I'm so freakin' annoyed.
I just saw some of the cutest jewelry in a Facebook album posted by a young lady in one of my groups there, and when I asked for the link (in the comments) to where to find it a buy it, she told me to inbox her my order because she still doesn't have a website. That should have been enough for me to just forget it, but I know what it's like to be an upstart, so I gave her an extra couple of minutes onto that initial 10 seconds.
I wrote back to her that some of the pictures didn't have item numbers or prices listed, and so I had no idea how to describe my order, and she went on to tell me that she had no idea that the items would get such a great response, and that she would post prices by this weekend on the photos.
This weekend? Really? That's 2 days away. Why weren't you expecting a great response? Why weren't you prepared? Am I supposed to wait that long just because the stuff is cute? That is a completely rhetorical question.
All of which brings me to a no-brainer that all business people, especially independently-published writers, should know. Whatever you're selling, make it as easy as possible for someone to spend their money on you.
As if the buying public weren't already impulsive and impatient enough, the world of e-commerce has made it too easy for potential customers to quickly lose interest or become distracted with other options. And with the thousands upon thousands of books out there available at only a click away, why put yourself at an additional disadvantage?
If you're inviting someone to buy your book (or other product or service), they shouldn't have to work to find it. Get a website for crying out loud. They're free! And if you provide a link, make sure it works. If I can't get to your stuff within one or two clicks after clicking that link, then you've probably lost a sale. Do better.
Either you're ready to sell, or you're not. If you're ready, be ready. If you're not, don't make excuses about it, and then expect people to wait until you've got your shit together.
PREVIOUS POST: Socially Inept Writers, Artists and Other People
I just saw some of the cutest jewelry in a Facebook album posted by a young lady in one of my groups there, and when I asked for the link (in the comments) to where to find it a buy it, she told me to inbox her my order because she still doesn't have a website. That should have been enough for me to just forget it, but I know what it's like to be an upstart, so I gave her an extra couple of minutes onto that initial 10 seconds.
I wrote back to her that some of the pictures didn't have item numbers or prices listed, and so I had no idea how to describe my order, and she went on to tell me that she had no idea that the items would get such a great response, and that she would post prices by this weekend on the photos.
This weekend? Really? That's 2 days away. Why weren't you expecting a great response? Why weren't you prepared? Am I supposed to wait that long just because the stuff is cute? That is a completely rhetorical question.
All of which brings me to a no-brainer that all business people, especially independently-published writers, should know. Whatever you're selling, make it as easy as possible for someone to spend their money on you.
As if the buying public weren't already impulsive and impatient enough, the world of e-commerce has made it too easy for potential customers to quickly lose interest or become distracted with other options. And with the thousands upon thousands of books out there available at only a click away, why put yourself at an additional disadvantage?
If you're inviting someone to buy your book (or other product or service), they shouldn't have to work to find it. Get a website for crying out loud. They're free! And if you provide a link, make sure it works. If I can't get to your stuff within one or two clicks after clicking that link, then you've probably lost a sale. Do better.
Either you're ready to sell, or you're not. If you're ready, be ready. If you're not, don't make excuses about it, and then expect people to wait until you've got your shit together.
PREVIOUS POST: Socially Inept Writers, Artists and Other People
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