It’s In The Picture

Whether you are posting on EBay, another auction site or your website, don’t underestimate the importance of a good picture. We are a visual culture. We make instant judgements about something from a picture associated with it. Advertisers are well aware of this which is why they invest a large part of their budgets on getting good pictures.
You should also invest some time and effort in getting a good picture of your product. Don’t rely solely on the manufacturer’s standard pictures. These are usually excellent quality but they are standard. A competitor selling the same item as you will probably be using the same pictures.

You need to give yourself an edge that will help to turn a prospective customer your way. I would definitely recommend using an offsite picture hosting company like photo bucket to add more free pictures to your auctions. These make all the difference and add information and value to your listing. They also add a personal touch which standard manufacturer’s pictures lack.

Taking a good picture has never been easier or cheaper than it is today. Equipment is cheap and there are many excellent photo-editing packages, which you can use to manipulate your pictures. I would recommend you get to grips with a photo editing software package. It will take a little time to learn the basics, but it will be time well spent if it results in well-taken pictures. And, like everything else, once you have learned the process it becomes second nature to you and won’t take long to edit your pics.

Good lighting is crucial to a good picture. Trying to take a photo under bad light will result in a poor image, which will put people off when they come to your auctions. Many people use light boxes, placing their item inside and taking the picture. These ensure the light is evenly spaced. A good place to take a picture is inside of a white bath. Place some white linen at the bottom and lay your item on it. Bathrooms are usually well lit, and the whiteness of the bath will diffuse the light.

Show your item from a number of angles. Use a pen or ruler to show its scale. If the item has any blemishes or is damaged, point them out. By using offsite picture hosting it won’t cost you any more to have a number of pictures on your auctions. EBay hasn’t figured out how to charge for this yet, no doubt in the future they will. For now, however make use of them. Here’s a few tips for ensuring a good clean picture:

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Avoid background mess. Have nothing in the background. If you take your picture on a desk strewn with papers and books then use a photo editing software package to cut it out. Your prospective buyers don’t want to see what’s on your desk.

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Make the item stand out. A plain white background is always good

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Use a pen or ruler to show scale.

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Don’t set the resolution of your camera too high or it will be slow to load. People are impatient and will click away rather than wait seconds for a picture file to up load.

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Point out any damage or flaws in the item. It’s always better to be honest and upfront.

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If you have a website, or are going to be selling online on a regular basis. Consider investing in a light box and tripod.

A little extra time spent producing a good picture will enhance your chances of selling your product. People will make a judgement about the picture. If they can see you have taken the time to create a nice and clean looking picture they will know you are a serious and professional seller. Someone who takes time over the taking of a picture will be just as professional in other aspects of their business. So don’t skimp on the pictures.

Millions See Pensions Disappear

Millions who put their trust in financial institutions and the government have been betrayed. After a lifetime of working and saving, they find themselves been forced into a retirement of poverty. if you are lucky enough you may have a job where you can continue to work after sixty-five. Unfortunately most people will not be given the option.

The disaster hasn’t ended yet either. Annuity rates are continuing their downward slide.

According to the prudential 2.2million people are planning to postone their retirement because their pensions are not up to the job. If they are unable to continue to work then they will have to get used to a retirement of poverty. Had they not worked and saved all their lives you could argue that it serves them right. These people however do not belong to the idle masses. They have worked and saved all their lives, paid their taxes and now find themselves stranded through no fault of their own. This is turning into a national scandel.

people have been hit by a double whammy. The plunging share market has devastated pension funds and personal shares and the collapse of the housing market has dashed all hopes people had of using their property to finance their retirement.

A member of William Burrows Annuities said that people’s retirement plans have been shattered by the financial crisis. “In a short space of time we have moved from a world where many people benefitted from the best economic and financial circumstances in living memory, to a world where many are facing hardship as a result of falling house and share prices.”

As a result, many are delaying retirement plans. But he points out that there are steps that those in this position can take, to improve their pension position (see below for further information).

Just as important, he said, is the plight of many younger baby boomers who are between five and 10 years away from their planned retirement.

Many in this age-group are simply delaying making financial decisions, he said, until the economic situation improves.

“It is human nature to shy away from making decisions about things that appear complex,’’ Mr Burrows said. ‘‘However, many have lost out because they didn’t realise they had choices when it came to pension planning. By doing nothing now they are falling into the same trap, and could be making their situation worse.”

Michael Rudge, the managing director of Hartford Life, the annuity provider, said: “People’s attitudes unfortunately remain firmly fixed in the pre-credit crisis era, whether it is an over-reliance on property, a lack of understanding about pensions, or leaving retirement planning until the last minute. Many people have not adapted to the economic realities of 2009.”

In a report from Hartford Life due to be published next week – After the Crunch: Saving for Retirement – Mr Burrows describes such consumers as “crunch deniers”, although he also points out that there are growing numbers of those who are “crunch drunk” – in other words they realise the recession has had an impact on their retirement plans, but are confused about what to do next.

He said: “These baby boomers need to become ‘crunch conscious’ and take decisive action now in a bid to ensure the best outcome for retirement(telegraph)

He’s right we need to take decisive action. That action though should not include relying on the financial institutions who have proved themselves to be corrupt and incompetent. Nor can we rely on a bankrupt government which has helped to devastae the private pensions industry. The decisive action we need to take is to build our own wealth. trust in ourselves to manage our own investment and the biggest investment we should make is in oursleves.

Invest In Yourself

Over the years, we’ve heard all about the so-called great wealth building ststems. ISAs, savings, shares and endowments were all touted as a safe and sure way to build wealth for our retirement. And all without exception have crashed to the ground leaving people’s savings and retirement plans scattered around in the wreckage. Many people who just a year ago  were looking forward to retiring with a good pension having invested and saved all their lives, now find themselves having to continue working. Their retirement dreams shattered.

The answer of world governments is to try to get this financial plane wreck back into the air at any cost. They are pumping billions of taxpayer’s money into trying to make it flight worthy. It won’t work. At best, it may get back into the air for a few more miles before crashing back to earth.

With every misfortune comes opportunity. With this disaster, we can now see that we can’t trust these institutions to look after our money. If they do manage to get this plane flying, again don’t get on. The old ways we tried to build wealth with are fraught with danger, run by corrupt people many of whom haven’t a clue what they are doing and have no respect for your money.

We can now say with certainty that we can’t trust our money with these institutions. Depend on them to build your retirement fund and you might as well give your money to a gambler for safekeeping. So how can we build some wealth for our retirement?

The best way is to invest in you. It’s your money; you know how hard you have had to work for it. You will not risk it wantonly. Invest the money in yourself and make it work for you. The best way to do this is to start a small business.  If you’re currently working full time then you have the perfect opportunity to begin wealth building by starting a small business.

Let’s say you have £500.00 to invest. If you put it in a bank at the end of the year, you might have made a fiver. Put it in shares and you’ll be lucky to have any of it left by the end of the year. Alternatively, you could take the money, invest it in some stock and sell it on EBay. The return should be about 30%. That’s 30% every 4 to 6 weeks. By the end of a 12-month period, your £500.00 should be£3000, £4000 or more. How much you make obviously depends on how well you invest it. What stock you buy and how you sell it.

The beauty of building wealth this way is that you have full control. If you lose money, at least you have the consolation of knowing you lost it. This kind of wealth building will fully engage you. It will be your own portfolio, managed by you, controlled by you with all the decisions made by you. Once you start wealth building this way you will soon become addicted. You will grow in knowledge, self-esteem and confidence. You will look at the world from an entrepreneurial mindset.

After a year, with your wealth accumulating monthly, you will wonder why you didn’t take this route earlier. Why trust your money to corrupt and bankrupt institutions when you can invest it in someone you can trust totally to look after it and increase it. You are the only person you can trust to do this. Unhitch yourself from the financial scams that the banks keep dreaming up to steal your money and set off on your own wealth-building journey.

Reinvent Yourself

It’s not just celebrities who can reinvent themselves. We too need to change the way we behave if we want to achieve new dreams. If we carry on doing the same old things then we will get the same results. To build an extra income from starting a small business whether full-time or part-time requires that we look at things differently. We’ve arrived where we are today because of decisions we’ve taken or failed to take in the past. If you’ve reached middle-age and found that your pension has disappeared, your job is shaky you need to stop and think.

You need to reprogramme yourself to move in a different direction to start building some personal wealth for yourself. Look at yourself like a computer. The old software that you’ve been running is no longer up to the job. You need to upgrade to take into account the changing circumstances.

If you’ve been content to just drift along you need to change and become the leader of your life. You need to recognise that the only person with your welfare at heart is yourself. There’s no loyalty in companies anymore and the government is not your friend. And trusting your money to the banks is complete stupidity. To build a wealth pot you need to programme yourself to do it.

To begin reprogramming yourself you need to input new beliefs and ideas. Do this by reading books by positive successful people or listening to audios. Keep away from negative people who will drag you down to their level. It’s generally true that we stay within the same income level of the people we socialize with. We have instilled in us the social norms of the people we socialize with every day. This doesn’t mean you have to cut yourself off from friends just that you need to be vigilant about not allowing their negative thoughts to influence you.

Visualize yourself in a different way. Just because you believed something for a number of years doesn’t mean you have to keep believing it. Things change requiring that we re-evaluate our position, re-group and move forward in another direction.

The home you live in, the car you drive the state of your finances are all down to the belief system you have held up to now. Everything we see or hear throughout the day affects our belief system and the way we look at ourselves. If we constantly assimilate negative or fatalistic beliefs then we will never progress. We need to block out negative beliefs. Avoid the “it’s pointless” brigade or “there’s too many at it” people. If you want to build yourself an extra income you can. Not you might be able to but you can.

The condition is you must believe you can do it. You must believe it with an all encompassing passion. The second condition is you must act on it. Powerful beliefs and determined focused action are an unbeatable combination. Start to reprogram yourself today with constant positive reinforcement. Build a small library of positive books; listen to positive audios, read something positive every day. Create a new image for yourself. Imagine the kind of person you would like to be and become that person.

If you’ve always let others solve problems become the problem solver. Become aware of your self-talk, refuse to accept any negatives. If you are telling yourself that you’ve never been able to do something tell yourself you can. Think about it, it’s ridiculous that because we were not very good at something twenty years ago we still can’t do it now.

Reinforce your positive self talk by remembering successes you’ve had. If you’ve just stared trading and made your first sale congratulate yourself on that success. Don’t play it down or underestimate it. It was a success and if you can do it once you can do it again. You’ve broken through a barrier be proud.

Sign up for free positive emails delivered to you every day. When you open your email see a positive quote to start the day.

Put yourself on a mission, not a part-time hobby but a mission to build an extra income. Once you accept the mission and ingrain it deep within your psyche things will change. You will begin to see opportunities around you. Problems will not be walls stopping your advance but things to solve. To begin creating wealth start by changing your thinking and the rest will follow. It’s never too late to re-program yourself.

Busy Week

It’s been a busy week on EBay and my website, sales have been going well. I’m especially pleased with the ever growing sales from my website. My SEO is paying off. I’m constantly working at promoting my site using classic SEO strategies and they are working, I’m seeing more and more regular visitors and what’s even better is that they are buying. The real beauty of having your own site is that when you make a sale you get to keep all the profits, no feebay to take a chunk of it.

In the long term having your own site is what you should be aiming for. You can use eBay to drive traffic to it. When I make a sale on eBay I can then contact the customer and give them details of my site. This is when the real promotion begins. With each sale I get the full details of the customer. These details are logged in a database which I can use to send monthly offers to.

This growing list of customers is a gold mine. It doesn’t take long to build a large list up. You can soon get the lists into the thousands and then begin marketing to them monthly. Think about it, if you have a list for arguments sake of 1000 customers and you mail them some offers, if 5% take it up that’s 50 sales instantly.

By examining the customer’s buying habits you can target specific products to them. You already have the priceless advantage that the customer already knows you and trusts you. It’s a well known fact in marketing that it is easier to sell to a past customer than a new one. The list you can build through eBay and your website is valuable to your future success. It will, when it is big enough become a source of regular monthly income and should be guarded.

When I make a sale on eBay it is just the beginning. I then seek to lead the customer to my website with the aim of getting them to use it regularly. It takes time and eBay is essential to the development of a young site. It can be done without eBay but you can promote it much faster by selling on eBay.

It’s a common strategy used by businesses. Many even sell items at cost price just so they can get the name on their list which they will up sell to later. It’s not a strategy I would use. I always price to achieve my margin once all eBay’s fees have been deducted.

I’m going to be spending some time over the next few days adding some new products and ensuring the prices are right on products already listed. You should ensure you factor in all the costs associated with selling on eBay not forgetting PayPal costs before setting your price. I’ve read a few cases of sellers discovering after months of selling that they have not been making a profit because they did not factor in all the fees. Don’t let this happen to you. Until next time….

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