How is it that in a couple of years, some eBay sellers have lots of success and grow their eBay business and web presence to million dollar businesses? Yes and I do mean million dollar businesses, whilst others are still ‘spinning their wheels?’

You could say that the eBay success formula is..

Product + Traffic + Conversions = Success.. Right?

I have another theory and it all starts way before you even have a product, write an item description, sales copy or even create an eBay listing…

The real reason why most people fail is because they are not using..

‘The Sweet Spot Formula’

What is the sweet spot formula, I hear you ask?

Well, apart from being the name I’ve given it, I see it as the ‘state of being’ an eBay’er needs to adapt to be successful.

Here’s what I mean..

The sweet spot formula consists of three parts being inspiration, education and determination and all parts overlap. You can see how they overlap in the diagram below.

Once you have the three parts overlapping at the right places and you hit the ‘sweet spot’, you are guaranteed to be successful at whatever you are doing whether it be selling on eBay, obtaining leads or marketing your new ebook!

How can I be so confident that the sweet spot formula guarantees success.

Here’s how..

Inspiration – We all need inspiration. We all need to be inspired to think of new ideas, how to market that new product or plan a new business. Without inspiration your products will be boring, unattractive to customers and won’t have a good chance of success.

Education – Every single internet marketer and eBayer I have known and who has seen any success with their internet business is continuously improving their education. They are always learning new techniques, improving their skills and being coached by others who have been in their shoes.

The speed of progress on the internet is ten-fold in comparison to traditional marketing and commerce. 1 year in the land of internet marketing and e-commerce is the same as ten years with regards to new developments and methods, so if you are just starting out, you better put on your running shoes. Getting a coach to show you the path is the easiest way to complete your education circle in the sweet-spot formula.

And finally..

Determination – I don’t really need to say it but determination is paramount to success. You’re going to fall at some point and you need to learn from it and get straight back into the game without even flinching. You need to be able to ‘know’ that you are going to succeed before you actually do and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. So grit your teeth and take action on whatever you need to do to progress.

How does all this relate to eBay success?

Here’s an example..

You need ideas to sell new products that stand out in markets. The amount of competition now simply won’t allow you to sell any run-of-the-mill product and get away with it. You can’t just put any old product for sale on eBay and expect to become rich. You need inspiration to figure out your USP or unique selling point. Your USP should make your product different to everyone else’s products and ultimately determine your products success.

You’re going to need to learn how to actually procure, advertise and sell your products without being squashed by the competition. You can spend time searching forums, ‘how to’ guides and read books to further your internet marketing education and to grow your business, but who do you trust?

If you’re selling on eBay at all and are thinking of growing your business both with eBay and beyond, an eBay coach is the way to go.

A good coach will not only be able to show you what you are doing right or wrong but also guide you and give you direction. Being successful doesn’t mean simply selling on eBay. It means using eBay as a marketing tool to fuel your ‘back end business’ which will most likely generate most of your profits.

Having a coach who you can trust and who has already walked the path will be a great asset. Take heed and consider it an investment in your business.

And you need to be determined to keep listing products to find good sellers and to stay in the game. There is no hard and fast methodology for this and contrary to what many people think, there is no black magic or voodoo involved. Consistently testing new products to find the ones that are going to be big hits takes sheer hard work and determination.

And that’s it!

No secrets, No magic wands and there’s certainly no voodoo involved..

eBay success simply requires the right ingredients to hit the sweet spot!

What do you think?

Let me know by posting below..

I love the winter scenes of snow covered rooftops and trees in the countryside but then again I only see it maybe once each year. The reason I love the picturesque scenes so much is because usually I don’t have to feel the snow or the cold.

As you may or may not know I spend most of my time in tropical climates that pull in 35 degree Celsius heat waves as a norm, but sometimes I like to travel to the UK to visit friends and family and to ‘absorb’ England. Visiting England, especially in winter is kind of like getting a sweet slap in the face.

The cold is bitter but it’s a wake up call to what people experience in winter climates.

The only reason I like it is because the winter scenes are beautiful and I don’t have to fight through the bitter cold mornings to do my work. If I had to travel or work outside in winter I probably wouldn’t like the winter months so much.

But this is my point. When you are in the crowd of people who are all following the blind,  i.e. cuing in traffic to get to work, following a routine your not happy with, seeing everyone else following a similar routine and desperate to spend money rather than make money, it’s difficult to see the other side of the fence.

What I mean is that when you’re in the crowd, it’s more difficult to see the big picture from above.

Why would you want to see the big picture?

It reminds me of a previous post;  Selling more on eBay the 1000 mile high view

Being able to really SEE the big picture helps you realize that you don’t simply have to follow the crowd.

There are benefits to this..

– Being able to truly ‘think outside the box’

– It’s easier to commit to your own needs and your own passions

– It’s easier to see what the crowd really wants

– Overcoming your fear of freedom!

For example;  When I see market stalls and products in shops in England I’m always comparing prices to what’s available in other countries.

Most people might walk into a shop that sell supplements or curtain blinds or anything else a little unusual, to actually buy something. I go in to check what’s on offer or more importantly what’s not on offer.

If you find a product available on the internet that you know people would want that isn’t easily found in the high street shops or market stalls then you might just have a hot idea for a product to sell on eBay.

Experiencing different climates and travelling helps you ‘think outside the box’ – it opens the mind to possibilities and opportunities you would have never even dreamed of before.

Make time to have a look, won’t you?  (From ‘outside the box’ that is), and consider if what you are doing and feeling is where you really want to be right now – or whether you would benefit from watching and thinking from ‘outside the box’ a little more.

When you go to  buy a new pair of shoes, how do you know which pair will fit better?

Of course, you try them on. You might even try a few pairs before you decide which ones are more suitable.

This post isn’t about buying shoes, although the point of trying things out before deciding on a winner is more to the point.

It’s the same with online advertising. Its best to try things out before you decide upon a winner. As an eBay seller you also advertise online. But how do you know if your eBay listing really is a winner?

Well, I have a new free tool you can use to find out and it’s called eBay Best Match Split Tester.

This nifty little tool allows you to input the click through rate (CTR) and the number of clicks for two similar eBay listings – The best internet marketers and online sellers are ALWAYS split testing something. It’s called beating the control – If you sell on eBay you might call it eBay Best Match optimization.

You have one listing and you always test something to try and beat it – that’s how you constantly improve your listings.

When you list something on eBay you should always place a second listing that is the same as the first listing but with one thing that is different. You should be doing this to test which eBay listing is the most appealing to your market, or which eBay listing gets more clicks from potential buyers.

eBay will show you the click through rate and number of clicks for your eBay listings.

To find your CTR and number of clicks in eBay goto..

– ‘My Account’ Tab

– Click ‘Search Visibility Analytics’

– Enter your eBay listing item number OR chose from the category list

– Your item list will appear, now click ‘Run Report’

– eBay will show you your ‘Unique Click Through Rate’ and the ‘Number of clicks’ for your listing.

Enter these numbers into the eBay Best Match Split Tester and compare to your second test listing numbers.

Here is an example of two similar listings but one had a different image.

Notice eBay listing A has a unique CTR of 1.61% and 281 unique clicks.

eBay listing B has a unique CTR of 1.26% and 221 unique clicks.

The difference between eBay listing A and eBay listing B might seem small at first – But it’s not.

The fact is, eBay listing B is 100% better than eBay listing A.

The difference in 1.61% and 1.26% based on the number of clicks each listing has, is a HUGE difference.

The actual numerical difference of 0.35% actually means that eBay listing B is 100% more effective at getting clicks than eBay listing A based on the number of actual clicks each listing received. The number of impressions is huge so capturing more clicks is vital to make more sales, wouldn’t you agree? (See the difference in sales listing B has to listing A in the example)

You don’t have to know how the numbers work as such, because the eBay Best Match Split Tester does it all for you. All you have to do is keep testing your eBay listings to make more sales and use the free eBay Best Match Split Tester to tell you which listing is the best one for eBay Best Match.

Watch the eBay Best Match Split Tester Video here >>

>> Free eBay Best Match Split Tester Video <<