If you are selling online,here is the down side of our business….you will never be able to compete with Amazon. (Or Kmart, or Target, or any other big outlet) Here is why, They buy directly from the manufacturer in such huge quantities that they are getting the product for a price that you and I (as small business owners) will never realize. That is an unfortunate fact of business.

The other problem is that they often use products like this as what they call a ‘loss leader.’ They are willing to take a huge loss on the product in the hopes that the customer will buy other things. If you are like me, you cannot afford to do that. So what do we do?

The answer is very simple….if you can’t compete with Amazon, don’t! You are not the size of Amazon, so don’t compete with them. (I know sounds too simple, but stay with me) So, if I can’t be the cheapest price, or compete with Amazon, how can I make any money? ( I know, I asked the same thing when I started) The answer is, if you have a great product, you sell it for a reasonable price, and you have a great sales letter….people will buy from you. (I don’t have a degree in marketing, so I can’t explain why) But they will.

Here’s the thing, if every small business in the world tried to compete with Wal-Mart, or Amazon, there would be no small business around. But, there are and they continue to thrive. What you want to do is to not compete with Amazon, but others on Ebay, or wherever you are advertising your site, that are selling the same product. Try and see what they are selling it for and stay in that range. And most of all, don’t worry about being the lowest priced!

I know that sounds funny but, you would be amazed that if you write a GREAT sales letter…then pricing has very little to do with it. (And that has been proven time and time again) In the members area of Drop Ship Connection there are great resources and software that can help you write a great sales letter.

One mistake, between you and me, that I see people making every day on eBay or on a website is that they are not even bothering to write a sales letter. They list the product specs and throw up a picture and expect it to sell. The mistake they are making is that eBay is not a store that has products on a shelf for everyone to pick out.

With the competition on eBay, and the internet as a whole, it should not be looked at like a store for people to pick and choose, but rather a mail order system on steroids. Think of all of the junk mail that you receive in your mailbox; Most of it (if they are trying to sell you something anyway) is going to be in the form of a sales letter. (The main page of The Drop Ship Connection is an example of a sales letter.) You really have to make people want to buy your product from you with a great sales letter, then price is not an problem.

So why is there not much difference between what Amazon sells it for and the wholesale distributors you list; Are you sure they are real wholesalers? My answer to this question is always…yes all of the wholesalers are verified as true wholesalers or manufacturers. However, you will never get the same price Amazon gets…that’s just an unfortunate fact.

You are not buying hundreds of thousands of units shipped on pallets with a HUGE discount because of the size of your order. You are ordering from a wholesaler who maybe got two pallets in, then has to pay people to break them up into single units and repackage them for distribution to your customer (obviously they have a higher overhead, so they are going to pass that on to you). And, if they are the manufacturer, again they have to pay people to ship them out individually in packages vs. a huge pallet. (More work, more money)

About The Author

Tony Keeler is the founder of MAR Services who publish several successful websites:

Drop Ship Connection – The Web’s #1 directory of wholesale distributors who drop ship.

$2 Software – All of the marketing and advertising software you’ve seen out there for $50.00 or more for only $2!

DingleHopper – Funny Name, Cool Products!

Free eBay Resources – Start your auctioning career right, for FREE.

tony.keeler@dropshipconnection.com

Some people have a difficult time in managing their depression. Sometimes, their depression and fears can get best of them. As a result, here is a short list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their depression.

I was told by a counselor that one of the ways to manage depression is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts that make your fearful or depressed, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense. For example, your afraid that if you do not get that job promotion then you will be stuck at your job forever. This depresses you, however your thinking in this situation is unrealistic. The fact of the matter is that there all are kinds of jobs available and just because you don’t get this job promotion doesn’t mean that you will never get one. In addition, people change jobs all the time, and you always have that option of going elsewhere if you are unhappy at your present location.

Some people get depressed and have a difficult time getting out of bed in the mornings. When this happens, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things. Doing something will get your mind off of the problem and give you confidence to do other things.

Sometimes, we can get depressed over a task that we will have to perform in the near future. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind. For instance, you and your team have to play in the championship volleyball game in front of a large group of people in the next few days. Before the big day comes, imagine yourself playing the game in your mind. Imagine that your playing in front of a large audience. By playing the game in your mind, you will be better prepared to perform for real when the time comes. Self Visualization is a great way to reduce the fear and stress of a coming situation.

Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that make us feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you feel depressed, open up your small notebook and read those statements.

As a Layman and author of an anxiety book, I have done many interviews with various counselors in how to manage fear, anxiety and depression. The techniques that I have just covered are some basic ways to manage your depression, however your best bet is to get some help from a professional.

Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods”-a book that presents a overview of techniques in managing Fear. For more info go to: www.managingfear.com
For free articles on managing fear please go to: www.managingfear.com

You have a telephone, right? You have a computer, right? You want to save money, right? BAM, you are a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) candidate.

It is inevitable that VOIP will replace traditional telephone service at some point. The only question is when should you jump in?

VOIP is quickly becoming more reliable and receiving wider acceptance. In fact, phone companies are already taking advantage of the technology to provide cheaper long distance rates. Like any emerging technology, however, there are kinks in the system that are still being worked out.

Advantages

VOIP has many advantages over regular phone service. One primary advantage is its low cost. If you have a fast Internet connection (DSL or cable), you can make PC-to-PC phone calls anywhere in the world FREE. PC-to-phone connections usually have a charge, but probably still cheaper than regular phone service.

You can sign up with a VOIP service provider for a monthly fee and get unlimited calls within a specified geographic area. For example, some VOIP services in the United States allow connections anywhere in North America for no extra charge. International calls are charged at a modest rate.

Another advantage is its portability. You can make and receive phone calls wherever there is a broadband connection by simply signing in to your VOIP account. This makes VOIP as convenient as e-mail. When you’re traveling, you simply pack a headset or Internet phone; then you can talk to family or colleagues for next to nothing.

Phone-to-phone VOIP is also portable. Internet phones are small and light enough to take anywhere. When you sign up with a VOIP service provider, the Internet phone or adaptor used by that service is assigned a unique number. This ‘phone number’ remains valid, even if your VOIP service is in Los Angeles and you’re connected to the Internet in London. When plugged into a broadband connection, anywhere in the world, you can make and receive calls as though you were at home .

Features like call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, caller ID and 3way-calling, are included with Internet telephone at no extra charge. While you’re talking on the phone, you can send pictures and documents at the same time.

Disadvantages

There are a few glitches that still interfere with the technology’s broad acceptance by the public. Lack of continuous service during power outages and emergency calling are the 2 biggest hurdles.

Conventional phone service continues by the current supplied through the phone lineduring a blackout. This isn’t possible with Internet phones. When the power goes, there goes VOIP service. Battery backups and power generators that provide electricity are the current solutions to this problem.

A major concern involves emergency 911 calls. For the most part, VOIP services aren’t useful in emergencies. Traditional phone equipment can trace the locations of calls. Emergency calls are diverted to the nearest call center where the operator can identify your location, in the event you can’t talk. With VOIP, there is no way currently to determine where Internet calls are originating. There is an emerging standard called e911 however, which is attempting to solve this limitation.

VOIP also has sound quality and reliability problems. Data sent across the Internet usually arrives at its destination scrambled. E-mail and documents can be reassembled in the correct order when it arrives. Voice data also arrives scrambled, but it’s more complicated because of the real-time nature of VOIP. Some data packets may have to be dropped when they don’t arrive in time, in order to make voice connections with the least delay. This can cause brief silences in the audio stream.

Distance and speed of the connection determine the amount of data lost. Some networks receive more traffic and thus are more likely to cause audio dropouts. One way to provide high quality audio connections is to create dedicated data paths.

With the incredible amount of work dedicated to VOIP, these disadvantages will no doubt be resolved withinin the next 2 years. It is expected that by then VOIP will have widespread consumer acceptance.