Now, what is it that REALLY successful PowerSellers do?

They maximize "back-end" sale.

What this means to you is that once a customer has bought from you, hard part is over. Now having done business with you, they TRUST you to deliver goods. You MUST & I REPEAT, MUST try to get that customer to buy again & again.

Never, ever, send a package to a customer without including a sales flyer, catalog or some other special offer in package to try to entice them to make another purchase. Email them a special offer every week or so.

You NEED repeat customers. Going after lone, one-time sale is a losing battle. You will not be successful unless you get them to buy again & again & do this with every person you deal with.

Send a thank-you note via postal mail or eMail to every customer & use that opportunity to SELL THEM SOMETHING ELSE.

Another tip:

Sell CONSUMABLE items. You know, stuff that people need to order fairly often. Like socks, t-shirts, work gloves, food items, towels & linens, printer ink cartridges, sell shipping materials to other eBay sellers. You will get REPEAT orders from these customers for months and even years to come.

A single approach can’t cover all your bases. The same applies to article marketing.

Article Marketing Strengths - Ability to deliver an interesting "sample" of your expertise - Long enough to be informative (600-800 words) - Reaches and speaks to tightly focused interest groups - Quickly delivers message throughout Internet - Long shelf life - some websites keep articles posted for years - Builds on keywords that your website uses - Incoming-links from websites that post your articles

Plan More than One Article at a Time

You can’t develop much momentum with one article. That’s like shooting a gun with a single bullet, or a PPC (pay-per- click) campaign for just one term. The odds of hitting your mark aren’t too good. Several articles written to reinforce each other generate more mileage. As you get more articles out there, people start paying attention, and you can target more keywords. Repeated publications develop a personality that readers recognize.

Plan a number of titles in advance, with a theme building from one to next. Keep each one tightly focused, but related to others. In that way, you develop in-depth "voice" of an expert. And your information won’t lapse into ho-hum generalities. Write first-rate articles when you rely on extensive free resources http://www.promotewitharticles.com at Article Marketing Academy.

Try writing some in a series (like, Part 1 of 3 parts) to build anticipation for future segments. Also, your message won’t be confined to 600 to 800 word article limit. Since each article in series resides on your website, readers needn’t wait to read them all (giving them an incentive to visit your site). Later, whole series can be offered as a special report or ebook (once related material is added).

Write with your keywords in mind. Maintain your primary message, with a different twist for parallel niches. Go to extra effort to say something new. That’s easy when you provide stories, examples, case studies from your own experience. As you dish out practical assistance in your articles, readers will be eagerly watching for your next ones. © Lynella Grant, 2005

Part 2 includes posting articles, writing to please search engines, and ways to re-use articles. Part 2 of 2, http://www.promotewitharticles.com/strategy102.html