| eBay is now the 8th most visited site on the internet | | | | by "selling" a special report. For example you could sell |
| and it has just one purpose - sales. With 40 million | | | | a report on eBay entitled "18 Ways to Drive the Car |
| visitors per month most eBay sellers are missing a | | | | of Your Dreams for Less Than the Cost of a Yugo". |
| golden opportunity. They are missing the opportunity to | | | | Do you think a report like that would get some |
| cultivate long term clients. | | | | attention? You bet it would. The report is really nothing |
| It is a proven fact in marketing that you will continue to | | | | more than an advertisement for you. Of course you |
| buy over and over again from people and companies | | | | would have to write a report that had real content and |
| that you know, like and trust. Yet 95% of all internet | | | | offered up ways for the consumer to really do as the |
| marketers fail when it comes to eBay. Most are | | | | title suggests. A report like this however, would cost |
| looking for the fast buck. They have completely miss | | | | you literally nothing to produce - except your time - |
| the opportunity to use eBay as a lead generation tool. | | | | and there would be no overhead, no inventory, and no |
| They miss the opportunity to create a list of people | | | | headaches. |
| that will be willing to consume your products over and | | | | Since this report would be nearly all profit you could |
| over again. | | | | set a low "Buy It Now" price ($4.97) to attract a huge |
| Lead generation on eBay can be accomplished in | | | | number of prospects. The revenue generated would |
| several ways. The most popular way is by using the | | | | easily offset the eBay's seller fees. |
| self liquidating ad. A self liquidating ad is one that pays | | | | In the report you could suggest several real ways for |
| for itself. In other words your customer directly pays | | | | people to drive a luxury car for little money. You could |
| your advertising costs. They purchase from you, some | | | | also list in the report a resource for them to research. |
| form of advertising. | | | | The resource you suggest would of course be your |
| Let me give you an example of a self liquidating | | | | car dealership. |
| advertisement. Recently I saw in a magazine an ad for | | | | The report did not cost you anything to produce or sell |
| a pair of sunglasses. The ad claimed that the | | | | and it fully paid for itself with each person that ordered. |
| sunglasses were free you just had to pay the shipping | | | | The person buying the report is more likely interested |
| and handling costs. My guess is that the advertiser | | | | in what you have to offer and are therefore partially |
| probably wasn't making much if any money on the | | | | qualified. Anybody that contacts you after reading the |
| sunglasses. But they also weren't losing any money. | | | | report is a fully qualified prospect and should be |
| The shipping and handling most likely covered their | | | | marketed to aggressively. |
| actual costs. What they really wanted was something | | | | Once you have their name and contact information |
| far more valuable - your contact information and your | | | | you could send them a weekly "hot sheet" of cars |
| "permission" to market to you. In other words they are | | | | that you are trying to sell. Once they purchase you |
| looking for qualified prospects - prospects that are | | | | could then sell them accessories and branded clothing. |
| interested in the products and services they are selling. | | | | If they were close to your shop you could sell them on |
| Once a company has your contact information and | | | | servicing. And the list goes on and on. |
| "permission" to market to you, they will begin to | | | | If you study eBay there very few people using it as a |
| establish a relationship. They will do this in a variety of | | | | lead generation tool. Yet lead generation and |
| ways including sending you ads for other product and | | | | specifically self-liquidating advertising is a proven winner. |
| services you may be interested in. Over time most | | | | Almost every type of business can benefit from lead |
| customers will be worth many times more than their | | | | generation advertising. If done correctly lead generation |
| initial purchase. | | | | advertising can actually become another source of |
| Since eBay is purely commerce site it is a perfect | | | | revenue for your company. Special reports are one |
| place to do a self liquidating ad. Let's look at an | | | | excellent low cost lead generation tool that you can |
| extreme example. Let's pretend that you own a car | | | | use. Look at eBay as more than just a fast buck. Look |
| dealership that only sells high end cars. We will assume | | | | to eBay as a way to create long term clients. eBay if |
| that your average car sells for $65,000. One way you | | | | worked properly can be your best source of fresh |
| could use a lead generation self liquidating ad would be | | | | leads and can really explode your sales. |