Or are you painting herds of bison on the walls of your cave, wishing that internet marketing and technology would fall off the face of the earth? (Okay, maybe you aren't living in a cave and painting bison on the walls, but you do need to stay current and develop a strong online presence or you'll go out of business quickly.)
Let me make your life a lot easier by explaining why you need an integrated online payment shopping cart, email system, and client database. I know from experience that it can be a challenge to find an affordable, user-friendly shopping cart that lets you manage all your contacts, send out your email newsletter, process people's purchases in a secure online environment, AND set up an affiliate program, all in one integrated system.
Far too many business owners get themselves into trouble by getting a separate shopping cart and contact management / email system. However, you need something that can help you knock down all the pins in your alley, even after you've downed a couple of pina coladas with your posse of pals.
Just look at what an integrated shopping cart can accomplish for you:
* You can divide your email list into segments. You'll have the ability to separate customers and subscribers into specialized groups based on which of your offerings they're most interested in, and you can create targeted marketing campaigns for your products or services. In addition, you can create specific AutoResponders. (ARs are a group of sequenced emails you write to maintain contact with customers while at the same time upselling them other products).
* A great shopping cart will customize these AutoResponders with the names, etc. of the customers and prospects in your contact list and will allow you to email messages at specific times and on specific dates. The beauty of ARs is that once they are done, the series is automated (hence the "auto" in AutoResponder) and it will look like you wrote each email from scratch to just one specific recipient. This helps you give the personal touch (without extra time or effort!) to your current and future customers and helps strengthen your relationships. And research has proven that strong relationships lead to higher profits.
An additional advantage of an integrated shopping cart is that you can upsell more products with the system. If you've forgotten the sales lingo, an upsell is the "Wanna biggie size that combo?" of your business. With an upsell, you sell more of the same or a different product to your client. By upselling, you let your client's consumer desire drive sales and you get multiple sales at once. (Now what fool would ignore this valuable feature?)
* With your integrated cart, you can also effortlessly notify your customers of special promotions, items on sale, and bundled packages, or just give them plain and simple recommendations for other products you think they would like. Yes, if they purchased from you before, you can most likely ascertain that they like your offerings. Don't deprive them of the chance to shop until they drop;on YOUR website of course!
* An integrated shopping cart makes setting up an affiliate program easy for you. You can sit back and let other businesses sell your wares and earn a commission. The cart system will track orders for you since each affiliate partner will have a unique link for their clients. Why have an affiliate program? You aren't a lone sales force of just one when other business owners are selling your stuff 24/7. (Now don't you even CONSIDER tracking affiliate sales with an integrated cart system! You'll lose your hair--and your mind!)
* With an integrated shopping cart system, you can see what's really going on using analytics and reports. Information, statistics, and graphs are available to you in an understandable, streamlined format. (Don't worry, it won't be hieroglyphics) For example, you can obtain information on what your clients have purchased, which products are most popular, and who is reading your ezines or unsubscribing. (Yes, I'm aware that this may feel like internet voyeurism at its finest, but it lets you know who your fans are and what they care about. This, in turn, enables you to do market research and devise new--and popular--offerings!)
* An integrated shopping cart system can improve your deliverability rate. Let me explain: A high deliverability rate means your precious emails are actually going to REACH their destination instead of rotting in the deadly spam folder from hell. A good integrated shopping cart program will whitelist the emails you send due to the company's affiliation with big email servers such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. The fabulous outcome for you and your business venture? The emails you send will have a higher chance of being received by your clients, and this will increase your sales!
* A great shopping cart will make your e-commerce activities simpler and easier. Your integrated shopping cart and email database will be like the safety rudders on a bowling alley that help you score a strike even if you suck. (This special feature of the spiffiest bowling alleys is a blessing for bowlers who lack skill but try to make up for it in enthusiasm, like me.)
* Your integrated shopping cart and email system should be simple to use, centralized, and customizable. That way you won't have to transfer information and go in and out of multiple systems, plus you will keep your brand consistent. You want your shopping cart to have the look, feel, and user-friendliness of the rest of your site or you won't look professional. (Yep, you don't need to change your bowling shirt every time it's your turn to rock and roll. if you're always varying your league's name and colors, you won't be recognized as the Top Dogs in your neighborhood alley!)
* An integrated cart system can be linked to your website, blog, or other online outlets with a simple no-hype hyperlink. (It's that easy!) Having a do-able way to connect the cart to all of your online outlets will save you a lot of time as well as loss of hair. (Now you can use that Rogaine budget to join a bowling league-- and grab a couple of preliminary lessons and your own glossy vinyl bag along the way.)
In bowling, you try to hit as many pins as you can with one ball, correct? (Maybe you guessed that my next book will be Bowling for Dummies since I am obviously a bowling enthusiast.) In an integrated shopping cart and email database, you knock out all of the following at once: 1) You don't have to pay for numerous systems and can offer the appropriate products and services to your customers based on their interests and purchase history; 2) You avoid the time and frustration of having to coordinate multiple systems plus you don't have to start from scratch each time you need to send an email; 3) You lessen your web master's workload, and thus save time and money. (Would you rather have a surly Gutter-Bowler or a Double-Striker on your team?)
Don't let a separate email system, client database, and online payment shopping cart corner you in a dark alley. (Love those double entendres...) Score an integrated system and you can be the Kingpin (or Queenpin!) of your business success with a powerful online presence and great internet sales.
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Dr. Barnsley Brown is a speaker, author, and coach who specializes in strategic marketing, including creative online marketing, for small business owners. Want to know which integrated shopping cart she swears by and has used for years in her business, Spirited Solutions Professional Speaking & Coaching? Try it for thirty days (free!) here: http://bit.ly/bestcartforyou
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