmet Food
• Gift Baskets
• Health & Beauty
• Home Improvement

• Pet Supplies
• Bath
• Home Decor
• Baby
• Luggage & Bags

More categories will be opening up soon.

More and more we’re seeing ecommerce marketplaces come together based on values. On the opposite end of the big box retailers, people want to shop with e-tailers who share a common vision, value and goals. As a society, we are voting with our wallet more than ever before. It’s for this reason that I hope to see the Main Street Store become a big success.

For complete details on the program, how to get started, product pay out, sales management tools, marketing tools and more, contact mainstreet@overstock.com

-Lisa

Father’s Day is June 20th and it’s an important seasonal selling holiday for online sellers.

Increased web traffic and shoppers looking for that perfect gift for dad are an opportunity to not only sell Father’s Day related merchandise but also to sell that perfect item to the gift-giver who is doing the shopping!

This means increased sales across the board!

The key to making this a great selling season is to feature in-season merchandise on your website on online store.

Whether you currently stock merchandise that will fit the Father’s Day bill, or if you plan on purchasing additional inventory, there are several selling strategies that you can use to drive up those Father’s Day sales.

10 Ways to Turn Current Inventory into Father’s Day Sales

1. Go through all your existing inventory and identify what things might be suited to the Father’s Day buyer.

Think out of the box! Father’s Day sales are not just about polo shirts and neck ties.

For example, mens electric razors are a top seller, but other types of men’s grooming kits, skincare products and accessories are hot items as well.

Look at the items you already stock and determine which ones can be positioned for Father’s Day.

2. Reposition current inventory for Father’s Day. How you can market existing items for dad? If you sell gardening supplies, instead of ” a shovel” or “a lawn mower” put together a “Father’s Day Weekend Gardener” kit with everything dad needs to enjoy a warm summer day outdoors in his new garden.

Popular kits for dad include:

• Photography
• Woodworking
• Wine and beer making
• Sewing and knitting
• Gardening

3. A great Father’s Day gift doesn’t have to be brand new. Now is the perfect time to list those vintage fishing lures. Or popular vinyl albums collecting dust in the basement. In recent years, pre-owned products have taken on an entirely new life as eco-friendly consumers like to give and receive gifts that don’t use up additional manufacturing resources.

4. A Father’s Day sale doesn’t have to be a product for dad. This is where leveraging that Father’s Day shopping traffic comes in. Once someone comes online in “gift shopping mode” they are more likely to buy something for themselves in the process. Is your store up-to-date? Are you featuring the latest merchandise? Does your merchandising reflect the current season? If not, you’re missing a big opportunity to benefit from the extra sales traffic.

5. Use the keywords” and “gifts for dads” in your marketing copy and listing titles. In the last 90 days, searches for the keywords “father’s day” have skyrocketed. After you’ve identified your father’s day inventory, you must use the keywords related to this inventory to market your products. Use Google Insights and the Google Keyword Tool to determine which keywords best represent the products you’re selling.

If you’re selling a Father’s Day related gift on eBay, you want to use the Father’s Day keywords in your listing titles.

6. Offer special services. Now is the time to offer free gift wrapping, enclose a gift card, emphasize your FAST shipping policy, and offer to ship directly to the gift’s recipient… or even run a special promotion on your merchandise or extend a free shipping option Customer service does matter and buyers do not shop on price ALONE.

They’re also looking for good customer service, trustworthy sellers and convenience. Providing value added customer services will help distinguish you from the competition and give your buyer a reason to buy from you!

Make sure that you highlight these special services in your listings – TELL your buyers how great your service is and exactly what you can do to make their lives easier and their gift buying experience better!

7. Provide a Father’s Day environment for shoppers. Now is the time to add a “Gift’s for Dad” graphic to your website. Or a picture of a father and son. Visual imagery is very important when it comes to getting shoppers in the mood to buy. Offline stores spend billions of dollars a year on seasonal decor so that when a shopper walks into the store, they’re instantly put into the mood of the season. Your online shop should do the same.

8. Help your customers recognize great Father’s Day gifts! A quick scan of your eBay listing or web page should tell your buyers not only what you are selling but why this is the perfect gift for the dad on their list.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just a simple:

“Dads love our new stainless steel grill utensil set! Give the dad on your list the joy of outdoor cooking all summer long!”

A statement like this helps to plant in your visitors mind why this is the gift that they should buy.

9. Answer questions quickly. The biggest fear an online gift shopper has is that they won’t receive the gift on time for that special occasion. Answering questions quick instill confidence in your potential customer that their gift will arrive in the same manner. Be responsive, helpful and tell your customers why your product is the right choice for them with every customer question!

10. Offer “free shipping”. Free shipping is still the #1 favored promotion by online shoppers. Don’t even make shipping a question when it comes to Father’s Day gifts – offering free shipping will make a one-click purchase an easy choice for your customers.

William Shakespeare never ran an online store, but if he’d had the opportunity, I have no doubt he could have been successful.

Why?

Because William Shakespeare understood the importance of timing…

He once wrote…

“Timing is everything. There is a tide in the affairs of men  which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.”

The same applies to your online business.

Selling successfully online means paying attention to the change in seasons, the change in what your customers are buying and making the the right changes in your business at the right time to ride the wave of momentum towards  future fortune.

In short, it’s all about timing.

Now when many people think about summer, the word vacation comes to mind. But if you’re an online entrepreneur, don’t plan on taking the entire summer off!

Because… to quote another famous saying “You snooze, you lose.”

The summer is a golden opportunity for you to make some smart moves that will set you up to make more profits the rest of the year.

11 SMART Moves to Make This Summer (to Put Sizzle in Your Sales This Year)!

1. Put the plethora of available talent to work! Throngs of teens, college students, even your own children are looking for a way to make some extra money during the summer. Summer is the perfect time to enlist the help you might otherwise not have access to all year. Your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, the neighbor kids, etc. would be thrilled to have a great summer job a few hours a week working for YOU.

The pool of qualified workers for straightforward home based business tasks mushrooms during the summer. Yet the home based business sector is the least likely to take advantage of this opportunity. And what’s ironic of course, is that home based business owners need reasonably priced labor most of all!

I  already sat down with my own kids and outlined what projects are available this summer in the business and what they’d like to do. And they’re thrilled!

NOTE:  I am not a lawyer or tax adviser. You’ll want to be sure and check the specific laws in your state when contracting children under age 18 to work for you. If you are actually going to hire a son or daughter, check with your accountant first.  And get clear on the number of hours you can bring someone in to work with you before the IRS requires you hire them as an employee.

I recommend bringing people in on a project by project basis.  i.e. photographing inventory, or organizing the office etc. If you do bring someone in to ship products a few times a week or do other tasks on an hourly basis, make sure they fill out a time sheet and that you track their time worked.  Dot every “i’ and cross every “t” but take advantage of this ideal opportunity to grow your business.

2. Snap up the sumptuous samplings of available inventory . If you sell unique one of a kind items online, the summer is your oyster. Yard sales abound, flea markets are in full swing, thrift stores are marking down their inventory.  In fact some of my clients brings in a team during the summer, just  to help them scour the city yard sales, estate sales and thrift stores several times a week.  They do 60% of their product sourcing from May – Sept.  With a team help them, they can cover 10 times the territory that they could cover on their own.

With the sunny summer weather comes the desire to clean out the house and have a yard sale.  This makes for a product sourcing cornucopia.

3. Contact suppliers for sizzling hot deals. End of season merchandise, pre-season specials, you name it!  Now’s the time to call and ask your supplier what summer deals they have available. Or take a trip and do some local product sourcing.  Heading to hot Atlanta? Visit the AmericasMart merchandise mart while you’re there.  Check with your accountant about writing off a part of the trip as a business expense.

4. Last call for holiday importing. Been thinking about importing new merchandise for the holidays? Better get the show on the road – because if you wait past mid-July it will be too late to get it in time for the holiday selling season.

5. Wave the flag and make sure your customers don’t forget you! Keep marketing!  Just because your customers are at the beach, on vacation, or enjoying the great outdoors, doesn’t mean that you should stop marketing to them.  Email marketing is still the best way to connect with your customers on a regular basis.  And people who receive emails from online retailers spend on average 138% more than than those who don’t receive emails.  Keep in mind that between Smartphones, Netbooks and iPads your customer may very well be at the beach while she is reading your email and shopping at your online store.

And make your marketing fun! Tie it to the 4th of July holiday or pick an obscure summer holiday like Bloomsday (June 16th) or Sewing Machine Day (June 13th)  or National Pink Day (June 23rd) and tie a related promotion to that.  Make it fun!  It’s summer!

6. Retail resale is real swell during the summer. Lego sets at 90% off. Wet suits discounted 60%.  Pre- back-to-school sales previews what will be the hot holiday products. It’s all there waiting for you at your local retail store. By July 5th, brick and mortar stores will be transitioning to their back-to-school inventory. You can pick up some GREAT deals in you local store and bring that inventory online for your global customer base.

Which brings me to… yep, dare I say it?   The holiday selling season!

7. Stock up now for the holiday selling season. Even though you’re wearing a bathing suit and sitting by the lake, your need to spend some time thinking, planning and sourcing for the holiday season. If you’ve been tracking the trends for 2010 in your category, you should already have an idea of what will be hot in  your category for Christmas. And for some categories, especially the toy category, NOW is the time to head to your local retail store and stock up on those hot sellers you can’t get from a wholesaler.

8. Sit under a tree, envision and plan. Did you know that envisioning what you want your business to look like, then planning it out on paper will make you money? In fact, without a vision and a plan, I can guarantee you won’t hit your goals. Next time you’re sitting under a tree, don’t just watch the grass grow.  Take a few of those summer days and purposefully get away from you desk, pack a lunch and head to the park to work.

Bring a notebook, a pen and let your mind flow.  Think about your business. What you from it.  What you want your day and your life to look like. Let all the creative business ideas you have in the back of your head come flooding back into your consciousness.  And let them flow onto the paper. By the time you’re done, you’ll have numerous profit generating ideas documented, a mind that’s clean and clear – ready for NEW ideas to grow and the empowering feeling of knowing that you are in charge of your business as the CEO, rather than beinghe business every day.

9. Clean sweep your product line. Throw open the windows, let the sun shine in and dig in to those boxes of inventory that need to be listed an sold! Have anything that will sell on Amazon? Box it up and ship it to Amazon FBA.  Let them handle the packing, shipping, customer service and while you spend your time being the CEO of your company with a focus on growth, marketing and bringing in new inventory.

10. Get organized! There is a direct relationship between the amount of clutter you have and the amount of income you can make. Over the years, I’ve consulted with many types of  clients – those who are neat as a pin and those work work in a “lived in” office.  And I’ve never once have a worked with a client whose income didn’t improve when they cleared out the clutter!

While you’re clean sweeping your product line, it’s a perfect time to clear out the clutter. It’s also a opportunity to hire a  Neat Nellie teen and let them have at it.  (And for those who think such a bird does not exist, I’ve had three of my 13 year old son’s friends beg me to come help with my organizational projects this summer because they “love to organize”.  (PS: So far it’s all been girls who have offered.)

Buy shelves, label your inventory, take inventory! and put it in a spreadsheet. Get your paperwork filed.  If you haven’t filed your tax returns yet, find the forms and finally get that refund.

11. Implement One New Thing In Your Business You’ve Never Done Before. There’s something about the summer sun (maybe all that Vitamin D?) that brings out the adventuresome spirit in us. A vacation spot you’ve never been to before, a taste of an exotic summer fruit, maybe a spin around the lake on a Seadoo or camping out under the summer stars…

Why not apply your adventuresome  summer spirit to your business and challenge yourself to implement something different in your business over the summer.  Maybe it’s a trek into video, testing a new product line, creating a Facebook Fan Page. Maybe it’s sending out your first email marketing campaign!

In fact, I’ll even go one better – I’ll put out a challenge to everyone  – implement something new in your business this summer and then come back to this post and tell me what you did!  The winner will get something cool.

Sales Happen When Preparation Meets Opportunity

There’s a Chinese Proverb that says “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.”

The same is true of your sales.  If you use the dogs days of summer like one smart puppy and do a little every day to to get ahead of your competition. Come fall, when everyone wakes up out of the summer haze realizing that the biggest selling season of the year is right in front of them, and they’re not prepared… you’ll be sitting in your nice clean office, watching your products sell, calm and relaxed and excited about your sales figures this year…

Now that’s a long cool drink of lemonade!

-Lisa

PS: If you make a plan and do a bit every day, you’ll be able to put the sizzle in your sales and still have plenty of time to enjoy your summer!

You may think that the “holiday selling season” runs November-December, but take a look below and you’ll be surprised at all the selling opportunities you have for your online business coming up in the next few months. No matter what you sell or where you sell it, capitalizing on these HOT spring and summer selling seasons can make a huge difference in your income during the 2nd quarter of the year! From April to June there are 11 different selling holidays that you’ll want to ramp up for! Miss these and you’ll leave money on the table…

April

April may be the kickoff to spring, but in the world of online sales, there’s a whole lot of shopping goin’ on!

• Bathing suit season: It’s still too chilly to wear them but sales of bathing suits are skyrocketing now.  In fact, shoppers who wait much past May will find that all the best selection is gone! If you sell beachwear, it’s time to get it on your store homepage
• Prom wear: Online searches for prom wear are on the rise this month. Even though most proms don’ t happen until late May or early June, prom wear sales are increasing quickly with online searches up 60-80% from last month according to Google Insights
• Wedding season: Wedding season is in full swing as we approach June, one of the biggest wedding months of the year!
• April 4th: Easter: Easter is April 4th.  And there is still time to make last minute sales. According to BIGResearch the average amount Easter shoppers are expected to spend is $118.60, slightly up from the 2009 average of $116.59.
• April 22nd: Earth Day: Earth Day is April 22nd and sales of eco-friendly and green products abound during this time.  Don’t just look to sell traditionally “green” products. Look for the green in everything you sell. A bicycle is not only for entertainment and exercise, it is an eco-friendly way for your customers to commute to work or around town.

May

But that’s not all people are buying…

Bathing suit, prom wear and wedding season continue, but Mom boosts the sales this month!

• Sales of summer products ramp sharply in May (and June): Products for outdoor activities, clothing and outdoor living products for the home.  Don’t wait until June to feature these in your store or you’ll lose a lot of sales!
• May 4th: National Teachers Day. A week long celebration honoring teachers, if you sell gifts and decorative accessories your store should have a promotion around National Teacher’s Day.
• May 9th: Mother’s Day:  Mother’s Day is one of the biggest spending holidays of the year. Because it’s not just about buying a gift for your mom… there are grandmas, aunts, nieces, friends, co-workers and friends who are like a mom, who will all be getting gifts on this holiday too.  Recognize all the moms in your store promotions and you’re sure to increase sales!
• May 31st: Memorial Day: It vacation time, camping time, fun in the summer time and your last chance to make big inroads in summer product sales!

June

• June: Graduation. Grade school, middle-school, high-school, college and technical college – sales of graduation gifts increase in May and June! And don’t forget the little ones!  Pre-school graduation parties are all the rage.  What do you sell that would make a perfect gift for the graduate?
• June 20th: Father’s Day: Dad doesn’t fare quite as well as mom when it comes to Father’s Day spending but Father’s Day gift shoppers will be out in full force. Put together a Top 10 Father’s Day gift list and watch your sales of those products soar!
• June: 4th of July products: Remember the majority of product sales happen in advance of the holiday, so if you wait until July to pull out the red,white and blue – you’ve just lost sales to the savvy seller who merchandised their 4th of July products in June.  So get those 4th of July products out early, so your inventory is sold out come July.

As you can see there’s a whole lot of selling you can do from April through June! So it’s time to get out there and capitalize on these spring and summer holiday selling seasons. Looking for creative ideas on how to merchandise your products or source products for these selling seasons?  You’ll find them in the WhatDoISell Business Growth Center!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and today is the day to start implementing some highly specialized pre-Thanksgiving selling strategies.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when selling during the holiday season is that they treat the entire holiday season as one big, long promotion.  But blaring the “Christmas event” message over and over again is the same as listening to a CD track that’s stuck on repeat.

After a while your customers just tune it out.  I talk about this in my 2009 Holiday Season Checklist.

The solution to this is to hold several different “events” in your online store or on your website throughout the holiday season.

Time-limited, topic focused events such as a pre-Thanksgiving event designed to inspire your customers to take action and make their purchase before the post- Thanksgiving holiday rush.

In the busy weeks before Thanksgiving, there are several ways you can catch your customer’s eye, and boost your sales…

5 Pre-Thanksgiving Tips to Boost Your Online Holiday Sales

Offer a Deal-of-the-Day. Deal of the day sites have become very popular.  Sites like Woot, eBay & Amazon all sell crazy amounts of products through their daily deal programs.  And while you may not have the depth of inventory to blow out hundreds of units of products or discount below wholesale costs, you can adapt the deal-of-the-day concept.

Send out an email marketing newsletter and include a deal-of-the day (or a 48 hour or 72 special if that works better for you. If you sell on eBay, use your custom eBay Stores Promotion Box to promote a deal-of-the-day.

Use the main real-estate on your website to promote the deal-of-the-day so your customers see it immediately upon landing on your home page.

Make Free Shipping a Timed Event. There’s no doubt about it, free shipping is hot & a #1 priority with consumers.  But that doesn’t mean you should put Free Shipping on all your products all the time. The most effective Free Shipping campaigns are those that are tied to an event.  Such as “Free Shipping on all orders placed before Thanksgiving.” or “Free Shipping on all orders over $100.

Make your Free Shipping events fun and creative!  Sell your Free Shipping & make it engaging…   For example, a pre-Thanksgiving shipping event may advertise “Get a Jump on Your Holiday Shopping  (and the Shipping is Gravy)” combined with a graphic for a pre-Thanksgiving sale.  Put a time limit on your free shipping event and end it on Thanksgiving night.  Start a new even the next day (on Black Friday) This makes the buying experience fun and engaging for your customers.

Everybody is yelling Free Shipping this year.  By using a timed shipping event, you again will inspire your customers to take action now.

Be Transparent About Scarcity. Have you ever shopped for an item that was hard to find? Low on stock? High on demand? Do you remember how you felt (and what you did) when the sales person told you “Only 1 left.” If you’re like most people, upon hearing the words “Only1 left” you snapped up your desired item.

Your customers feel the same way. Yet most people will never tell their customers that they are running low on stock until they run out. If you’re getting low on some best selling inventory, let your customers know:

“Only 1 left in stock!”

“Our best selling sweaters that sell out every year.  Only 5 remain.”

“Grab this year’s top toy.  10 in stock, gift wrapped and ready to ship today.”

Look at it this way – your potential customer has arrived on your website.  They see the toy they want.  They know it’s a top toy for the season.  You have 10 left, they’re pre-gift wrapped and ready to ship today.  Why would your customer go anywhere else? Make your offer compelling and be transparent if you have hot holiday products that are selling out.

Offer a Post-Thanksgiving Coupon Incentive. Every order you ship out this week should contain a holiday coupon with a post-Thanksgiving coupon incentive.

Think of it from your customer’s perspective. They’ve made a purchase from you this week, their item arrives shortly before or immediately after Thanksgiving.  They are in full-shopping-mode. They’re delighted with their purchase and your customer service.  In the box, they see a holiday themed coupon good for 20% off their next order when placed before December 10th (or any date that you pick). It’s at this “Point of Reconnection” (something I teach about in the Business Center at WhatDoISell.) that you can have your greatest impact.

Ok let’s shift gears a bit and talk about how you can boost your online sales with some hot new inventory.

Granted it’s too late to order holiday inventory from your suppliers.  In fact I strongly caution you against it at this point – because most suppliers are out of their hot products for the season and even if they promise delivery in time for Christmas, most often orders get delayed due to things beyond their control.

So how do you get the hot holiday inventory?

Let’s move to tip #5…

Take Advantage of Retail Resale™ Opportunities. I love Retail Resale. In fact when I first start my ecommerce business back in 2002, I started selling by products I’d sourced through retail channels.  I used to get name brand children’s shoes on sale locally and turn them around for a 60% profit.  In fact one Christmas, I’d pegged a pair of Elefanten patent leather boots as the rage for  little girls that year.  I knew they were selling like hotcakes all over the web – so I did a bit of driving, bought several pairs in various sizes and made a quick & easy $800 profit.

BTW, Retail Resale™ is a term I coined several years ago to describe this process of buying merchandise from retail stores and reselling it on your own web properties. Retail Resale™ is not a long term sustainable business model for a full-time business owner, but it is a great way to generate some S.T.E.P.s™ (Short Term Ecommerce Profits™) or to source hot products that you can’t get anywhere else.

You can’t buy XBox Consoles wholesale from Microsoft, but you can pick up some special holiday console builds retail and turn those around on eBay for a nice profit.

Retail Resale™ is perfect for online sellers who don’t have a lot of holiday inventory.  Or for those that just want to create an additional stream of income during the holidays.

And here’s the great part – you can take advantage of all the pre-Thanksgiving sales, along with the Black Friday sales to get terrific deals on products you will then be able to sell to your global base of customers.

Pick One and Go For It!

Even if you choose only one of these 5 tips and implement it, you’ll be ahead of the game. Making money during the holidays is about taking action, not making it perfect.

Which of these 5 strategies are you going to implement today?

It’s November 3rd!  And we are NOW in the holiday selling season homestretch.

This is my 16th holiday selling season (online AND offline!) and so my body automatically jumps into “sprint mode” for the remaining two months of  the year.

I love the extra burst of energy I get this time of year!

So let’s get busy!  LOL!

Seriously though – if you sell products online, this IS showtime!

And things can get hectic for even the most seasoned online sellers this time of year…

Which is why I want you to know that I am here EVERY step of the way for YOU this holiday season – helping you navigate smoothly through this time of increased sales, more customer service questions and LOTS of wrapping, packing and shipping!

To do this – you & I will need a communication plan for the next 50 days (until December 22…)

1. Twitter. During the next 50 days I’m going to be the second pair of eyes on your business.

I’ll be sending out daily reminders of things you need to think about  BEFORE they need to be implemented.

I’ll help keep you on track – so YOU can focus on your sales and your customers.

To get these daily tips and reminders, you’ll need to follow me on Twitter.

I’ll be Tweeting several times a day with your key business reminders, as well as Hot Trend Alerts, holiday marketing tips, and ideas for making some S.T.E.P.s (Short Term Ecommerce Profits tm) this season.

2. The WhatDoISell.com Discussion Forum. If you have an issue/question/strategy that you need my input on, the best (and quickest) way to reach me is in my private Discussi on Forum.  I’m in there weekly, along with several  of our experienced and sage sellers who will be your resource, your inspiration, and your holiday selling network.

NOTE: The current trial membership offer ends November 12th.  For good!  (You won’t see a trial offered at this price again.)

Alright gang!  This is it.  Let’s rock-n-roll and get this holiday selling party goin’!

PS:  I forgot to mention – I’m NOT going to overwhelm you with “things to do”!

No! This is all about being a lean, efficient, holiday selling machine.  AND having time for your family and YOUR OWN holidays.

Your Partner in Online Holiday Selling Success,

Lisa Suttora

I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas Day in the morning.

And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day?
And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas Day in the morning?

The Amazon Ship

Amazon and eBay released their 3rd quarter earnings this week and as expected,  Amazon continued its tear on the ecommerce charts:

With sales up 28% year over year, a 23% growth rate  in North America,  98 million active buyers (up 17% from last year!) – and 31% of all units sold sold by third party sellers (that’s you and me!) there’s no doubt that Amazon has hit upon the business model that resonates with today’s online shopper.

Amazon’s ship is clearly coming in this Christmas.

The eBay Ship

While eBay’s ship didn’t exactly stall in the water – it did sail through Q3 at a much slower pace than Amazon. There was some positive wind in eBay’s overall sales in the 3rd quarter of 2009.  And eBay’s active user base was only up 2% year over year.

But for  sellers, one thing is for sure when it comes to reading the eBay numbers.  Profitability on eBay all depends on what you sell and what category you sell in…

Your Ship

So what does this mean for your ‘Christmas Ship’?

Ultimately it doesn’t matter whether Amazon is doing great or eBay is dead in the water – what matters is what’s happening in your business.

Amazon can be up 28%, but if you’re not selling there, those numbers don’t impact your income.

eBay can be down 1% but if you’re niche market on eBay  is up 12%, these are the numbers that matter to YOU.

On any given day, I’ll talk to 10 sellers and get 10 different responses as to whether eBay is slow and Amazon is hot.  It usually runs about 50/50.

50% of the people who list on eBay are doing well.  50% are not.

50% of the people who sell on Amazon are doing great.  50% haven’t started selling there yet.

Last week I sold an item on eBay within 3 days. Another item I thought for sure would sell is still listed. Amazon sent me two emails telling me that I product I used to sell there (but am now out of stock on) has buyer interest. Unfortunately I can’t get the item back in stock right now.

So does that mean that eBay is great for me and Amazon is not?  No.  It just means that this week I made more money on eBay than Amazon.

Next week could be different.

And that’s exactly what it means for your business too.

Until the day that YOUR eBay sales slow to the point of no return despite your best marketing efforts – if you are making money on eBay in your category, it doesn’t matter what the other categories are doing.  Now I’m not saying you should stick your head in the sand and ignore market trends. Or traffic trends. Or consumer sentiment towards a marketplace. Or eBay fees etc.

But if you’re making money on eBay and “Bob” is not, don’t let Bob color your viewpoint about your businesses’ potential on eBay. Conversely, if you’re not making any money on eBay and it is because your market is not there anymore, then you either need to find a new market/product that IS strong on eBay OR find another marketplace where there’s a demand for your product.

In 2004 when I started  mentoring online sellers at WhatDoISell.com we were 100% focused on eBay.  Today we have customers who sell  in 11 different countries  and in more than 1700 niche markets across dozens of different venues (including from their own website).

If I had continued to focus solely on selling on eBay – I’d be in a very different place right now.

Amazon is doing great yes – but I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve met who haven’t started selling there yet!  People who had been planning to sell there this holiday season and never got around to setting up shop there. People who won’t benefit from Amazon’s bountiful Christmas sales.

For those people, they won’t make money from Amazon’s 28% sales increase.

So you must ask yourself…

What’s happening with my ship this holiday season?  Because whether or not your ship comes in is up to you.  It’s steered and powered by your choices and your actions.

People have been asking me all week – “Do you think eBay will do well this holiday season?  Do you think Amazon will do well.”

My answer to them is…

I can give you an analysis on the marketplaces, but what I’d really like to talk to you about is what’s going on in your business.”