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Store Build It! (StBI!) Launches! "The Perfect Store" For Shopping Online Is HereThe Perfect Store is making waves, storming the Web. Yes...Site Build It!'s first fully integrated monetization solution is up and running, waiting for you to turn all that SBI! traffic into SALES. So far, you have been monetizing through a wide variety of third party monetization models... http://build.sitesell.com/tips/index.html#MONETIZE And you can even plug-n-play PayPal shopping cart and other third party e-stores/shopping carts into SBI!. And that has, of course, satisfied an awful lot of SBI! users who will do shopping online. But despite all that, SBIers want to be able to integrate their own store fully into their SBI! sites. It is, by far, THE most frequently requested "#1 wish" for SBI!. And so... Store Build It! for shopping online is born. East meets West. Ying meets Yang. C-T-P meets M. A confluence that results in...
There is NOTHING like this on the Web. Anywhere. It has been the most intensive development period on record at SiteSell.com. But you now have, in addition to 12+ other monetization models, an extremely powerful way to directly monetize the PREsold traffic to your SBI! site. Sell hard goods straight off your own SBI! e-store...
Looking to boost your site's income by providing your visitors with a unique and diverse product line? Want to clear credit cards with your own merchant account? Seeking a fully integrated store and shopping cart that YOU own, master of your own destiny? Store Build It! (StBI!) fills the bill, on all counts. "The Perfect Store" Is Here. Before long, as word spreads that there is a new way to "do stores," a way that WORKS, it will also become known as "The Perfect Storm" for shopping online. :-) Integrate C-T-P power with awesome store-building? Wow! -----SIDEBAR-----
Combine this with the invaluable "1-2-3
Action Guide" and "Make Your Store Sell!" and
"Managing Your Store AFTER The Sale" -- this
is truly a best-in-world package. A Bit Of Background
What is Site Build It!'s "Unique Selling Proposition"? C-T-P (*then* M)
No one else in the world provides the C-T-P process and all the tools that empower you to succeed like this with shopping online...
http://case-studies.sitesell.com/
The background story... I wish I could say that C-T-P was clear to us from Day 1 of SBI!, like some brilliant, sweeping vision. But that's not the way it happened. It unfolded, evolving until we realized that we had something magical, something powerful that met the needs of ALL small businesses. Something that WORKS for shopping online. So we focused on C-T-P, putting our own integrated e-com
monetization on the back burner. As we completed the major
C-T-P modules, it also became clear that online retail...
Why all the dead shopping online shops? Simple. No traffic. As a result, they are dependent on OTHERS for traffic. Look
at the two most common ways to run an e-store...
Bottom line? Profitable stores are scarcer than hen's teeth. Putting up a shopping online store is hard enough. Most stores do look professional, but so what? 9 times out of 10, nobody's home. So what's the point, if you don't have an ongoing, evergrowing, source of free, targeted, PREsold traffic? Without that... Nobody is browsing. Nobody is searching. And most importantly, nobody is buying. A store like this is the proverbial faraway tree in a forest. Does it even make a sound when it falls? Who knows? BULLETIN! The good news is that since most stores fail, this is a HUGE opportunity for you to SUCCEED. Here's the tragedy... People start their online shopping stores enthusiastically, and then slowly, over the following year(s)... they die. Yup, it's the same old "instant gratification and delayed failure" that all our competitors promote. Store hosting companies, even the largest in the world, all push it... "GET YOUR STORE UP IN 5 MINUTES. TAKE ORDERS IMMEDIATELY." Wow! It's the "get rich quick" pitch, all over again. But this time, it's MAJOR companies shamelessly OVERpromising. And UNDERdelivering. So small business people hurry and build their stores first (no C-T-P). Then they grind their teeth in dismay -- no passerby traffic. They failed to make the jump from the offline mindset ("location, location, location") to the online mindset ("information, information, information"). Once the online shopping store is up, it's too late. They're stuck. They have gone about it "bass-ackwards." What should they have done? *YOU*, of course, know the answer... CONTENT -> TRAFFIC -> PRESELL -> MONETIZE ... but *THEY* don't. They conclude "the Web doesn't work" and THAT is great for YOU. Portal or standalone, it doesn't work. Compare this... http://buildit.sitesell.com/main/why-stbi.html
When we recognized this overwhelming trend, it became obvious that "e-tail" was the right place to launch our first major monetization module. So the question was... "How do we do that without losing our C-T-P focus?" After all... Store-building/shopping cart software is highly specialized, complicated software to build. It's a competitive arena, with hundreds of companies constantly improving their products. It made sense for us to keep our focus on C-T-P. Rather than re-invent a wheel, where hundreds already exist, we found THE BEST WHEEL and fit it into Site Build It's success vehicle. Extensive research kept leading us to the same company... the "SiteSell" of shopping online software...
ShopSite is the best shopping cart/e-store software. At three levels, it is as flexible and powerful as you need it to be. Whether you want to sell a handful of products or several thousand, there's a version of ShopSite that will suit your needs...
Store Build It! is where SiteSell meets ShopSite... East meets West. Ying meets Yang. C-T-P meets M. The best meets the best. Totally integrated, Store Build It!, is far more than the sum of its parts. ShopSite experts can't believe the intimate connection between SBI! and ShopSite. It makes for a powerful one-two combo that take your business to new heights, far beyond that attainable by any standalone shopping online store. "Complete integration" includes the capture and migration of your customer data into a separate e-mail list. It means the automatic transfer of your SBI! site’s Look & Feel. And imagine what any store owner would answer to this question... "How would you like to have your own self-fueled source of free traffic?" Traffic is the lifeblood of any store -- sales don't happen without it. Yup, just the owners of the millions of deserted stores. But YOU... you have the ability to PREsell through content, then sell your own products directly. While competitors must rely on expensive advertising options to goose traffic (driving up their costs, and reducing their ability to be competitive), your dedication to C-T-P-M... CONTENT-> TRAFFIC-> PRESELL-> MONETIZE ... drives your own free, and PREsold, ready-to-buy,
traffic. This revolutionary approach to the monetization of
hard goods is an Internet first. No other store solution on
the Net comes with a built-in traffic source. No other
solution virtually guarantees your shopping online store
will be a success!
Is Store Build It!, Right For Your Business? Welcome to The "Worst Sales Page in the World"
Should you consider the hard goods monetization model for your business? That's a good question. -----SIDEBAR----- NOTE: Since you also get a customer e-zine with StBI!, you could even sell a high-value newsletter, making *IT* the actual product! Mostly, though, we'll restrict ourselves to
discussion of hard goods. That is what most
people mean when they consider shopping online stores. Ultimately, only *you* can decide if this is for you. It may be obvious (ex., if you already have a product line and are ready to make the jump to online sales). So you may ALREADY know this is indeed perfect for you. If so, great! But skim this article anyway. And if you're not so sure, well like the title says... Welcome to the "Worst Sales Page in the World" As you'll see, the goal is NOT to sell you Store Build It!. It almost sounds, actually, like we're trying to talk you out of it. But we're not doing that either. Our only goal is YOUR SUCCESS. So we DO want to make sure
you've thought this through and are making the best choice
for you and your possible shopping online store.
We Won't Sell Store Build It! Until...
I swear, it really does look like we're trying NOT to sell Store Build It! sometimes. And we're not... at least, not before YOU are ready for it, right for it. That's why we are NOT selling it as a standalone. You know my feeling on "standalones." Predestined failure. And we're so serious about C-T-P before M that you must have generated at least 500 visitors during the previous calendar month before you can order Store Build It!. We actually recommend double to triple that level, because an e-store will lose you money at lower levels. It will also deflect your attention from the critical C-T-P process, at a time when you still very much need to be pushing it. Without that traffic level, you can't buy Store Build It!... not at any price. Yes, we're still giving folks who own SBI! (as of August 19, launch date) 3 free months of Store Build It!. They, like everyone else, will have to build C-T-P first. It's the only way that a shopping online store, or any other monetization model, can succeed. The last thing we want is what happens to non-SBIers... abandoned stores.
A surprise gift from SiteSell! :-)
Up until now, many SBIers have used SBI! for 2 or even 3 years without renewing. We promised "no renewals" until we launched e-com. And now, to celebrate, and to give everyone enough time to build their traffic up to the level where they can order StBI! (or to qualify for 3 free months of the Starter level of StBI!)... We're giving everyone THREE FREE MONTHS of Site Build It!. Use this extra time to build Content, which builds Traffic, which will deliver 3 free months of the Starter level of Store Build It! (more info on the 3 levels in Site Central, when you click on Purchase Store Build It!). So build like crazy -- if you do not yet have 500 visitors per month, build CONTENT like crazy. Let C-T-P soar your visitor count, then plug in 3 free months of StBI! Starter. If you received over 500 visitors last calendar month (preferably double that, at least), I highly recommend that you start with our free gift of 3 months of Starter StBI! Why "Starter"? You'll learn the software, test your best 15 products, and get an overall good initiation in running a shopping online store. Of course... If you have over 2,000 visitors per month, know exactly what your store plans are, and they're big, and if you know what you're doing... then go for it. SBI! Manager or Pro might be the right thing for you... right away.
Why Is Store Build It! So Inexpensive?
To keep costs of the ShopSite software to less than 50% of
what it costs elsewhere online (WITHOUT all the UNIQUE
advantages that Store Build It! delivers), we have adopted
some rather unique processes and strategies...
-----SIDEBAR----- -----SIDEBAR----- Just like SITE Build It!, you don't need
anything else to build and run a highly
profitable shopping online store. STORE Build It! has it all.
Each e-book is short, punchy, and easy to follow. They
give you only the information you need, at the exact moment
that you need it. And, of course, like all of Site Build
It!, it's all supported by tools that enable you to "do it."
You'll read more about that when you log into Site Central and visit the Web pages about Store Build It! But for now, let's talk about Rodeck Design, one of ShopSite's premier certified design groups. Rodeck Design is our "Store Build It! Experts" group... http://www.storebuildit-experts.com/
They provide all support, consulting, building.. whatever help you may need. How does this work? You buy an appropriate level package... Support It! http://www.storebuildit-experts.com/shopsite-support-it-packages.html Consult It! http://www.storebuildit-experts.com/consult-it-packages.html
Modify It! http://www.storebuildit-experts.com/shopsite-modify-it-packages.html
Build It! http://www.storebuildit-experts.com/shopsite-build-it-packages.html
We do not support the ShopSite software. Instead, we charge less than 50% for software and one year of hosting (compared to others who sell similar packages). By doing this, we can comfortably outsource to our third party expert... http://www.storebuildit-experts.com/
If you don't need shopping online support, you save tremendously. If you do, you get GREAT, experienced ShopSite support and still end up saving money. -----SIDEBAR---- I recommend him wholeheartedly and without
reservation. Oh, and by the way, we don't
earn a penny from referrals to him.
While we do not provide direct support... We *DO* provide the 1-2-3 Action Guide, and the underlying automation and programming that makes StBI! truly do-able by anyone. There are features in Store Build It! that you likely take for granted, coming from SiteSell, but for which other ShopSite owners could easily pay $1,000 (and up). For example, your Look and Feel carries through from home page to product page, to shopping cart, even to the secure order page and post-order success page. THAT is beyond most people -- up to now, ShopSite users have usually required a ShopSite Webmaster to do this (or needed days and days to figure out how to do it manually). Instead... We automated that. And the 1-2-3 Guide shows you how to accomplish this and a whole lot more, in click-click-click fashion. Do this, do that, click-click that.... And bingo! You have a professional, profitable shopping online store. If we were to do this in the conventional fashion, it would end up costing you way more for typical store-building to get the same results with ShopSite, AND we'd have to charge on top of that to hire and train support staff in skills that are not part of our C-T-P core. So... Rather than charge you the "going rate" for the ShopSite software, we cut the price in half, provide easy, powerful integration, and access to a world-class support and design group, *IF* you need it. Of course, if it makes sense to do so, you can opt to have Rodeck Design build your entire store for you! Whether you're building a Starter level store or a full blown Pro level store with advanced functionalities and super-deluxe custom templates, leveraging your time with a design package from Rodeck might make the best sense for your business! After all... Once your shopping online store is set up, maintaining and updating it is a breeze. And "putting your best store-foot forward" is so important. So consider their full range of services... http://www.storebuildit-experts.com/
Bottom line? Half price. Incredible integration. Ease of use. Much better results. If you need it, pay for shopping online support. That keeps all parties
focused on what they do best, and keeps costs down for all.
The Wrap Up On Store Build It! Support
I'm going to elaborate on the previous article, because some folks might miss it and some will forget the unparalleled savings and power of Store Build It!. Instead, they'll get upset when they try to get support from the SiteSell Support Team for Store Build It!, but instead receive a "copy-and-paste" answer like this...
SiteSell.com provides hosting, set up instructions, the 1-2-3 Action Guide, integration of your store into Site Build It!, and we also provide TECHNICAL support should your store experience technical difficulties. We help with issues where SiteSell/Site Build It! interfaces with ShopSite (ex., when you actually INSTALL the store into your main site's NavBar) because THOSE are SiteSell functions. But as mentioned when you bought ShopSite, and in the e-mail afterward and in the 1-2-3 Action Guide, and in SBIX, we cannot support issues that occur in the ShopSite software. We do provide the "1-2-3 Action Guide," the accompanying "Make Your Store Sell!" book, and the "Managing Store Build It! After The Sale" book, but we do not provide general product support, help, or consultation on the operation of the ShopSite module. The FAQ and support info may help you find some shopping online answers... http://build.sitesell.com/help/storebuildit/storebuildit-support.html I am sorry I cannot be of more direct help. The SiteSell support staff has not received any training in the ShopSite software, since we do not support it. We are familiar with the areas that SiteSell "owns," such as the actual installation process that I referred to earlier. But otherwise, please contact our support partner for shopping online answers... http://www.storebuildit-experts.com
This group is THE support/consultation resource for all matters related to the actual operation of the ShopSite module. Buy a support or consultation package -- they will take superb care of you. This approach to "pay a ShopSite expert for support/consults as needed" saves you over 50% on the total cost of Store Build It! and allows us to outsource help and consultation to experts in the ShopSite part of Store Build It!... http://www.storebuildit-experts.com
Best regards,
I love our customers. And we go to the ends of the earth for them. That's why we structured Store Build It! to deliver maximum features and results at the lowest price possible, AND outsource ShopSite support and consultation to the experts. That way, we do not have to hire more support staff and train ALL of them in what is highly specialized software (with a zillion features at the higher levels). The results would have been higher costs, and there's no way we could deliver support or consultation to the level of Rodeck Design. So please... remember the rationale of this structure if you ever do need support with your shopping online. -----SIDEBAR----- But if you are not getting the results you expected, if you can't figure out the 1-2-3 Guide and ShopSite, if you need support or help or advice, Store Build It! Experts are standing by to help you and your shopping online efforts... http://www.storebuildit-experts.com/ It's a unique arrangement, this 4-way partnership. The result, Store Build It!, is a product that is years ahead of every other e-store in the world. Take the "1-2-3 Action Guide" and "Make Your Store Sell" and
"Managing Your Store AFTER The Sale." Combine these with
ShopSite (in our opinion, the best shopping online software in the
world). And then add ALL the tools that make all the
following ADDITIONAL power so do-able...
SUMMARY Store Build It!, is unmatched, at any price. We are keeping our focus on the C-T-P core and outsourcing actual support to the EXPERTS. As a result, you save hundreds of dollars, AND get better support (if you need it). But if you are uncomfortable about not getting ShopSite support by SiteSell, then I suggest you use one of the third party shopping online carts suggested in the Resources HQ... http://build.sitesell.com/resources/index.html Why? Because I do not want to risk making you unhappy when
you try to get support for ShopSite functionality.
Building a Terrific Shopping Online Product Line
OK, you've answered all these questions with "YES"...
Oops! What was that last one? A product line? Unique? Yes, you CAN do it. And it's important. Because the more "routine" your product line, the more you fight on price, and the more "ordinary" you look, yourself. But it is indeed very possible to source a superb product line. Let's examine a few ways to do this (details in Make Your Store Sell!)...
1) Drop-shipping Drop shipping allows you the ability to offer your audience a wide variety of products, especially matched to their needs, without having to stock and ship products. While drop-shipping doesn't pay the same margins you'd earn if you stocked and shipped your own product, it does allow you to open your own store without spending thousands of dollars to develop a product inventory. It's one of the easiest, cost-effective ways to test the e-commerce waters, and a highly recommended means to enter the hard goods monetization arena. Best of all, you can easily experiment and change your offerings according to the response generated by your visitors. For more details on the drop-shipping opportunity... http://build.sitesell.com/tips/drop-shipping.html Also, be sure to check out World Wide Brands in the Resources HQ. They publish the highly reputable Drop Ship directory, which lists over 1,000,000 products available for drop-shipping... http://build.sitesell.com/resources/#MON
The key skill required? Pick and choose 15 products that blend into a sharp shopping online store that fits with your site and your customer's needs. "Product mix" is critical. Build an interesting mix of products, one that delivers what your visitors want and that matches your theme, and you will have a winner on your hands!
2) Source through personal contacts You may know people who create their own products (craftsman, artist, painter, designer, pewter maker, sculptor, welder, wood carver, etc., etc.). Do they fit with your site's theme? Yes? Terrific! Contact them, and come to an agreement -- you present and distribute their products online, and they pay you an acceptable percentage. Again, this prevents you from having to come up with the out-of-pocket expenses necessary to stock inventory for yourself. All it takes is a little creative, "outside the box" thinking to locate an opportunity that "fits" with your SBI! theme or shopping online business. Here's a personal example... On our trips to Anguilla, our family has always been "wowed" by the diversity and the quality of the artwork of local artisans. We end up taking so many of them back to Montreal for ourselves. But it was a pain to lug back. So, when Nori and I brainstormed a product line for Anguilla-Beaches.com, we thought... Why not sell visitors a little piece of Anguilla? Voila... a product line, intimately tied to what she is attempting to accomplish with Anguilla-Beaches.com -- to give visitors a peek at the tranquillity and uniqueness of this Caribbean island. The store's home page almost wrote itself... http://anguilla-art.anguilla-beaches.com/ We set up simple agreements with two of the more talented and prolific Anguillian artisans. Nori takes and processes the order, and the artisan ships directly to the customer!
3) Stock your own shopping online inventory This requires an out-of-pocket commitment, ONLY recommended if you are past the "testing phase." Jim Nelson of JuggleNow.com fame for example, keeps product in stock to fulfill orders on his ParrotsNow.com store... http://parrot-supplies.parrotsnow.com/ (Check out Jim's use of voice.) Start with minimal quantities. Jim tells me he only keeps a few of the higher-priced offers on hand, but plenty of the cheaper, popular items. Jim has also learned what to expect from his suppliers, who can deliver extra product quickly. If you do decide to keep your own inventory, it is important to locate good suppliers so customers never have long to wait if you sell out. -----SIDEBAR----- The Light Bulk Wholesale Directory provides a listing of companies who will ship wholesale at an affordable cost -- requiring no more than a $500 commitment max! Most wholesalers won't sell to you unless you order thousands of dollars worth of product. If you're thinking of developing your own shopping online inventory, but would like to keep costs down, have a look at Worldwide Brands' Light Bulk Wholesale Directory... http://build.sitesell.com/resources/#MON It's a great way to source product!
Finding a source for products can be as simple as looking under your nose. Or it may require some digging, using sources like Worldwide Brands' Directory or other sourcing resources listed in Make Your Store Sell!. Drop-shipping is a great way to start your shopping online. Build from there,
blending in more and more great products as you find them.
Getting Started With Store Build It! for Shopping Online
OK, you have the traffic, and you've decided that a shopping online
store makes sense. What next?
Download and read the 1-2-3 Action Guide and Make Your Store Sell! (this download also includes the after-sales e-book). These will provide you with all you need to know about building and managing a profitable, professional store. Doing it right the first time around will save you months of re-works! Store Build It! comes in 3 powerful levels to suit the needs of the most demanding e-store merchant. For those of you who will be selling hundreds, even thousands of SKUs (Store Keeping Units), it's easy to upgrade to the Manager or Pro versions of Store Build It! at ANY time. So I suggest that you take advantage of the 3 free months of Store Build It! Starter -- our 1-2-3 Action Guide details the process of setting up a shopping online Starter store. There is no better way to get a handle on this new platform than to start with the simplest version. It's also a risk-free way to evaluate this monetization opportunity. NOTE: All current SBIers receive 3 months use of the Store Build It! for free. There is no time limit on this offer. So if you do not yet qualify for StBI!, C-T-P your way WELL PAST the minimum of 500 visitors during the last calendar month. Once you have decent traffic (we recommend 1000-1500 visitors per month as a better level to test your shopping online store).... Use your free 3 months of StBI! as a testing period, to become familiar with the inner workings of Store Build It! as you tweak your product offerings. Once proven, upgrade to more powerful versions of Store Build It!.
Written by Ken Evoy, M.D. ![]() I am delighted to answer your questions...
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