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I was reading a book this weekend that had a reference to the old business adage "You have to spend money to make money" and knew all too well what that marketing advice was referring to.  We could all do a lot with a million dollar lottery prize.  I would probably spend it on advertising online and take my solopreneurial efforts up about a thousand notches.  Yeah, with a million bucks I could go get a nice sailboat (which would be pretty cool) but I would want to spend my prizemoney more wisely than that.  If you aren't into sailing, how about something equally tantalizing to ponder like a timeshare in the Bahamas?  Dreaming is good, right?  Where am I going with this blog post?  Maybe nowhere fast but I am hoping not. Anyway, the idea popped in my head to think about what other commonly used (and old-school) business adages were getting applied by me to the whole subject of online selling in 2013.

The logical tie-in to chestnuts in my title is a bit difficult to understand I know.  "That old chestnut" is a tongue-in-cheek reference to a joke that is old and well known.  Go look at the origins of the phrase if you want.  I found this explanation online: "The origin here goes back to a near forgotten melodrama by William Diamond. The play, first produced in 1816, has one of the characters forever repeating the same joke, albeit with minor changes. The joke concerns a cork tree. On one occasion another character, Pablo, fed up with the same joke says "A Chestnut. I have heard you tell the joke 27 times and I'm sure it was a Chestnut!"

The point of this blog post is don't get stuck telling the same old, same old cork-type-adages to yourself when you try and make money as a seller in social commerce.  I just don't think much of that wisdom applies.  Online selling, especially for small sellers with limited resources, is about choosing where and how to spend our money on advertising and the best way to target our buyers. The pick-the-best-strategy-and-stick-with-it plan pretty much universally holds true no-matter-who-you-are I think.  Small sellers like me probably use this generic plan everytime we sit down at the computer and log in to the various social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Why use social media?  Well pretty much mostly because it is free and you can interact with your buyers pretty easily. 

Cherry picking is where I am at now.  The tricky part in social commerce is when we use social media to try and sell stuff there are a lot of numbers that get used as metrics and I think it is common to forget what these metrics are referring to.  The numbers I can think of right off the top of my head are the numbers of RSS subscribers, Twitter followers, Facebook friends (and fans if you do a fanpage) and LinkedIn connections. 

I am pretty sure I can categorize my targeted buyers and the people I know in several different columns. For example, a Facebook friend that is also one of my Twitter followers.  Here I am going with this analysis now.  My good friend Kim (Cheyenne2u) bought something from me a couple of years ago and we struck up a friendship out of that transaction.  She sent me an email saying thank you, I emailed her back my you're welcome and became an instant fan of hers when I checked out what she was selling and how she was doing it. Of course Kim left me positive feedback she was pleased with her purchase and really glad it arrived in one piece. I visited Kim's listings dozens of times after that and kept finding things that I liked.  A few months back, Kim made a recommendation to me that I check out Addoway and I trusted Kim so I decided to research the venue.  When I set up my storefront I decided I was happy and knew I had Kim to thank (hence the blatant Addo-plug for Kim here). Long story short, Kim is one of those friends of mine that just doesn't fit in just one column.  No way.

I don't think it wrong to say that the social media metrics above, like the number of Facebook friends, are important but I think it is wrong to bluntly figure that these single column numbers are the only metrics to focus on.  Me personally, I want to sell to my online friends and friends of friends that I can trust.  These are the multiple column folks that I want to target and spend my time and energy focused on.  Am I cherry picking?  Sure I am.  Did I bite off more than I can chew with this blog post and the "social commerce" selling advice I am giving out?  I hope not.

My wife and I like to joke that we went to the Bahamas to swim with the dolphins and happened to get married, book a cruise and go on our honeymoon when we did it.  The swim was only about forty five minutes or so but it was a real life changing experience.  I'll tell you what I'll never forget it and I am pretty sure I can tell you highlight details about that swim 50 years from now.

The one brief moment I remember clearly as I type this was the look in Salvador's eye when he and I were playing around together.  Our trainer gave us a few minutes to free swim with the dolphins and one of the things he suggested we do was to swim with the guys underwater in a dive.  Salvador happened to see me go underwater and zipped over to me to see what I was up to.  A dolphin really does zip and all I saw was a split second blur of a greyish animal whooshing in my direction as I dove.  He knew my dive was going to be a quickie and that I was going to not go very deep or stay under for very long.  I was looking right at him when he swam over. I was focused on watching him and was truly amazed at how fast he changed direction and closed the gap between us.  Blink of an eye is pretty accurate.

Salvador spontaneously did one of those things that all intelligent animals do and did it really well.  He looked at me in the eye as if saying I see you and love that you are here.  What I liked was his method.  He slowed to swim along with me as I dove and got to within about six inches of my face so that we were swimming side by side.  The playful thing that Salvador did was turn his head a bit in my direction so that our eyes were super super close. I mean by that as close as two eyes could get underwater.  I saw the playful look in his eye so closely that I probably could have stuck out my tongue and licked him.

The bonding I experienced of two guys swimming around underwater that day in the Bahamas was life changing. I'll never forget what I saw. 

Salvador is the MAN ...even though he isn't a man he's a young dolphin just showing off what he can do.  He's still the man.

My wife and I went to watch a NASCAR race in Nashville, Tennessee earlier this summer and there was one moment just before the driver introductions that I wanted to share with you.  To set the scene, we had the opportunity to visit the infield area before the race and really enjoyed seeing the cars up close and watching the pre-race pit area activities by the different teams.  So sure we were having a lot of fun taking photographs and checking things out.  More importantly to my story though, there was the opportunity to get a few driver's autographs and so we eventually somewhat planted ourselves - Sharpie's and race program in hand - in the area where drivers were walking as they left the garage and walked to the stage for the driver's introductions ceremony.  I think we were about 10 feet from the security fence that kept the fans out of the garage area.

Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 earlier this Spring and seeing him coming towards us was a thrill.  He had a huge smile on his face as he walked in our direction and we could tell he was really enjoying his afternoon.  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., his teammate and also a driver in NASCAR, was maybe 20 steps behind Trevor.  As Trevor reached the fence and passed through the gate he was immediately surrounded by eager autograph seekers and well-wishers.  I'm sure he was focused and doing his part as a Daytona 500 champion to reach out to fans in love with his sport.

What happened next was totally unexpected and really great to be able to witness.  A young boy in a wheelchair was hoping to get to meet Trevor but there was no way anyone would have noticed him because his parents had parked him out of the way and tucked back behind the fence a bit.  Ricky spotted him though as he passed through the gate and immediately called out to Trevor to stop what he was doing and come back to meet the boy.  By now Trevor was surrounded and had to politely ask a few people to move out of the way in order for him to reverse course.

Ricky Stenhouse and Trevor Bayne really showed me what they were made of in the next minute or so by leaning down to meet their new friend and even squatted down next to his wheelchair and posed for a photograph.  A few fans had to step back to make room for the picture taking but I am sure everyone knew something special was happening right then.  All three of the guys in the shot were enjoying the fan moment you could tell.  The boy was smiling from ear to ear.  Ricky was even kidding around and kind of pretend-scolding Trevor for being too focused to spot the real champion in his vicinity that day.  Trevor was laughing too because he knew Ricky was right.  Everyone standing near us was humbled by the driver's willingness to temporarily skip out on being the focus of everyone's attention.

FYI: In case you wanted to know more about these two drivers, Trevor's official page is here: http://www.trevorbayne.com/ and Ricky's official page is here: http://www.stenhousejr.com/

I believe one of the best strategies to use as a small business is to acknowledge your failures (or probably, more accurately, your weaknesses in marketing and promotion) and to straightforwardly ask your trusted seller friends for supportive help.  My belief is there are people in the online selling community who actually do enjoy being leaned upon for guidance.  When I say that like that I think most people say to themselves "Nah, that help is impossible to find" and/or "My situation is unique and IF I do get some tips they won't help me." 

Believe me there are folks out there in cyberspace who are willing to help who don't require much of anything in return.  Further, and probably most importantly [and the not-so-obvious reason I am writing this blog post] I believe there are online sellers who are thankful for trustworthy friends that value their judgment and wisdom and are pleased to have seller friends that offer them pay-it-forward opportunities.

I have a lot of Facebook friends and Twitter followers who are small online sellers.  Many of my closest friends are amazing artists selling their handmade creations but not all of them.  Some folks I know online and via social media are WAHMs listing general merchandise items from their closets to raise some extra cash to support their families.  A fair percentage of them are reselling when they find opportunities to list stuff like HTFs, OOAK heirloom treasures or consignment shop finds. 

What We Know Is

When groups of sellers get together in online spaces to support one another collectively I believe a synergy happens that is almost unbelievable.  "What we know" is kind of amazing to see in other words, especially when it comes to finding solutions to common problems.  So if you want help ask a trusted group of online sellers for help and make a commitment to get involved with collective promoting! 

After visiting my friend's stores and surfing cool posts on Facebook I get that success and completed sales (I call them "SOLDS") have a lot to do with finding niche markets that exist and simply just going for it with trying to sell things online.  What I find over and over again (and admire) are those small good-guy online sellers who display a true passion for marketing and genuinely want to succeed with what they are doing business-wise.  

I am not saying I spend a lot of time looking for promotions via social media that are smashing successes.  I like to see that kind of thing when I come across it but I am pretty sure the frustration of listing stuff for sale online and only hearing crickets in their stores is a real problem for many.  Simply put, that downer is a big part of "What We Know Is" too and is why networking with other small sellers is so criticial.  I think moral support is worth more than gold so I suggest you go looking for it as a high priority task when you go online to try and sell things.

I have a notebook that I keep by my computer.  I was just noticing today that a majority of my notes have to do with business contacts I have made with other good-guy small online sellers over the years.  I figure my notes go back about seven years to when I first started online selling.  Sure when I go back to several years ago I see things that are like flashbacks for me.  "Hey I remember that now, how could I have forgotten about that?"

Back in the day I started a notebook for keeping records of my transactions but expanded it pretty quickly to include my notes on networking stuff.  My initial reason for starting my notebook was to just keep business records of who I sold what to and when.  Plain Jane transactional stuff. 

My notebook quickly got more "networkingish" than transactions-based because when I was starting out as an online seller I had maybe 30 sales a month and I had to learn a lot more before I could earn.  Probably stating the obvious here, I lose stuff constantly and my bookmarks folder has maybe 5000 bookmarks in it so keeping me focused is a constant challenge.  If I had a dollar for every unanswered question I ever had about online selling I'd be uber rich now.  I'd be lost without my notes but you probably already know that.

"Who cares if you keep a notebook Dude?"

Sometimes I get a personal message on Facebook or email from someone I barely remember.  I have found out over and over again that it really helps me to get focused when I can go back and look at my notes to jog my memory.  I like to feel like I know who I am talking to but also I really like (and need) to remember non-biz stuff that's important. 

A close online seller friend of mine just posted something cool on Facebook after a long absence.  I didn't recognize her at first when she popped up again on Facebook because her name and her profile picture had changed.  She morphed and I was a little confused by the change. 

I went back to look at my notebook and realized who she was and how I knew her.  I had made a purchase from her in the past, had kept the paperwork on it and saw I made a few quick notes at the bottom.  I saw that her daughter had frightening-to-Mom seizures when she was a baby.  I had prayed for her daughter to be healed back then, reread my notes about it and posted a "Hey welcome back, how's your daughter doing now?" 

That's why I keep a notebook by my computer.  That's why I need to have my memory jogged because that comment and her "All's well and good, thanks for the prayers!" rocked.  I was really proud of that small business networking accomplishment

...and no way I would have made that post if my notebook wasn't two feet away from me.

I have read a bunch of online "About Me" pages over the years.  Mostly I read them on my friend's Facebook Profiles and their Twitter accounts.  Oh heck yeah I like when people write cool things about themselves and show some personality.  I especially like it when I find something about my friends that we both have in common.

This is "About Me" according to my friend Scott.

HO Bachmann FT-A Diesel New Your Central DCC *SOLD*

http://www.bonanza.com/listings/HO-Bachmann-FT-A-Diesel-New-Your-Central-DCC/...

Changes

Changes are something we all need to learn to deal with, which may or may not be obvious to you.  I could write a blog post about a whole list of changes that I have taken notice of recently but in my mind that would be sort of pointless. No doubt things will change and whatever I list will become obsolete pretty quickly.  My attitude is the only constant is change and in order to be successful as a small seller I have to work at keeping up with things.

One of my strengths is I have been involved in online selling for a couple of years and currently have a strategy for getting to know my buyers and finding out what they want to buy.  I feel as though social media is the best means to communicate with folks and to provide them reassurance that I am an honorable seller who stands behind his product and offers superior service. What I view as my greatest weakness is knowing what they are willing to pay for items that they actually want to buy, especially because online selling is not face-to-face.

Sure I need to prepare to make upgrades in my salesmanship and be prepared to make U-turns especially when it comes to upmarketing.  I just don't feel like sticking to same-old, same-old online selling tactics are going to get me anywhere.  I hope my social media posts show that I like changes and am pretty committed to my business.  You see, my thinking and what I keep telling myself is "If you don't get what social commerce in 2011 is - you are in trouble!"

Getting down to barebones I know business has a "U" in it but changes can drive you nuts if you let them, right?

I originally posted this somewhere else on July 23, 2011 and this is a cut & paste.  It is basically unchanged and "Changes" at the same time

Here's the link to my original addoblog post: http://www.addoway.com/Brian_J_Wood/blog/b/Changes

FYI: The Earth image above is available here: http://www.public-domain-photos.com/space/apollo-earth-free-stock-photo-2.htm

My good friend Taylor Ryan (58thstreetmarketing and NativeByDesignz) once asked in her "Native's Nook" blog this question:

"Can your business cross the channel of social media marketing?

An increasing number of companies have expressed their need to find highly skilled people to help build their social media capabilities and provide effective return on investment"

She was promoting her eCommerce consultative services (which are rockstar great BTW) when she wrote that post but I took a different take on the question

[I wrote this semi-response to her question on my birthday in 2011 but didn't post it until a few days later.  Oh August 2 and I am a Leo in case you were about to ask me that T]

>>

"Influentially Sharing Influents and Social Commerce"

If you are like me you read a blog title like that and go "huh?" that one makes no sense.  Before you decide to bounce out of here please let me try to explain my title.  I'll try to keep it quick

I think real "Social Influence" is really tough to define and pretty complex.  You can pick up about a hundred and fifty books at the library, talk to everyone you know (and even a few of those that you don't know) and everyone will tell you something different about the topic.  Heck, I have a two digit social influence score on my Addoway storefront and I don't even know what it means.  I look at my score this way: am I more or less influential if my score goes up or down day by day?  Those with high scores added to their online stores make a difference in other people's lives is about all I'm prepared to say.

Look up the word "influents" if you want.  I'm pretty fluent and the first thing I think of when I read that word are creeks.  I know a bunch of small creeks feed into a stream and eventually all that water makes it to a river.  Influents are a big part of how a mighty river is created. Some of them might even be called a trickle or storm runoff but I think creeks because I have always liked creeks.  Getting deep for a sec, if you think about it making a difference in someone's life can be the result of something really tiny like a warm smile or a heartfelt apology.

Sharing in Social Commerce is pretty much this simple:  you casually share what you like and perhaps you influence how another person thinks about a good or service.  If I go online, tell all my friends on Facebook what I like and maybe get just one of them to buy something I am doing the "Social Commerce" thing and being influential.  If a friend reads what I write about something cool and passes it on to their friends on Facebook I am being even more influential.

Here's the meaning behind my title then, in about two sentences.  Social commerce has a ton of different facets and is the next wave in marketing.  Getting the ball rolling, I think, is tough unless a bunch of folks decide to opt in. 

If I share I want to share about micro-sellers, especially those sellers I see who are just trying to get out of the gate and really are new.  I am a guy and like NASCAR but I can see qualities in handmade items that really make me stop and say "Wow, that's really unique!"  Sure I can tell everyone I like Coca-Cola more than other soft drinks but what's the point?  Friends of mine on Twitter and Facebook know I get online, surf the net and like to offer up cross-promotions and be helpful in small ways with my selling friends' concerns.  Ya I want to see more sellers be successful and have fun with their marketing efforts.  I think everyone should do the same and pitch in every once in a while to the growing trend of Social eCommerce.  I hope that last bit influences you and my title makes at least a small bit of sense now.

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This is the link to my original addopost.  I really liked the comments I got, especially Ren's.  Her's rocked for sure

http://www.addoway.com/Brian_J_Wood/blog/b/Influentially-Sharing-Influents-an...

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"Encouragement" in Social Commerce - What? Huh?

I don't know if you are like me but I tend to step back and think about what I am doing when I sit at the computer and do things on the internet.  I wonder about the impact of my words, keep a few Tuit lists in front of me and pretty regularly think about the changes I am seeing.  [FYI, a bit OT and a bit not-OT - A "TUIT list" is a type of To Do list where you say "I'll get on that as soon as I get around to it."  The hazard of a list like that is if it grows longer and longer you aren't really making changes in what you are doing.  You're only making some silly list longer and wasting a piece of notebook paper].

About three years ago I got involved in "social commerce" - (selling online with innovative Web 2.0 stuff like Facebook, Twitter and blogging) - and made a strong commitment to myself to offer up encouragement to others while I was doing it.  Bamm, a couple years down the road and here I am. 

My current goal is I want to be a social influencer online who is thought of as encouraging and committed to what I am doing.  "So what does that mean Dude?" I asked myself this morning.  In a way I have no clue what a "social influencer" is, what I am committed to and what the results of my encouraging words are  ...and that is a bit whacked because here I am doing it.  In plain English, I am a dude writing a blog about a subject he is admitting to ignorance about.  That's where the "What? Huh?" comes in to it.

I think the whole ball of wax here is built on the core subject of encouragement.  Personally, I want to see encouraging stuff when I go online because it helps me to feel like I am not wasting time and energy.  The Three Stooges flicks are hilarious and I could go pop their DVDs in and laugh for a while instead.  [Laughter is always the best medicine for life stressors you know].  I could multi-task and do both at the same time - social commerce AND Three Stooges but things would inevitably get mixed up in my mind.  Better off sticking to one or the other and following KISS.  My wife knows all to well that I love going online and laughing while I am doing it and pretty simply, she knows how confusing I can get to other people as a result.  She gets my punchlines but a lot of people miss out.

I don't know if you know this but "encouragement" is a bit tricky to define.  It's a noun is about all I can say about the word.  You and I could define it in entirely different ways.  For example, socially we give encouragement to our family members when they are down.  You might tell your Mom "I love you thanks for being my Mom" and I might do something passive like let her make me a nice dinner when she really feels like it.  My Mom won a Statewide piemaking contest in Indiana when she was a kid and I think that is one of the big reasons why I am here.  She loves to cook and my Dad loves her for doing it, especially when she is cooking for everyone else she loves.  Does it mean a lot to her when I come to the dinner table?  It means the world to her.  You give encouragement online in a zillion different ways and get it from others in a pretty big bucketful of different ways too.  See what I mean about the trickiness in defining the word? 

I think encouragement in social commerce is all about attempting to motivate others to succeed at what they are doing, helping folks to overcome common obstacles that block their path along the way and, probably most importantly, offering up the big-picture idea that someone else is online with them who is trying to be encouraging the best he can.  Doing stuff online in social commerce like those things above "encourages" me, whatever that means.  Am I working on my goals and making my Tuit list a bit shorter?  Who knows?  I know I have no clue.  Do you need encouragement like that?  You can bet on it

(I posted this somewhere else on June 26, 2011)

Here is the original, the comments I got were pretty cool - especially Frederick Nijm's encouraging comment!

http://www.addoway.com/Brian_J_Wood/blog/b/Encouragement-in-Social-Commerce-W...