Are you tired of struggling to make sales online? Are you frustrated with the constant changes and challenges of the digital landscape? Do you feel like you’re constantly trying to play catch up and never quite getting ahead?
If so, it’s time to take a different approach.
Contrary to popular belief, dominating online sales is not about following the latest trends or adopting the newest tactics.
It’s about fundamentally rethinking your approach to selling online and implementing a proven, effective strategy.
This post will reveal the five critical steps to dominating the online sales game and skyrocketing your revenue.
But before we dive in, it’s essential to address a common misconception: that success in online sales is all about being lucky or having the right connections.
In reality, anyone can succeed in online sales – as long as they’re willing to put in the effort and adopt the right mindset.
So if you’re ready to take your online sales to the next level and start dominating the game, keep reading. We’ll show you precisely what you need to do to succeed – even if you’re starting from scratch.
How to sell online basics and fundamentals
The importance of learning how to sell online
In today’s world, selling online has become crucial to running a successful business. With more and more people shopping online, having an online presence is essential for reaching a wider audience and increasing your revenue.
The potential benefits of selling online
There are many benefits to selling online, including reaching a global audience, having access to a broader range of customers, and having the ability to operate 24/7.
Additionally, selling online can be a cost-effective way to run a business, as you don’t have to worry about the overhead costs associated with a brick-and-mortar store.
Setting up an online storefront or platform to sell on
The first step in selling online is to choose an online forum or storefront to sell on. There are many options, including marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy and e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce. Consider your business’s unique needs and research to find the right platform.
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Choosing the right products to sell online
The success of your online store will largely depend on the products you decide to sell. Start by identifying your target market and the products they are looking for.
Consider the competition, pricing, and demand for the products you are considering.
According to Statista, these product categories sell like crazy online
Pricing your products effectively
Setting the right price for your products is crucial for the success of your online store. It’s essential to strike a balance between pricing your products competitively and ensuring you profit. Start by researching the competition and similar pricing products, but also consider the cost of production and other expenses associated with your products.
The importance of having a solid marketing strategy
To succeed in the competitive world of online selling, it’s essential to have a strong marketing strategy in place. This will help you to promote your products and reach your target audience effectively.
Develop a compelling brand story and aesthetic.
Your brand story and aesthetic are crucial for creating a robust and cohesive identity for your online store. This should include elements like your logo, color scheme, font choices, and overall visual aesthetic.
By crafting a straightforward, consistent brand story and aesthetic, you can help differentiate your store from the competition and make it more memorable and appealing to customers.
Invest in high-quality product photography and descriptions.
When shopping online, customers often rely on product photos and descriptions to make their purchasing decisions.
This means high-quality product photography and descriptions are essential for marketing your online store.
If your suppliers don’t provide high-quality photos, be prepared to Invest in professional photography and make sure to take the time to write detailed, engaging product descriptions that accurately reflect the features and benefits of your products.
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Social media is a powerful tool for marketing your online store, allowing you to engage directly with potential customers and showcase your products.
Utilize social media to connect with customers and promote your products.
Develop a social media strategy that includes regular posts, contests and promotions, and other engaging content. This can help you build a loyal following and drive traffic and sales to your online store.
Consider implementing a loyalty program or rewards system.
Loyalty programs and rewards systems are a great way to incentivize customers to shop from your online store. These programs can include perks like special discounts, free shipping, early access to new products, and other benefits.
You can leverage this into a powerful marketing tool for driving sales and customer retention because it will encourage customers to return to your online store and repeat purchases.
Offer exceptional customer service and support.
By providing exceptional customer service and support, you can create a positive customer experience and encourage customers to shop with you again in the future.
The importance of responding to customer inquiries and concerns quickly
Providing prompt customer service is crucial for the success of your online store. This means responding to customer inquiries and concerns promptly and efficiently and going the extra mile to ensure that your customers are satisfied.
This support is essential for building customer loyalty and driving repeat business for your online store.
So make sure you have a customer service team in place to handle inquiries, complaints, and other issues, and provide multiple channels for customers to reach out to you (e.g., email, phone, live chat).
Handling customer complaints and returns effectively
When it comes to customer complaints and returns, it’s crucial to handle these situations effectively to maintain a positive reputation for your business. Respond to complaints promptly and professionally, and offer appropriate solutions to any issues that may arise.
Staying organized and keeping track of inventory
The importance of maintaining accurate inventory and sales records
Staying organized and keeping track of your list and sales is essential to run a successful online store. This will help you manage your stock levels, avoid running out of popular items, and track your sales and revenue.
Use tools & software to help manage your online business
There are many online store management tools and software that you should consider using depending on your specific needs and goals. Some of the essential tools and software that you may want to consider include:
- A website builder or e-commerce platform will allow you to easily create and manage your online store, including adding products, processing orders, and managing customer information.
Popular options include Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento. - A shopping cart system will allow customers to add items to their virtual shopping cart and checkout securely. Some e-commerce platforms include a built-in shopping cart system, but consider a standalone option like PayPal or Stripe.
- A product management system will allow you to easily manage your inventory, including tracking stock levels, setting up inventory alerts, and processing orders.
- A customer relationship management (CRM) system will allow you to easily manage customer information, including tracking customer interactions, handling customer support inquiries, and sending out marketing communications.
- A marketing and advertising platform will allow you to easily create and manage marketing campaigns, including email marketing, social media advertising, and search engine marketing. Popular options include Mailchimp, Hootsuite, and Google Ads.
Learn how to sell online without an eCommerce store
With affiliate marketing, you can sell products or services online without owning a “real” online store.
Instead, you can partner with other businesses with online stores and promote their products or services on your website, blog, or social media channels.
When a customer clicks on your affiliate link and purchases from your partnered business, you earn a commission on the sale. This can be a great way to generate revenue without investing in creating and maintaining your online store.
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Check out “Wealthy Affiliate Review” a step-by-step training program that will teach you how to start your own passive income blog.
Another advantage of affiliate marketing is that it can be relatively low risk compared to other types of online sales. Since you’re only earning a commission on sales generated through your marketing efforts, you’re not responsible for inventory, shipping, or other expenses associated with running an online store.
So problems like all the financial risks and overhead costs of setting up and managing your online shop… GONE!
Additionally, affiliate marketing allows you to focus on what you do best, marketing and promoting products or services, rather than worrying about the technical details of running an online store.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to sell online (either e-Commerce or affiliate sales) can be a highly rewarding and lucrative way to run a business.
Following the tips outlined in this article, you can set up a successful eCommerce store or affiliate blog and reach a wider audience, increasing your revenue and growing your business.
Tell me in the comments which type of business suits you better!
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VERY good info… EVERYONE who is looking to earn money online should read this article.
Thanks Steve.
Selling online and internet marketing can be tricky, so if we share our experiences we can all benefit.
Let me know if you need anything .
Cheers
Hi Pedro
Nice site you should be proud of it .Its nicely laid out and information is
very helpful. Flows nicely into WA pitch, overall I think that
you`re most certainly on the right track here, well done
Tony.
Thanks Tony,
Always nice to read some nice words 😉
Hi Pedro,
It sounds like I have to make my site or potential site rather high in the google searches, which sounds a bit difficult and rather technical thing to do.
Where can I learn how to do that and is it something that anyone can learn?
And then from there I can build a site and focus on good quality ethical sales techniques
Hi Derek.
There are many options out there, depending if you own a website already or if you making one and how much you willing to invest to get it ranked.
Personally, if you ask me the best place to teach me how to sell online I would say for sure Wealthy Afiliate.
Why? in one place you have the tools, online & affiliate marketing lessons, tutorials, step by step courses, 24/7 live chat, support, even the hosting you need for your site.
You can set up a free account here to try it out.
If you need help with anything let me know
Cheers
You’ve covered some really good basics here and I think you’ve also touched on a really important point that many people forget, and that is differentiation. There are so many other websites out there trying to sell people things, why should someone stay on your website and buy from you? I think that point can really make a huge difference too.
Hi Sharon,
You are absolutely right.
With all the competition out there we need to give our visitors that extra souce so they can become our clients.
Good and bad thing about the internet is that we never know everything, there is always something to learn. So i guess people will be asking this teach me how to sell online question for the years to come.
thanks for your coment.
Best of luck
Thanks for the info Perdo. Very useful and informative.
Thanks for your feedback.
Best of luck to you
Your website design is very important as you stated.If your website visitor lands on your product page, it may be a good idea to offer some alternative products. You will occasionally see websites that offer items under “you may be interested in…” type displays. You can offer alternative products at either a higher or lower price point or both. Thereby, giving your visitor options other than leaving your product page.
Very well said Glen,
Is very important to have related products, or who bought “this” also bought “that”.
Even showing people what is the best product for the price tier on that category. Having a successful sale page needs follow up the behavior of your visits and adjust as you see fit.
Those who don’t do this, will get behind.
Thank you for your wise comment Glen.
Best of luck to you
Hi Pedro. Quite an amazing website you have there and so much info on what to consider before selling online. A lot of people just go on straight to selling without trying to figure out what their potential visitors may be looking out for.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks alot for this.
Hi Stephen,
Thank you for your comment.
If you need anything i can help you with le me know.
Cheers.
Hi Pedro,
This is an interesting guide on how to sell online – I like how you broke down the ‘behaviour’ of customers and explained what their main purpose for buying from the internet is. This certainly helps sellers to adapt their marketing techniques to suit their target audience.
What type of training does Wealthy Affiliate provide?
Hi James.
Wealthy Affiliate is for sure the best place for anyone get the right answer to teach me how to sell online.
Wealthy Affiliate best asset is to provide members with proper tools and training to make their websites rank up to the first google page.
What can someone selling on the internet as for if not being on page 1?
Good luck
Hello, Pedro, you basically covered almost every little detail concerning how to sell online even though there are still many things a beginner needs to understand about selling online. However, you did try to give a heads up for newbies to understand what it takes to start selling online.
I noticed you mentioned your no 1 program that could teach everything about selling online, which I understand is Wealthy Affiliate. Is it free to join or is there any cost to it?
Hi Nnamdi,
Wealthy Affiliate is free to join and you can get started with no problem without wasting any money, however, in order to use some premium tools you have a monthly fee that can vary if you pay monthly or go for the whole year wich is much more tempting!
There you can learn everything related to internet & affiliate marketing, basically, everything you need in order to succeed online.
Best of luck to you!
Cheers
If you go into affiliate marketing but don’t know how to write content or sell yourself or promote products, you won’t ever be successful. Great post. Im sure many people will search up this niche since everyone has a hard time selling. Good job! I like your quote. Be the one in charge of your life. Perfect!
Hi Lorenz,
We should all be in charge of our life!
The big problem these days is that, most, of us are just on “AUTO PILOT” trying to survive the daily routines instead of actually living.
Best of luck
Cheers
Hi Pedro,
I like your article a lot! It explains in detail “how to sell online” and most important thing it is easy to read. It grabs my attention with the title but the article is interesting itself.
As a Wealthy Affiliate member I would recommend their training either.
All the best
Hi Nadine,
I’m glad you liked my article.
I wrote this post because i wanted to show people different ways to profit from an internet business.
Cheers
Hi, Pedro, you have a nice looking website I like it, just wanted to ask you a question what plugin did you use to add that ‘are you looking for extra income?” bar?
And yeah the one before selling should help the customer and guide them, you can’t sell them things directly as you are not the only one that sell that product.
Thanks for sharing this article with us
Hi Anis
You absolutely right, people won’t just buy from us if we don’t give them something in return.
Best thing you can do for your costumer is to do the “dirty” work for him.
Found out what is better for him, write a good review on the product he is looking for, give him 3 or 4 options to choose from and last but not least point him to the best place for him to buy.
About the name of the plugin, is Notification bar.
Cheers
I find “selling” the hardest part of all when it comes to internet marketing.
Today it is not soo difficult to build websites. Traffic can be had either with a little work or by paid advertising so traffic is not that hard to get.
However, to make the traffic convert, that is the tricky part. Like you mention, creating value for your customer is the most important part. Why would the customer buy from you? Well because you offer the best price or the best service or anything that makes your offer better than the competition.
Hi Jojo,
Indeed the conversion part is the hardest, most of us have no chance of compete with those big names. However we can offer some things they cant. If you ask “teach me how to sell online” I’ll point you to the referral system. Yes, selling something without even owning it. Give the costumers something that those big name don’t by giving your costumers information they need. Find your clients instead of waiting them to find you! WA is the place to learn all that!
Best of luck
Thanks for sharing your useful tips on selling online. I believe it is important to learn from people who have been there and done that. So thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I have already started writing posts selling stuff, but did not think about adding reviews or comparing products. So I will have to try that.
Thanks,
Owain
Hi Owain,
I believe that best way to find costumers is writing great reviews about products they need.
By referring products to the big “sharks” out there, you are not competing with them, and still earning money on the sales “you” make. The great things about affiliate programs is that you don’t have investment and you don’t have to deal with the “pos sale”, the bad thing is it cuts on your profit.
The best answer to the “teach me how to sell online” question is, in my opinion, affiliate and referral programs, and the best place to learn where to do it properly is, Wealthy Affiliate.
Best of luck on your sales.
Cheers
Hi Pedro – yes you are right EVERYONE would love to make money online, but many think its going to be a quick fix … how difficult is it really to get a top Google ranking and does this guarantee sales? Realistically, if you are new at it, how long do you think it would take to get from A (starting out) to B (Google Ranking) to C ($$Moola$$)?
Hi Laurie.
Very good questions you got there. First of all let me start by saying that you are right, internet marketing ain’t a quick fix to get money, internet is not an ATM where you sign in and withdraw money from.
Getting your website done, rank on google, and selling your products ain’t difficult, all you need to do is follow up the teach me how to sell online program. If you join my mailing list, you will receive a 10 lesson step by step training “how to do it”.
Learn, Create, Promote and Repeat!
Now for a direct answer to your question.
A (starting out) – Creating a website with the tools you have at your disposal at wealthy affiliate ain’t the hard part.
What takes some time is find a good niche to create your website, get our ideas sorted out, and get good articles written about that niche we just choose.
B (Google Ranking) – Once your website matures and gets google trust take about 6 months or so (you need to feed your website with good content in a regular basis to achieve this). Your new posts will be ranked in a matter of minutes if you use the proper SEO techniques on your posts/pages.
C ($$Moola$$) – Search for trends within your niche, get traffic, make some reviews posts and use affiliate links to those products. You will be making money!
All of what i just wrote about and everything you need to know about how to successfully promote and earn from an online presence you can get at my Be your Own Boss – Your Online business Start’s Here page.
Give time to time and you will succeed.
Hi Pedro,
Thanks for the post.
As far as understand, you are saying that product reviews posts work better than anything else when marketing/trying to sell?
Also, how much time, percentage wise, you would recommend investing in SEO versus social media? I sometimes find that trying to get attention in giants like Facebook and Twitter is a waste of time.
Hi Pedro,
Thanks for the post.
As far as understand, you are saying that product reviews posts work better than anything else when marketing/trying to sell?
Also, how much time, percentage wise, you would recommend investing in SEO versus social media? I sometimes find that trying to get attention in giants like Facebook and Twitter is a waste of time.
Hi Margarita.
I would invest 65% Seo and creating seo optimized content, 25% analysing behavior of your visitors and adjusting your pages as necessary, create e-mail marketing campaigns.
Rest of the time use to share your awesome posts on social, but don’t stick with Facebook and Twitter, submit your posts to Digg and stumbleupon alikes.
Regarding the reviews, yes I belive reviews are a great for converting. Mainly because the fact that if a person Iso looking for a review on a certain product there is a high chance he is going to buy it sooner or later.
And if you have visitors on your site wanting to buy something you are promoting, there is a higher chance for you to sell, people will stay will be interested to read your article/review When you sharing on social, people often click on your link because ofor curiosity but will close your site, creating a high bounce rate.
Promoting and selling products on the internet has a big learning curve because you need to cover a lot of details. That is why is important to follow WA training.
If you need anything else let me know.
Cheers
Hi Margarita.
I would invest 65% Seo and creating seo optimized content, 25% analysing behavior of your visitors and adjusting your pages as necessary, create e-mail marketing campaigns.
Rest of the time use to share your awesome posts on social, but don’t stick with Facebook and Twitter, submit your posts to Digg and stumbleupon alikes.
Regarding the reviews, yes I belive reviews are a great for converting. Mainly because the fact that if a person Iso looking for a review on a certain product there is a high chance he is going to buy it sooner or later.
And if you have visitors on your site wanting to buy something you are promoting, there is a higher chance for you to sell, people will stay will be interested to read your article/review When you sharing on social, people often click on your link because ofor curiosity but will close your site, creating a high bounce rate.
Promoting and selling products on the internet has a big learning curve because you need to cover a lot of details. That is why is important to follow WA training.
If you need anything else let me know.
Cheers
Fortunately, by being affiliated with companies that ship physical products, we don’t have to worry about fulfilment. We can target long-tailed keywords for affiliate products, create unique review web pages with our own spin, upload those pages and then try to get eyes on our content. This beats having to do all the product creation donkey work ourselves.
And the best thing about being affiliated is not having to worry about setting up payment methods for commissions.
So perhaps for most of us, selling other people’s products online is the way to go.
Well said Vic.
I agree with you 100%.
Affiliate marketing has a lot of advantages comparing with retail.
Allow us to sell with almost no investment
Thanks for your wise words.
Cheers
Hi Pedro,
I like your article a very much in deed! It explains “how to sell online†and most important thing it is easy to read, even for beginners!
Can you please tell me what type of training does Wealthy Affiliate provide?
Keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot for this.
Hi Jayden.
Thanks for your comment.
As for wealthy affiliate it teaches you internet and affiliate marketing. They have a train system like no other. With WA you have step by step training, tutorials and video lessons that cover all you need to know to succeed online.
Wish you the best.
I have been using wealthy affilliate a little but I am new to the site. Can you tell me what programs they offer that will help me build up my site better and get it ranking higher in the Google search so that I can begin selling things? Thanks for your help!
Hi Guy Siverson
Regarding Wealthy Affiliate, they have a really well-designed step by step training that you can follow. Keep in mind that if you follow the train until the end, you will have on your possession knowledge to create a wonderful, google friendly and designed to convert website.
Regarding the ranking factor check out these particular lessons – http://bit.ly/2g4GLGM and http://bit.ly/2fPWg43
Another great asset if you want to dig deeper on SEO, check out the live video classes from JAY/Magistudios top notch stuff!
Cover all that and you will learn all you need to boost your online sales.
Best of luck
Cheers
Hey Pedro,
I like the way you bring your selling stuff online perspective quite clear and easy. I’ve been trying to get such an easy method but I oftently found myself scammed by those self claimed gurus on the web.
I want this method, but I gotta ask, since I’m not too techy with stuff, will you give personal help when I decide to use your means?
I’m waiting for your response for me to take action.
Thanks
Hi Dave
Glad you have read my teach me how to sell online post and find it useful and easy to read. I tried to keep it simple so anyone could follow up.
The world of internet marketing is immense to learn it all by ourselves. Having someone pointing us in the right direction will allow us to improve what we already have. In the process we will save precious time, money and the final “product” will have better quality, therefore will provide better results.
You asked if I would give my personal help, what do you mean by that? Do you need help with one of your websites?
Let me know what is in your mind!
Cheers
I’ve been trying to find legitimate information about how to sell online for ages. There are so many scams!
I tried eBay, but it drove me nuts and I didn’t really make much money, plus I was having to leave home every day to mail stuff. It was a pain.
I want to learn how to make money online without leaving home. Can Wealthy Affiliate do that?
Hi Gary,
There is a lot of misleading information on the web.
Ebay is flooded with unemployed people selling with a very small profit margin. Using drop shipping method earning about 1 usd per item, do the math! If that person sells 25 items per day on a 21 day month work it’s $525 extra income.
All that people have to do is copy paste order & shipping details from final client to the drop shipper.
Personally, I prefer Wealthy Affiliate method, create a niche website, get traffic (they provide tools & training to get this accomplished) and use affiliate links to promote products related to your niche.
With the train WA provide, literally, anyone can thrive at online marketing!
Finish the WA course and you will never ask teach me how to sell online again.
Cheers
Pedro, your article about selling online is very good. I would suggest for people that have never sold anything or have never learned to sell that they take a course or read about selling. Brian Tracy is a well known self development author and motivational speaker. He has several outstanding books and courses. Understanding the basics will help anyone sell online.
Hi Glen,
Thank you for your comment. You are absolutely right. We should read about selling and marketing, understanding what great pwople do, will allow us to perform better.
I’m always willing to learn what successfull people teach.
Cheers