In this episode of the Rock Your Brand podcast we discuss The SECRET to Attracting HIGH-VALUE Clients with Video Content

What to expect from Rock Your Brand?

Expect interviews, student spotlights, and practical playbooks for building a freedom-first business with YouTube, email, and simple offers. Comment “100K” (on YouTube/Spotify) or hit the link to grab the free 18-page 100K Roadmap playbook.

In this episode of the Rock Your Brand podcast we discuss How This Fitness Coach BLEW UP His Business from ONE YouTube Video

What to expect from Rock Your Brand?

Expect interviews, student spotlights, and practical playbooks for building a freedom-first business with YouTube, email, and simple offers. Comment “100K” (on YouTube/Spotify) or hit the link to grab the free 18-page 100K Roadmap playbook.

In this episode we will be discussing 

For more resources visit - https://brandcreators.com

In today's episode, I will discuss getting more traffic using secret hooks on any platform with creator Jake Thomas.

He runs a company called Creator Hooks. Now what's cool about that is that you'll hear his whole story here today. 

How he formed the company, and how he got introduced to it. He will explain the entire story and everything about it. 

So, start implementing what he just shared. I know I'm thinking a lot differently now about my writing of titles and hooks. a

So, after you listen to this, maybe go back and listen again because there was a lot to unpack. 

There's just so much that you can do to get attention by writing really good hooks. And that could also be in an email.

So start getting more traffic using secret hooks on any platform with creator Jake Thomas.

Use the media player above or watch the video below.

"Remember, I'm here for you, believe in you, and rooting for you! Now it's time to take action and rock your brand"! 

Enjoy, and let's CRUSH YOUR WEEK! 

FYI: If you want to be part of the Rock Your Brand Building Profitable Niche Website Properties Facebook group, where you can ask any question, head over to brandcreators.com/group.

If you found today's show to be valuable, please share it. 

• Please consider taking a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes.
• They're very beneficial when it comes to the show's ranking. I can guarantee to read each one of them myself.
• Finally, don't neglect to subscribe to the show on your preferred app.

Helpful Links

• Brand Creator's Playbook
• Rock Your Brand GROUP 
• http://the6figurewebsite.com/

It’s becoming more and more common that unscrupulous Amazon sellers are sending letters to their competitors that sound very official and legal but are fakes. These letters are sent to intimidate competitors into taking down their listings and eventually removing their products from Amazon altogether. The practice is a kind of bullying that Ted Luymes, an attorney who deals with Amazon related issues in his practice sees all the time. On this episode, Ted shares some of the things to look for if you receive a letter like that and gives advice on what you can do to make the bullying stop.

Even if you were very thorough when you went through the product research phase it’s possible that you have infringed on someone’s patent, but you won’t know unless you did an actual patent search, which can be expensive. On this episode, Ted Luymes talks about the steps you can take to assure yourself first of all that your product is not stepping over legal lines, but also what you can do if someone accuses you of doing so. He’s got great advice for you so be sure you take the time to listen.

Any Amazon seller has the right to file a complaint with Amazon that claims another seller has infringed on their product patent, copyright, or trademark. When this happens Amazon typically doesn’t ask questions first, they just take the listing down. Then they begin an investigative process. On this episode of The Amazing Seller attorney Ted Luymes shares what you can do to expedite the process if this happens to you. You’ll want to hear this because the longer you are on the Amazon platform the more likely it is that you’ll experience things of this nature.

If Amazon happens to suppress your product listing or take your listing off of their platform because of a copyright or patent complaint, you have the right to file a DMCA counter-notice. By law, the person or entity who filed the claim that you’ve violated their copyright or patent has a limited amount of time after that to prove their claim. If they don’t, Amazon must put your listing back on the platform. That’s how the law works. But there are a number of steps you should take before you resort to the DMCA notice. Do you know what they are? Attorney Ted Luymes is on the show today to give us the answers.

Imagine this scenario: You’ve just opened your mail and find a cease and desist letter from another Amazon seller. They say you are selling an unauthorized version of their product that infringes on their copyright. If this happens to you the last thing you should do is write a snarky or angry email reply. There are much better ways to deal with the situation. On this episode, Attorney Ted Luymes gives some solid advice about how you should respond to those kinds of letter or notices and tells why it’s so important to do so if you want a favorable outcome to the issue.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this podcast episode with Attorney Ted Luymes.
• [2:38] The reality of the bumps in the road that come in business.
• [4:20] The kinds of bullying Ted has been seeing.

It’s time for the next Friday episode of The Amazing Seller podcast - the “Ask Scott” episode where Scott Voelker, an experienced online business guy and Amazon seller answers listener questions. That means YOU can get in on the action by asking questions related to your Amazon Private Label business - or any other business you may be running. Scott’s got the experience to give you some insight to feel free to reach out to him with your situation - and listen to this episode to find out how you can do that!

One listener to the Amazing Seller called in to ask how his competitor is getting his product to show up in search results for two different, gender-specific searches with DIFFERENT TITLES for the same product! Does he have two listings? Scott says it’s most likely that he has the product set up with variations. Product variations, when done right and in a way that is genuine are a great way to target your product to different audiences. You can hear how Scott describes it and get an idea of how you can use product variations on this episode of the podcast.

A listener called in to ask about the best way to correspond with a potential vendor. What he’s concerned about is whether or not the vendor will take him less seriously if he uses a generic email like gmail or yahoo mail - as opposed to an email that was something like NAME@GarlicPress.com. Do you know if it makes a difference? What do you think Scott recommends? You can find out my listening to this episode of the Amazing Seller podcast.

A listener’s wife is getting started on Amazon as a private label seller and he wanted to know which of Scott’s over 270 episodes of would be the most important for her to listen to in order to understand the basics and get started. Scott says that even though Amazon has changed a lot over the years the basics of how to get started are pretty much the same. So the episodes he mentions all have to do with product research and selection. You can hear this list of “best of” episodes from Scott on this episode.

That’s what’s going to happen at the TAS Breakthrough LIVE event coming up in Phoenix, Arizona in November 2016. A small group of Amazon sellers will come together to experience the power of corporate strategizing, brainstorming, and “hot seat” product evaluations with Scott Voelker leading the way. This event could truly change your profit margin and the success of your business like nothing else. If you’d like to get in on this great event you can find out how to get registered on this episode.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [3:43] QUESTION ONE: One competitor’s product is coming up with a description as “for men” AND “for women.” How does he do that and is it advantageous?
• [11:34] QUESTION TWO: What are your thoughts about the importance of a domain and email that matches your brand?
• [20:23] QUESTION THREE: My wife is going to get started selling on Amazon, what are the most important podcast

So many people are having such great success selling private label products on the Amazon platform through FBA that it’s not too far of a stretch to think that some of them may be interested in selling their business. You may not be thinking about that possibility now but the opportunity may come your way someday. That’s why Scott wanted to have someone on the show who is experienced at buying and selling online businesses who could shed some light on what can be done ahead of time to ensure that should the time come that you want to sell your business, you’ll be able to do it with the least amount of trouble and the greatest amount of profit. You can hear more about this exciting possibility on this episode of The Amazing Seller.

Too often businesses are built on the strategy of doing everything possible to take advantage of the loopholes in a sales platform’s terms of service. The practice may result in huge profits in a short amount of time but as soon as the platform learns that sellers are abusing the system you can be sure that changes will be made and those businesses will be dramatically hurt, and possibly kicked off of the platform. Today’s guest has tons of experience buying and selling e-commerce businesses and his advice is simple: Do the right thing by your customers and you’ll be OK when it comes to surviving whatever changes do come. You can hear more sage advice like this on this episode.

Many entrepreneurs start out doing whatever it takes to make a buck. They may set up one umbrella LLC or Corporation and run all the finances for many smaller business ventures through that one entity. That’s OK at first. It’s entirely legal and most people have to do that to get started. But if you ever want to sell one of those businesses you’re going to discover that there will be fewer buyers interested because you won’t be able to clearly demonstrate the profits of that business on its own. So today’s guest has some tips on how to set up good clean financials for your business so that you can be ready to sell it easily and for more when the time comes.

If you’re considering the sale of your Amazon private label business it’s entirely possible. But will you get top dollar? You won’t if your business is only selling on Amazon. A potential buyer will be more averse to buying your business if you are selling your products on only one platform because if something on that platform changes in a way that adversely impacts your business, their revenue stream could dry up if they were to buy your business. But if the risk is spread out over many sales channels, they’ll be more open to considering your business. On this episode of the podcast, you’re going to learn how important it is to start building those sales funnels and establishing an off-Amazon presence for the sake of selling your business in the future, on this episode.

There’s so much emphasis these days on building a great online business, and it’s a great strategy for many people. But what if you’re a person who doesn’t really want to go through the hassle and hard work of building a business from the ground up but would be open to buying an existing business and growing it? That’s a great strategy, one that today’s guest sees implemented all the time. If you’ve got money to invest in a business and are curious how it works you can learn a lot from Scott’s g

There’s a lot of stress being felt in the private label community since Amazon has made changes to its product review policy. But is it living up to the doom and gloom we’ve heard from some people? Scott doesn’t think so. In fact, he believes this is a good thing for anyone who wants to be successful in private label sales. On this episode of the podcast, Scott is going to tell you why this policy change is a good thing and what you can do to make the most of it.

If there was no Amazon - what would you do to sell a product online? You’d probably figure out a different way to do product research. You’d learn about other platforms where you could sell your products online (Etsy and Ebay come to mind). You’d figure out what it takes to sell on your own website and drive traffic to it using Facebook Ads or Google Adwords. The point is that even if Amazon was totally gone you’d still be able to sell products. It may be a bit more difficult than it is now, but it would be possible. That’s why you need to understand that the recent change to Amazon’s product review policy is not the end of the world. Find out how Scott is moving his private label business forward in spite of the changes, on this episode.

The term “private label” means that somebody is selling a product of their own. They’ve sourced it. They are packaging it. They are distributing it. It is THEIR product. That happens every day and you see the outcome of it on the shelves of Walmart and other stores across the nation. You will always be able to create your own product and sell it. The recent changes to Amazon’s review policy don’t change that at all. It only limits the WAY you can go about promoting your products. So what are you going to do? You’re going to have to figure out ways to advance the sales of your products within the boundaries you have - and part of that is Amazon Terms of Service. Find out how Scott recommends you take advantage of the new changes, on this episode.

No matter what the rules are that govern an online platform, somebody will work the rules to their advantage and do everything they can to milk that advantage for as long as possible. We call it “gaming the system” and those who run the platform in question will eventually make changes to keep people from unfairly using their systems. That’s what’s happened with Amazon’s recent changes to product review policies. On this episode, you get to listen in as Scott thinks out loud about what these changes mean for him and his business as well as discover what he plans to do to keep his products selling like normal.

There was a time when companies that had deep pockets were able to offer dramatic discounts in order to entice people to leave them a review on Amazon. That, in turn, made it look like many people loved their product, when in fact, it may not have been the case. As a result, the little guys were not able to keep up and fell further and further behind the sales curve. But not anymore. The recent policy changes to Amazon’s Terms of Service have put an end to that practice so now everyone has an equal chance of getting favorable reviews from legitimate buyers. Find out what the changes are and how they impact your Amazon private label business, on this episode.

Scott is back with another “Ask Scott” session of the podcast. Be sure you listen to these real answers to real listener questions, submitted by Amazon private label sellers. On this episode, Scott answers questions about product photos, what to do to increase your ranking once you’ve run out of product inventory, how to modify your products to be a feasible offer in a different country, and how to build an email list as an ongoing asset to your business. As usual, you’re going to get a truckload of value from this episode, so be sure you listen.

Imagine that you sell an electrical adapter. As you probably know, it would have to be a different model adapter if it was going to be used in Europe than if it was to be used in the United States. Today's episode features a question from a private label seller who has a product that has similar unique qualities that vary from country to country. He's got questions about what he should do to generate more sales when his product details don't exactly match the country he's selling in. It's an interesting conundrum that Scott answers, on this episode.

There are times when your products on Amazon sell faster than you expected (a good problem to have). But it causes issues because you run out of product, which in turn causes your sales rank and organic search ranking to go down for as long as you are out of inventory. When the product is back in stock, it’s sometimes hard to get the product ranking and selling again. On this episode, Scott answers a listener question about how to get a restocked product selling again. It’s a problem you’re bound to run into eventually so be sure you listen to find out how to handle the situation.

Many Amazon sellers know about the possibility of someone hijacking their products. It’s something we are all vulnerable to but there are things you can do to protect yourself. A listener of the podcast called in to ask if one thing that could be done is to watermark his photos. That would make it easier for him to prove that the photos belonged to him. But Scott’s not so sure it’s a good idea and says that he will probably never do it himself. Find out why Scott is not too keen on the idea of watermarks on product photos, on this episode of the podcast.

It seems like every episode Chris Shaffer is on lately he harps on the fact that an email list is your single most valuable asset as an Amazon private label seller. The reason he believes it so strongly is because it’s the only way you can contact your customers and prompt sales of your products anytime you want to do so. Today’s episode features a question from a listener to wants some tips about how to go about building his first email list. Scott’s covered the issue before but thinks the issue is so important he was willing to address it again. You can hear how he suggests you get started building your own email list, on this episode.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [0:46] Thoughts on the big changes to the review policies on Amazon.
• [2:50] The upcoming TAS Breakthrough LIVE.

As you’ve probably heard by now Amazon has changed its policies regarding whether or not you as a private label seller can ask for a review on your product in exchange for a discount on the product. What Amazon has said is, "No, you can't." that's going to be a problem for many private label sellers because they have centered their entire product launch sequence around the allowance of reviews for a discount. So how does this impact the way we go about launching a new private label product on Amazon? That’s what this roundtable discussion with Scott Voelker, Chris Shaffer, and Dom Sugar is all about. The guys chat about the actual policy change, what it means for product launches, and why in some ways, it’s a better thing for the private label community overall. You can hear the entire conversation on this episode of the Amazing Seller podcast.

It’s important to look at the recent changes to Amazon’s review policies from the perspective of a brand new seller. Before this change the climb to a successful product launch was made very difficult because competitors with bigger budgets were able to invest lots of cash in building reviews through giving huge discounts to potential customers in exchange for a review. But now, Amazon has removed that possibility so everyone is required to launch their product without the benefit of huge discounts in exchange for a review. In short, the big boys in any niche now have to deal with the same limits as the little guys. You can hear more insights into the ways the little guy seller benefits from the recent Amazon review changes, on this episode.

The strategy of getting lots of reviews on Amazon for your products is meant to build the social proof for the value and quality of your products. That way more people will possibly feel comfortable buying your product because others have done so, and are happy with it. But that’s all assuming that more reviews equal more sales. But it’s not always the case. Scott has interviewed plenty of sellers who have launched and gotten a huge jump on product sales without any reviews. On this episode, both Chris and Dom agree that sales are much more important than reviews, not only because sales put cash in your pocket but also because sales are what causes your product to rank higher in the Amazon search results. Reviews don’t do either of those things for you. Find out more about how the guys view this Amazon policy change, on this episode.

Everything Amazon does is to increase the ability of sellers to sell quality products. That’s how Amazon makes its money, through sales of truly helpful, high-quality products. The recent changes to the “review in exchange for a discount” policy is aimed at making sure that the reviews given for products actually reflect the product quality, instead of being done in exchange for a personal benefit to the reviewer. That should enable the reviews on any product listing to be more honest, giving potential buyers more assurance that the products they buy from Amazon are something they will be happy with. Amazon will have fewer return issues and the platform itself will become better trusted and more effective. But the change will require sellers to come up with new ways to launch their products and use reviews effectively. You can hear how Scott, Chris, and Dom are thinking about the issue at this point, on this episode of The Amazing Seller.

If you’ve never looked into the possibility of selling your own private label products online to build a business of your own, this is the episode for you to hear. My guest today is Paul and he built his own private label sales business from scratch - and started out with only $30. That’s right - $30. On this episode, he debunks many ideas about getting started with online sales by sharing exactly how he took each step to move from a $30 investment to thousands of dollars in sales every month. You can hear the whole thing on this episode of the podcast.

Fear is a natural response to something you don’t understand. You wonder if you’ll have what it takes to handle the difficulties and challenges the situation may bring. But fear is also something that you can use to your advantage to motivate and drive you forward. On this episode, Paul shares how he stepped past the fear he felt by taking small, less risky steps to assure himself as he went along. It’s a smart strategy and one that worked out very well for him. You can hear the entire story on this episode of the podcast.

There’s nothing that can really hold you back from becoming successful at private label sales if you really want to be successful. Paul’s story is a great example of that. He started out very small, with only $30 worth of product. As that began to sell he purchased more with the profits and scaled the business larger and larger over time. You don’t have to order tons of product right off the bat and Paul’s story demonstrates how true that is. You’ll get to hear Paul’s story, the steps he took all along the way to success, and where he’s come over time on this episode. You can also hear what he’s doing now to expand his business beyond Amazon, so be sure you take the time to listen.

Amazon is a wonderful place to get started with online product sales. The FBA setup is one of the simplest and easiest ways to get started and everyone interested in product sales should at least look into it. But Amazon is not the end game - or shouldn’t be. There are many risky aspects to using Amazon that you want to consider when it comes to the long-term sustainability of your business. On this episode Scott and his guest, Paul talk about the kinds of things they’ve seen that have caused them to look outside Amazon to establish their own, entirely controllable platform for generating income for themselves. You’ll learn a lot just from this short part of their conversation.

As Scott wrapped up this interview with his guest, Paul he asked what one piece of advice Paul would give to people who are considering Amazon private label sales. Paul’s advice flows right out of his own experience: take it step at a time and go slowly. Nobody says you’ve got to invest tons of money or do highly risky things to get a business going. Amazon FBA makes it possible for you to start as small or as large as you are comfortable starting and to grow your efforts from there. If you wonder if it’s really possible to succeed at private label sales, you need to hear Paul’s story. He’s got a great one to tell and it will benefit you to hear it.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [3:40

It’s time for Scott Voelker to answer your questions about Amazon Private Label sales because this is the Friday episode of the Amazing Seller Podcast. We call it the “Ask Scott” episode because that’s all the episode is - your questions about Amazon product sales and FBA related issues that Scott fields and answers. His hope is that you’ll be helped by the questions and answers you hear and that you’ll also step forward to ask your questions so that others can be helped by hearing an answer to YOUR sticking points. Listen to this episode to find out how you can ask your own questions.

A listener called into the show to share a strategy he’s been using to promote his products and build his email list -and it’s not the normal thing that you hear of people doing. He’s creating a giveaway contest where people who enter have to submit their email address to be entered - but the giveaway item he’s using is not his product. It's a very desirable one in the same niche as his product. That enables him to follow up via an email list to all the contest entrants with pitches and helpful information that relate directly to his product. You’ll not only hear how the strategy is working for him but you’ll also get to hear what Scott thinks of the idea, on this episode of The Amazing Seller.

When it comes to product research there are so many things that you need to take into consideration that it’s impossible to cover them all in a short blurb like this. But what we can say is this: There’s more to it than simply looking at sales numbers. You’ve got to be able to look behind the numbers to understand the sales cycles of the product niche you have in mind so that you can make a better-informed decision. On this episode, Scott points you to a powerfully helpful resource that can help you do product research and make better decisions about the products you offer on Amazon private label.

The sales conversion numbers you see relating to your Amazon products have so many moving pieces that it’s almost impossible to talk about all of them on one podcast episode. But the main thing you need to keep in mind is that sales are ultimately an issue of traffic to your product listing. If you can get the eyes of people who are interested in your product to actually see it, then you have a much better chance of selling them the product. But if they never see your product then naturally they won’t become a customer. On this episode, Scott talks about the main strategies you can pursue to get more eyes on your products.

Today Scott fields a very interesting question that he’s never been asked before. Here it is: “If I have a low amount of product on the shelves of Amazon’s warehouses but my competition has a high amount of product available in Amazon’s inventory, does my low inventory number negatively impact my search ranking?” Scott admits this is a question he’s never really given much thought to but after being asked about it, he decided to ponder it a bit. You can hear his answer on this episode and find out what he recommends to keep your product inventory higher regardless.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [0:40] Scott’s

Scott has been hosting the TAS Power Hour on Fridays at 1PM EST and the response has been great. This episode of the podcast is a replay recording of one of the recent power hours where he and his friend Chris Schaeffer discuss a handful of important strategies you can use to increase product sales on and off of Amazon. You’ll probably hear some ideas on this episode that you’ve not heard before and Scott and Chris walk you through the steps it takes to put most of them in place and begin profiting.

Scott and Chris recorded this episode of the podcast live at a conference that the two of them attended together. The things they heard and experienced at the event caused them to chat about the benefits of that kind of event and why Scott has put together a different kind of event. You’ll be intrigued by their ideas and the benefits of a low number, hands-on event like Scott and Chris hold frequently. Find out how you can get into the next TAS LIVE event on this episode.

One of the things Chris and Scott realized as they experienced the Content and Commerce event was that events (and podcasts) can provide so much content and great information that the people attending or learning can become a bit paralyzed. They don’t know where to start, what step to take first, how much of what they’re learning applies to their current situation, and more. On this episode the two of them talk about that situation and why they take care not to let themselves get into a place of paralysis. You’ll learn a lot by listening to this one.

You’ve probably heard Scott talk about the addition of product variations to your product line. What are the benefits of adding variations to your products? Does a variation actually add to your workload of stocking product SKUs without adding much financial benefit? There are many concerns about the approach of product variations and Scott and Chris address all of those questions on this episode of the show.

Chris Shaeffer has said it before and he’ll continue to say it: Your email list is the greatest asset your business owns. On this episode, as he and Scott talked about the importance of an email list for any business that sells products or services, Chris covered how you can use your email list to target your audience through platforms like Facebook and how you can also use it to create what’s called a lookalike audience of potential customers who could quickly and naturally opt-in to your email list - and it all starts with compiling your own customer list in the first place. Find out all the details on this episode.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast!
• [3:30] Thoughts about the event Chris and Scott attended.
• [8:30] How content overload can lead to content paralysis.
• [18:47] Recommendations about whether to hire a VA to do product research.
• [19:47] Tools to forecast sales projections and how to expand product lines.
• [26:09] How variations i

There's big news from Amazon this morning (10/4/16) concerning reviews and the policies that govern them. Listen to this episode to get the full scoop!

Today's topic is; The Email Flywheel That Increases Traffic and Sales On All Platforms.
I'm excited about this topic today because it's something that many people don't discuss. 
It doesn't matter if we're talking about Etsy, Amazon, or Walmart; it doesn't really matter what platform we're talking about. 
You want to generate sales. A lot happens when you generate sales,
and that's what email can do for you. 
That's why we're calling this the email flywheel, which will allow you to get that momentum. 
I'm going to share a story with you guys; some of you may have already heard. 
We built a brand that sold over a million dollars worth of products and ended up selling that brand. 
It was all built off of starting the brand with emails. Listen to the audio to learn more.
Use the media player above or watch the video below.

Many people see the value and power of selling private label products on Amazon. But they take far too long to get started. There are reasons they hesitate and reasons they never get started. On this episode, Scott is going to talk about the fear that accompanies the dream of starting a business and how to overcome it. You’ll benefit a ton from this episode so you should make the time to listen, learn, and take action.

There are many reasons Amazon is the ideal place to begin selling for the first time. First off, the traffic on Amazon already exists. People are there looking for products without you having to go find them. There’s no fancy website needed so you can get started with less upfront work. You also don’t need a shopping cart so the learning curve is even smaller! Here’s a big one… You don’t have to store products at your house. And finally, you can do this yourself. In other words, you don’t need employees. Today Scott is going to tell you how to step past your fear to get started with Amazon private label sales.

Much of the time the fear of failure is a primary reason people don’t get started selling their product ideas on Amazon. But that fear can be dealt with powerfully if you understand the most common reasons people fail and avoid the mistakes they make. On this episode, Scott is going to walk you through some of the most common mistakes that lead to failure and tell you how to avoid them. You’ll get an earful of insight through this episode, so be sure you listen.

Pretend for a moment that there’s some reason that you can’t sell products on Amazon. But you still have access to the reviews people leave regarding products they have purchased on Amazon. Do you see that the data you are able to glean from the reviews about existing products are a wonderful way for you to research whether people want a specific product? It also tells you some of the main issues purchasers are having with the products as they currently exist. Once you know those things you could create the same product with improvements and sell it on your own website or another channel. Scott gives some great ideas about how to use reviews for product research, on this episode.

In fact, if you didn’t feel fear about making a wise product choice you would be in a dangerous place and you'd likely make some dumb decisions as a result. The fear forces you to do your homework, to look at all the indicators, to examine the data about whether or not the product you have in mind has the possibility of being a winner at all. On this episode, Scott’s insight into the process of selecting a product for private label sales will help ease your mind and give you the confidence to step past your fears. You’ll want to hear what he has to share.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [2:48] Question one: Why do you want to sell on Amazon first?
• [4:30] Question two: What is holding you back from selling on Amazon?

If you have questions about Amazon private label sales one of the best things that could happen for you is to be given the opportunity to ask an experienced Amazon seller the specific questions you have. That’s what you get on this episode of The Amazing Seller. These Friday episodes are “Ask Scott” sessions where Scott Voelker answers questions listeners submit, in detail, and completely. No half-measures here. You’ll be benefitted by what you hear others going through and what Scott has to say to advise them. Be sure you take some time to listen.

When you do a promotion or giveaway to get your products noticed or reviewed, there are costs you still have to pay Amazon for the privilege of using their platform. It’s just a cost of doing business. Among the misconceptions is that people feel like since they’re giving away a product, they shouldn’t have to pay fees. But any brand new business needs to make sure they let others know they exist - and that’s called marketing. It’s an expense of any business. You can hear how Scott addresses reviews, discounts, and giveaways and the fees involved, on this episode.

A listener just purchased a company that owns a patented product and some of his existing distributors have the product available on Amazon. He’s curious if he should set up his own brand listing or if there is a way to combine their listings with his since it’s his product. Scott’s got a very helpful, clarifying answer to situations like this on this episode. Make sure you listen to this response because there are multiple applications of this concept to product sales on Amazon.

A listener today has heard Scott talk about the importance of building an email list but he’s a bit confused about why it’s important for a beginning private label seller, whether it’s worth his efforts, and how he should go about it when he begins using it. There are some great questions there. Is it really necessary for a new seller to begin creating an email list from the beginning? You can hear Scott’s in-depth response to this important question on this episode. He even tells you how to go about getting people to opt-in to your email list.

What benefit would you receive to sit with 20 to 30 experienced Amazon sellers as they analyze and give feedback about your product listings to help you optimize them for more sales? How would it benefit you to sit in the room as the same thing is done for others? You can probably see that you’d get a ton of value from seeing through the eyes of other sellers. The good news is that you can do this coming up November of 2017 at Scott’s live TAS event in Phoenix, Arizona. Listen to this episode to get details about how you can be a part of this business-changing event.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this Ask Scott session of the podcast!
• [1:29] The upcoming LIVE event in Phoenix, Arizona.
• [4:22] The TAS Power Hour - How you can get involved.

Scott and his friends - Chris Schaeffer and Don Sugar have been doing some Periscope and Facebook live sessions talking about various issues that have to do selling products on Amazon. They’re calling these “TAS Power Hours” and they’ve been a lot of fun so far. Today’s podcast episode is a republication of one of those power hours that was done recently and it has some incredible content about current issues being experienced selling on Amazon. You’ll get to hear a lot about new ways people are hijacking listings, brand registry, product research, and more.

Many people who sell private label products on Amazon are concerned about people hijacking their listing. That means that a person comes into your listing and offers similar, but not the same products under your listing. There are ways they can do that and gain control over the product listing to change things and potentially damage your brand. It turns out that there are some new ways that hijackers are taking over listings using some of Amazon’s own tools - so it looks like Amazon has taken over the listing. It’s a bit confusing so make sure you listen to this episode.

Because of the more creative ways that black hat folks are taking over product listings (hijacking) it’s more important than ever that you get your product brand listed on Amazon’s brand registry. It’s not a defense against being hijacked but it definitely gives you the right to get the control of your listings back if they are hijacked. You’ll want to hear this discussion about brand registry and how you can take steps to get your product line registered with Amazon.

One of the things that Scott hears often is that many people see the opportunity of selling private label products via Amazon but are scared to take the plunge because they are concerned that they will choose the wrong product. It’s a reasonable fear, and one that Chris Schaeffer says he feels every time he chooses a product. But should that be a reason not to get started? Everybody on the podcast today says, “NO!” You’ve got to hear why they say that on this episode.

Some people who consider selling products on Amazon think that their wonderful new idea or invention is a perfect fit for Amazon private label. But if the product is brand new to Amazon - there’s nothing even close to it already selling - there are reasons to be cautious. What you might do first is launch a product in the same niche that IS already on the platform, then once it’s rolling and you have a good email list and customer base, launch your new product. You can hear how the guys would go about doing it on this episode of the podcast.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this power hour episode of the podcast!
• [2:54] The next TAS live event on November 5 & 6, 2016.
• [6:44] Getting hijacked by Amazon? Yep, it happened.
• [11:25] Why brand registry is so important.
• [18:11] Is fear of choos

One of the things Scott enjoys is learning from the successes of others. One of the ways he’s able to do that more effectively is to pass along what he’s learned by teaching you about it. Lately, he's been learning quite a bit concerning retail VS online sales from the television show, Shark Tank. He’s hearing some repeated themes and stories from the show and wants to pass along his observations to you so that you can learn some of the things he’s noticed. So take a few minutes to invest in your own education by hearing what Scott has noticed from the experts on Shark Tank. You’ll be glad you did.

One of the things Scott has noticed when he watches Shark Tank is that the investors always ask about sales numbers right from the start. Why do they do that? It’s because sales numbers indicate that there is already interest in the type of product that the newcomer is proposing. That’s called “proof of concept” and it means that there's good reason to expect success with the product you’re wanting to create and sell. Scott’s got some ideas about how you can use the tools provided on Amazon to discover if there’s adequate proof of concept for the products you want to sell, on this episode.

People come to Scott all the time with a great new product idea that is entirely original. He’s all for new products coming to the market but he also knows that if there're no other products in the market like it then there may not be enough demand to warrant creating the product in the first place. On this episode, Scott’s going to talk about that situation and give you some ideas for what you should do if your DO indeed have an entirely new product.

Anytime a world-changing new development or technology comes on the scene there’s a ton of work and money that goes into helping the public understand exactly what it is, why it’s needed, and how to use it to best effect. As Amazon sellers, few of us have the resources to launch that kind of product on the scale needed to accomplish all of those things. What should do if you have a world-changing product that nobody’s heard of? On this episode, Scott gives you some suggestions regarding what he would do if he was in that situation.

Many of the people who bring product or company ideas to the Shark Tank TV show are seeking investment money because they want to get their products into retail stores. That’s not a bad idea but many times it’s premature given their situation. On this episode, Scott shares what he’s noticed about the advice the “sharks” give those people and relates it to Amazon sales and business. You’ll learn a lot from what he has to share so be sure you listen.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [2:52] A shout out to some recent iTunes reviewers.
• [5:33] The concept of “proof of concept” and what it means.
• [9:40] Do you have to educate people about your product before they buy?
• [14:30] What to do if you have an entirely original product.

Here it is! The “Ask Scott” session of the Amazing Seller podcast. This is where we talk about all kinds of things relating to online business, private label sales on Amazon, and anything having to do with making a better life for yourself and making a difference in the world. On this episode, you’re going to get straight, helpful answers to real life questions. And the person answering your questions is Scott Voelker, an experienced online businessman, and Amazon seller. You can also hear how to ask your own questions, so be sure to listen and learn!

Scott has recently moved from upstate New York to South Carolina and he’s noticed the difference his surroundings are making on his own mindset. In particular, he’s aware of the people in his neighborhood. Their focus on fitness and healthy eating are impacting Scott and his family, encouraging them toward their own version of fitness and health. It’s an example of why the people you surround yourself with are hugely important for your life - and Scott's got some encouragement for YOU along that line, on this episode.

Many people are discovering opportunities to create multiple products based on their first product. Sometimes it’s as simple as creating a variation of the product (color, size, etc.) and other times it’s a new product that is different in a unique or significant way. On this episode, Scott covers the advantages of variations VS new product listings and encourages Amazon sellers to think about who they are targeting with their product as one way to decide whether there are advantages to one approach over the other. Be sure you listen if you’re interested in creating multiple products as a spin-off from your original product.

There isn’t any way to know for sure how your product rating relates to your reviews simply because Amazon doesn’t reveal how its algorithm works when it comes to product ratings. But there are some things you can focus on to help you improve your product rating. On this episode of The Amazing Seller, Scott gives a couple of very practical things you can focus on to improve your product rating overall. Both are simple but do take some time. So make sure you listen and commit yourself to doing the work to improve your business and products.

A listener called in to ask for help from Scott concerning scaling his sales to a higher level. He’s purchasing bulk size orders of various products and breaking the bulk packaging apart to place the individual products into smaller quantity packages. The problem is that the labor of doing so is slowing down his ability to scale his sales. It’s a very creative and intriguing idea that’s getting good sales traffic but he wants to have more opportunity. Scott’s got some great ideas about how he can leverage others to help him scale the business.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [2:20] The TAS power hour - a Facebook/Periscope broadcast - Fridays 1PM Eastern.
• [4:01] The power of surrounding yourself with like-minded people.
• [9:12] QUESTION ONE: What are the

One of the most common sticking points Scott hears from people who are looking into the possibility of placing products on Amazon is the product discovery phase. Many people experience brain-lock when it comes to figuring out what to offer for sale. On this episode, Scott’s got a couple of great stories of how he figured out some product and business ideas that should help you see the kinds of real life things that can help you discover product ideas. You won’t want to miss this one. It covers some of the most practical ways you can discover unique products to serve a particular market.

There are many people in the world who are also engaged with the exact areas where you have skill and expertise. They need resources to help them become even more accomplished in that niche. What knowledge, skills, or expertise do you have that can be turned into a product that you could sell to those people on Amazon or other online platforms? You have a leg up on the competition because you already know the market and need. That’s just one way that you can create a product that you can be fairly certain is going to be a success. Listen to this episode to hear the whole story of how you can discover product ideas.

Every one of us has our interest in a new topic piqued from time to time. When that happens there are many things you have to learn or resources you need to purchase in order to get started in that area. Right there are a handful of product ideas that you could possibly begin selling through private label on Amazon. What are you interested in right now? Are there any new hobbies or areas you’re about to step into? Listen to Scott’s ideas on this episode to help you sort out the many opportunities that exist around you right now.

Scott’s daughter has just begun to get involved in two new activities - playing the piano and volleyball. In each of those areas, she’s got to gather the resources she needs in order to be equipped for the activity. For piano lessons and practice she may need a metronome or staff paper. For volleyball, she may need specialized shoes or knee pads. Those pieces of equipment are some of the things that many people need when they are interested in the same activity. On this episode, you’re going to learn how you can observe the things you’re already doing or just getting started with so that you can generate product ideas to sell on Amazon.

Scott just moved to a new home in South Carolina. As a result, he’s meeting lots of new people and getting to know his neighbors. In almost every conversation he’s noticing skills, interests, or knowledge that his new friends have that could be leveraged into a product idea to sell on Amazon. On this episode, he’s not only going to tell you a handful of stories about those encounters but also give you some ideas about how you can begin to pay attention to the relationships you have that could be tapped into for the sake of product ideas.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [1:08] The upcoming LIVE event in Phoenix, AZ in October 2016.
• [3:52] Scott’s story about how he got started online.

One of the most unaddressed and confusing issues when it comes to selling any kind of products online is the collection of sales tax. One of the reasons it can be so confusing is because every State has its own set of regulations surrounding sales tax as well as its own process business owners need to go through in order to register and pay their taxes. That description alone should show you how difficult it is to remain in compliance. State sales tax issues are one of the most frequently asked questions Scott receives so he decided it was time to get someone on the show who could answer the basic questions about sales tax. That someone is Mark Faggiano of Taxjar. You can hear their conversation on this episode.

Sometimes the fact that the internet is worldwide makes it seem like State and National jurisdictions don’t apply to what goes on, on the World Wide Web. But the fact is that when a product is purchased that transaction is taking place in a particular place. In other words, the purchaser is sitting at a computer or other device within a specific jurisdiction. It makes sense that States would want to collect sales tax when that happens. So yes, as a seller of products you really do need to be collecting sales tax with each product you sell. But how do you do it? That’s what this episode of The Amazing Seller is all about, so be sure you listen.

When it comes to knowing what States you should collect sales tax for it comes down to a couple of issues. First is the issue of “nexus.” Nexus refers to the place where you as a business are actually doing business. The most obvious qualification for where your business nexus is located, is the State in which you reside and do your work. But what if you have employees in a different state, or a warehouse in yet another State? And what if Amazon is warehousing your products in a number of States? As you can see, it gets very complicated. But Mark Faggiano from Taxjar is on the show to help us sort it all out. He’s Scott’s guest on this episode.

What if you discover that you’ve sold enough products in a particular state - let’s say Maine - to owe $15 in tax to the State of Maine. Does that mean that you should register with the State of Maine so you can fork over that $15? Technically, probably so. But there’s another way to look at it that most people who do product sales for a living feel is safe and ethical. You can hear abou the varying approaches to the issue on this episode as well as hear all of them explained in detail. What are you waiting for? You should listen to this one.

It’s entirely possible that many people who sell products on Amazon - either private lable or retail arbitrage - are just now hearing about the possibility that they may owe sales tax to various States. If that’s you, here’s something important you should consider. What kind of sales volume have you done in various states in the past? That may impact whether you should be concerned about the issue or not. But at the very least it’s an issue you should look into because of the possibility that a given State may decide to audit you to come after their Sales tax money - and that could be even more costly than paying the tax of your own accord. Find out how you should think through the issues on this episode.

It’s time for that cup of coffee and a conversation across the virtual table as you and Scott get to chat about the Amazon private label questions that are on your mind. If you’ve got a sticking point, a lesson learned, a piece of information you need to know… this is your chance to ask Scott about those questions. If you are eager to get answers to your Amazon questions this is the episode for you. Find out how to ask your questions directly to Scott by listening to this episode.

A listener to this episode of The Amazing Seller asks why it’s important that private label sellers use Amazon Pay Per Click. It’s quite an expense over the long haul and she’s not quite sure why it’s beneficial. On this episode Scott answers her question, telling her why PPC is vital to getting your product started generating sales from the beginning, which in turn will drive your organic sales higher in the Amazon search rankings.

The BSR ranking on any product in Amazon tells how often and well the product is selling. There are ways you can track the sales ranks of your products and your competitor’s products manually, but it is tedious and requires a good deal of discipline. On this episode Scott describes how he did this using a spreadsheet when he first began selling products on Amazon. He also tells how you can use software to do it much quicker - and offers an affiliate link for you to get the software to try for yourself.

A listener called in for this episode of the podcast to ask about her product launch. She’s going to be selling items that belong in the clothing category and is curious when she should create a parent product with variations underneath it for size, color, etc. - and when she should start an entirely new listing for products. It can be a bit confusing so Scott tells her what he’d do if he were in her shoes, and more importantly, why. You can hear his answer on this “Ask Scott” episode of The Amazing Seller.

October of 2016 is going to see the beginning of Scott’s next TAS LIVE event. This time, it will be held in Phoenix, AZ. It’s a two-day event that allows 10 Amazon sellers to go on the hot seat. The entire group will analyze their business, products, listings, and make recommendations as to what can be done to increase their product sales and improve their brand. The last event was sold out quickly so if you want to be part of this one head over to the show notes page for this episode and find the link to TAS LIVE.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the episode!
• [2:13] Scott’s next live event is going on in Phoenix Arizona!
• [5:03] You can also join the TAS Power Hour on Fridays!
• [7:28] QUESTION ONE: I don’t quite understand the benefits and use of PPC.
• [18:47] QUESTION TWO: I’m trying to understand BSR rankings. Can you give me some illumination?
• [25:05] QUESTION TH

Occasionally Scott likes to have roundtable type discussions with people who he’s come to know through his experience selling private label products on Amazon. On this episode, he’s recorded their conversation which was originally published to Facebook Live and Periscope. You’ll hear Scott, Chris Shaeffer, and Don Sugar chat about some of the things happening around the Amazon private label space and how the issues impact private label sellers and retail arbitrage accounts. Stick around for this one, there’s a lot of insightful thoughts to learn from and some cautions that could save you some real headaches.

Much of what’s going around in the online communities that surround Amazon private label is not verified by Amazon yet, but nevertheless, there does appear to be some changes happening. What is the stink about? Most of it surrounds the issue of brand registry and the conditions Amazon is requiring. There are also many brand products that Amazon is bringing into the issue, requiring that sellers prove their right to sell the product. It could be a mess, or it could be a blessing. Find out why on this roundtable episode.

Many private Label sellers are concerned about the brand registry requirements Amazon appears to be enacting but Chris Shaeffer says that it’s a blessing more than a curse. Why? Because it is going to make it more difficult for hijackers to take over the listings of private label products. In fact, that could very well be the issue Amazon is trying to address with the new actions they are taking regarding brand registry. You can hear Chris’ argument on this episode and find out other things going on in the Amazon universe, on this episode.

Part of the discussion on this episode of the podcast surrounds the tactic of building an email list of potential or previous customers. Email list building is a proven online sales strategy that many private label sellers have not tapped into. On this episode, the guys chat about why email lists are so important, how to go about building one, and how you can use them to generate sales and build your brand.

One of Scott’s concerns when things in the Amazon community begin to get stirred is that people who might be considering private label sales might use the confusion as an excuse not to get started. If you’ve listened to this podcast for any length of time you won’t be surprised to hear Scott addressing that issue. After all, he’s the guy who’s coined the term, “Take Action.” No matter what’s going on in the Amazon space there are always going to be hurdles. But don’t let them scare you away. Everything is going to take some hard work, diligent research, and learning. But the benefits are much larger than the difficulties it takes to get started.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this roundtable discussion.
• [3:50] What are the changes Amazon has been doing?
• [11:45] Why the changes are good news to private label folks.
• [15:25] How can you deal with “gray market” products?

If you are curious how an experienced Amazon seller would go about optimizing a product listing that isn’t performing very well, this episode is for you. On this one, Scott chats with his friend Chris Schaeffer about a product one of their listeners is selling. The listener feels that she might want to liquidate the products to get rid of them so she can start over with an entirely new product. Scott and Chris talk about that approach but also give her some ideas about what she might be able to do that could increase her sales.

Many people who try to sell products through Amazon Private Label if you don’t take the time to do the research required. You’re going to need to know what products are selling well and how much room there is for you to introduce another of those products. Just because you don’t launch a product on Amazon doesn’t mean it’s going to be a winner. On this episode, Scott and Chris talk about what can be done if you didn’t do your product research properly to make something out of the loser products you have listed. OR - you may want to liquidate the product altogether. Scott and Chris talk about both options on this episode.

Sometimes in spite of your best efforts and product research, you’ll get a product listed on Amazon that isn’t selling well - and won’t - no matter what you do. That’s when you want to create an “exit strategy” to get rid of those products. On this episode of The Amazing Seller, you’re going to hear how Scott and Chris would go about selling off unsuccessful products in order to get as much out of the failed effort as possible. That way you can begin to invest your time and resources in another product that might be able to do better for you.

There are two ways you can drive people to your products on Amazon using the Amazon tools provided in your seller account. The first is PPC (pay per click). That’s an ad platform that enables you to place your products on the top or side of the search page when people search for the keywords you want. PPC is great - but it can be expensive. The other option is doing promotions - which can cost you much less. When should you do PPC and when should you do promotions? On this episode,  Scott and Chris answer the question.

When you begin selling products through your own website you’ll want to take advantage of every opportunity you have to sell products to the people who join there. One of those opportunities revolves around your creation of a sales funnel. It’s a simple but powerful tool you can create to capture email addresses and market to people in a way that is appealing and helpful to them. Scott and Chris walk through a real-life scenario, telling a listener what they would do to create a sales funnel for her products, on this episode.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [1:07] The upcoming LIVE event you can get involved in.
• [5:20] How can you get out of a product that is a loser?
• [13:53] Is it better to continue PPC or do a new promotion?

Here I will share what I titled the fastest way to create and sell products I've ever seen. 
I've been doing this for a long time, over 20 years. How long have I been selling online? I think we're approaching 15 years. 
Sold everything from Wooden Bridges to digital products and audio templates, and I sold a bunch of stuff. 
I've done a lot of things, and Etsy just really has never gotten my attention. 
Etsy's been around for 17 years. I always thought of Etsy as a place where you have handmade goods.
Now they allow digital products, print-on-demand, and more. It's a personalized or custom platform. 
It's not where you're just going to take something, you know, a bowling ball, and sell it. 
It would help if you understood that this platform is built for a specific audience type, which may and may not work for you. 
So we'll talk a little bit about that as we move through this. I'm going to share with you guys today what we recently did. Listen to the audio to learn more.
Use the media player above or watch

This is the podcast that teaches you, step by step, how to find, source, purchase, list, and sell your own private label products on the Amazon sales platform. It’s The Amazing Seller with Scott Voelker. This is one of our Friday episodes where Scott answers real life questions from private label sellers like you. If you’d like to ask Scott a particular question about what you’re experiencing, the challenges in your business, or the Amazon sales platform itself. If you’d like to ask your own question, you can listen to this episode and hear how you can do that!

Scott has found it incredibly helpful to keep a clear sense of why he’s doing his Amazon business in  mind at all times. A clear and compelling “why” fuels your business and motivates you to keep working on the things that really matter. On this episode you’re going to hear Scott riff on why his “why” is important - and he’s going to tell you how you can develop your own compelling why that will keep you moving forward and taking action.

A listener has a pretty interesting situation - he’s got two products that are identical in all other ways except that their colors are different. One of those colors sells very well and pretty consistently. The other doesn’t. His question is this: How can he optimize or promote the product that is not selling as well to get its sales numbers higher like the other product. Scott has a great set of suggestions for this listener and there’s a good chance that you’ll hear something that’s helpful for your business as well.

One of the best tools provided on the Amazon sales platform is the pay per click tool that can help you drive sales to your products. But there are some product categories that do not allow sellers to use PPC. What do you do then? Scott’s got a handful of suggestions that center around optimizing the listing, researching your top 5 competitors, doing some sales promotions, and running ads from Facebook to a Leadpage. If you don’t know what all that means - you need to listen to this episode. Scott breaks it all down for you.

Running a business of any kind can be quite a challenge. And if you’re a solopreneur or solo entrepreneur like Scott is (and many of you are), it can be especially tough. That’s because when you don’t have anyone telling you specific things to do in order to move the business forward, you’ve got to figure all of that out for yourself. On this episode Scott is asked what his daily routine looks like, and in typical Scott style he doesn’t answer the exact question - but what he does have to say is worth its weight in gold. You’ll want to hear this one.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [1:15] Why it comes down to figuring out your “why.”
• [5:57] QUESTION ONE: I have two identical products of different colors. I’m trying to increase traffic on the one that sells less. Can you help?
• [11:55] QUESTION TWO: I’m launching a product in a category that doesn’t allow PPC.

Today’s conversation is one that should give anyone considering Amazon private label sales hope that they can be successful. Jarret Colton is a guy who went to Scott’s LIVE event in 2016 with his head spinning. He’d listened to almost every TAS podcast episode and knew a lot of information, but it was all a grable in his head. Once he was able to talk with other sellers who had seen success and glean a lot of tips from the speakers at the event, he took action - and that action translated into incredible sales. You can hear how Jarret did it, on this episode.

Jarret is an example of a person who got his head crammed full of information and began to overthink things. There are too many things you CAN do to attempt to make your private label products sell, but there are not a lot of things you SHOULD do at first. So the back to basics mindset that Scott talks about on this episode is the prescription for many people. Be sure to listen to Jarret’s story so you can be inspired by what’s happened in his business - and get some ideas about what you can do to move your sales forward.

Every person who has placed a product on the Amazon sales platform has a next move that they need to take. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling lots of products or very few. You have something you can do to move your product sales forward. On this episode you’ll hear how Jarret made the decision to shut off all the noise and information that was clogging up his mind and simplified his process so he could simply do the next thing. You may be in the same place Jarret was - so be sure to hear how he got himself taking action on the right things.

One of the most important things that Jarret and his wife decided to invest in was professional photos for their product. He knew that once a person searches for his products he had to have some way to catch their eye and get them to click on his listing instead of the listing from his competition. The photos were exactly what did it for him. You can hear how Jarret found his photographer, the difference the professional photos made, and how he uses them within his listing, on this episode.

After applying the tips and strategies that he learned at the TAS LIVE Breakthrough event, Jarret was able to increase the search ranking of his product listings. In fact, he was so successful at optimizing his listing that he’s now got 4 out of 6 of his main “parent” products showing on page 1 for their primary keyword. You should take the time to hear Jarret’s story. It’s inspiring and instructional for anyone who’s looking to rank their listing higher and get more product sales.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to his next guest, Jarret Colton.
• [3:12] Jarret’s experience before jumping into Scott’s live event.
• [8:14] Why Jarret attended Scott’s live event in Denver in 2015.
• [11:35] The mess Jarret was facing with all the products his wife ordered.
• [14:12] Where Jarret found the photographer for his product images.
• [15:30] J

Running a business is complicated in and of itself. There are all kinds of things you have to keep track of including taxes. There are many common mistakes made when it comes to taxes and on this episode of the podcast, Scott is talking with his friend Josh about the common questions that come to him when it comes to business text questions. Being a CPA, Josh has the actual answers you need in order to do things legally and ethically. You can hear all of these common questions and their answers on this episode of the podcast.

Many people think that in order to calculate their taxes correctly when it comes to inventory they simply need to add up how much they have spent on products during the calendar year. Scott's guess today is a certified public accountant and he says that is actually not the right way to do it. You will find up providing wrong figures to the IRS if you do so, and you could be liable for a much larger payment, plus penalties by doing it. On this episode, you were going to learn the right way to calculate inventory for tax purposes.

When you hear the phrase, “tax audit” it may cause you to break out in a cold sweat. But do you really need to be so concerned? What is the likelihood that you were really going to be audited? And if you are, which kind of audit is it that you should be concerned about? And this great conversation with a certified public accountant you were going to hear about the different kinds of audits, what each of them really is about, and what you should do if you are audited. It's a great episode to dispel a lot of the myths that are floating around in the business community, so make sure you take the time to listen.

Many people who run a business have been told that they can deduct meals and entertainment that have to do with their business with no problem. But is that entirely true? When this episode of the podcast a certified public accountant is going to tell us that you actually only get to deduct 50% of your meals and entertainment, and you can only do that if those are directly related to a business activity of some kind. If you want to hear the full story on this important issue, make sure that you listen. It could save you a lot of money in the end.

There's a good deal of confusion about which business entity you should choose for your business activity. Should you be a sole proprietor? What about an LLC? Or maybe an S corporation or C corporation? If you're confused by all of these possibilities you are not alone. On this episode of the podcast, you will hear the definitions of each of these, what their advantages are, and how you should go about choosing the one that is right for you and your business. This section of the podcast alone is worth the time it will take you to listen.

• [0:09] Scott’s introduction to this episode!
• [3:19] How to deal with inventory as a business expense - the RIGHT way.
• [11:29] Turning common personal expenses into business deductions.
• [13:15] Home office space - how do you deduct it as a business expense?

When was the last time you sat down to pick the brain of someone who is experienced at what you’re learning? It’s always a great experience where you get to learn what you don’t know. That’s the flavor of what happens on these Friday episodes of the Amazing Seller podcast. Scott answers questions that are submitted via voicemail to give you an idea of how he thinks about the challenges and obstacles that you come across when selling private label products on Amazon. Today’s episode includes questions about saturated markets, international sales, keyword usage, and more. Be sure you take some time to listen to this one. You’ll get lots of great insights from Scott’s responses.

Here’s a very interesting question about choosing a market: A listener has been working in a particular market outside of Amazon for some time and feels that he knows a lot about it already. But the market on Amazon is incredibly crowded and he’s not sure if he should take the risk of putting a product onto Amazon in that market. Scott’s got some ideas about how he could do it that may not be typical. It’s likely that you’re going to get your wheels turning about your own products after hearing the answers Scott gives to this great question - so be sure you listen.

On today's episode, a listener asked about expanding her product line into sales platforms outside of the United States. She is getting an average of 20 sales per day and thinks that expanding into Canada or the UK may be a good step for her at this time. Scott has some great insights into what it would take to become successful in other countries and gives her some tips on what to look for as indications that she could be successful doing so. If you've never sold your products in countries other than the United States you will want to hear what God has to say to this listener.

One of the many confusing things about the Amazon platform has to do with the use of keywords and Search terms in the back-end of the Amazon seller account. There have been quite a few theories and opinions shared about how to best use those fields for the best results. On this episode, a listener asks about how those fields should be used and Scott gives an answer that covers all the bases. If you've ever been confused about the search term fields in your Amazon seller account, this is a response you will want to hear.

It's not often that your success is noticed by people who are further along the path than you are. But that happened just this past month when Pat Flynn reached out to Scott to ask him to submit a response for one of his podcast episodes. It was a great honor and Scott was excited to condense some of his hard-learned business lessons into a short sound byte for Pat’s podcast. You can find out how to hear Scott's responses to Pat’s question by listening to this episode of The Amazing Seller.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [1:31] How you can ask your own question.
• [2:42] Scott’s appearance on Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn.

If you’re going to build a business you really need to think long-term. One product can’t sell on a sustained basis - you need related and sibling products that can fill in the gaps of what people who use that product need on a regular basis. On this episode, Scott wants to walk you through 7 steps that he suggests for building a brand from the ground up. It’s a step by step process from product and market research all the way to ongoing sales and customer retention. You’ll get a lot out of this episode of the podcast - in fact, you should be sure to grab the transcript so you don’t miss anything.

Scott talks about this a lot on the podcast because it is vital: are you building a business based on a product or aimed toward a market? It is entirely possible to build a business around one product. But in Scott’s view, that is not a long-term solution that you can count on. The reason is that one product can lose its appeal over time but if you have multiple products within the same product in it or Market you will be able to maintain consistent sales in spite of downturns in the sales of one product line.  On this episode of the podcast, Scott wants to help you understand the difference between a single product and a product line that can take over a product market so that you can be even more successful in your online ventures.

Once you have done the research to know the product line and Market that you want to reach with your products, you need to discover who is buying those products. That doesn't mean you need to know names and email addresses but it does mean you need to know the common characteristics of the people who are regularly buying those items. Are they men or women? How old are they? What other types of things are they interested in? As you are able to answer those questions you will find yourself getting a clearer picture of who your ideal customer is. When you know the characteristics of those people you will be much better equipped to position your product in the market in ways that are attractive to them. Make sure you listen to this episode so you can hear Scott's explanation of how to discover your ideal customer.

If you are not familiar with the term “content marketing” you need to make sure that you understand it and know how to use it to advance your brand. The concept behind content marketing is that you are providing value to people through your resources and tools that help them understand the product market better and begin to view you as a valuable authority or resource within that market. When you can effectively do that you will gain the trust of the exact people you were trying to sell your products to and they will become more prone to purchase your product as a result. Content marketing is one of the most effective ways of building a loyal following of customers who believe in your product line. Listen to Scott’s explanation of how to use content marketing to advance your business and brand, on this episode.

Selling products online is not that difficult if you're willing to put in the work to build the foundation's necessary to support the success of the business over the Long Haul. On this episode is Scott is walking you through 7 steps that you can use to build an online brand that will weather the ups and downs of Market swings. None of the steps can be successful on their own, and none of them are easy. But if you break them down into bite-sized chunks you will

There is no argument with the statement that we’d all love to see more revenue coming into our business. But there are tremendous disagreements about the best ways to create that revenue. Scott is convinced that the “how” is not important as long as you are increasing your revenue and he wants to see everyone who listens to his podcast do so as soon as possible. On this episode, Scott walks through 5 ways to generate more revenue that you may not have considered, and many of them are able to be attached to your existing brand by going for a market, not just a product. You can hear it on this episode.

Think this through for a moment. If you put all your eggs in the “selling products on Amazon” basket, and Amazon changes things in a way that impacts your success, you’ve just lost all of your eggs. That means the money you were once making dries up overnight. Scott’s a great advocate of creating multiple streams of income to support your business and personal life. The more you have your income spread out the less vulnerable you are to the changes in any one platform. Today’s episode is filled with Scott’s insights into the ways you could launch some additional streams of income and support your life and business even more successfully.

You probably haven’t thought of it this way but no matter what your product niche is, there are people who need to know more about that niche. There is probably an opportunity for you to create a digital book that you could sell on Amazon that covers some of the most important elements of the niche. You’d be providing a great service to would-be customers and creating an additional stream of income for yourself. Listen to Scott’s ideas about how to understand your market so that you can come up with ideas for additional streams of income.

It might require some creative thinking but many physical products can be pivoted into a digital version or a related product that is digital. There are so many ways you can create helpful things for people who are using your existing products and offer those items for sale. Creating additional streams of income is not as difficult as it might sound. You can do it - and this episode is full of ideas for how you can rethink what you do to increase your revenue.

You may not be a technically oriented person. You may not know a thing about video. But you can be assured that there’s something you know well that others would pay money to learn. And more importantly, they would pay money to learn it in the WAY that you teach it. Scott’s got lots of ideas to give you about how you can create additional streams of income, and one of those is a video course that you can offer online or via DVD. You don’t have to be the expert on video, you can still create the course. Scott’s going to tell you how, on this episode.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [0:53] Scott’s invitation to you: Subscribe to the podcast and share it!
• [1:55] The international TAS connections.
• [4:39] The importance of multiple revenue strea

Welcome to this Friday Q & A episode of the Amazing Seller Podcast. We call these the “Ask Scott” sessions because it’s exactly that - your opportunity to ask Scott Voelker anything you want about selling on the Amazon platform. From product research and selection to shipping issues, to Amazon seller accounts and terms of service, to packaging, promotion, reviews, seller feedback - you name it and Scott is willing to address it on these Friday episodes. Be sure you ask your question. Who knows? Maybe it will be featured on a future Ask Scott episode.

Everyone knows this but it’s true nonetheless. When you get results in any area of life you begin to gain confidence in that area. But you’ll never get the results if you never start. That’s why one of Scott’s biggest mantras is #takeAction. So if you’re struggling with confidence when it comes to your Amazon sales simply because it’s so new to you, you may need to simply take a step into the unknown so that you can gain the results you need to build that confidence. You can hear Scott’s thoughts on how he’s experienced this dynamic in business and in life, on this episode.

Amazon’s pay per click tool is an amazing way to quickly make your product visible in the Amazon search rankings. But it’s not a normal listing that your potential customers see, it’s a promoted listing. But it’s what you’ve got to do in order to get your first sales. The first part of the launch is not about ranking, it’s about getting initial sales and reviews. That is where  Amazon PPC comes in as a powerful way to drive those sales. The next part of a launch is about ranking higher and that doesn’t happen through promotions, it happens through organic sales. And those organic sales are fueled partly by the existence of good reviews. Reviews serve as proof that your product is quality and actually something others want as well.

Every product in the Amazon catalog, including yours, has a seller rank. Every seller wants their product to achieve a best seller rank that shows potential customers that their product is worth buying. A listener asks about how variations of a product impact BSR. Do the variations each  have their own BSR or is the overall “parent product” the only one that has a BSR to be concerned about? It’s a great question and Scott has one of his “it depends” answers for you on this episode.

It may seem like a sensible shortcut to have the products from your supplier sent directly to the Amazon warehouse. After all, why would you want to keep inventory in your own home? Isn’t that what we’re trying to avoid through FBA? But the issue is that when you send products directly to the Amazon warehouse you have no quality control process in place to ensure that your products are free of defects. The only way you know is that customers begin leaving negative reviews on your products - which is never a good thing. On this episode of The Amazing Seller Scott outlines some of the options for shipping that make sense for international sellers and domestic sellers.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [2:28

One of the most important parts of running a successful Amazon private label business is making sure you are establishing your brand and products as high quality and reputable. A HUGE part of doing that is getting honest reviews from your customers. If you don’t know how to effectively get those reviews you’re going to have a very hard time building a successful sales channel. On this episode, Scott and his friend Chris Guthrie are here to walk you through the ins and outs of reviews - what makes a good one, why you need them, and how to get them. Be sure you take the time to listen. It could increase your sales tremendously.

There’s a lot of talk lately about Amazon’s attitude when it comes to product reviews - and it’s actually more than JUST talk. Amazon has adjusted its terms of service and is cracking down on reviews that it considers being fake or in some way manipulated. There’s only one way to ensure that your product reviews are safe from the Amazon crackdown and that’s to get real, legitimate reviews in the first place. This episode of the podcast is dedicated to making sure you understand the right and wrong ways to go about that - including some thoughts about the use of review groups, so be sure you listen.

You hear the terms “real” and “fake” applied to product reviews on Amazon all the time. But do you know what constitutes a real or fake review? On this episode of The Amazing Seller podcast, Scott has asked his buddy, Chris Guthrie to come on the show and unpack the details of what makes a good review and what contributes to the kind of reviews that Amazon has been removing from product pages. It’s their hope that using the information you hear on this episode you’ll be able to not only safeguard your product reviews from being removed but also get better quality reviews in the first place.

You may not even have known but Amazon provides an email contact option within your seller account that you can use to directly contact your customers. Using that email tool is the best and most effective way to follow up with your customers once they’ve purchased your product - and part of that follow-up strategy can and should include a reminder to your customers to leave an honest review for your product. We all need reminders now and then, right? Your customers are the same way. Find out how you can use the email solution Amazon has provided on this episode - and learn how you can automate it so you don’t have to worry about it ever again!

This episode of The Amazing Seller podcast is all about product reviews - OK, well not ALL about reviews - there’s a section right toward the end of the conversation where Scott and his buddy Chris Guthrie chat a bit about seller feedback and its role in making sure your account and products stay in Amazon’s good graces. Sometimes in the rush to get good reviews we forget about seller feedback, which can be a mistake. Be sure you hear this part of the conversation. It could keep your account from being banned for shut down temporarily.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [0:30] A LIVE review workshop coming up that you can attend for free!

When dealing with a huge platform like Amazon you've got to expect that there will be places where confusion sets in. This episode is an example of that very thing. Karon Thackston is with us today to help us understand the new items within the Amazon terms of service. Not everything is coordinated and not everything makes sense but if you learn how to operate within the Amazon guidelines your products were ranked better and your sales will increase. Karon Is here to help us navigate the changes and make sense out of all of it.

The rules have changed many times over the years but now Amazon has a new guideline when it comes to the length of your product title. 200 words is the new limit and you have to be careful because the back end will not stop you from putting in more characters. But if you do you could be subject to a suppressed listing or even worse, Amazon could change the title for you and not allow you to change it back to something of your choosing. You've got to hear this one to believe it, and you can hear it on this episode of The Amazing seller.

You can take a few minutes to click around the Amazon website and find conflicting guidelines for how you should list your products on their platform. But today's guest, Karen Paxton believes that you should only pay attention to the Amazon style guide when you are trying to conform your listing to the Amazon standards. The things Karon shares on this episode are from the Amazon style guide and as you will see, are not all that simple. But Karon is a pro and can help you navigate it more simply, so be sure you listen.

If you run into issues with any of your product listings and need to contact Seller Support it is likely that you will run into a support agent who doesn't know the facts of how Amazon runs. Why would we say that? Because it's absolutely true. You can call Seller Support and talked to two or three different agents and get two or three different answers to your questions. That's why our guest today, Karon Thackston,  recommend that you continue to call Seller Support until you get help with the things that you need. Eventually you will be able to talk to supervisor and get things straightened out.

It wasn't too long ago that Amazon increased the number of Search terms you could enter in the search type fields in your product back end feels. But now they have come out saying that the search term fields don't really need to be used at all as long as your keywords are included in your description and bullet points. But Karon Thackston doesn't believe you will be penalized if you leave words in the search term fields, and is not recommending that any more experienced sellers go through their listings to remove them. You can hear the entire fiasco on this episode of The Amazing Seller.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode with Karon.
• [5:00] Karon’s summary of what she’s covering for you today.
• [8:15] Another reason to build a platform of your own off Amazon.
• [9:56] T

Nobody knows it all. Not even those who have been doing something for a very long time. We all need to ask for help from time to time and these Friday episodes of the Amazing Seller Podcast are an opportunity for you to ask your questions about Amazon sales and private label products. Scott LOVES these episodes where he gets to sit down and deal with the real life situations that you and many other sellers like you are facing each day in your business. You can listen to the questions people have already asked and even ask your own questions, right here on the Friday episodes.

On today's episode a listen to the podcast asked whether he should wait to start his pay per click campaigns until he has a significant number of reviews, or whether he should begin PPC immediately once his product is live on the Amazon platform. What would your answer be? Today, Scott has an answer for this listener and has advice for you if you are trying to determine when and how to start your PPC campaigns. You can hear it all on this episode of the podcast.

Do you know what a long tail keyword is? A long tail keyword is a keyword phrase that uses a primary key word with other qualifying words added to the beginning or end. For example, garlic press maybe the base keyword. But long tail keywords would be, “stainless steel garlic press,” OR “long handled garlic press.” On today's episode a listener asks if he will rank for all of the keywords within a long-tail keyword phrase, or only the long tail keyword phrase itself. It's a great question and Scott has a great answer. Be sure you listen to find out what it is.

The first thing you need to do in order to sell products on Amazon is to create a seller account. Today a listener asks if he should set up multiple seller account if he is going to be selling products under multiple brand names. It's a great question and one that can have many answers depending on what your and goals are for your business. On this episode, Scott answers the question with a good deal of insight and foresight, so be sure you take the time to listen.

A listener today has found a product possibility in a niche where there are many, many sellers of the product. But he's curious if it is a good opportunity anyway since there is only one seller who is providing the product in question in a different color, while all the rest offer the exact same product. He is curious if he could create a bundle that includes both colors, or even add additional colors to make a bundle that is more attractive. You can hear Scott's answer to this interesting question on this episode of The Amazing seller.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this “Ask Scott” episode of the podcast.
• [2:30] Why you need to schedule and plan things if you’re going to be successful.
• [6:03] QUESTION ONE: How long do you wait to start your Pay Per Click campaigns after getting reviews?
• [10:15] QUESTION TWO: I’m trying to rank for a long tail ke

My wife started an Etsy shop about a year and a half ago. 
She was introduced to this by my former business partner. We built and sold a business together. 
I talked to her the other day, and she's been crushing it on Etsy. She shared what she was doing with my wife. 
So, my wife started doing it on the side, with just a little side hustle, which was a creative outlet for her. 
She did just over $20K last year, and I think this year she's on track to do probably closer to $50K.
That's with not working on it that much, but it got my attention. That's the challenge I am giving myself to build this Etsy shop into a $100K business. 
Grab a pen and pad for this episode, where I will break down My plan. 
Use the media player above or watch the video below.

When you start anything new in your life you’re going to feel nervous or scared. That’s OK. Nerves and fear are natural in any new endeavor but they aren’t the thing that determines success. What determines your success is your own mindset. On this episode Scott chats with a successful Amazon seller, Bobby Jacques and the two of them agree that mindset is crucial. You can hear how both of these guys approach their business in light of mindset, on this episode.

When people talk about mindset they’re addressing the issue of belief. If you are going to attempt a business on Amazon or any other platform you’ve got to first believe in your ability to learn, to grow, and to pivot through the disappointments and obstacles until you reach success. It’s a “never give up” attitude that you have to develop - and today’s episode is one that can help you do that. You’re going to hear from a very determined Amazon seller who made it his goal to replace his full time income in a very short period of time. He did it, and is a testimony to the fact that you can do it too, if you’re willing to work hard, learn, grow, and keep going.

When it comes to building an online business, whether through private label sales on Amazon or some other approach, you’ve got to believe that you can do it. The person who doesn’t believe in their ability is the one who will give up quickly after they hit the first obstacle. And you WILL hit obstacles if you take the entrepreneurial route. Bobby Jacques shares his story on this episode and tells how he went from nothing to $50K per month in sales on this episode.

One of the tools that makes private label sales on Amazon such a successful thing is Amazon pay per click. PPC is one of the tools Amazon provides to help you get people's eyes on your products when they are searching for exactly what you have. Make awesome money and takes time to figure out, but one You can be the pot at the end of the rainbow. On this episode Scott's guest is going to tell us how he manages his pay per click campaigns and what you can do to organize your campaigns properly from the start.

Determination in any business is huge. You can't be the type who will give up at the first sign of trouble or difficulty. No difficulty can stop you if you are convinced that you can learn and grow for the sake of overcoming any obstacle. Your job as an entrepreneur is to make yourself successful so that you are able to bring great value to the world.  On this episode of the podcast you're going to here a great story of success from a guy who started with no money in the bank and is now bringing in $50,000 per month in sales revenue. Bobby Jacques is Scott’s guest on this episode of the podcast.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [1:30] Join the next live workshop.
• [2:20] Shout out to an iTunes listener who left a review.
• [4:04] Why Scott wanted to chat with Bobby for today’s show.
• [6:45] How Bobby got

One of the things Scott and his friend Chris Schaeffer love to do to help private label sellers boost their sales is to do these “hot seat” episodes. It’s a real life Amazon product that is already selling that is submitted for review and suggestions to increase sales. Scott and Chris are looking at a product today that is in a tight niche and is very low priced - both of which are problems from the get go. But there are some things that can be done to improve the sales of this product regardless. You can hear Scott and Chris’ suggestions on this episode.

If you get into a market where the sales price for the product is $7 or so, you’re going to run into a problem. Even if your product only costs you $1, you’re going to pay a lot in Amazon fees and not have much product margin to play with. That’s why Scott recommends that you look for products that will sell for $15 or more most of the time. You can hear more insights into the way the product cost impacts your profits and success, on this episode

When you’re putting together your Amazon listing one of the most important things that can’t be underestimated is the photo you use to highlight your product. Amazon requires that your product photo is the product alone on a white background - and Scott and Chris both feel that it’s vital that the photo be high quality and positioned in a way that shows it as large a possible. Today’s hot seat product needs a better photo and Scott and Chris will tell you exactly what they’d do to make the listing photo better.

The product that’s on the “hot seat” on this episode of The Amazing Seller also includes a free ebook to help the user learn how to use the product. It’s a great idea and is a powerful way to increase the perceived value of the product. However, this seller hasn’t taken advantage of the bonus. How did they miss the opportunity? The bonus item is not mentioned in the title of the product OR shown in the product image. Both of those are great opportunities to stand out from the competition. Find out how you can use this example to improve your product listing on this episode.

Often, once a private label product is introduced into the market others begin to jump on board and offer the same product. Before long that niche is flooded and the price begins to race to the bottom. It’s not a good situation for anyone but there are ways to become the dominant seller in the market, and the main way is by bundling your product with accessories or related products that purchasers might need in order to use your product. You can hear some great ideas for how you can think in terms of bundling for your product on this episode.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this hotseat episode with Chris Schaeffer!
• [3:00] Introduction to this hotseat scenario.
• [6:19] The market today’s product is in: good or bad?
• [9:21] The market looks saturated and the price point is low.
• [14:22] An i

Here is the regular Friday version of The Amazing Seller Podcast - the “Ask Scott” session! This is where you’re able to ask your very own questions about Amazon Private Label sales, online sales in general, and how to do your pay per click, promotions, and more. If you’ve got your own questions about selling on Amazon you can ask Scott directly and possibly be featured on an episode just like this one. You can find out how to ask your question by listening to this episode!

One of the listeners to the Amazing Seller is a guy who does his own podcast and has his own online following established already. He wanted to know if there is a way that he could effectively begin selling physical products that he lists on Amazon through his other brand. Scott’s answer to his question was a big, fat, enthusiastic, “YES!” and you can hear why Scott’s so excited about this kind of opportunity by listening to his response.

Ordering products from China is one of the most affordable and easy ways to get a private label product brand started. But are you limited to the products the suppliers have on hand? Nope. You can take any product idea - even one you haven’t seen on their platforms - and send them sketches, schematics, etc. and ask if they can build it for you. You’ll go back and forth with the supplier for a while getting the details right, then you’ll have to front some cash to get a prototype made. You can find out what comes next by listening to Scott’s answer to this great question - on this episode.

It’s the most natural thing in the world to ask people to buy your product. It’s also natural to make it easy for them to purchase by sending them the direct link to your product on Amazon. But the way Amazon’s algorithm works that’s not always the best idea. Why? It’s because Amazon continually calculates how many purchases of your product happen based on the number of views it receives. So if you send someone directly to the product and they don’t purchase, you could be hurting your product rankings. Find out how it all works out on this episode.

A listener has been doing his product research and wants to know if he would be safe to try to enter a product into a market where the competition has over 100 reviews. Scott says it’s OK but more important than the reviews the competition has is what he calls the “depth of market.” What is that and why does it matter? You can find out all the details by listening to this episode of the podcast.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [0:34] Scott’s recording on his birthday to spend time with his family later!
• [5:09] A question to ask yourself right now.
• [7:42] QUESTION ONE: I have an online presence and brand already. I want to combine that with private labeling. Will product suppliers customize products for me?
• [16:05] QUESTION TWO: What links should I use to drive outside traf

Today’s guest is Spencer Haws, he’s a long time web entrepreneur who has built his experience and knowledge creating niche based websites. You can see more of what he’s done in that realm at his site www.NichePursuits.com. But today Spencer is with us to help us understand how you can build your own website that sells your own products - independent of Amazon. Interested? Be sure you listen to this great episode.

Spencer strongly believes that you need to take your success to a different platform once you’ve gotten your feet wet on Amazon. Why? Because you want to build something that you have entire control over, no matter what. On Amazon you have to follow the constantly changing rules and make sure you’re not making any mistakes. On your own site you are the king of the castle and you make up the rules. And maybe just as important, you’ll be cutting out the Amazon middleman that bites into your profit margin. Hear how Spencer and Scott suggest you take that step, on this episode.

Let’s say you’ve had a private label product on Amazon for a while and you’re selling a decent amount of products every day. Should you take the step of creating your own website and trying to sell your products independent of Amazon? Spencer Haws says that once your products are selling well on Amazon you’ve got a great test case that shows that your products could sell independent of Amazon as well. Find out exactly how Spencer says you can know if you should take the step to build your own sales platform, on this episode.

You may not even know what a long tail keyword is, but Spencer Haws believes that you’ve got to become skilled at identifying and using them if you’re going to have success building a sales site for your products that operates independently of Amazon. Spencer has proven on his own sites that going for the lesser known long tail keywords can be very successful in the long run. You can find out how Spencer does it, step by step, and the software tool he uses to do his research on this episode of The Amazing Seller.

If all of this website building talk sounds a bit scary to you, relax. Spencer Haws has created two ways you can learn everything you need to know to build a website the right way and start selling your products independent of Amazon. First is an internship where over the course of 4 weeks you’ll learn how to do everything you need to make your site stellar. Second, if you can do an internship there’s an 8 week course that covers the same content. Before you know it you’ll be rocking your own sales platform that cuts out the Amazon middleman!

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode with Spencer Haws!
• [1:51] Details about stuff you’ll want to know for this episode.
• [3:49] Why Spencer believes you need to move your success onto your own platform.
• [5:45] When is the right time to build your own website property?

A big part of launching any business is the fear you have to conquer because of the risk that’s inherent in starting a business. While the fear may be an obstacle, it doesn’t have to be such a big one. You can reduce the chances of failure (what you’re really afraid of) by checking out what’s already working in your product niche and duplicating those things for your product. On this episode Scott goes way outside his normal topics to show you how he looks at products and marketing approaches so that you can learn how to use other people’s hard work to make your own business less risky and more profitable.

Most of the time Scott is talking about Amazon as a sales platform - and that it is. But you may not have considered that Amazon’s setup is also designed in a way that you can use it to research product ideas and market trends. On this episode Scott talks about how you can use reviews, data, and the “also bought” section of Amazon, eBay, and other platforms to make smarter decisions about your products and business.

When you buy any product - from Amazon or even your local Walmart - you should pay attention to the way the company has positioned your buying and follow up experience. Is the packaging appealing and cool? Does the verbiage on the package give you clear instructions? Does it encourage you to submit contact information so you can receive more from them? Does it offer you other ways you can benefit from your product or receive more information? Scott has begun observing these kinds of things and it’s given him all kinds of ideas for his own business and products. What about you? Learn more on this episode.

One of the best things you can do for your business is to know your competition. Not just who they are or what they sell, but also HOW they sell it and WHAT they do to follow up with their customers. The best way to do that is to become a customer. When you purchase one of your competitor’s products you’ll get to see exactly what they do to connect with their customers, follow up with them, offer them related products, and more. Then you can reverse engineer it to include those things in your process OR you can improve on it and blow your competitors out of the water. Find out more about tweaking your competition on this episode.

While you may never consider advertising your Amazon private label products on TV or in a magazine you would do well to pay attention to what advertisers on TV and in magazines are doing to sell their products. Advertisers have been using print and video for years and they really know what works. You can borrow their ideas and apply them to your promotions and advertisements to up your game. Scott goes through a ton of ideas for promoting and presenting your products better, on this episode.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [2:07] This episode was sparked by questions from listeners.
• [5:36] The importance of using Amazon.com and eBaby.com for data and insight.
• [9:21] Using product reviews to refine products and buil

Amazon private label sales is one of the best ways to get started with online business. You don’t have to have any experience because there are many good hearted people like Scott Voelker who are eager to walk you through the ways you can get started with even a small amount of cash. This episode is one of Scott’s weekly “Ask Scott” episodes where anybody who has a question about sales on Amazon is able to ask their questions. This episode highlights listener questions about product categories, shipping costs VS storage fees, responding to bad product reviews, and using the keyword fields in the Amazon product backend wisely.

A listener asks a very good question today about product categories. It’s often the case that one product could legitimately belong in more than one category. When that’s the case, how do you go about choosing which category you should designate as your “primary” category. On this episode Scott answers the question and encourages the listener who ask it to focus on keywords and optimized listings more than the category - though he does give some tips on how to choose the most effective category as well.

A TAS community member called in to ask Scott about his situation - he’s got a great product but in order to get his best price he’d have to order 2000 of them! He’d be saving enough money that it seems like a wise thing to do, but he doesn’t want to keep them at his home and doesn’t believe that Amazon would allow him to send in that many at once. He’s asking Scott’s advice on whether storing those products at some warehouse would make sense. Scott’s got his typical common sense answer to this one and you can hear it on this episode.

A listener asks Scott if he is able to respond to the comments that are made to his products, and if so how? The tool you need to know about in order to do that is called Sales Backer (find it in this episode’s resource links) and it’s a great way to be active in the space surrounding your product and to do great customer service that can not only fix problems your customers are having but also get some of those negative reviews removed or changed. You can find out about Sales Backer and how you can use it on this episode.

There has been a lot of confusion about keywords and how they are used in the Amazon product listings, and for good reason. It appears from trials that various Amazon sellers have done that some of the conventional wisdom surrounding keywords may have been incorrect. On this episode you’ll hear Scott dig into the topic a bit in response to a listener’s question about how to use keywords. It’s a very helpful response so make sure you take the time to listen.

• [0:25] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [1:29] Shout out to the TAS Facebook community.
• [4:10] QUESTION ONE: I’m doing a new product launch and I’m not sure how to choose the right category in light of competition, etc.
• [11:11] QUESTION TWO: I’m having trouble figuring out if I should pay high sh

Part of the difficulty in launching a private label product on Amazon is always the task of getting interested eyes on your product. You’ve got to be able to find out how to get your product in front of the people who are most likely to buy it. This episode is a chat with a TAS community member who took it on himself to find his own ways of doing that and he had some pretty significant successes. So sit back and relax, grab a cup of coffee and a pen and paper because you’ll want to take some notes about what Kent did to get attention for his products which in turn ramped up his sales and built an interested email list of customers right from the start.

One of the things today’s guest did masterfully to build enthusiasm for his product was to create a story (a true story) around the product and even the process of how it came to be. He highlighted the story of his own family and the need they felt for a particular type of product that didn’t exist - and followed up with a description of how they decided to create the product themselves. It’s a beautiful demonstration of what’s being called “story selling” and you get to hear the inside scoop on how Kent pulled it off, on this episode of the podcast.

When Kent finally got his products ordered he wanted to start a pre-promotion phase to encourage interest in the product before he actually launched. He coupled the story behind the product’s creation with requests to friends and family (and others) to help him get a good start with ratings and reviews. He invited those interested in helping to join the mailing list to learn more about the product and get a discount when the product launched. He was able to build a list of 130 subscribers before he even had product in stock at Amazon. You can hear his creative solutions to product promotion on this episode.

As Kent finally got his products listed on Amazon and began his launch he had an initial spurt of good sales and 25 reviews within the first week. But his sales began to slump fairly quickly once the first week launch was over. He was discouraged for a bit and quickly realized that the momentum of the launch was not something he could count on long term. But the fact that he’d already built a list of interested customers - and that his product was one that needed to be replenished over time - enabled him to stay encouraged and keep moving forward. That’s when he got the idea to do a different form of promotion that worked big time. You can hear him tell his entire story on this episode.

After Kent’s initial launch week was over he started thinking outside the box to find additional ways to promote his products. One approach he thought of was to offer a “feature” story to the local newspaper. He sent a very simple email that briefly outlined the story in an appealing way and got a great response from the paper. His product and family’s story was featured in the Saturday edition and Kent got over 150 sales the day of publication. He’s excited to see where his product will - and you can hear all the details of the journey so far on this episode!

• [0:25] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast!
• [1:02] The power of building an emai

Once you get started doing private label sales on Amazon and other platforms you need to understand the importance of how you present your products and brand to those who are considering a purchase from you. That means packaging is a big deal. On this episode Scott is taking a look at the packaging of a product he recently bought because he thought it was done very, very well. He wants you to learn from some of the smart things the company did to increase his perception of their company and the product he purchased. It’s all on this episode.

Scott recently purchased a lens for his iPhone to make his photos and videos pop a bit more. When he received it he was blown away by the packaging and all the little “extras” the company included with his order. On this episode of the Amazing Seller you’re going to hear about Scott’s experience and get some great ideas for how you can increase the perception people have of the products you are selling with some simple little tricks and added value. It’s a great, thought provoking episode so don’t miss it.

Depending on what type of private label product you are selling you may want to consider adding some helpful materials like a “Getting Started” guide or insert card that leads the purchaser to a page on your website that demonstrates the product in use. Why would you want to do that? Because you want your customers to have the impression that you are a real business (and you are, aren’t you?). You’re erasing any doubt or skepticism they may have had with every little value add you can provide. A help resource is a great way you can do that.

When you think about creating custom packaging for your private label products you may only be thinking of logos, colors, shape, etc. But did you ever consider that you can place some kind of call to action on the packaging that drives people to your website? That’s a great way to encourage opt-ins to your email list so you can communicate directly to your customers. You don’t want to draw them away from Amazon for the purchase of your product, but you can offer them something more such as product registration, help guides, etc. That enables you to get them on your site where they can be asked for an email address. You can hear Scott’s thoughts on this great idea on this episode.

If you are interested in selling products online it’s always better if you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Thankfully, you don’t have to. Scott Voelker has put together a free private label workshop that he runs now and again and you are invited to register. You’ll not only hear the 5 phases of getting a product for sale on Amazon, you’ll also get to be part of the Q&A session at the end of the workshop. It’s all done live via video so you can attend no matter where you are in the world. On this episode you can get the details of how you can sign up to be a part of that event. And don’t forget, it’s free.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast!
• [3:30] Why you might hear some odd sounds in this episode.
• [4:29] Why the packaging to Scott’s recent

When it comes to researching and launching a private label product on Amazon there are many hoops to jump through - and the Amazon terms of service change often. How do you know that what you’re doing is the right thing to do? One way is to find a trusted person who’s already been down the path - and that’s what these Ask Scott episodes are all about! You can ask your own questions of Scott Voelker, an experienced Amazon seller. He’s got 4 questions today about PPC, unloading failed products, the impact reviews have on sales or PPC, and whether or not you should try to sell your products on platforms other than Amazon. It’s all on this episode.

A listener called in to ask Scott if he could walk through the various options when it comes to liquidating private label products that simply aren’t selling. Scott understands the question and the need behind it. There are many reasons you might need to get rid of products that you’ve been trying to sell and his answer to this question is one that will give you a head full of ideas to try out if you’re in the same situation. Be sure you listen to find out ways that you can sell products to recoup the money you’ve invested.

On this episode a caller asks about using PPC when she’s already got an established and broad Amazon seller account. In her case, she’s already listed hundreds of products on Amazon. Choosing how to approach PPC seems like a daunting task. But Scott’s got some good suggestions for making her pay per click strategy effective and he shares them with her on this episode. Are you confused about PPC? As Scott answers this question you’ll probably find some help to the issues that are hanging you up, too.

A lot of people who place their private label products on the Amazon sales platform don’t understand how product reviews work in the Amazon ecosystem. It’s not that your reviews directly get you a higher ranking on Amazon search results OR give you an increase in your sales numbers. Reviews serve more of a complementary function. Imagine this: You’re searching for a product you’ve been meaning to buy and there are two options. One of them has 3 product reviews, the other has 300. Which are you more likely to trust? The one with the 300 reviews. Do you see that the number of reviews your product receives serve as social proof that your product is a good one? Find out how Scott advises this caller who only has a handful of reviews on what she can do to get more social proof for her product by listening to this episode.

Selling private label products on Amazon is really an ecommerce business. Since it’s on Amazon you may not have thought of it that way, but it’s the truth. Ecommerce can be implemented on a wide variety of platforms - Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, and more. But you have to understand that whatever platform you’re selling on, you have to play by that platform’s rules. It’s understandable - and somewhat frustrating at times. Scott answers a listener’s question today with a question of his own… Is Amazon holding your ecommerce business hostage? You’ll want to hear this one.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [1:04] How you can submit your questio

Every private label seller has dreams of their business going big. But very few think as big as what actually happened for Chad Rubin. Chad’s private label success forced him to create an amazing software solution for his biggest problems. You’re going to hear Chad’s story from the beginning until now - how he built an amazing private label business on Amazon, grew it to monstrous proportions, and then pivoted to create a software that is now leading the way in the ecommerce space.

One of the most difficult aspects of building an Amazon private label business is finding that perfect product that sells - and continues to sell. Chad Rubin says that those kinds of products require a lot of research into the market it will be serving. You’ve got to make sure that you’re actually meeting a real life need to ensure that there will always be a market for the product so you’re not left with a huge investment that never pans out. You can hear Chad’s advice for finding those kinds of products on this episode.

You can’t expect to jump on Alibaba and choose the first product that looks like it might sell. You’ve got to find one that truly meets a need that consumers are willing to pay to have solved. Chad Rubin’s formula for private label success starts there. He suggests that you look at your own life - at the problems you face and the things you wish were different - and let those frustrations inspire you to create products that solve those problems. If you have the problem, you can bet thousands of others do too. Find out how Chad goes about his own product discovery on this episode of The Amazing Seller.

Many private label sellers fade away over time because they start selling a product they think will be successful, but it’s not something they personally have an interest in. Chad Rubin says that long term success requires that you’re working on something that you actually enjoy or have interest in. When you’re passionate about the products you sell you’re going to be much more motivated over the long haul and will be able to persevere to see your business thrive. If you want to be inspired by an incredible story you’ll want to hear this episode.

Successful private label sales depends on building a brand, not just selling one popular or in-demand product. When you only have one product you get stuck in a one dimensional place where it’s hard to branch out and create secondary streams of income for your business. Chad Rubin suggests that you start out with an eye toward building a brand that can span many different niches of products. That way you’re able to pivot more easily, add complementary products to your product line in a natural way, and maximize your potential to cross sell to your existing customer base.

• [0:04] Scott’s introduction to this podcast episode.
• [1:46] An iTunes review left recently (leave your review over there, too!).
• [3:24] The upcoming workshop!
• [4:24] Scott’s introduction to Chad Rubin and the beginnings of his story.

Here,  I will discuss the three steps for creating your Q4 email calendar to explode sales.

I want to reflect on when Lisa and I ran a photography business. We would start promoting Christmas pictures in July. 

So in July, we would start booking appointments. We knew that not everyone was coming in July, and we wanted to show that our calendar was filling up.

After a year or two, people started to see that we were filling up early. 

We started to remind them through email. 

Q4 is big for buying for events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Today. I want to give you guys some action steps, and there are three steps you can take to make this happen.

You should be able to plan this out in under 60 minutes, and I'll walk you guys through it. 

Get the details by listening to this episode in the above media player or the video below.

"Remember, I'm here for you, believe in you, and rooting for you! Now it's time to take action and rock your brand"! 

Enjoy, and let's CRUSH YOUR 

Every Amazon private label seller is going to face this problem sooner or later: you’ll run out of stock so quickly that you won’t be able to get new products to Amazon in time. There are many ways you can deal with it, but what should you do to ensure that your sales resume at a good pace once you have products back in stock? On this episode Scott and his friend Chris - both experienced Amazon sellers - are looking at a real Amazon product that ran out of stock and is now having trouble resuming the good sales it had before. Both guys have great insights into the issues that are causing problems, on this episode.

You may not think of your particular product as a seasonal item. But you might be surprised. Scott and Chris always recommend that a key component of your product research phase is to use a tool like Google Trends to research the trends of how your product has sold in the past. On this episode Scott and Chris discover that a product that was selling like crazy and suddenly lost it’s momentum is actually seasonal in nature. It makes a huge difference in how you approach your product sales and sometimes impacts whether you choose to sell that product at all.

In an effort to build brand recognition many Amazon sellers place the name of their brand in the title of their product. Both Chris and Scott believe it’s a mistake to do that. Why? Because unless someone is specifically searching for your brand name you won’t get any search juice out of having your brand name in the title - and the title of your product is one of the most important spots you want to have keywords that people may be searching for. On this episode you can learn some additional hacks you can use to optimize your listing for better search accessibility and greater sales.

Amazon’s terms of service make it clear what type of picture can be used for your primary product photo, but when it comes to your secondary photos there are many things you can do to make them stand out and attract attention. On this episode Scott and Chris analyze a real private label product that is having problems with sales and the images are one of the things they notice. Find out what remedies they recommend and get some ideas for how to improve your own product listing, on this episode.

It only makes sense that if one product in your niche is dominating the sales, you should borrow from what they’re doing. Never use the exact photos they are, but if you can create a photo that is similar in approach or feel, do it. Never completely copy their title or description, but if they are expressing the usefulness of your product in different ways, try to learn from what they are doing. You’ll find some “best practices” from those who are doing it the best - so be sure you take the time to analyze your competition.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this “Hot Seat” episode of the podcast!
• [1:26] How you can get into Scott’s free workshop.
• [2:08] Get into the TAS Facebook group.
• [4:28] The scenario the guys are look

This episode of the Amazing Seller podcast is where Scott Voelker answers questions about Amazon private label sales and ecommerce. On this episode he’s addressing some pretty interesting questions. Should you try to compete directly with Amazon when it is the only seller of a particular product? How can you go about coming up with a brand name? When would it be better to merge two identical products that only have one small variation? Those are just some of the things you’ll hear on these Ask Scott episodes, so be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode.

There are many products on Amazon that only Amazon sells - and it may be intimidating to think of going up against the mighty Amazon. But Scott thinks that if you approach it the right way and keep your head on straight. You can do it. On this episode Scott is asked about that issue and he gives a very clear answer to whether it’s a good idea to compete directly with Amazon, what questions you should be asking, and what you should look out for if you’re going to take it upon yourself to challenge Amazon’s sales.

When you list a product for sale on Amazon you have two options. You can set up every product you bring to the platform in its own listing, or if they are similar and only differ by variations such as color or size, you can place them under the same listing, but as variations of the same product. Which is better? It depends on a number of things that can sometimes be confusing. So on this episode Scott tackles the question and gives you his ideas on how to make the decision.

In many ways naming your brand is just like naming your first child - you really want to get it right. But Scott doesn’t think it’s all that important at first. Instead he recommends that you get a trial run of your product on the way and experiment with its sales first to ensure that all your energy to name it is well founded. But he doesn’t stop there - Scott does have some good ideas for how you can brainstorm brand name ideas, so be sure to listen to this episode.

It can be very confusing trying to figure out all the rules and steps involved in listing a product for sale on Amazon. That’s why Scott Voelker has simplified things into 5 steps and put it into a free course. You can learn everything from researching product ideas, to choosing the product, to finding a supplier, to getting your first shipment and listing it on Amazon. You won’t find a better resource to teach you how to get started so make sure you listen to this episode of the podcast to see how you can get started with Amazon Private Label.

• [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [3:57] QUESTION ONE: I’m curious if I should try to launch products that Amazon itself sells?
• [13:08] QUESTION TWO: I’m trying to come up with a brand name. Any tips?
• [19:29] QUESTION THREE: I have some products that are duplicate except for their colors. Should I merge their AISNs?