Brad and Deb Schepp, Authors

Best Books on Social Media: According to Social Media Today’s LinkedIn Group

2011-08-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

Best Books on Social Media: According to Social Media Today’s LinkedIn Group

Thunderstorms Over the Ocean

2011-08-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

As we write this column the eastern part of the United States is experiencing treacherously high temperatures and miserable humidity. The thermometer reads 104 degrees with a heat index of 115. Not only that, but there’s a storm coming over the western mountain threatening 60-mile-per-hour winds and quarter-sized hail. The trees are beginning to sway, and we have no reason to doubt the National Weather Service this time with the severe thunderstorm warnings they’ve issued. The air is tingling with the ozone that precedes a big storm, and we’re starting to think about where we last had that flashlight. Although I may have to shut down the computer and move away from the window before we’re done here, I’m not in a hurry to miss the display.

As a child, my mother lived in fear of thunderstorms. Her own mother was terrified of them, so whenever one approached, she’d gather her eight children and make them all stay on her bed with her until the storm passed. My mother, being among the oldest, took this as a very bad sign and decided if her mother was this frightened, then there must be a real reason for panic. Once she reached adulthood and learned the real dynamics of a thunderstorm she felt a little cheated. She vowed that none of her children would grow up fearing a natural phenomenon that, while certainly potentially dangerous, was also, with proper preparation, a spectacular show. At the first sign of a storm, she’d load us all into the back of her huge Buick and drive us a few blocks away to watch the storm on the ocean.

My brothers and I have many happy memories of lightning flashing into the sea and waves crashing in tune to the thunder. With the surf wild and the sky spewing fury, we felt at the heart of the universe. So, sure, don’t stand under a tree, go out on the golf course, or continue to swim, when you see that storm is rising. Gain shelter to ensure your safety. But, at the same time, don’t allow fear to spoil the joy of experiencing the power and majesty that come from safely watching the storm rise, roll, and remove itself in its own sweet time. We can’t so easily get to the ocean to watch it anymore, but we still treasure the memories of those times spent safely sharing the spectacle, safe, warm, and happy. Plus, we all still enjoy the storm from exactly where we happen to sit. Thanks, Mom.

Thoughts on September 11, 2001

2011-08-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

Today, August 19, 2011, we can’t help but note that as the summer wanes our attention is being directed to the 10^th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11,^,2001. Of course, all of America will be commemorating that terrible day before too long, but today, we will feel a very direct and immediate impact of that remembrance. Our little town is likely to be overwhelmed with spill-over traffic desperately trying to avoid the nearby network of interstate highways. That’s because 2,800 riders on 1,800 motorcycles will have a police escort as they make their way along the interstate, into Washington D.C. and then into Northern Virginia to the Pentagon. All over the area, people have been warned to telecommute or take a vacation day today. Traffic tie-ups, in what is already the country’s 2^nd worst traffic area, are expected to exceed delays of greater than two hours. We’re braced to take back roads or simply sit on the porch and watch the action.

The riders are organized by America’s 911 Foundation. According to the Washington Post, the group was hoping to get 2,977 riders to coincide with the exact number of those murdered on that terrible day. The goal of the riders is to raise scholarship money for the children of police officers and fire/rescue workers. They plan to visit all three crash sites within a three-day span. That means getting into and out of Washington smack in the middle of rush hour traffic on one of summer’s last getaway Fridays. Perhaps those unfortunate enough to be stuck in hot cars, waiting for traffic to clear, can spend their time remembering and commemorating the victims.

Living where we do, right between Washington and Camp David, it’s hard for us to forget that terrible day. We actually learned of the attack on the Pentagon through our local news before the national networks received the word. That’s when we realized that this was an act of war perpetrated against our country. Our hearts where filled with pain and also confusion. Do we go to school and get the kids? Do we let them stay where they are, knowing they may be safer there than at home? What can we expect to happen next? The terrible morning turned into an anxious day, and when we awoke the next morning, we said to each other, “That really did happen, didn’t it?” Of course, we knew even as we asked that all of America was feeling the same type of anguish. Then we got the kids ready and sent them off to school, knowing that no one felt safe. Still, the only kids whose families had taken them out of school were the ones who had parents working at the Pentagon. Acting as close to normal as possible was the best choice, we decided.

But, it was a new normal. In the days that followed, the skies above us were silent of air traffic, but for the fighter jets patrolling and maintaining safe airspace. Since we’re on the flight path to three large airports, this silence was eerily deafening. The whole world changed that morning, and for the first time, we knew how our parents must have felt on December 7, 1941.

In the weeks that followed, we created emergency evacuation kits and stocked up on supplies that would allow us to shelter in place. Even today, 10 years later, our sense of sovereign security has not returned entirely. We don’t complain about airport security, although, like many others, we question its effectiveness. We are overwhelmed by the sacrifice our military and their family members make. We have a much greater appreciation and respect for our local police and firefighters than ever before. We try our best not to take any single day for granted.

In the end, politicians will argue and our people may quarrel about how best to pay tribute to the fallen. But, for today, we’re grateful to these 2,800 riders who are doing their best to make sure America doesn’t forget and to provide for the children of our heroes. As for those of you who may be stuck in traffic today? Be thankful you have the privilege and pay quiet tribute in your own way—a minor inconvenience in our opinion.

May we never forget the 2,977 people who woke up on a beautiful summer’s morning and went to work or boarded a commercial jet only to find they’d never go home again. May we pay honor to the families who have mourned them every day since then. And may we remember not only the victims, but the fact that life truly is a treasured gift to be celebrated every single day. That’s the way it seems from where we sit.

Debra Schepp

Shockingly Great New(er) LinkedIn Features

2011-02-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

LinkedIn is hands-down the best social media site for professionals, whether they’re looking for a job or not. Once you’ve finished your profile (it *is* 100 percent complete, right?) there’s still much more you can do. Here are some new features to help you keep that motor humming.

Follow Companies: Through the companies tab you can search for companies that interest you. Thousands of unique profiles are featured. Click the follow button and then new hires, promotions, departures, and job opportunities become part of your LinkedIn updates for you to review. This is invaluable information if you’re in the job market because it takes you inside the company, showing you the type of people and positions they are hiring for. You may also learn about new products.

LinkedIn InMaps: This cool new feature helps you solve the challenge of how to use your network. Through this feature you can create a map giving you a visual fix of your network of connections. It shows you how your contacts are connected with each other, the clusters in which they fall, and the relative “connectedness” of each person (via font and size of their “dot” on your map). It’s sure to give you ideas of areas to mine, people to be in touch with, etc.

Resume Builder: This is an example of the new apps LinkedIn is adding all the time. This one enables you to create a resume from your LinkedIn profile using a number of templates. You can then share that résumé on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. It’s easy and clean.

Vizibility: This isn’t a LinkedIn feature, but it does result in something you can use to make your profile even more effective. Vizibility allows you to protect your brand and reputation by managing the search results people get when they search for you. That way you can ensure you’re putting your best foot forward. You can create a Google Me link from the results. This PreSearch can be easily added to online profiles (like on LinkedIn), websites, resumes, email signatures, business cards and more.

Now, if we’ve done our jobs you’re eager to jump on LinkedIn and check out one or more of these new features. What are you waiting for?

What the .Jobs Domain Means for Job Seekers - US News and World Report

2011-01-31T11:39:00.000-08:00

What the .Jobs Domain Means for Job Seekers - US News and World Report

10 Things You Didn't Know About eBay

2010-08-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

eBay has changed a lot since the days when anything listed would sell (yes, there was such a time), and the media prowled the site for listings involving Brittney Spears’ gum, grilled cheese sandwiches with messages from above, and kids selling their foreheads as advertising space.

Here are some surprising things (I think, anyway) about eBay nowadays:

Fixed price listings (where the price is set and non-negotiable) are more prevalent than ever, and are overtaking auction-style listings. eBay is starting to resemble Amazon in some ways.
You can list items for sale FOR FREE along as you use an auction-style listing and the starting price is less than a dollar. However, the "final value fee" (what you pay eBay if the item sells) is higher than it used to be.
Smart sellers know they can list desirable items for .99 or so and they're still likely to sell the item at a reasonable price once the bidding is over. It's a scary premise, but it works. It's referred to as "Price it Low and Let it Go."
PowerSellers have all but been replaced by Top-rated sellers who must meet even higher standards to carry the designation. But buyers can sort search results by Top-rated sellers only, to reduce their risk of dealing with unprofessional sellers.
You need to carefully read listings that seem too good to be true. Not long ago, it wasn't unusual for some sellers to list items at ridiculous prices (say used cell phones for a dollar) and then charge very high prices for shipping (like $50). This allowed them to save money on the fees they paid eBay, as they're based on an item's final selling price. eBay is policing the site more closely now for this sort of thing but it still happens.
While you can readily start a business on eBay there's more competition than ever. Still, lots of people do it. The key, as always, is great customer service and fast shipping.
eBay offers Daily Deals now. There's even a separate website for these one-day only items. Shipping on these is free .
You can design your own diamond ring on eBay with its new Diamond Ring Designer.
When you search for something on eBay your results are presented according to an algorithm known as "Best Match." eBay has been less than forthcoming about what goes into this algorithm, but it has to do with the seller's feedback rating, proximity to where you live, etc. But most buyers expect to see the results sorted to when listings are ending (soonest first). While you can still sort results that way it's not the default--Best Match is.
eBay is one of the largest retailers of clothing/shoes/accessories on the web and even has a special "fashion portal."

On LinkedIn: Follow Companies for Insider Info

2010-04-30T11:07:00.001-07:00

A brand-new LinkedIn feature is one of its best. LinkedIn now gives you the ability to “follow” companies that interest you. By following a company you get updates every time an employee in the LinkedIn database is hired, promoted, or leaves the company.

If the company revises its customized Linkedin profile you’re notified of that as well. Finally, if it has new job openings you’ll get that bit of news too.While job openings are available through many different websites, that other data on new hires, departures, and so on isn’t readily available.

To start following companies, just go to the Companies link (mouse over to the More link on LinkedIn’s Home page and it will drop down), enter some keywords that describe companies you’re interested in, and go right to the company profile.

Along the right you’ll see a new option “follow company.” Click on that and you’re on your way to getting this unique information.

To recap, following companies on LinkedIn provides the following information:

1) News on personnel changes that you can use to get a feel for the types of openings available at the company right now, and its strategic direction.

2) Job opportunities

3) Updated company profiles--excellent for interview prep

With 65 million members LinkedIn is hands-down the most important social networking site for job hunters. For how to get the most from LinkedIn see How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and other Social Networks.

10 Reasons Why You Should Write Articles about 10 Top Anything

2010-01-13T06:22:00.000-08:00

1) Tweeple love them; you'll be tweeted numerous times
2) ADD types (everyone on the Internet) like them
3) They're easy to write
4) They're easy to research
5) Sometimes you don't even need 10 tips, reasons, etc.; 5 will do

Can You Still Get Good Deals on eBay? - Auctiva Learning Center

2010-01-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

Can You Still Get Good Deals on eBay? - Auctiva Learning Center

Get LinkedIn for e-Commerce Success - Auctiva Learning Center

2010-01-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

Get LinkedIn for e-Commerce Success - Auctiva Learning Center

Fast Computer Research Without the Internet - Auctiva Learning Center

2010-01-10T13:03:00.001-08:00

Fast Computer Research Without the Internet - Auctiva Learning Center

Helping Sellers Reach New Heights - Auctiva Learning Center

2010-01-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

Helping Sellers Reach New Heights - Auctiva Learning Center

Collectibles Still Collecting Sales - Auctiva Learning Center

2010-01-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

Collectibles Still Collecting Sales - Auctiva Learning Center

Analyze your Flock for Targeted Tweeting

2009-11-28T09:25:00.000-08:00

I've been using Twitter now for the better part of a year but I'll be honest: I have little idea of how successfully I'm using it. By one measure--number of followers--I'm doing pretty well. I have close to 300 followers now. Yet I'm bothered by a simple fact. Many of my peers in the writing community of thousands of followers. What to do?

This has to be a common question for Twitterers. You send your tweets out there (experts suggest you tweet 4 to 20 times a day) but do they really hit the mark? Are your followers glad they're walking in your digital wake?

Aside from noting the sheer number of followers you're amassing, you can also track how often your messages are re-tweeted by others. Obviously, if others are resending your tweets then they've found your messages valuable. Great! (These retweets, are called "mentions" and are easy to track with a free tool called TweetDeck.)

Now, proceeding from there, what can you do to build your base and keep your followers fed?

Try TwitterSheep (and, in case you're wondering it does feel strange to type such words). With TwitterSheep you can get a quick visual fix on your followers' interests. Just enter your Twitter username in the box to view a tag cloud built from the bios of your followers.

When I did that I found out something surprising that I can use to tailor my tweets in the future. As an author of many books about e-commerce I assumed most of my followers were looking for tweets about eBay, Amazon, monetizing web sites, and so on. Not so much. eBay was there in the cloud all right, but so small had it been a non virtual cloud it would have created merely a puddle. A downpour, however, would have resulted from tweets about social media marketing and related topics.

So much for tweeting about eBay.

I'll use this information when I choose my topics for my future tweets. Most of the time, that is. I still like eBay.

Jobhunters: Quick and Easy Social Media Tips!

2009-11-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

* Twitter seems silly at first but you get better at it as you use it as a business tool.

* LinkedIn means you have your suit on. Act the part. But smile once in a while too.

* Facebook is a great research source for you, but for your friends and others also. So for biz purposes (like job hunting) create a business page and make sure there's nothing there you wouldn't want your next boss to see. And keep all politics and anything at all controversial out of it.

* MySpace is sorting things out now so there are better places to spend your time. (Time: that thing you used to have more of.)

* When it comes to searching for a job, be open to anything. Even paper classifieds may work for you. As they (Larry and Woody) say, "Whatever Works."

Can You Find Your Next Job on Facebook?

2009-11-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

Can Facebook help you land a Job? Can ice cream make you skinny? Could things really work out that way?

Well Ask Annie from Fortune Magazine recently gave some answers to that question. We’re happy she found our book How to Get a Job on LinkedIn and Other Social Networks such a key source of information!

The article also discusses whether Twitter can help you find work. Par for the course, links to the article were all over Twitter. Thanks for all those tweets and re-tweets. It’s an amazing phenomenon.

For more, here’s the link to the Fortune article: Can You Find a Job on Facebook?

Best,

Deb and Brad

Can Top-Rated Seller Program Help eBay?- Auctiva Learning Center

2009-10-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Can Top-Rated Seller Program Help eBay?- Auctiva Learning Center

Quick and Easy Tips for Online Book Promotion

2009-10-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

A new author recently asked me for some tips on promoting books online, and since I've coauthored books about YouTube (How to Make Money with YouTube) and LinkedIn (How to Get a Job on LinkedIn and Other Social Networks) I had some ideas to share.

But first...There's no sure-fire way to guarantee sales through online promotion. Internet marketing, however, helps a good book get noticed, reviewed, and bought.

Here are some strategies:

--Write articles for online publications such as American Chronicle. Article marketing works...these articles really get read and each one can include your bio.

--Encourage people who like your book to write reviews on Amazon and B+N.com, but don't "push."

--Create an Author's blog on Amazon.

--Tweet about the subject of your book, but don't be overly promotional and be sure you are giving your followers something of value for their time.

--Create a blog, tweet about new entries. Umm, that's what I'm about to do.

--Use your LinkedIn profile to promote your book and yourself as an author, but again don't let it read like a pure commercial.

Other strategies include creating a YouTube video. See the above referenced book. :)

For more strategies, try following other authors on Twitter who are social marketing gurus. You'll need to use tools that let you search Twitter to find such authors. Try Twellow.

Good luck!

5 Ways to Jump-Start that Job Search!

2009-09-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

Need some fresh ideas to re-ignite a stalled job search? Here are a few that will help.

1) Get in touch with coworkers with whom you worked well in the past, and who respect your work. Perhaps they know of an opening at the company they're working at now, or have heard of openings somewhere else. Don’t call and ask outright for work. That can make people uncomfortable. Just reconnect and update them with your status in an upbeat way. It's also better to start with people you know than to cold call or otherwise approach “strangers.”

2) Don't discount any source of jobs. Lots of people focus on the Internet these days and let it go at that. Sure there are many great resources there, such as SimplyHired http://www.simplyhired.com/, one of our favorite site, which lets you search thousands of different job sites all at once. But lots of other people are using those sources too. Also try to pinpoint sites that are geared to your specific profession (for example, Mediabistro (http://www.mediabistro.com/) has lots of jobs for writers and editors that you won't find elsewhere. Surely your profession has its Mediabistro equivalents.

3) By all means get on and use LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/). We can't write an article about job hunting without including perhaps the best tool for job hunters to come along since the computer itself. Register, create a complete and compelling profile, start answering others’ questions, and become a regular presence on the site. It keeps your name in front of the people who can help you. In the case of LinkedIn, that’s 48 million of the most-connected professionals you will find on the Internet.

4) Get out of the office. There's so much you can do from home these days that some job hunters rarely leave. That's a mistake for your task at hand, but also your mental and physical well being. Push yourself away from your desk and take some "field trips." Check out local book stores, for example, and see what the latest job-hunting books have to offer. Just grab a bunch, pull up a chair and start taking some notes. How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and Other Social Networks is one book you may find useful.

5) Take some time to review your past accomplishments. It's disheartening to look for work when it sometimes seems that seems everyone else has a job, so you need to keep that self esteem high. Won awards in the past? Have you amassed letters of recommendations? Review these things them for an ego boost.

I know job-hunting is hard, and certainly there will be days when you feel discouraged. But take heart…there’s blue sky ahead. I once read that a job hunt results in a long series of NOs followed by a YES. You need to get those NOs before you can get that one blessed YES. So keep at it in ways that work for you.

About Archie

2009-07-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Archie the little dog was only in my life about 10 days, and we didn't even take a picture of him, so this is just a generic picture from the web. We think he was a West Highland Terrier. He weighed about 20 pounds and stood 10 inches from the floor to his shoulder.

Archie was a "shelter dog," who the Animal Control people found. We adopted him from the Shelter in Waynesboro, PA.

On the way home we almost named Archie U-turn, because we thought we might need to take him right back. He snarled at our son Ethan for no very good reason.

Over the time we had him we found Archie could snap and snarl for all kinds of reasons. But most of the time he was fun and happy and full of personality. So we excused the snarling and stuff until we couldn't any more.

That's the sad news.

The happy thing about Archie is that he taught me many things.

To be more patient
To better control angry feelings
To focus more outside of myself
To see the peace that can come with just taking a walk
To make a heart-wrenching decision because it's the best thing you could do for your new friend.

You taught me those things Archie, and I hope you enjoyed your life while we lived together.

Preparing for a Pandemic

2009-04-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

(Thanks to the volunteer disaster coordinator of Frederick County, Maryland for this information)

You can prepare for an influenza pandemic now. You should know both the magnitude of what can happen during a pandemic outbreak and what actions you can take to help lessen the impact of an influenza pandemic on you and your family. This checklist will help you gather the information and resources you may need in case of a flu pandemic.

1. To plan for a pandemic:

* Store a two week supply of water and food. During a pandemic, if you cannot get to a store, or if stores are out of supplies, it will be important for you to have extra supplies on hand. This can be useful in other types of emergencies, such as power outages and disasters.

* Periodically check your regular prescription drugs to ensure a continuous supply in your home.

* Have any nonprescription drugs and other health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins.

* Talk with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your home.

* Volunteer with local groups to prepare and assist with emergency response.

* Get involved in your community as it works to prepare for an influenza pandemic.

2. To limit the spread of germs and prevent infection:

* Teach your children to wash hands frequently with soap and water, and model the correct behavior.

* Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues, and be sure to model that behavior.

* Teach your children to stay away from others as much as possible if they are sick. Stay home from work and school if sick.

3. Items to have on hand for an extended stay at home:

* Ready-to-eat canned meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, and soups

* Prescribed medical supplies such as glucose and blood-pressure monitoring equipment
* Protein or fruit bars

* Soap and water, or alcohol-based (60-95%) hand wash
* Dry cereal or granola

* Medicines for fever, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen
* Peanut butter or nuts

* Thermometer
* Dried fruit

* Anti-diarrheal medication
* Crackers

* Vitamins
* Canned juices

* Fluids with electrolytes
* Bottled water

* Cleansing agent/soap
* Canned or jarred baby food and formula

* Flashlight
* Pet food

* Batteries
* Other non-perishable items

* Portable radio

* Manual can opener

* Garbage bags

* Tissues, toilet paper, disposable diapers

The 10 Best Jobs to Get through Social Networking Sites

2009-03-27T14:50:00.001-07:00

We think you can get just about any kind of contract work or new job with the help of one or more social networking sites. Now you wouldn’t necessarily turn to MySpace to get your next job as an actuary. Then again, LinkedIn may not be as helpful to you if you were a musician looking for new gigs. But by using a combination of these sites we’re convinced you can land that next job faster. If that job happens to be one of the following, your task is even simpler. We present these in no particular order.

1) Public Relations Manager. Whatever you want to call it: Communications Manager, or PR Director, as a professional communicator you should really be able to make your online profile sing. Just about any company has someone in a PR role and may be looking for someone just like you. Even if a company isn’t currently in the market for someone with your skills, you can keep your name in front of the right people by careful and frequent networking through the sites we discuss in this book.

2) Social Media Strategist. Of course you can demonstrate how well you know this new field by skillfully using the tools that comprise it. Executives are just starting to realize how essential it is they have someone on board who can use sites like Twitter to provide customer service, seed the market with news about their companies, dispel rumors, and much more.

3) Musician. MySpace alone justifies including musicians in this list. Thankfully, for this group MySpace came along when it did. CD sales were steadily dropping, making life as a musician more challenging than ever. Thanks to MySpace, musicians (especially smaller independent artists), can find new work and contacts, and promote themselves in ways they never could have even imagined before.

4) Blogger. Everyone’s attention span is shrinking to that of a fly’s, and sites like Twitter don’t help. But we make time to read the words of someone who can help us do our jobs better, or maybe just better understand the world we inhabit. Whether your goal is to be an independent blogger, or blog for a website or corporation, social networking sites can help you promote your work to millions of people.

5) Copywriter. With so many sites offering you the chance to let everyone know your current status, or to microblog about what’s got your gears going, writers of all types have powerful new showcases for their talents. Copywriters are just one type, but a good example.

6) Consultant/ Freelancer. If you’re in business for yourself you should be spending a good part of each workday marketing yourself and your skills. An excellent way to do this is through LinkedIn’s Answers section, where you can demonstrate your expertise in a worldwide forum, and unobtrusively include your background information just in case you’ve inspired someone to hire you.

7) Information Technology worker. Many programmers, software engineers and their managers use social networking sites; they’ve always been early adopters of new forms of electronic communications. These sites should be one of the first places you turn when you’re looking for that next IT job, as if we had to tell you.

8) Comedian. We’re going to thank MySpace again, this time on behalf of comedians for making it easier for them to promote themselves and get new gigs. And we’re not kidding around, either.

9) Web Designer. Businesses of all sizes need web designers to help them get their sites up and running, and then webmasters to keep them going. You can demonstrate your skills in this area in many ways, using social networking sites. These include the design of your MySpace or Facebook page, the portfolio you include as part of your LinkedIn profile, or the questions you answer on those ubiquitous discussion boards.

10) Marketing manager. Prove that you can sell yourself and you may have an easier time convincing someone you can move products for them as well. Social networking sites make it much easier for you to sell yourself to a worldwide audience through your words and accomplishments, and reach people who would care.

Copyright 2009, McGraw-Hill, from the forthcoming book How to Find a Job with LinkedIn and Other Social Networks

GE's Customer Care Doesn't

2008-07-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm about to arrange to take my third Monday afternoon in a row off from work so I can be here for GE’s service technician. He's repairing my microwave, which is less than 6 weeks old.

Here's what happened.

Week 1, I call the service center, describe the problem I'm having (power cuts off after a few seconds) and the rep says "it's probably an inverter board," and schedules a repair call.

Week 2, The technician arrives, diagnoses the problem and says it's an inverter board. He orders the part.

Week 3,.The part has arrived, the repair guy comes to install it, but it's the wrong part. He has to order the right part, I have to take a third day off from work to be available, and we have to go another week without a microwave.

Wouldn't the RIGHT thing for GE to have done is replace the microwave? Just ship us a new one, and have us ship the old one back? Or have the repair guy make the swap?

That would be showing GE cares about their customer's time, they’re concerned if they waste time because of their error, and keeping customers satisfied is its top priority. Instead, GE parrots back the warranty and disregards what this experience has meant to its customer and his perception of their company.

It's Time to Take Another Look at eBay

2008-07-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

The Nortica 500 ranks eBay sellers according to feedback, so it's a pretty good measure of which sellers are successful.

I've been following top eBay sellers for about 5 years now for the books we've written. So on a lark, I checked the Nortica list from February 2006, which I reprinted in eBay PowerSeller Million Dollar Ideas. The surprising news? All of the top 10 sellers from then remain in the top 20 today. And all but one is ACTIVELY selling on eBay. Some have tens of thousands of listings.

So what happened to all the sellers who jumped ship to Amazon?

Well some did, but as it turns out many of eBay's most successful sellers, who've been on selling there for years, remain on eBay.

This isn't to say there are not a lot of disenchanted sellers out there. What with the changes in feedback rules, fees, searching, etc. But to dismiss eBay has a "has been Web 1.0 company that's irrelevant" would be wrong.

Let's all take another look at eBay!

E-Books: Come on Baby Light my Kindle!

2008-03-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Brad used to work for a Silicon-Valley based Internet startup called MightyWords. MightyWords provided information in the form of everything from white papers to small books, but this information lived online, only. The company didn't digitize existing information, it created (or had created) new information that never saw the light of paper. This was back in the day, of course, when lots of Internet companies were attracting VC money, whether they had a solid business plan or not. No news there.

If you've never heard of MightyWords that's ok. The company vanished after a year or so, as it was burning through many hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, while taking in a fraction of that. But the idea of e-books persists, thanks in part to Amazon's Kindle.

The Kindle does solve a lot of the problems that other e-book readers had. Document delivery is fast and effortless. You can even get updates as they become available. And you're not limited to books either. You can subscribe to blogs, newspapers, and magazines also. The screen is much easier to read from than the screens of other readers. However, at $399 who is going to buy this device? You can still buy a lot of "tree books" for $399, and thanks to Amazon Prime you can have them in a day for a song.

Computer techies that need access to information immediately to troubleshoot, for example, would find the Kindle indispensable. So would others with a need for up-to-the-minute information and the deep pockets to get it (say some of those in the medical profession).

In the meantime, it's still seems it will be a long time before the Kindle really catches fire.

eBay Strike Flames Out

2008-02-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

This was supposed to be the week that eBay sellers showed just how upset they were with the company by going out on strike. That is, by not posting any listings. Guess what? It looks like it didn’t happen folks. Not in the numbers many anticipated, anyway. Our own survey of top sellers, including members of the all-powerful Professional eBay Sellers Alliance, found that very few PowerSellers, at least, are participating in the strike.

This is not to say the strike sizzled out completely. The media has been all over the story (what story there really is, anyway). There were definitely people who chose not to list this week. But the vast majority of successful PowerSellers walked right through the strike the way a tough boxer walks through a jab.

Here are some reasons why:

*Sorry, but these guys are too busy selling. They don’t have time to plan for a strike, and frankly they don’t want to give up the income. Some of the PowerSellers we spoke with were not even certain of the details of the strike, like when it was!

*Many top sellers think the strike really won’t accomplish anything anyway. eBay is going to do what it’s going to do, regardless of what a tiny percentage of its sellers do. Haven’t any of these folks ever worked for a corporation? It’s all about the stock price guys. That’s what management is ultimately paying attention to.

*A few sellers actually think the changes eBay recently announced are GOOD for their businesses, and are not about to strike. One seller we spoke with noted that this will force some sellers to raise their Customer Service standards, to ensure their overall ratings are high. That’s a bad thing? Certainly not if you’re a buyer.

*Some sellers have left, or are leaving eBay’s site anyway, and are busy moving their wares through other pipelines, such as Amazon’s.

So despite the media circus, the strike has struck out folks. Let’s move on.

Successful Amazon Selling: An eBay PowerSeller’s Tips

2007-10-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

Gary Richardson is a true e-commerce pioneer. A long-time eBay PowerSeller, he was one of the first PowerSellers to also become a top 5 category seller on Amazon. Here Gary shares some of his impressions of selling on Amazon versus selling on eBay.

Gary, you've sold on eBay for 3 years under the ID Harleyglasses, building a thriving business selling sunglasses, goggles, and reading glasses. But now, from what we've seen you're having a lot of success on Amazon with your store GogglesandGlasses.

What are Amazon customers like compared to eBay customers?

Ah… man worlds apart. I really don’t know much about my Amazon customers. I hardly ever hear from them, they don’t ask questions, they seem to be very confident and trusting in their purchases. On eBay we frequently get questions like “Are the new sunglasses really new” and “did this really ship”? Our Amazon, customers seem to be willing to pay for service and product, while our eBay shoppers are looking for the lowest price only. Shoppers definitely trust Amazon.com

I have noticed in the returns department that Amazon customers seem to return items in better condition than eBay customers, that’s just my micro observation. But we do have more returns from Amazon customers.

Does Amazon’s famous A-Z protection policy make your life better or worse?

I think it makes it better. I have had two claims as a seller, one won and one lost. I tend to enjoy the trust that buyers so confidently give to Amazon 3^rd party sellers in their purchases--they buy freely because of that A-Z safety net. I can tell you it’s real, it works, and customers keep coming back and recommending Amazon to their circle because of it.

We’ve been poking around and it seems you’ve become the go-to guy for insider info on Amazon selling. What do you see as the keys to successful Amazon selling as a third-party merchant?

A toll free phone number and email for customers to contact you at any point in the sale. While they usually don’t use it, it’s good to have it available should any problems arise, it will save your feedback.

An easy returns process. If customers find it difficult to return items they may skip the process and go directly to leaving you negative feedback. Endicia has a great return label feature. We can email, fax, or snail mail a return label to a customer passing our great postage rates on to them.

Excellent feedback. Your feedback on Amazon is a one-way process and buyers don’t hold back when things go wrong. Amazon can remove sellers from the platform for excessive negative and neutral feedback. My advice is to do whatever you can to maintain perfect feedback, attempt to truly resolve every problem, and if the buyer is agreeable, try to remove the bad feedback. Buyers don’t look at how many feedbacks you have, they look at how good it is by the percentage.

Positive Reviews on your products. Reviews are everything. A good review can shoot your product to the top, a bad review can send it flaming to the bottom of the basement. A good place to garner reviews is your own good feedback. You might tactfully ask your buyer who left positive feedback if they would be willing to write a review of your product. Some of Amazon’s top reviewers will review media or products if you send them a sample.

What do you think the future holds for eBay and Amazon?

Ooh…. Tough one! I see a big future in new fixed-price commerce. I feel most barn and attic finds have been found and I actually think there is a limit to auction fever. I think the Amazon Pay-Per-Sale (PPS) model will become more prevalent in the future and I’m not sure if eBay can make the leap to PPS without destroying auctions. I see increased competition for eBay in the fixed-price market with players like Neweggmall jumping into the action soon. eBay may become smaller as fixed-price commodity sellers flee to platforms with better pricing structures and fewer hoops to jump through to continue selling.

I don’t see a revival of Amazon auctions. Amazon needs better tools for sellers and better communication from the alliance department (Trust and Safety). I think Jeff Bezos has a long-term vision for Amazon, and it looks like it’s about to pay off. You can see it all coming together at once.

Amazon is forcing eBay to rethink its marketplace fees. This is good for sellers and also buyers--lower seller fees mean lower prices!

Use Blogs to Find eBay Products to Sell

2007-09-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

You're reading one so you know that Blogs, or web logs, are informal Internet newsletters, sort of dispatches from the front. Blogs have taken the world of publishing out of the hands of the big guys and put it directly within the reach of all of us. Anyone can have a blog, and for that reason, blogs vary greatly in quality and content. But, one thing is for certain, reading blogs can help you discover what other people are thinking about, hoping for, and dreaming of. They can be a great way to spot emerging trends, and therefore product ideas that others aren’t tapping into yet.

You can search for blogs through Google just by clicking on the “more” button from the main Google page. Select the “blog” search option. Now, your search results will only include blogs. You can also use a blog directory to find relevant blogs. A good example of this type of directory is blogcatalog at http://www.blogcatalog.com/. Finally, you can go to http://www.weblogawards.org to view a list of award winning blogs. Each December a vote is held to determine the best blogs in more than 45 categories. In December 2006, more than 525,000 votes were cast!

Starting with these blogs makes it a little easier to get your feet wet in the world of blogs, which is so broad, that getting lost and losing hours of valuable time are both easy and likely. Still, if you want to get a glimpse of up-to-the-minute insight into what concerns people who are your potential customers, blogs are a fascinating place to start.

From the book eBay PowerSeller Secrets , 2nd edition, to be published November 2007. Another book you may be interested in is eBay PowerSeller Million Dollar Ideas.

USED CAR HELL @CRISWELL

2007-05-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Do your poor palms sweat when you set foot into a car dealer's "showroom?" Maybe that's because you've heard the horror stories of salesmen who strong arm their hapless customers. Who cajole, threaten, cheat, and yes, lie to their customers. We've heard them too. But with so many people exchanging information about cars and dealers on the Internet, I thought perhaps things had changed--That I could go into a dealership and maybe even have a pleasant experience. But pigs don't fly out of rumps, and I guess good experiences at used car dealers don't happen either. At least it didn't for us that day in May, 2007.

Yesterday my wife and I were shopping for a used car for our college-aged daughter at Criswell Automotive, a dealer in Gaithersburg, MD. We were told by Corey Pardue, the sales manager that our chosen car came with a 30 day "bumper to bumper warranty. Great, we said. Can we see details in writing? What does that warranty cover exactly? (We learned from Consumer Reports that you should know these things.) Well, Corey said, you'll need to sign all these papers first, and then our "business manager" can give you those details. Right. Ok, we wanted to please our daughter so we tried something else. Well, Corey, can we add language to the contract that says we can take the car to our mechanic and return it within 48 hours if he finds problems. "SURE," Corey said, let's add that language (which he did).

In the meantime, his repair shop was fixing a steering problem with the car. This was taking hours (we really love our kid), which gave us plenty of time to read all the paperwork. Guess what we learned? The contract stated that the only warranty language that was legal was the language on the car's sticker (in our case the vague, unspecific, 30-day or 1,000 mile warranty). That means that any language to added to the contract was meaningless. When I asked Corey about this he told us to leave! Gosh!

So folks, it's true. Hell exists, and we entered it when we went though the doors at Criswell Automotive in Gaithersburg, MD. Do yourself a favor and shop elsewhere for a Honda, Chevy, Hummer, Lexus, or whatever else you may be in the market for.