TAS 100 : How To Choose and Launch Private Label Products on Amazon in 2016 (Round Table Discussion)

You’d better buckle up for this episode of The Amazing Seller! It’s over one hour and 15 minutes long… and for great reason! Scott’s hosting a “round table” episode with 3 three other Amazing Sellers - Chris Schaeffer, Rich Kibble, and Danny Brewer. They’re talking about how to launch products, changes to Amazon’s algorithms, marketing strategies, setting up your own ecommerce site, and tons of other great stuff. You’ll want to take notes and listen to this one more than once because there’s just TOO MUCH information to digest at one time.

Do you have the right mindset to be a successful Amazon seller?

What kind of mindset is that? It’s one that believes in the Amazon model and that anyone can be successful if they follow the steps Scott outlines. It’s a mindset that won’t give up even when disappointments or setbacks come. It’s a mindset that doesn’t try shortcuts, but patiently does what needs to be done each step of the way. It’s a mindset that surrounds itself with other people who are doing the same things, to receive encouragement and be an encouragement. It’s a mindset that takes action, over and over again. Find out more about how to be an Amazing Amazon Seller on this episode.

The fundamentals of building an Amazon Private Label business stay the same…

but you have to learn to be flexible as some of the particulars change. Over the last few years Scott’s formula for product research and product launch has proven to still work. His strategies for using reviews and PPC still get results. But since the Amazon market is getting more crowded, you’ll need work harder at those things and also add more effort to differentiating your product from others. You’ve got to stay flexible and be creative to make it work, but it still works.

What about the stuff going around that Amazon is cracking down on review groups?

It is concerning to think that potentially hundreds of reviews for your products could vanish because Amazon deems them to have been “paid for” through a review group. But is it really something to be THAT concerned about? In this episode of The Amazing Seller Danny Brewer says that so far it’s all seemed like smoke without a lot of fire. He still uses review groups to do what he calls his “aggressive product launches.” But other people say that they’ve had reviews vanish without notice. What do you think? What does today’s guest panel think? Find out more by listening to this episode.

You need to differentiate your Amazon products, but how do you go about doing that?

There are many ways to make your products stand out, but one of the guests on today’s episodes has a great trick: He finds sellers that are offering products that are the same or similar to what he’s offering, and goes into their seller profile. There he can see everything they’re offering. He might decide to carry a product that is like something that competitor is doing, or he might get a great idea from browsing around the items they offer. Either way it expands his possibilities and helps him build a business not just a successful product. Hear more ways of making your company pop, on this episode of The Amazing Seller.

OUTLINE OF THIS INTERVIEW EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

[0:05] Welcome to the big 100! Scott’s celebrating with a special episode.

[1:54] Introduction of the participants:

Chris Schaeffer

Rich Kibble

Danny Brewer

[2:40] Why Scott invited these three guys - their experience and plans for the next year.

[3:28] Chris - His background, his consulting work, and his work on Amazon.

[5:36] Danny - How he started with Amazon and why he’s doing this kind of business.

[7:44] The kind of mindset required to be a successful Amazon seller.

[11:35] Rich - His Amazon story and outlook on his business.

[14:01] The fundamentals of an Amazon business stay the same, but…

[14:51] You can launch products simply from the free podcast episodes.

[16:41] The importance of rubbing shoulders with other people who are doing the same thing you are doing.

[17:35] How these 4 guys go about product selection… and what they predict regarding product selection for 2016.

[19:40] Using the seller pages of successful sellers to find other products that can fit into your niche.

[22:17] Additional steps to product selection.

[27:00] Rick’s focus on finding ways to evolve his product niche.

[28:10] What to do when you find 10 pages of people selling the product you’re considering.

[29:00] How to use product reviews on existing products to set your products apart.

[31:22] How to prevent hijacking of your products.

[32:54] How to use the Amazon brand registry.

[37:08] The importance of adapting your products and strategy as you go.

[39:03] Trademarks? When should you apply for one?

[41:40] How Rich took two complementary products and put them together.

[42:26] The launch process once you have a product chosen.

[45:54] The first push to get 5 or 10 reviews.

[46:30] Using Pay Per click for your launch.

[50:49] Following up your launch with PPC and customer follow up.

[52:21] Danny’s “more aggressive” way of doing a product launch.

[56:13] Danny’s thoughts on the new changes to Amazon regarding review groups.

[58:31] When to make the move of setting up your own store or website to sell independent of Amazon.

[1:00:00] Setting up a blog or website to funnel SEO traffic to your products on your site.

[1:05:05] Why Danny believes Amazon is still the best channel even if you are going to build a site of your own.

[1:08:22] Ecommerce comes down to 3 important things.

[1:10:00] Why no real business would be single-channel dependent. Amazon can serve as the launching and testing ground for a broader business.

[1:12:00] Advice for those just starting out with Private Label Amazon sales.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

www.TheAmazingSeller.com/23 - Chris Schaeffer’s previous episode

Rich’s episode - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/53

Episode that features Jungle Scout - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/56 (with Greg Mercer… and includes a video showing how its used)

The 500 dollar challenge episode - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/68

Karon Thaxton’s tips on benefits VS features - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/86

Find out about the 5 steps to launching your product in Scott’s free workshop - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop

Simple Keyword Inspector - http://www.keywordinspector.com/simple/index.php

Episode with Steve Chou about ecommerce sites - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/93