Question:
This is the one I can’t easily answer publicly… But then you don’t.
I apologize–I misread "can’t" as "can," hence my confusion there. Deborah Stevenson
Response:
Right now you’re talking about the wonders of your pig, which is conveniently hidden in a poke, in such vague terms that you won’t even be specific as to whether or not the thing has hocks. This leads to the strong suspicion that it’s at its best when it has a bag over it.
Wheeeeeee!!! A gem. Mac
Response:
Right now you’re talking about the wonders of your pig, which is conveniently hidden in a poke, in such vague terms that you won’t even be specific as to whether or not the thing has hocks. This leads to the strong suspicion that it’s at its best when it has a bag over it. Wheeeeeee!!! A gem. Mac
The key problem then becomes one of separating useful adjuncts towards whole body porcine cleanliness from the total hogwash. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com
Response:
deborah, if you can find my posting with the case study I pose regarding the jeweler and diamond necklace sale — i’d be very interested in your response to the questions I posed…. thanks again.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For discussion purposes, let’s say that a seller is selling a diamond necklace and the seller clearly explains in THEIR AUCTION DESCRIPTION that the seller will have an independent certified jeweler contact the buyer to offer a free and unbiased appraisal of the necklace. At the end of the auction, the seller sends the buyer’s email address to the jeweler in question and the jeweler contacts the buyer BY EMAIL saying the jeweler has been in business for 50 years, and is prepared to review the diamond necklace as outlined in the transaction, etc, etc…. First question: Is the jeweler’s email directly related to the transaction in question? I would believe YES. If I am correct — the second question: Within the email, the jeweler adds a tag line saying that if the buyer would like, they can be added to the jeweler’s email newsletter which highlights average selling prices for diamonds sold on ebay. Is the Jeweler acting appropriately in offering the email newsletter? Or is all this just spam?
Yes. There’s no relief from eBay’s spam policy, just because there’s a mention in the listing that they may be contacted by someone else. That very mention could be construed by eBay as a conduit towards off eBay sales. I wouldn’t trust, for a minute, some "outside jeweler" contacting me about the auction and/or the item, due to obviously having a vested interest in the outcome of the auction. In your example of a diamond, a serious buyer would ask the seller (during the auction) if the item could be returned if *his own* jeweler’s appraisal did not match the auction’s description. Note that eBay says you need *their* consent to disclose personally identifiable information to anyone else. This would apply to sellers giving information to you, and to your use of the information. http://pages.ebay.com/help/index_popup.html?policies=privacy-policy.h… ruse In addition, under no circumstances, except as defined in this section, can you disclose personally identifiable information about another user to any third party without our consent and the consent of such other user after adequate disclosure Fred suggested you contact eBay’s legal department for their opinion; heed his good advice. Kris
Response:
But I thank you for your comment — it helps us recognize that we need to more clearly highlight the doule opt-in requirement we follow and to emphasize the highly targeted seller/buyer messaging we offer. Interesting language. The only people I’ve ever heard use the term "double opt-in" are spammers.
Now I know what that President of ours is — a SPAMMER according to Ty! White House E-mail Updates FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) … Q: What is a double opt-in process? A: To protect your privacy, the White House Web site uses a two step, "double opt-in," process. … enough said?
Response:
I’m intrigued by the emotional response that everyone seems to have to the idea of email marketing as indicated below. I wonder if everyone would feel the same if the program was re-labeled as "loyalty marketing"? I’m not angry or upset, just amazed… in any case, look to the bottom of this posting and give me your thoughts on the case study I pose… If I ever get =any= email from someone I’ve bought from or sold to on eBay which is not directly related to the transaction in question, it’s unsolicited commercial email (read SPAM), period. Any such email communications, including any offer to be added to a mailing list or to look at the sellers other auctions, will be reported to eBay’s Safe Harbor, SpamCopped and I’ll also do my level best to directly miscreant’s email chain in an attempt to have his access yanked. Does this fit in with your plans?
First — my answer to the above question: yes, yes and double yes…. The central question everyone seems to be dancing around is HOW one defines an email as being "directly related to the transaction in question"? For discussion purposes, let’s say that a seller is selling a diamond necklace and the seller clearly explains in THEIR AUCTION DESCRIPTION that the seller will have an independent certified jeweler contact the buyer to offer a free and unbiased appraisal of the necklace. At the end of the auction, the seller sends the buyer’s email address to the jeweler in question and the jeweler contacts the buyer BY EMAIL saying the jeweler has been in business for 50 years, and is prepared to review the diamond necklace as outlined in the transaction, etc, etc…. First question: Is the jeweler’s email directly related to the transaction in question? I would believe YES. If I am correct — the second question: Within the email, the jeweler adds a tag line saying that if the buyer would like, they can be added to the jeweler’s email newsletter which highlights average selling prices for diamonds sold on ebay. Is the Jeweler acting appropriately in offering the email newsletter? Or is all this just spam? By the way, this IS NOT the service we are going to offer, but the basic premise of tying a valuable service into the auction transaction and using email communications remains the same. Consider this a CASE STUDY only.
Response:
RFM — a database marketing term meaning Recency, Frequency and Monetary value. Those are the three most important elements that predict likelyhood of repeat purchases.
To those who can’t grasp it any other way, TarheelLaw is offering a product designed to help the people who want to treat ebaY as a business, including maximizing all possible profit centers. Their product is not designed for those who approach ebaY as a half-hearted income concept. To TarheelLaw: No matter how thoroughly you feel you’ve investigated the legalities and technicalities of your idea, no matter how clearly you think you’ve read ebaY policy on spamming, you’ll save everyone involved a lot of potential grief if you run your detailed beta concept by the legal department of ebaY, and get an official OK from the top, before you use it to send anyone the first email. That way, when it gets shot down by the first safe harbor flunky who half-reads an email, and NARUs an account that someone is using for their livelihood, you’ll be able to get an immediate reinstatement by showing them a prior approval from their superiors. An ebaY ID and the permission to sell there can be an incredibly valuable commodity, like a liquor or pawnbroker’s license, and any lawyer who risks that on behalf of someone who wants to get $75 for an item instead of $60 has a first-class fool for a client. — The hot sun spilled through the open blinds like tapioca pudding through a two year old.
Response:
If I ever get =any= email from someone I’ve bought from or sold to on eBay which is not directly related to the transaction in question, it’s unsolicited commercial email (read SPAM), period. Any such email communications, including any offer to be added to a mailing list or to look at the sellers other auctions, will be reported to eBay’s Safe Harbor, SpamCopped and I’ll also do my level best to directly miscreant’s email chain in an attempt to have his access yanked.
Don’t forget the spammer’s website host in your netcopping list. — Ty Who is mostly just a slightly skewed Donna Reed This address is white-listed. Mail sent to it may bounce back to the sender.
Response:
Additionally, our service is responsible for gaining opt-in permission to send the email. How do you get opt-in permission without emailing people who haven’t provided permission to do so? Deborah Stevenson
What Deborah said. Kris
Response:
Certainly we are not a spam service — just the opposite. The service establishes a fine-tuned marketing program — targeted ONLY to a seller’s best customers only. We are believers in one-on-one marketing….
If I ever get =any= email from someone I’ve bought from or sold to on eBay which is not directly related to the transaction in question, it’s unsolicited commercial email (read SPAM), period. Any such email communications, including any offer to be added to a mailing list or to look at the sellers other auctions, will be reported to eBay’s Safe Harbor, SpamCopped and I’ll also do my level best to directly miscreant’s email chain in an attempt to have his access yanked. Does this fit in with your plans?
Response:
Deborah… I’ve answered some points below — but as you point out, I am not releasing enough specifics. I recognize that, and it is quite on purpose since I do not want to publicly release the essence of the service. I’d be glad to send you a more detailed description with your permission. So far, I have had a handful of sellers give private feedback on the overview, and that feedback has been immensely helpful to me — and I would say they think we have something worth pursuing. I hope this was not an inappropriate forum to ask for private advice, but please forgive me if it was. more comments below… I think your are exactly on point regarding a "legitimate" auction communication being the appropriate vehicle for gaining opt-in premission. We think we have that. You can’t have that unless it’s your auction. Since you’re marketing to other sellers, you’re not talking about your auctions. Therefore there’s already an important step that you *can’t* do for your prospective customers, and that’s obtaining the initial permissions for the names on the list. Basically, you’ll have to stake your status with your ISP on the sellers’ accurate reporting of permission. You can’t make your own list.
we think we have this one covered — and within the parameters of most market venue guidelines — just not comfortable releasing the details publicly. But by no means are we suggesting that our service, or any other service, should substitute for a seller’s own efforts to gain opt-in permission. Nor are we suggesting that the seller NOT to conduct their own ongoing email campaign. We would suggest they should do that and more. Except your "more" is just more email–you’re not marketing a multimedia promotional service, or radio spots, or the other things you mentioned, after all. What about your email would be better than the seller’s email?
there is a financial pay-off for the buyer in reading our email that goes beyond anything that we have seen in the market to date. I understand the skepticism, but I think we can offer something compelling to the buyer in the email that gives them a reason to return to the seller’s listings. As more and more sellers compete on ebay, the key will be providing a reason for the buyer to return to a seller over and over again. That’s one thing we are trying to solve. The broader question for a seller should not be "How do I LIMIT my marketing efforts to my best customers?" but rather "How do I maximize my marketing efforts to my best customers?" The broader question for your project, however, is "What specific gains would a seller obtain from this service that wouldn’t be obtained through independent efforts, and are they worth the cost?"
Yes, very accurate question and one we feel comfortable answering — in private. Without going into the "how," we think our benefits to the seller are creating an incentive for their buyer to 1) bid higher than they might otherwise or buy using BIN; and 2) also have that "high paying" buyer return to the seller’s listings to consider the seller’s listings before any others. You’ve been quite communicative in your posts, but the communications have been rather devoid of such specifics as would answer that question.
I’m really sorry. I can sense the frustration, but it seems prudent to not publicly disclose yet. Maximize does NOT mean bomarding them with marketing messages — it means targeting the right buyer with the most appropriate message at the right time to drive repeat business. Okay. What specific methodology do you employ to determine "right buyer," "appropriate message," and "right time"? What do you have that demonstrates a better return from this method over, say, monthly mailings to opted-in customers about the seller’s regular 50% sale?
Right buyer = those buyers winning above a final price (as chosen by the seller) or those buying at the BIN price. Auction prices can vary from 10-25% for the same item — we are focusing only on the "high" end buyers of that list. Appropriate message = come back to the seller’s listings and receive a financial benefit if you purchase again. Sorry, thats about as much detail as I’d like to release publicly. Right time: RFM — a database marketing term meaning Recency, Frequency and Monetary value. Those are the three most important elements that predict likelyhood of repeat purchases. Buyers are more likely to purchase from you again if you make COMPELLING additional offers within 30 days of the first sale. That is a key window — and should be pursued by sellers. Frequency: the probability of a buyers purchasing from you a third time is far greater than the probability of a second purchase, the probablitily of a fourth purchase is even higher than a third and so on — REPEAT purchases beget repeate purchases — its that SECOND sale that is the mountain to climb! Our program focuses on the Recency and Frequency portions of RFM — in an auction, the M is really up to the buyer. Then again, with all due respect, I could flip your arguement around regarding eBay itself — why shouldn’t you as a seller just post your own auctions at your own web site and say the "hell" with eBay? Because there are more people on eBay, and they’re there to buy. How does your email deliver more people than eBay does?
we don’t — we don’t focus on volume at all, we focus on the highest price buyers for a selelr. Think of the airlines — they fly MILLIONS of people around the world, but just 2% of their flyers who reach Platinum level account for something like 80% of their profitablity (lol, maybe a bad example given the state of the airline business — but you get the gist). We have a service that offers real value to a seller. But you’re still not stating specifically what it actually *is*. So far it seems to be a service that will email some, but not all, customers who have indicated interest in a seller’s products. There’s no added value in that. If there’s more to it, you need to explain in concrete terms what actually it does; so far the absence of concrete terms suggests that that may indeed be the limit.
This is the one I can’t easily answer publicly… i think we do have real concrete value — but please understand my hesitancy to release things so publicly. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Deborah Stevenson
Response:
Deborah… I’ve answered some points below — but as you point out, I am not releasing enough specifics. I recognize that, and it is quite on purpose since I do not want to publicly release the essence of the service. I’d be glad to send you a more detailed description with your permission.
I’d be happy to permit it, with the understanding that I will share anything of that description I see fit with this group. There are plenty of specifics you can provide without endangering the uniqueness of your product (success rates, or what information the seller is required to provide), yet you’re not willing to. I also don’t think you’re realizing one particular irony: you’re not communicating well enough to sell this product, but you’re wanting people to entrust you with selling theirs. Right now you’re talking about the wonders of your pig, which is conveniently hidden in a poke, in such vague terms that you won’t even be specific as to whether or not the thing has hocks. This leads to the strong suspicion that it’s at its best when it has a bag over it. we think we have this one covered — and within the parameters of most market venue guidelines — just not comfortable releasing the details publicly.
"Market venue guidelines" suggests strongly that you’re going to spam, and argue that it’s not spam. The broader question for your project, however, is "What specific gains would a seller obtain from this service that wouldn’t be obtained through independent efforts, and are they worth the cost?" Yes, very accurate question and one we feel comfortable answering — in private.
And I feel comfortable saying that reputable concerns don’t refuse to publicly explain how they’re achieving the advantages they publicly tout. You’ve made the claims here, and you need to back them up here. I’m really sorry. I can sense the frustration, but it seems prudent to not publicly disclose yet.
Unfortunately, such prudence is a common hallmark of scams as well, so your restraint ends up casting doubt on the validity of your product. Okay. What specific methodology do you employ to determine "right buyer," "appropriate message," and "right time"? What do you have that demonstrates a better return from this method over, say, monthly mailings to opted-in customers about the seller’s regular 50% sale? Right buyer = those buyers winning above a final price (as chosen by the seller) or those buying at the BIN price. Auction prices can vary from 10-25% for the same item — we are focusing only on the "high" end buyers of that list.
Okay, that’s a specific; thanks. It’s an interesting specific, in that it means your product therefore is aimed at sellers who keep selling the same items, rather than sellers who sell collectibles or more variable merchandise, since of course you can’t get emails of other sellers’ buyers. It also means that your product is aimed at sellers who sell items that people need continually and multiply, since high bidders of single-purchase items obviously won’t be likely to need another one. So maybe the bubblewrap and box sellers would be examples of those who would be the likeliest users. Appropriate message = come back to the seller’s listings and receive a financial benefit if you purchase again. Sorry, thats about as much detail as I’d like to release publicly.
I can understand that; it’s specific enough right there. I’m not sufficiently familiar with eBay’s policy on enticements to know if this might be trouble or not–have you checked that? But you’re still not stating specifically what it actually *is*. So far it seems to be a service that will email some, but not all, customers who have indicated interest in a seller’s products. There’s no added value in that. If there’s more to it, you need to explain in concrete terms what actually it does; so far the absence of concrete terms suggests that that may indeed be the limit. This is the one I can’t easily answer publicly…
But then you don’t. i think we do have real concrete value — but please understand my hesitancy to release things so publicly.
I really don’t understand it. I can’t help but think that the actual marketing parts, where you’ve been more specific (and that do indeed suggest some interesting ideas) are those that you’ve gotten worked out, and that you’re drawing a blank over the email obtainment issue because you really haven’t worked out a way to do this that isn’t spamming. If I’m wrong, good for you, but if these were auction terms, I’d steer clear of this seller. Deborah Stevenson
Response:
But I thank you for your comment — it helps us recognize that we need to more clearly highlight the doule opt-in requirement we follow and to emphasize the highly targeted seller/buyer messaging we offer.
Interesting language. The only people I’ve ever heard use the term "double opt-in" are spammers. The rest of us realize there’s nothing "doubled" about it — it’s a simple, one-step confirmation. Meanwhile, your initial posting here was inappropriate. I’m shocked. — Ty Who is mostly just a slightly skewed Donna Reed This address is white-listed. Mail sent to it may bounce back to the sender.
Response:
You do understand that under eBay’s rules, contacting someone from an eBay transaction to ask them to be added to your opt-in list could be considered spam, and cause you to get your account NARUed? The only safe way to ask to send a buyer more email is by including it in a legitimate auction communication, like the invoice or shipping notice. Doing it that way, what the hell do we need you for? I think your are exactly on point regarding a "legitimate" auction communication being the appropriate vehicle for gaining opt-in premission. We think we have that.
You can’t have that unless it’s your auction. Since you’re marketing to other sellers, you’re not talking about your auctions. Therefore there’s already an important step that you *can’t* do for your prospective customers, and that’s obtaining the initial permissions for the names on the list. Basically, you’ll have to stake your status with your ISP on the sellers’ accurate reporting of permission. You can’t make your own list. But by no means are we suggesting that our service, or any other service, should substitute for a seller’s own efforts to gain opt-in permission. Nor are we suggesting that the seller NOT to conduct their own ongoing email campaign. We would suggest they should do that and more.
Except your "more" is just more email–you’re not marketing a multimedia promotional service, or radio spots, or the other things you mentioned, after all. What about your email would be better than the seller’s email? The broader question for a seller should not be "How do I LIMIT my marketing efforts to my best customers?" but rather "How do I maximize my marketing efforts to my best customers?"
The broader question for your project, however, is "What specific gains would a seller obtain from this service that wouldn’t be obtained through independent efforts, and are they worth the cost?" You’ve been quite communicative in your posts, but the communications have been rather devoid of such specifics as would answer that question. Maximize does NOT mean bomarding them with marketing messages — it means targeting the right buyer with the most appropriate message at the right time to drive repeat business.
Okay. What specific methodology do you employ to determine "right buyer," "appropriate message," and "right time"? What do you have that demonstrates a better return from this method over, say, monthly mailings to opted-in customers about the seller’s regular 50% sale? Then again, with all due respect, I could flip your arguement around regarding eBay itself — why shouldn’t you as a seller just post your own auctions at your own web site and say the "hell" with eBay?
Because there are more people on eBay, and they’re there to buy. How does your email deliver more people than eBay does? We have a service that offers real value to a seller.
But you’re still not stating specifically what it actually *is*. So far it seems to be a service that will email some, but not all, customers who have indicated interest in a seller’s products. There’s no added value in that. If there’s more to it, you need to explain in concrete terms what actually it does; so far the absence of concrete terms suggests that that may indeed be the limit. Deborah Stevenson
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – declared: I am hoping to find a few kind souls (sellers) who would be willing to share their thoughts, comments, insights or insults (lol!) on a new service that my company is currently developing for beta-testing in May. emailing you guarantees me spam for the rest of my life and after. robert 36 years of providing clues to the clueless at no extra charge. Robert, I assure you that is not my intent and there would be no sharing of your e-mail — ever. But it is a wise move to offer to email any competitor and tell them what you would tell them here? Try again.
You may well be right — but I’ve been reading these posts for some time and I’ve come to respect the opinions and honesty of most people on here. I was originally a non-believer in this idea that the "community" is built on honesty and ethical dealings as its underpinings. Perhaps my NY background led me to believe that if you give someone the chance to take advantage of you — they will. But over time, (maybe from living in the South?) I’ve adopted a different view that most folks are good and honest and are not out to take advantage of you. To be sure, there are some that are, but I’m optimistic that anyone who takes the time to answer a call for help isn’t out there to steal your idea, but rather they have a genuine interest in seeing if they can help by sharing their experience. Likewise, I still don’t think promoting our idea in a public way is a wise move. I may yet be burned seeking folks input as I have here, but I’ll take that risk. I’ll let you know if I do get burned. I can assure you — my request was as simple and direct as I could make it. I’ve got no other motive but to have smart people critique our service idea as we are developing it. And I would be grateful if you would re-consider and let me send you our overview to get your critique.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The service is unique — there is nothing like it on the market today. It is an auction-specific marketing program for auction sellers which targets a seller’s highest-paying BIN or auction buyers. The idea being that those customers are a seller’s most valuable customers — well worth marketing to after a sale. Targets them for what? SPAM? Sounds like a quick way to get your customers NARU’d. Ron, Certainly we are not a spam service — just the opposite. The service establishes a fine-tuned marketing program — targeted ONLY to a seller’s best customers only. We are believers in one-on-one marketing. Additionally, our service is responsible for gaining opt-in permission to send the email.
How do you get opt-in permission without emailing people who haven’t provided permission to do so? Deborah Stevenson
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – declared: I am hoping to find a few kind souls (sellers) who would be willing to share their thoughts, comments, insights or insults (lol!) on a new service that my company is currently developing for beta-testing in May. The service is unique — there is nothing like it on the market today. It is an auction-specific marketing program for auction sellers which targets a seller’s highest-paying BIN or auction buyers. The idea being that those customers are a seller’s most valuable customers — well worth marketing to after a sale. There are two main benefits for a seller. First, we create an incentive for a buyer to bid higher or pay the BIN price. Second, we create a turn-key email marketing program that creates a powerful and compelling reason for a buyer to return to a seller’s listings to make additional purchases. And, most important, our pricing model is very attractive for the seller. I’ve got a more detailed one page overview that I can email to anyone interested in giving us honest feedback. It is a short read, and we would be grateful for any feedback or input on the service. Once we beta-test, I would also be happy to offer an extended free trial to anyone that takes the time to provide us feedback at this early stage. Thanks for your time, and you can reach me at: post your "one page" here. emailing you guarantees me spam for the rest of my life and after. robert 36 years of providing clues to the clueless at no extra charge.
Robert, I assure you that is not my intent and there would be no sharing of your e-mail — ever. Think of it this way — I posted my email publicly on here — imagine the spam I know I’ll get now! But I felt it was important enough to give folks access to my email directly so they could avoid public communication. I promise to paste the one-page here — but later in the year when we are closer to our beta launch. But at this time, with the power of Google and the permanence of these postings, it isn’t a wise move to publicly promote something a competitor can find and copy while we are still in development. Thanks.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The service is unique — there is nothing like it on the market today. It is an auction-specific marketing program for auction sellers which targets a seller’s highest-paying BIN or auction buyers. The idea being that those customers are a seller’s most valuable customers — well worth marketing to after a sale. Targets them for what? SPAM? Sounds like a quick way to get your customers NARU’d. Ron, Certainly we are not a spam service — just the opposite. The service establishes a fine-tuned marketing program — targeted ONLY to a seller’s best customers only. We are believers in one-on-one marketing. Additionally, our service is responsible for gaining opt-in permission to send the email. If we don’t get it, the seller pays no fees and we send no email. We have designed the service to abide by the highest standard of email guidelines. But I thank you for your comment — it helps us recognize that we need to more clearly highlight the doule opt-in requirement we follow and to emphasize the highly targeted seller/buyer messaging we offer. I’d be happy to send you more details if you’d like, as offered in the original posting.
You do understand that under eBay’s rules, contacting someone from an eBay transaction to ask them to be added to your opt-in list could be considered spam, and cause you to get your account NARUed? The only safe way to ask to send a buyer more email is by including it in a legitimate auction communication, like the invoice or shipping notice. Doing it that way, what the hell do we need you for?
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The service is unique — there is nothing like it on the market today. It is an auction-specific marketing program for auction sellers which targets a seller’s highest-paying BIN or auction buyers. The idea being that those customers are a seller’s most valuable customers — well worth marketing to after a sale. Targets them for what? SPAM? Sounds like a quick way to get your customers NARU’d. Ron, Certainly we are not a spam service — just the opposite. The service establishes a fine-tuned marketing program — targeted ONLY to a seller’s best customers only. We are believers in one-on-one marketing…. You do understand that under eBay’s rules, contacting someone from an eBay transaction to ask them to be added to your opt-in list could be considered spam, and cause you to get your account NARUed? The only safe way to ask to send a buyer more email is by including it in a legitimate auction communication, like the invoice or shipping notice. Doing it that way, what the hell do we need you for?
I think your are exactly on point regarding a "legitimate" auction communication being the appropriate vehicle for gaining opt-in premission. We think we have that. But by no means are we suggesting that our service, or any other service, should substitute for a seller’s own efforts to gain opt-in permission. Nor are we suggesting that the seller NOT to conduct their own ongoing email campaign. We would suggest they should do that and more. Consider any other retail business that wants to market to its customers. Why limit their messaging to only one channel? For instance, airlines do not just promote their sales through direct mail to their frequent flyers — rather they try to reach their customers using TV commercials, newspaper ads, radio, the web, email, etc. The broader question for a seller should not be "How do I LIMIT my marketing efforts to my best customers?" but rather "How do I maximize my marketing efforts to my best customers?" Maximize does NOT mean bomarding them with marketing messages — it means targeting the right buyer with the most appropriate message at the right time to drive repeat business. If a seller can do that, we think it is a home run for that seller. If they can do that without any other services like ours — GREAT — more power to them! Then again, with all due respect, I could flip your arguement around regarding eBay itself — why shouldn’t you as a seller just post your own auctions at your own web site and say the "hell" with eBay? Clearly, the answer is that eBay MAXIMIZES the chance for you to close a sale at the right profit level — the fact that eBay collects fees doesn’t really matter as long as it maximizes returns for you. And if you can drive a profitable transaction at Amazon, why not post their? And if you can still drive a profitable transaction at your own web-site, why not sell there as well? We have a service that offers real value to a seller. We aren’t out to decieve anyone on our value, nor are we out to give away our service for free. We intend to offer people a 60 day free trial and at the end of that period, if the results are not apparent — sellers should not pay for our service. Thank you for responding to my note.
Response:
The service is unique — there is nothing like it on the market today. It is an auction-specific marketing program for auction sellers which targets a seller’s highest-paying BIN or auction buyers. The idea being that those customers are a seller’s most valuable customers — well worth marketing to after a sale.
Targets them for what? SPAM? Sounds like a quick way to get your customers NARU’d.
Response:
declared: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I am hoping to find a few kind souls (sellers) who would be willing to share their thoughts, comments, insights or insults (lol!) on a new service that my company is currently developing for beta-testing in May. The service is unique — there is nothing like it on the market today. It is an auction-specific marketing program for auction sellers which targets a seller’s highest-paying BIN or auction buyers. The idea being that those customers are a seller’s most valuable customers — well worth marketing to after a sale. There are two main benefits for a seller. First, we create an incentive for a buyer to bid higher or pay the BIN price. Second, we create a turn-key email marketing program that creates a powerful and compelling reason for a buyer to return to a seller’s listings to make additional purchases. And, most important, our pricing model is very attractive for the seller. I’ve got a more detailed one page overview that I can email to anyone interested in giving us honest feedback. It is a short read, and we would be grateful for any feedback or input on the service. Once we beta-test, I would also be happy to offer an extended free trial to anyone that takes the time to provide us feedback at this early stage. Thanks for your time, and you can reach me at:
post your "one page" here. emailing you guarantees me spam for the rest of my life and after. robert 36 years of providing clues to the clueless at no extra charge.
Response:
The service is unique — there is nothing like it on the market today. It is an auction-specific marketing program for auction sellers which targets a seller’s highest-paying BIN or auction buyers. The idea being that those customers are a seller’s most valuable customers — well worth marketing to after a sale. Targets them for what? SPAM? Sounds like a quick way to get your customers NARU’d.
Ron, Certainly we are not a spam service — just the opposite. The service establishes a fine-tuned marketing program — targeted ONLY to a seller’s best customers only. We are believers in one-on-one marketing. Additionally, our service is responsible for gaining opt-in permission to send the email. If we don’t get it, the seller pays no fees and we send no email. We have designed the service to abide by the highest standard of email guidelines. But I thank you for your comment — it helps us recognize that we need to more clearly highlight the doule opt-in requirement we follow and to emphasize the highly targeted seller/buyer messaging we offer. I’d be happy to send you more details if you’d like, as offered in the original posting.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – declared: I am hoping to find a few kind souls (sellers) who would be willing to share their thoughts, comments, insights or insults (lol!) on a new service that my company is currently developing for beta-testing in May. The service is unique — there is nothing like it on the market today. It is an auction-specific marketing program for auction sellers which targets a seller’s highest-paying BIN or auction buyers. The idea being that those customers are a seller’s most valuable customers — well worth marketing to after a sale. There are two main benefits for a seller. First, we create an incentive for a buyer to bid higher or pay the BIN price. Second, we create a turn-key email marketing program that creates a powerful and compelling reason for a buyer to return to a seller’s listings to make additional purchases. And, most important, our pricing model is very attractive for the seller. I’ve got a more detailed one page overview that I can email to anyone interested in giving us honest feedback. It is a short read, and we would be grateful for any feedback or input on the service. Once we beta-test, I would also be happy to offer an extended free trial to anyone that takes the time to provide us feedback at this early stage. Thanks for your time, and you can reach me at: post your "one page" here. emailing you guarantees me spam for the rest of my life and after. robert 36 years of providing clues to the clueless at no extra charge. Robert, I assure you that is not my intent and there would be no sharing of your e-mail — ever. Think of it this way — I posted my email publicly on here — imagine the spam I know I’ll get now! But I felt it was important enough to give folks access to my email directly so they could avoid public communication. I promise to paste the one-page here — but later in the year when we are closer to our beta launch. But at this time, with the power of Google and the permanence of these postings, it isn’t a wise move to publicly promote something a competitor can find and copy while we are still in development. Thanks.
But it is a wise move to offer to email any competitor and tell them what you would tell them here? Try again.
Response:
I am hoping to find a few kind souls (sellers) who would be willing to share their thoughts, comments, insights or insults (lol!) on a new service that my company is currently developing for beta-testing in May. The service is unique — there is nothing like it on the market today. It is an auction-specific marketing program for auction sellers which targets a seller’s highest-paying BIN or auction buyers. The idea being that those customers are a seller’s most valuable customers — well worth marketing to after a sale. There are two main benefits for a seller. First, we create an incentive for a buyer to bid higher or pay the BIN price. Second, we create a turn-key email marketing program that creates a powerful and compelling reason for a buyer to return to a seller’s listings to make additional purchases. And, most important, our pricing model is very attractive for the seller. I’ve got a more detailed one page overview that I can email to anyone interested in giving us honest feedback. It is a short read, and we would be grateful for any feedback or input on the service. Once we beta-test, I would also be happy to offer an extended free trial to anyone that takes the time to provide us feedback at this early stage. Thanks for your time, and you can reach me at:
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