Watson Realty Realtor offering Beach Homes in Florida on eBay? Soon in a New Custom Designed eBay Store

All Business Auctions & DesignLogic received final approval today to wrap up complete installation of new eBay Store from Watson Realty Daytona Beach/ Ormond Beach / Port Orange Florida Realtor Jason Chalkley.

The eBay stores real estate sales and listing destination is designed to bring in new and exciting buyers and prospects from the EU – (European Union countries) and beyond in addition to interested parties in other US States outside of Florida.

While the dollar is weak and real estate sales slow here in the USA, now is the time to gain attention from the rest of the world. Jason Chalkley realized the power of marketing on eBay and wanted to do it in a way which projects the quality image of his Watson Realty office. Watson Realty is one of the largest real estate brokerage companies in the Southeast U.S. with 43 residential sales offices and over 2000 associates.

The Jason Chalkley Realtor – real estate eBay store will feature the highly dynamic features of a Frooition (of the U.K.) eBay stores package and the attractive design by DesignLogic of iBusinessLogic.com.

About Watson Realty (From Company History Page)

Watson Realty, a trusted name since 1965, was a dream of Bill Watson’s even while he was a student at Stetson University in the late 1950’s. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business with a major in Real Estate and Insurance he completed his military obligation and returned to Jacksonville, immediately going to work in the industry of his choice. Watson Realty Corp. began on December 16, 1965 as a single office real estate company in a shared storefront with Bill Watson and one part-time sales agent. From the beginning, Watson Realty has focused on Legendary Quality Service, with long-range rather than short-term goals – building upon a foundation of strong leadership and salesmanship. Watson Realty’s first branch office opened on March 1, 1970 and we have continued to expand ever since – now with 43 residential sales offices and more than 2,000 sales associates throughout Northeast Florida, the Beaches, Gainesville and South Georgia. Read more

Twitter – Tweet – Share the News and More – Do you Twitter Baby? eBay Live 2008

Do you Twitter? Have you heard a good Tweet lately? Who do you follow, what did you hear?

Twitter is a constantly updated feed of tweets (short text messages), similar to an old style chat room. The difference is that you can follow – or not follow – whomever you wish. And it is just one chat room. You only see the people you choose to follow, but as many people as are interested may follow you.

Many top Internet marketers are using the space to promote themselves and to learn what other marketers, newsworthy people, celebrities, politicians and friends are doing and saying all day. With a Twitter feed open, the news from your contacts is constantly updated and you never know what you can see… new and breaking tech news, marketing ideas, information about emerging web 2.0 apps and websites, etc.

(CNN posts news stories on Twitter before they make the wire or TV).

Read about what interesting people are doing and seeing every day. From A-List celebrities to Obama & Hillary. It is amazing what you can find on Twitter.

Some of the smartest people in this or any business are posting regularly on Twitter. I follow and I join in…

Twitter gives me the opportunity to see and know what people like JasonCalacanis, mitchjoel, leolaporte or SethGodin are saying and doing.

Of course some Twitter users are less about updating real events and more about promoting products or websites. If you are interested in these promotions, you continue to follow these people. If you are not, simply stop following them. Some Twitter masters have thousands of followers like Scobleizer Bret Scoble.

My Twitter comments are picked up on my Facebook profile, so I do not have to post in two separate places. Applications are available which allow you to post to multiple social networks with a single “tweet”. I use twhirl for this convenience.

eBay Live 2008 – Will we Twitter? Read more

Get Products Noticed 2008 – eBay, Amazon, Google ShopZilla & More

 

What are the best places online to get your products noticed in 2008?

eBay – 225 million eBay members are actively buying and selling in the world today and over 68,000 businesses are trading there. Over $52 billion was traded on eBay globally in 2006. eBay is one of the first places that consumers looks when trying to source a product to purchase. Consider opening an eBay store. If set-up correctly and managed, an eBay store can result in your listings being organically visible on the top search engine organic listings. You can even give your eBay store the same look and feel as your website. Read more

Tips for Recognizing Wholesale Scams – Wholesale Buying Education

When most people look for suppliers these days, they start with Google. Yet the world of online suppliers can be a murky one and sadly, many budding entrepreneurs weigh in out of their depth with disastrous consequences. According to Simon Slade, manager for SaleHoo Product Sourcing, there are two very serious risks associated with sourcing on the internet:

1. Inadvertently buying fake designer brands
2. Fraudulent suppliers who take advantage of insecure payment methods to rip buyers off. Read more

1.5 Billion Dollar Budget Devoted to Digital Media by General Motors – Where is your Newspaper Ad?

If you ever had a doubt about the future of advertising, if  you have pondered the wisdom of spending time learning about social networks, blogging, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn…

Here is a big wake up call!

General Motors – not your grandpa’s marketing team …. 

General Motors has devoted one half of their substantial marketing budget to digital media and one-on-one direct marketing.   When GM buys in to digital media to the tune of 1.5 billion dollars, you may want to ask yourself one very simple question, ”Why would I advertise in a newspaper or magazine?”

Here at All Business Auctions we have always looked upon eBay and other Internet (digital Media) outlets as an incredible advertising venue. We think the article below indicates we have been on the right track. With GM inking a deal with eBay Motors to advertise all of their dealers’ previously owned stock on eBay Motors and now this announcement, I think we can all see the writing on the wall when it comes to where the real value in advertising is found in today’s marketplace.

From: Media Buyer Planner

 

 

GM Changes Game, Puts $1.5 Billion Online

GM, in what could signal a no-look-back shift to digital marketing, will dedicate half of its $3 billion budget to digital and one-to-one marketing in the next three years.

As the country’s third largest advertiser, GM’s switch may be the online marketing shot heard round the automotive world. GM, which spent nearly $10 billion on advertising last year, will use several online methods including gaming, search, mobile and a broad array of interactive applications.

Consumers looking to buy new vehicles were among the first to embrace online research to support buying decisions. And while television and print still have a place in product launches and awareness, many dealers now accept that the purchase process starts – and sometimes ends – online.

The news is not good for traditional media and may be exacerbated by a directive from GM’s Brent Dewar, vp-field sales, service and parts in North America. Dewar told Ad Age late last year that the auto maker will try to persuade its regional dealer ad groups “to shift their focus to digital vs. spot TV” starting this spring after the dealer co-ops, which spend $500 million annually, are revamped.

Other car makers are also upping online buys; Hyundai will double its online spending in 2008 over 2007.

Auto dealers are increasingly shifting their spend to online, with a particular focus on customer ratings and reviews and online video. 59 percent of dealers say they plan to use video on their own websites within the next 12 months, up from the current 33 percent, while the proportion of auto dealers using customer ratings and reviews will have risen from 29 percent to 43 percent, according to a new study by The Kelsey Group (via MarketingCharts). The proportion of those using social-networking sites will go from 15 percent to 33 percent, according to the surveyed dealers.

 

This is my debut as an Internet Radio Show Co- Host! – eBay & Beyond about to Go LIVE

Dave White of the widely listened to Internet Radio show “eBay & Beyond Basics to Business” will be firing up the engineers console at his radio show soon. This is my debut as an Internet Radio Show Co- Host!

So give a listen – the show starts soon – just follow the link below and be sure to call in with any questions. The show is replayed on a continuous loop all week so if you miss the “Live” version you can always join in at a later date. Dave tells me we are also on i-Tunes. Just look for “eBay & Beyond Basics to Business” in the i-Tunes Store under podcasts.

The Title of the show is “eBay & Beyond, Basics to Business” and that sums up a lot of stuff. I think Dave is wanting my perspective added to the show because I have sought out the “Beyond” end of the spectrum when it comes to eBay and eCommerce. The show’s listeners want to learn more about outside sources of revenue, exposure, and income which go beyond just eBay sales. Frankly I am glad to help and believe that more eBay sellers should look outside the big box that is eBay into the rest of the Internet world. There are so many opportunities and interesting ideas available to online retailers. I sometimes forget how myopic the eBay world can be, once you are in the eBay universe you sometimes forget there is a whole other solar system out there.

Neither Dave White or I would ever say that abandoning eBay would be a wise business decision. There are still too many advantages to having an eBay channel set up for your business. Fee hikes, feedback changes, DSR levels, all do not outweigh the real measureable expeosure gained via eBay sales. If a company were to simply look at eBay sales as an advertising budget decision, then they would be looking at the lost cost per sale advertising campaign in the world.

But I digress, this story is about Dave White and his great radio show and how I hope to add value for the listeners with honest answers to questions about blogging, web 2.0, web 3.D and more.

The show is broadcast live every Sunday between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The beauty of the Internet is that after that time you can join the show in a continuous loop 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world just by following the same link:

Show Goal: provide honest, fair and independent information and training to eBay and internet marketers.

David White host of eBay and Beyond: Basics to Business
David has been selling on eBay and the internet for over 10 years. In 2000 he was invited to teach at eBay University, instructing thousands all over the US how to buy and sell on eBay for almost 2 years. David also runs his own consulting business, assisting individuals as well as businesses establish and grow their internet business. David has sold over 20,000 items on the internet and continues to conduct educational programs for internet marketers.

Trading Assistant Journal asks – What Kind of Seller Are you?

Our Trading Assistant Journal published an article today asking “What Kind of eBay seller are you?”

We thought we would mention this commentary post here for any readers who have not yet joined the rss feed at the TA Journal.

Please take a moment to read today’s article over on the TA Journal and join both of the feeds here and there. We love it when you stop by each day!

Think of eBay as an ecosystem…

As in any ecosystem, members of the community depend upon one another. The eBay ecosystem is composed of buyers and sellers… without one or the other the system falters and all become extinct. As in any ecosystem, different classes of organisms compete for survival.

The sellers in this ecosystem are comprised of occasional sellers, part time sellers, somewhat professional sellers, Powersellers and the Mega Conglomerate Super-sellers.

The question is, what kind of eBay seller are you?

I see eBay as a community… and as in every community, whether a country or a small town, there are different status levels, income levels, outlooks, thoughts and fears among those who participate in the community. The community as a whole seems cohesive from the outside, but when one wades into the inner workings of any community, a whole range of thoughts and ideas about the community ecosystem and its rules will become apparent.

As eBay members and sellers, we must keep in mind the simple facts of life in any community. Some rules work fine for some members, yet the same rules are looked upon as a poison by other members.

Read More on the TA Journal!

eBay eCommerce Blogging or Affiliate Sales Why not All of the Above?

Do you have your own off eBay website?

As an eBay seller you know you should have your own website but for some unknown reason our research indicates that most eBay sellers do not. Why?

If it is because you do not have the time to set up another high maintenance difficult to control Internet presence… You may not be aware of all of the new and interesting ways to get online with your own name and brand while not having to maintain that online portal each and every day.

A website can be thought of as a more difficult animal to manage than an eBay store or auction listing business. In reality the maintenance is much lower while sometimes the cost to get started can be a bit higher. Continuing costs of a website versus an eBay business are completely different however and by an almost universal consensus the stand alone website will win the cost to maintain battle every time.

So, why eBay? Because with the massive traffic generation provided by the huge amount of inbound links and the pure enormity of eBay a seller can have a higher percentage chance of making a sale on eBay than on a stand alone website.

What if you want a website and the traffic of eBay but you do not have enough source of supply to populate your own eCommerce site to compete with the massive lists of products found on eBay or Amazon? We think you could be quite happy with the following solution.

One particularly interesting method of populating an off eBay website which will not simply promote your brand and your eBay items but also will pay you back and run on autopilot. Is to install phpBay Pro on an existing or new php based website or Wordpress CMS site.

phpBay Pro (See Link in the Sidebar) is an Ebay software script available as a plugin for Wordpress or as an API (application programming interface) for php driven web sites. It’s built for simplicity, meaning that you can have it up and running in just a matter of minutes. Both versions come with documentation.
Ebay Affiliate Software

phpBay Pro enables web publishers to quickly and easily add keyword rich eBay auction listings to your Wordpress or php driven site to generate serious affiliate revenue in a matter of minutes!

What this means to those who may not be aware of the terminology used in the phpBay Pro company literature is…

With phpBay Pro any website can import any eBay listing category, store, or keyword group directly into a stand alone website or Wordpress based self hosted blog. When the owner of such a website signs up as an eBay affiliate at Commission Junction, the resulting traffic directed to eBay from these listings inserted into any own website or blog will generate 24 hour a day revenue for that site. Those same listing imported into your off eBay website add constantly updating and new content to that site. For SEO this is a great advantage. Your site can be relatively static, yet always have new listings imported providing recent and relevant content for search engine spiders to chew upon.

These imported listings can be from your own store, your favorite category, or of the best items from eBay’s hot list. The best part is that the imported listings will look as though they are designed as part of your original website. It won’t look like some eBay generated widget or html builder import. Well, actually… the best thing is that as the website owner you can make money on any item sold via your listings imported from eBay and you will not have to ship or stock or inventory any of them.

Check Out phpBay Pro – Follow that link below…. Tell em the All Business Auctions sent you! Or give us a call, we use phpBay Pro ourselves and would be happy to help you set up a website which can take advantage of this technology. We will insert eBay live listings with phpBay to a new site which could also contain not only your eBay listings from an existing eBay store but also have a page of eBay listings from other sellers stores (a great way to test niche’s) and also have a web 2.0 style blog attached to build a sense of community with your buyers. The options are endless!

Does Becoming a Guest Blogger on an Authority Site Improve Your Blog Traffic?

Guest Blogging?

Becoming a guest blogger for a related website or blog can increase your own website traffic and improve your reach. The key is to provide a valuable and interesting perspective for the readers of the surrogate blog site. Your message should be just a little bit outside the normal flow of the readers expectations but not so far out that they will dismiss your post to wait for the next “regular” issue to return to normal. Intrigue don’t insult… make new friends and possibly new subscribers in the process.

Recently I have been working closely with Jay Berkowitz of the Ten Golden Rules Podcast, Ten Golden Rules Blog and website. TenGoldenRules.com. (Everyone should be familiar with Jay by now as I have been including a great deal of information about him and our interrelated speaking engagements etc… on this blog and in the Trading Assistant Journal.

Jay has a perspective that is exciting and refreshing when viewed from an eBay guy’s vantage point. The entire world of Internet marketing is so vast and yet eBay people, myself included, can get so wrapped up with the day to day activities and grind of eBay that we sometimes let the entire outside world go by without even noticing. Jay brings into focus some aspects of that vast world, or at least the social networking and new Internet marketing portion of the it for me when I listen to his podcast. This is not a podcast which is designed to sell you a box of DVD’s , Guides, e-Books or Courses – Jay has no DVD’s for sale.

I appreciate his genuine awe struck and outgoing way of bringing his listeners sound bytes from some of the most powerful and cutting edge Internet marketers and pioneers in our World today. Jay rubs shoulders with and interviews the likes of Seth Godin and Jason Calacanis on a weekly basis. If you don’t know who those people are, it’s OK because Jay will share the highlights of the careers of these .com and Internet moguls with you when he reports on the Ten Golden Rules podcast. I say Awe Struck, not because I think Jay does not belong in the same room with these mega-tycoons of our industry but because he has a way of approaching these interviews with the kind of exuberance and giddiness of someone who may not belong, but is happy to be there, would bring. Jay belongs – one only needs to read his resume on the Ten Golden Rules website to know he has been playing in this sandbox for some time now. He simply has a style which brings the listener into the room as if we were flies on the wall and Jay is the only person who knows we are there.

Jay uses a small digital recording device to get his sound bytes and interviews. He approaches people at opportune times, usually after a cocktail hour or a dinner at the end of a long day or after a conference. His interviews are not stiff but his subjects just might be. The format is simple and to the point and he repeats similar questions to all of his guests but this only makes the listener more comfortable with the process. The answers are not canned or spammed and they seem to come from the heart with most of his best guests. So I applaud Jay for his honest and forthright efforts to bring a tiny glimpse of the vast and ever changing world of the Internet and how cutting edge pioneers use it for their own personal enjoyment as well as how they market for personal gain.

Jay has been more than happy to communicate and share with me outside the world of his podcast. I helped Jay and Debbie Levitt arrange for Jay to be the Keynote speaker at RocketPlace.com and now that has become a connection which will serve all of us well into the future. With Jay speaking at eBay live in Chicago (As noted in our previous post).

Jay has allowed me the honor of guest posting with an eBay perspective on his Ten Golden Rules Blog. I hope to contribute as often as he and his staff have a need for my content. But if no more than the post I have repeated below is included in the Ten Golden Rules blog, I think I will have been successful.

Guest posting is a sign that you have good content and that people want to hear what you have to say. I respect the trust and I honor the privilege whenever another blogger has room for one of my posts within their publication. If you reach the point where another blog property will have your content inserted with your own byline, as a guest blogger the opportunity should not be allowed to slip away. Guest Blog whenever possible and do it with integrity. Make sure your host is aware of your sincere gratitude for the opportunity to address his or her readers.

Thanks again Jay and the Team at Ten Golden Rules!

The following is my first guest post on the Ten Golden Rules Blog:

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Guest Post – Top 10 eBay Stores Tips for Small Business Owners

Here is a guest post from our friend Scott Pooler at All Business Auctions, an eBay stores expert.

Top 10 eBay Stores Tips for Small Business Owners

1) OPEN an eBay store and stock it with merchandise – This is the first step! Once you make this initial step, your business will be on its way towards gaining worldwide exposure for your brand plus a robust and lively new customer base. Question: Are you aware that more searches are initiated for products on eBay each day than on Google? In fact there are more searches completed each day on eBay than on Google’s entire system and every search within eBay is initiated by a consumer looking for a product to buy.

2) Build up your positive feedback number – By building the eBay account feedback through purchases and the sales of your store merchandise new and exciting features of your eBay account will become available. Once your feedback rating exceeds 100 all of your fixed price and store listings will be gaining even more Internet exposure on eBay express and your eBay store merchandise will qualify for many other programs within eBay. When sales exceed $1000.00 per month, the eBay stores business you established will be listed as a PowerSeller. Powerseller status indicates to the consumer that you are a steady and reliable resource and they can have confidence buying from you. Additionally, when your sales surpass $3000.00 per month, your business will qualify for a reduction in PayPal fees. The best sellers rise to the top both in the new Best Match Search and with quality DSR’s or “Detailed Seller Ratings” on eBay. Being a great merchant now results in a bottom line discount on fees for Powersellers.

3) Research and Test – Use existing tools provided by companies like Terapeak and Hammertap to research your niche and products on eBay. Study the competition and learn your strengths and weaknesses as a seller on eBay. The world of eBay retailing is dynamic and different from even cutting edge eCommerce marketing. You must have relevant and accurate information at hand to really know the marketplace. Without research and testing (via your eBay store and auctions listings), no real eBay marketing plan can be developed. Use these easy to understand tools to learn the trends, price points, and methods your competition uses to dominate the marketplace for your niche. Research is king on eBay!

4) Design Your eBay Store to fit your brand – An eBay store is a marvelous tool to attract traffic to your merchandise but once a potential customer lands on your site you want them to stick around and see all that you have to offer. A standard eBay store design is very basic and will appear as one of a thousand similar eBay stores in the world. To stand out and be recognized, you need to invest in a professionally designed eBay store. A store designed with your company look and feel and your branding will perform much better than the stock eBay store packages with dated graphics and cookie cutter design.

5) Complete your eBay Store “About Me” Page – This is possibly the single most important step to succeed as an eBay seller! The About Me page is the only place where, within the eBay rules and guidelines it is possible to re-direct eBay traffic to your own website. If you want a portion of the 225 million eBay users to see your company website, this is where you get it done! A professional eBay store design should include a “me” page designed to funnel traffic to your off eBay website.

6) Write an eBay guide, review, or blog – Give your muse a try and write a review or a guide to how to buy a product you feature. What should a consumer look for in products similar to what your store features? How would a consumer go about finding an honest dealer like you? What kind of treasures can be found in the marketplace and how does a consumer tell the good from the fake in your field? This is not a place for blatant merchandising but more of a place to write a common sense guide about how to buy your specific category of widgets. These guides and reviews and/or blog posts are all ways to gain worldwide exposure for your company and your brand and identify yourself as an expert – eBay provides these tools to you for free!

7) Import your eBay listings into your own website – Create excitement on your website and offer ever changing content to the search engines by importing your own eBay store listings into your off eBay traditional website. The advantages of this strategy are vast and the investment is minimal. If you sign up as an affiliate of eBay (also free) your company can even realize revenue from any click through to eBay from your website.

Sell Internationally – With an eBay store your company becomes an international exporter overnight. Make your products available to the world and offer them on all of eBay’s international websites. You will gain new customers, additional traffic and valuable bidders for any auction listings you post. Bring the world to you with the click of a mouse!

9) Set up a Trade – In / Trade – Up Program for new equipment sales – . Example: Your business sells new and valuable products or merchandise and has a loyal customer base. You are always working toward selling your customers the latest and greatest piece of equipment or new model of your merchandise. As a business owner you hesitate to directly accept trade in equipment and then sell same used equipment for warranty and financial reasons etc… With an established eBay based Trade up program an opportunity becomes available to offer your customers a way to convert used merchandise into trade in cash on eBay if the customer will commit to buying a new stock item from you. In an eBay consignment arrangement, you never take ownership of the item and therefore you never invest in the item nor are you liable for the item. The item is sold as is to a new customer and your loyal customer applies the value towards the sale of your new inventory. Win Win – Everyone is happy. You sell new equipment by eliminating a financial objection from your present customer. – Smart Business!

10) Stick with it! – There are many tools available to your company which will automate the process of listing and re-listing merchandise which reduces labor costs and the possibility of tedium causing you to abandon an eBay store plan. When you set up your eBay store, have an eBay plan in place with goals and milestones in mind and on paper. Stick with your plan, adjust your goals, and learn your marketplace. Each sale will propel your business along the pathway to success and each sale will be a learning experience. Your company and you can do it and you can do it now!

Bonus Tip – eBay is more than a sales channel – eBay is a worlds most highly trafficked intersection of buyers and sellers. Location is everything in the world of retail and if your store is on a busy corner you will be touted as a genius for your selection of a location. Think of eBay more as an advertising opportunity and a brand building marketplace with the added benefit of producing real sales. eBay has spent as much as 4 Billion dollars per year on PPC advertising targeted for goods listed within eBay Stores, do you want a piece of that ad buy? An eBay store can have a long lasting positive impact on brand awareness and new customer acquisition all while providing actual revenue. Top tier retailers including Sears and Circuit City have invested in the eBay marketplace because it is much more than a place for collectibles. Open up to the possibilities of eBay, no other venue provides so much traffic with such a small overall investment.

Scott Pooler is an eZine Articles Expert Author and the Publisher of the “Trading Assistant Journal” . His company – AllBusinessAuctions.com provides eBay stores design, eCommerce development, Internet & eBay solutions & software to small and mid sized businesses worldwide.
727-596-6900

Posted by Jay Berkowitz at 10:45 AM 0 comments

Labels: All Business Auctions, eBay, Hammertap, Scott Pooler, terapeak

Ten Golden Rules Founder Jay Berkowitz to Speak at eBay Live 2008 Chicago

Jay Berkowitz of the Ten Golden Rules Will be a featured speaker at eBay Live 2008!

Jay is scheduled currently to speak just following eBay CEO John Donahoe and should be a big hit with his Ten Golden Rules of Internet Marketing presentation. I know that many of the attendees of the RocketPlace.com conference were very impressed with Jay’s speech and style and they simply wanted more of the information Jay had to share.

Now is your chance – Registration for eBay Live opens March 14, 2008

To get a better idea of the focus of Jay’s 10 Golden Rules Podcast you can listen to Episode 20 at the following Link:

Episode 20 – Ten Golden Rules Podcast

Jay was kind enough to give both Debbie Levitt and Myself the credit for his speaking engagement at eBay Live in the Podcast listed above. Thanks Jay, we appreciate your coming to speak to all of the eBay people who are interested on your perspective regarding the future of the Internet and how we should use Social Networking to market outside of eBay.

Jay’s Website is TenGoldenRules.com found here:

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