The reasons for starting the ecommerce experiment have already been disclosed by Justin, we lost a client who was offered to go somewhere else. We to this day do not know what was talked about when they were approached or what they were promised and a lot of questions run through your head;
- Were they promised more sales?
- Were they offered a better system?
- Were they cheaper?
All of the questions could be answered if we hunted around enough. Would it help us? Probably not. One thing we’ve noticed over the years of running carrotmedia is that you can never control your competition, they’ll do things when you least expect it and change them back just as fast. We’ve also noticed you have to act for yourself. If you’re good at something believe in yourself and stick to your guns, potential clients will notice and they’ll will reap the benefits.
Beyond all of that you see most people being promised the world when engaging in services with no real backup. There are hundreds if not thousands of websites across the Internet where they will tell you how to make thousands of dollars (pounds) in 20 days if you follow “this simple plan”.
When it comes to ecommerce there is no clear information set out on where to start, how to build, how to sell and how to grow your online shop. Government organisations that offer support and advice pass over sheets of so-called information that are as much use as a pocket in a sock.
Well we’re here to try and change all that. We’re based in the United Kingdom yet we’re blogging about this whole process to the world for everyone to learn from and we’re giving information away for free. We want everyone to be successful and if that means giving away “trade secrets” about marketing, sales tunnels, banking tips, usability, design and checkout procedures then so be it. The information we have at the minute is disposable, we’re going through this process to learn and provide best practices to the public. We’re looking at this being an on-going experiment so when things change and new sales tunnels open up we’ll pass those on and to that end all of the information we have is disposable to you.
Whilst there’s definitely a fine line (in my mind anyway) between giving away “trade secrets” and adding value through one’s journey / mistakes, there’s definitely a case for running an “open” business.
I think Carsonified (one example) have probably pioneered this approach and whilst they’ve been flamed, their success has also been exponentially fueled because of the value they’ve added by sharing their experiences.
Hey Adii,
It depends on what you call trade secrets? It will be interesting going through all of this and showing people what we’re doing, how we’re doing it and why especially as time progresses. We simply want to show people the way forward when setting up an online store and if that means providing information which others won’t then so be it.
Justin
Great experiment – really looking forward to following your progress
Brilliant that you decided to go public with the journey – and that you are sharing how you’ll get on – letting us see the ups and downs…
And I agree with Adii – Carsonified are proving that it works and generally get you the appreciation and respect you deserve for being so open. So I wish you good luck – and looking forward to reading more in future
Hi Prisca,
Thanks for the feedback. We’re going to be completely open and want everyone to get involved, we’re definitely looking for it to be a two way experiment.
Take Care,
Justin
[...] Read the original here: Disposable Information | Ecommerce Experiment [...]