Bidding For Buyers---Lessons From The Auction Block
If you think that E-bay has nothing to teach you, think again. It
doesn’t matter much that you aren’t in the auction business and
that your website is entirely different in scope. What matters is
that the first place phenomenon of the Internet Revolution is
E-bay. Its evolution is not just as a profitable e-business but a
new culture of society. The lessons learned at E-bay might just
get you off the surfboard and onto that ship you have been waiting
to come in. This on-the-edge idea broke ground out of a humble
Silicon Valley apartment into a reality model of more than 10
million registered users and sales to the tune of more than $100 a
nano-second. In other words, while you spent ten seconds reading
this sentence, they sold $1000 worth of merchandise. Yes, E-bay
has something to teach us all. For within their model are lessons
you can learn and adopt in your own business, no matter what your
business is.
Practicality dictates a certain model in order for entrepreneurs to
achieve success. Until, of course, a titan in thinking comes along
to blow that model to kingdom come and put in it’s place a new
paradigm of thinking. Enter E-bay. Enter the non-conventional.
But enter, ready to learn.
The Courage of Ideas-
E-bay started out as an idea in the brain of someone not so
different than you. One man, in an apartment got a creative
inspiration that he turned into the biggest reality of success the
Internet has yet to see. What does this tell us? That it can
happen to you. I’m sure that the idea had its obstacles to
overcome before it ever arrived at its current glory, but through
persistence became real. Ideas have power once we fuel them.
Believe in the future of your ideas and surround yourself with
people that can support and nuture that belief.
The Journey With Out A Roadmap
Some business journey’s are not by the book, complete with business
plan and a clear vision of its destination. Many ideas evolve,
change, and grow through continued inspiration and perspiration.
This isn’t to say that the business plan is not important,
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but
rather that flexibility is. Be ready to take a new road when the
one you’re started down is not achieving your vision. Realize that
this is the evolution of an inspired idea.
Taking the Old, and Incorporating The New
Be prepared to blend both new E-commerce ideas with old
tried-and-true principles for a net result that will equal success.
Don’t banish all of one theory for another, but rather mix what
works. Affiliate programs with established marketing plans,
advertising venues with email, etc. Be courageous, but wise.
>From Business to Community
Create a place that others will talk about. It is the nature of
people to want to gather, so create a gathering place for people to
share ideas, make the deal, and communicate. The dynamics of the
Internet is in its community and E-bay saw the value of this and
became not just a community, but a society of it’s own.
Body Parts Are Not For Sale—Making Good with Bad Times
While E-bay got press over body parts that were put on it’s site
for sale, it wasn’t all bad. Yes, they obviously pulled these
auctions from the site once it came to their attention, but the
press it created did not hurt E-bay. In fact, it solidified them
as THE online community of our time. The place to be, to go, to
bookmark, and return. It drove more people to the site. The
lesson? Make good with bad times. Weather the situation, but
create an event.
Evolving Forward
Remember above all that change is what creates a forward moving,
successful business. Never stay stagnant. Be aware of consumer’s
tastes, the change of trends in behavior, and constantly evolve
your plan.
E-bay was an idea. We all have them. The question is what will you
do with the next one that pops into your head? You know the
potential now, and if you doubt it, visit E-bay to become
convinced.
About the Author
Jerome Chapman has proven his own credibility to his clients
through numerous successful businesses and some of the most
compelling e-books about marketing on the web. Visit his web site at http://www.1HourWealth.com/ebay.
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