Why Does eBay Matter?
Explains Jim Cockrum, president of http://SilentJim.com, “Use
eBay as your sales machine—if you put an item up for sale
there, tens if not hundreds of thousands of people are going to
see it. EBay is one of the top ten most visited web sites on the
planet and the only one that’s not a search engine.” Whether
your main sales venue is a physical storefront, or your own
online store, eBay still provides several sources for
generating leads for your outside business:

• Use your eBay sales to build your mailing list.
Every item you sell on eBay is a lead for future business. With
each sale, you should be growing your email database so you can
make recurring transactions with that customer. So many eBay
sellers who’ve made thousands of transactions over the years
have never used those transactions to build a customer database
with which to build an email list.

You need those lists to keep in touch with your buyers—you are
building long-term customer relationships. The key is to give
your customers good content, not simply sell, sell, sell. These
are people who took the time to give you their email address,
and the more that you provide them with useful information, the
more you are building credibility and buyer loyalty.

• The About Me page allows you to promote your outside
business.
A seller’s About Me page may be one of the most overlooked
opportunities on eBay. Very few sellers utilize this tool, but
it is the only place on eBay where you’re allowed to direct
people to your own web site. You can also promote your
newsletter or give away free information to your leads. It’s a
great way, not only to gain buyer trust, but also to
cross-market your off-eBay business.

• EBay classified ads let you drive traffic to your own web
site.
EBay now offers classified ads that allow you to promote your
own web site or physical store, as well as items you’re
selling. And there are no closing fees for the sales these ads
generate. Again, it’s a chance to get your items, and even your
outside business, exposed to multiple thousands of targeted
buyers.

The bottom line is that, regardless of the venue you sell in,
you need to recognize the potential of eBay for marketing
purposes. You can increase your sales many times over by
tapping into the resources that eBay makes available to you.
Says Cockrum, “There’s so much power behind [eBay] to drive
traffic, but so few people really harness that power for their
businesses. Take full advantage of eBay’s promotional
opportunities. It’s such a simple concept; but it works, and it
can really transform your business.”

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