Selling a product online is a great way to break into the world of commerce without all of the expenses involved in setting up a brick-and-mortar business. Unfortunately, many people do not realize that selling a product online involves more than slapping a product description on a web page and waiting for the money to roll in. Selling online involves time and effort, and many internet retailers make costly mistakes.



Email Marketing Mistakes

Many people selling a product online use email marketing to generate sales. The following are the most common, and often most costly, mistakes that can be made when email marketing:

• SPAM. SPAM is one of the most costly mistakes you can make when marketing a product online. Not only does it ensure the loss of a sale, but also it can potentially cost your business when the recipients file complaints. While inducing people to subscribe for e-zines and e-mails are encouraged, unsolicited mails are to be discouraged.

• Over sending. If you practice the art of send, send and send, the recipients of your email will end up blocking all messages from you. They could even end up filing SPAM complaints. Space out your emails and send only the important ones.

• Bad Lists. It is common for online marketers to purchase email lists. These lists contain the names and email addresses of people who may be interested in purchasing their products. Unfortunately, not every vendor sells quality lists. A bad list is a waste of time because the email addresses are usually bad, which means your ad will not be seen.

Other Common Mistakes

In addition to the mistakes made when using email marketing, there are several common mistakes in other business aspects that are made by internet retailers.

• Poor Customer Service. Poor customer service includes not being available for customer comments, complaints and suggestions, as well as trying to blame product problems or order issues on the customer. This is a quick way to lose sales and prevent any repeat sales you may have had.

• Greed. Overcharging for the product or for shipping is seen as greedy by customers. They can pay retail anywhere, without the extra expense of shipping, and customers will shop around for better prices. Even if your competitor only has cheaper shipping, that makes purchasing from them a better deal.

• Amateur Site. If your site looks like a twelve-year-old made it, customers will not be willing to spend money. Errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation, as well as problems with the overall look and feel of the site, will send customers away.

• Slow Site. If your site takes too long to load, customers will go elsewhere. Even when selling through online auctions, pictures and graphics need to load quickly.

Conclusion in a Nutshell

By avoiding the common mistakes, you can increase your chances of making sales and increase your profits. While these mistakes are easily made, they are also easily corrected and prevented. Any of these mistakes, even several in combination, seem minor, but they can be very costly when selling products online.