In this newsletter:

• Rumor Control – did you hear what Meg is up to? And other eBay announcements
• Legally contact your previous customers – we know the company and the tool and we have the info for you on OSI right now
• It starts in two days – the Profitable Newsletter training (& secret pricing info)

• Classes coming up: Success With Cindy, Profitable Newsletter training series, DYWMMON, and Ask the Entrepreneur with 24 year old CEO genius Derek of Tatango

 

The secret to productive goal setting is in establishing clearly defined goals, writing them down and then focusing on them several times a day with words, pictures and emotions as if we’ve already achieved them.
- Denis Waitley

 

Welcome to 2009 and the year of Going Big!!   No more time for excuses or reasons – just time for Success!!

 

A friend of mine turned 21 on New Year’s Eve –how fun.  And in honor of her birthday I made her a cake – my first topsy turvy cake. 

The cake took almost 40 hours to complete from the original sketch to final polka dot – truly a labor of love.  When everyone saw it at the party they declared that I should immediately quit my business and open a bakery (this isn’t the first cake of mine they have seen).  At first I thought they were just being nice…but then they started making all these plans about where the bakery would be, the name, what I could make – within 15 minutes someone had even decided he was going to front the costs for the bakery – LOL.

I can’t cook to save my life, but really love baking.  I tease my friends that they come up with parties just so I will bake something.  But does that mean I should open a bakery?  Not necessarily.  Could I eventually?  Yes, possibly, I’ve tucked the thought in the very back of my head.  But simply because you love doing something and may even be good at it, does NOT mean you should just run out and start a business doing it.  Before I could even entertain the possibility I would have to do quite a bit of work – researching logistics, the need for another bakery in our area, locations, permits, staff, goals, marketing plans, availability of funds, what we would sell, who our customers would be, etc.  ALL of this would need to be done before I even contemplated running a bakery.  I have some professional equipment now, but all of it would need to be switched over.  I currently do everything myself and make everything from scratch (even the fondant) – that would be one of the worst things I could do if I started running this as a business.  My entire mindset would need to change.  Plus, one of the first things I would do is intern/hire a mentor that could teach me all of the ins/outs of the business.  Trying to learn from all of my mistakes while the business is open would be tooooo expensive.

So are you trying to run your eBay business because someone, perhaps even you, thought your love for something was a ‘good idea’ at one point?  If you try to do that without any of the planning that is required, your business will look like my kitchen does during one of these projects.

So…is your eBay business a ‘labor of love’ or a profitable business?  What do you need to do to make 2009 the year it becomes a REAL business?

• Is your business plan done? – Who are you going to be on eBay?  In your business?  What do your customers look like?  Where do your customers buy?  Who are your competitors?  Do you know how your business is going to end?  How are you going to get there if you don’t know where you are going? (sound familiar Rock Stars?  Lol)
• Do you need professional equipment? – Are you still throwing your listings up to the world of eBay and hope they stick to a buyer?  Why aren’t you using the tools on Terapeak and Worldwide Brands to research the hot products?  What about a photography area and set up?  Do you have an eBay accountant who understands this business?
• Is your automation in place? – like Endicia to print your postage, and a good listing tool?  Is 2009 the year you finally hire people to help?  Are you using a tool like TypePilot to automate your writings? 
• Are you trying to figure things out on your own? – This one amazes me the most.  Why people would waste so much energy, time AND money trying to figure things out on their own when someone else has the answers truly baffles me.  After I had decided on a cake and finished the sketch there was a technique I had never done before.  My time is too valuable to run a test kitchen to figure it out.  So I googled bakers in the area, contacted one, hired her for an afternoon, and I was off and running (plus I learned way more than the one technique I had originally set out to learn – bonus!).  People try to tell me they are saving money by figuring it out themselves.  Wow!  Well, why you are trying to figure it out, and possibly get it right…or not…your competition has joined OSI Rock Stars, or purchased the 1% CD series and is light years ahead of you.

 

So I’m not quitting this business…yet.  I love what I do and am having way too much fun.  But, considering how my countertops & floors look, I am thinking of patenting royal icing as a new form of cement.  Perhaps an alternative for false teeth.  Mortar compound?  I said I loved to bake…I never said anything about being neat & organized about it – lol!

 

Blessings for a phenomenal 2009,

j

 

Share the Success with friends – forward this newsletter onto them or let them know they can get their own copy at www.osiNewsletter.com (includes the Free 5 page report, “99% of eBay Stores are set up wrong, Learn how to be that 1%”)

Remember, you can read previous Success newsletters in the OSI Rock Star newsletter archives at http://osirockstars.com/?cat=5

For secret deals only….come TaTango with us!!  Register your phone HERE

For spur of the moment info, ideas, reminders or anything else I feel like Twittering about, follow us at http://twitter.com/osirockstars  (and Matty & her fabulous deals can be found at www.twitter.com/moremoola!!)

Rumor Control

Watch for an announcement to arrive out of California here in the next couple weeks.  Meg Whitman, ex-CEO of eBay will run for the Governor’s position that is being vacated by Arnold Schwarzenegger

A Message from Dinesh Lathi — 50% off 1 and 3-day Auction-style listings in January – details here: http://pages.ebay.com/promo/13auctions09/

 

 

 

 

In honor of Going BIG in 2009, we have decided to break tradition and offer

For 24 hours only

A one year OSI Rock Star membership for

$1 a day.

 

We know that 2009 is going to be a BIG Success for you and we also know that the over 250 hours of success education on the OSI Rock Star site will ensure your Success as it has so many others.  Yes, we usually only offer monthly membership at OSI Rock Stars, but I want EVERYONE to be successful for 2009!

So, starting at Noon on January 1^st, 2009 and going for only 24 hours, you can join us Backstage on your Tour of Success and get exclusive access to not only the hundreds of step-by-step classes that are currently backstage, but you will also receive:

• The Live Profitable Newsletter training that everyone is talking about – yep, coming up in January this training is going to show why newsletters are worth gold and how to use them in your eBay and online business.  (special guests include Constant Contact and Sales in a Click)  As a Rock Star you have a saved seat to this coaching (Value $200)
• Fulfillment Series – as sellers move into other online selling channels, automation becomes key.  One of the seller’s favorite tools is quickly becoming fulfillment.  This series will include Fulfillment by Amazon, choosing your own fulfillment company, and even a rare opportunity to hear from someone currently using this in her business AND she’s sharing it all with our Rock Stars! (Value $97)
• Success Coaching with me – LIVE, two hours of answering all of your questions about eBay Stores, marketing, seo/sem, inventory, sourcing, blogging, automation – anything you would like answered.
• DYWMMON (Do You Want My Money or Not) – One of our more popular classes.  Three Rock Star businesses are chosen for LIVE coaching, but with a unique twist.  I recommend changes based upon how I see their business through the eyes of a buyer!
• And don’t forget…we have Denise from Terapeak doing research training, Derek of TaTango (24 year old boy genius) with secrets to his success, Success With Cindy showing how you can utilize the power of press releases in your business and much more.

 

Oh, did I mention – ALL of this is just in January, wait till we really get going for 2009!!

 

Set your clocks for Noon pst/3pm est on January 1^st, 2009 and watch your email for the secret link so you can GO BIG in 2009 with your business and Success!

 

Fabulous & safe New Years Eve to you and we will see you Thursday in 2009!!

Blessings,

J

 

PS – we have an incredible community on Rock Stars who are more like family – an amazing, supportive, encouraging, crazy family (and THE best benefit of joining Rock Stars).  One of our discussion board topics is “I Rock because..” – a place for them to share with the other Rock Stars about their Successes.  Here are just a few of them for December:

·        Whew!! November blew by! The new site and makeover are starting to take off. We were turned down by some big brand names who said we ‘just didn’t fit’ and since Nov 1 every one of them wants to be part of what we have! Had my biggest single sale - $935.75 and best month - plus went $600 over my original goal for November I set a year ago!

That double discount helped out a lot on the fees - brought mine up to almost $100. Got a thrilling email from eBay today: I made it to Silver PowerSeller.

Set my sights a year ago to be a PS by July - made it in March. Now this!! I am over-excited folks!!

That long illness, surgery complications and hard work were just a reminder that faith, planning, organizing, persistence, listening and learning will pay off. Rome fell but Rock Stars are here to stay!! Thank you, Janelle and OSI Rock Stars - from the bottom of my heart.

Jan
www.gosintamystore.com
www.gosinta.com
www.VinylRecordTalk.com

·        (there is more to this post than what I have here, but I don’t want to give away ALL the secrets to their Success…you’ll have to come join us Backstage to get Barbara’s Success Tips!)

We’ve just had the busiest 24 hours ever in our 11 years on eBay. Every time we go into paypal to transfer monies, MORE money comes before we complete the transfer. It’s better than “pennies from heaven”, it’s just AMAZING! We signed up 27 new newsletter subscribers, great positive feedback from customers…. HUGE sales figures, and LOTS of space in the warehouse! Checked our page views in Omniture and they have nearly doubled over page views this same time period last year when we were not as “educated” Rock Stars as we are now! Can definitely see the positive influences of implementing the steps we have learned through the podcasts and webinars here on Rockstars! December is DEFINITELY starting out as a “rocking” month!

Jim & Barbara

Grandpas’ Trading Company

·        I was just approved to be a bookseller on Barnes and Noble’s website! It’s a bit of a long process, so I was very happy to have gotten my approval!

I just received my 5,000 feedback! AND! My husband picked up a box of misc bells at an auction for $3.00. Cowbells, sleighbells, etc. Two were silverplate, so we polished them up and started listing. You won’t believe this! Can someone calculate the rate of return on that baby?!?

Woohoo!

Jennifer – Precision Bluing Plus

·        Because we are Rockstars and have learned some great customer service tips I just got this feedback…

“Best Seller I’ve dealt with in 10 years! Thanks for your extra effort & + attitude”

and I am so humbled because it was on a sale that I made a mistake. I turned a negative into to a positive. Sure made my day.

Donna
A Priceless Princess

·        Just made Power Seller! Woohoo!!!!
Cara - http://www.lepetitgarage.com/

·        I tried my hand at eco-friendly toys on the store, and happy to say they were hits. They did so well, I had to pull the ones I had on Craigslist of to fill the demand.
The purse hooks are still going strong and I can’t keep my rusted metal wiener dogs in stock to save my life (which is good for the artist). This has been the best Christmas season I have had.

And all because of the 1% training!

Patricia – Hound and Handbag

·        Just made 1000 feedback!

Judy
www.jjm-marketing.com

·        I just realized that my DSR’s are 5.0, 5.0, 5.0 & 5.0! Guess that’s a gold medal in the DSR olympics (LOL)! Nice way to end the year -

Marlene – The Savvy Seller

·        My DSR’s are on the up and up!! 2 4.9’s (item as described & shipping & handling times) and 2 5.0’s (communication and shipping time)!!

Greta – Insatiable Geisha

·        Had a great November due to the 20% Powerseller Discount - FREE SHIPPING really helped and I received 40% on more than 80% of my listings !!!

I am thrilled that my DSRs are up there & I will work my hardest to keep them that way !!

Blessings + Best Wishes for a Joyous Holiday Season to my Rock Star Family

Maryann – Good Buys All The Time

In this Newsletter

 

• Would like a $300 tax deduction?
• New Service Helps Grow eBay Stores – Effortlessly
• Free trial for Terapeak’s powerful research service
• Amazon finally overtakes eBay in online numbers
• Classes coming up: New eBay Store marketing tool, and Success With Cindy

 

 

I apologize in advance for my abruptness…

I was SO ready for Christmas this year – was singing Christmas songs in July, had my shopping done before Thanksgiving and spent Christmas Eve attending all 3 services at our Church!  But I have to tell you that I awoke this morning SO ready to be done with 2008 – I have already cleaned up my Christmas decorations, written my thank you notes, and have begun to organize my resolutions for 2009!  I am definitely ready for 2008 to be completed and for a new, fresh exciting year to start.  Are you?  I love the beginning of things – a chance for all possibilities to happen, a clean slate, without any prior encumbrances.  I Choose for 2009 to be absolutely incredible and am getting a running start to head into the New Year.

Here is a great site to start creating your New Year’s resolutions – includes my favorite tip of ‘writing it down’ so you can check in throughout the year to see your progress (one of the most important things for an entrepreneur to do since we don’t have access to raises and promotions as a way to track our progress).  http://www.mygoals.com/about/NewYearsTips.html

and of course the free tools to manage your resolutions and goals:

http://lifehacker.com/336991/free-tools-to-manage-new-years-resolutions - my favorite is the team over at DIY Planner – tons of free templates to keep you on track, organized, and moving forward to making your dreams a reality.

 

In the time honored tradition of TOP lists of 2008…here are a few from OSI.  It’s pretty easy to see the trends for online sellers – They want to know what vocabulary their buyers are using and how to sell on the sites where their buyers are using that vocabulary - LOL:

Top 3 Best-selling CDs from the OSI Success Library:

1.  Profitable Keyword Training

2.  Profitable eBay Stores Success Training 7-CD set

3.  Amazon 101

And a very close runner up was “Getting Found Locally with Google”

 

 

Top 3 highest attended single classes taught at OSI/OSI Rock Stars for 2008:

1.  WebStore by Amazon

2.  Amazon 101 - Increase your Profits with multi-channel selling - Part 1

3.  Seth Godin - And Your Clicks For Free: Promoting Yourself

And runners up include:

10 simple tips that make a big difference when running a small business with Laura Leist

And

Web 2.0 - Discover The Top Ten Online Strategies To Market Your Store, Yourself & Your Company - with Jay Berkowitz

 

Top 3 series of classes taught at OSI/OSI Rock Stars for 2008:

1.  The Profitable eBay Stores Success Training – 7 part series

2.  Profitable Blogging – 3 part series

3.  The Ask Janelle series – monthly, exclusive to Rock Stars only

And the runners up were:

The Profitable Keyword series – 2 parts

The Amazon 101 series – 2 parts

The new MINI series is gaining is popularity, but was just introduced in November – look for it to hit the top of the 2009 charts though!

Plus, I can’t forget to mention the ‘fee series’ we did.  Very well attended and with January coming up we will probably be having a few more of those soon.

 

And, probably more important than any other lists…the Top Products that made the most money for the people who purchased them:

1.  By far…the Profitable eBay Stores Success Training – 7 Cd set – has blown away everyone who has taken the training and applied it to their business.  We are seeing numbers coming in of over 400% increases in profits!!

2.  (and this is my favorite and the one I use almost daily) – the Profitable Keyword training CD.  Without this information, a business would be at a standstill to move forward in today’s online environment.

3.  Getting Found Locally on Google – just ask Maryann of www.GoodBuysAllTheTime.com how fast the money came in after she applied this information to her business!!  Plus, the clients I have think I am the most amazing thing since sliced bread when I do this simple process to their online presence.

_______________________________________________

I also wanted to thank Michelle for taking the time to send this wonderful note – I’m glad that many of you were able to get in on the ‘Quickbooks’ deal.

 

I just wanted to thank you for the heads up on Quickbooks. Like many places, our family is having a lean season financially. You made it possible for my Mother to give me a Christmas present that will cost her nothing and hopefully allow me to spend more time listing on eBay and updating my store than on accounting:-)

 

Here in Mead, WA we have over 30″ of snow and it is still coming down. We have met a lot of neighbors trying to dig each other out or give a push when people get stuck.

 

This is a picture Lassiter, he got “trapped” between the garage and the wall of snow!  (Patches, his sister is helping in the store)

May you have a healthy and love filled Christmas!

Michelle

 

 

Share the Success with friends – forward this newsletter onto them or let them know they can get their own copy at www.osiNewsletter.com (includes the Free 5 page report, “99% of eBay Stores are set up wrong, Learn how to be that 1%”)

Remember, you can read previous Success newsletters in the OSI Rock Star newsletter archives at http://osirockstars.com/?cat=5

For secret deals only….come TaTango with us!!  Register your phone HERE

For spur of the moment info, ideas, reminders or anything else I feel like Twittering about, follow us at http://twitter.com/osirockstars

 

Would you like a $300 tax deduction for this year?

 

The release of the Profitable eBay Store 7-CD set (and your exclusive limited time pricing) Price goes up this weekend

 

• Do you want 7-CD’s packed with step-by-step video training that will turn your eBay Store into a profitable marketing tool for your entire online business?


• Do you want in before the price goes UP?


• Do you want a $300 business tax deduction for 2008?


• Do you want to increase your sales by over 400%?


• Do you want 3 easy payments?

 

HURRY – price goes up in 24 hours

 

I really worked hard with my financial team to make this CD set affordable considering the current economic situation.  This includes an easy 3-payment option.  Ask anyone who has taken this training and they will tell you this is easily worth way more than it is priced – not to mention you will make back the amount of the videos in no time with the increase in your sales and profits. But there is a bit of a twist…the price goes UP each week it is for sale in December!!  So, I would recommend acting quickly to save the most money.

 

Wow…the demand for this 7-CD set on Profitable eBay Stores is incredible.  I am so thrilled for all of who are Choosing Success and are going to have an amazing and profitable eBay Store for 2009 – what a great New Year’s resolution!!

 

I know how this training has dramatically changed the lives of SO many people who have already gone through the 25+hours (check out Ellen’s story below where her sales have already increased by almost $1000!! – can you imagine how much they would have increased if we weren’t in a ‘recession’? WOW!)

…and I am thrilled that it will now be able to change SO many more businesses and lives!

 

We received SO many phenomenal stories from the seller’s who took this class, it is going to take me a few weeks to share them all with you.  But I want to show off what they have accomplished, and also offer you the security of knowing that you are purchasing a product that actually works.

 

I am part of the 1% and I do not know where to start with what an amazing change in my sales.   I am selling to many new customers and my sales have increased from a low…low…low to over $1000 in just three weeks - Hurrah for my newly optimized eBay Store…and my Hero Janelle! 

Part of my story is emotional and part of it is just the plain money facts after the Success Steps taught by Janelle.  My emotional part has to do with all of my struggling in increasing my sales, and fighting a battle that I would never have won without first getting my store in order in the set up process.  I had almost

 

“I am selling to many new customers and my sales have increased from a low…low…low to over $1000 in just three weeks”

 

given up on having a successful ebay store, when I decided to give it one last shot.  Janelle came on line with this great opportunity to Join the 1% Club and how I could be more knowledgeable about my store optimizing.   I jumped on it, thinking “Thank God for Janelle” and a gut feeling that now is the time, and the place to be is in the 1% Club. 

I already knew Janelle is an amazing teacher, and now with these results and the increase in my sales, I am even more convinced…I could not have done it without her and her incredible knowledge base!

Ellen Russel
1% Club Member
OSI Rock Star

www.nwdreamergifts.com

 

Order now at www.OnePercentCoach.com

And you will receive…

The 5-part CD set which includes:

• Almost 20 hours of step-by-step video instructions on correctly setting up your eBay Store for profit


• Lessons that take you from ‘what to do BEFORE you set up your eBay Store’ all the way to ‘marketing outside of eBay’…and everything in between


• 5 exclusive Interviews with leading experts in the online success field – learn even more about online selling from: Lynn Dralle, Marsha Collier, Hugues Deriau, Andy Sernovitz and Jay Berkowitz


• “Success Steps” offered at the end of each ‘week’ – these checklists will help you stay on track and achieve success.


• Clickable links that are included with each lesson so you can easily locate the products, stores, and companies that we refer to during the training.  No scrambling for a piece of paper to catch the URL website that was mentioned.

 

Order now and receive a BONUS – 2 additional CD’s

·       Over 7 hours of eBay Store reviews – learn how to apply these processes to your own Store by watching these powerful reviews

·       16 eBay Store reviews – see the fine tuning Janelle does with these eBay Stores to fully-optimize them for profit

 

New Service Helps Grow eBay Stores – Effortlessly

Just met some fabulous people from the new Sales in a Click™ tool for eBay Stores.  One of them, Greg, will be on the show next week (see class schedule below) to fill you in on this great new marketing opportunity for eBay Store owners.  It is a simple, affordable email marketing service that drives customers to your store every month - automatically.

• Keep getting sales from your valuable customers & prospects


• We upload their email addresses for you – or you can add lists


• You don’t have to write a thing; we write it and send it for you
  You’ll be ready to send in minutes. Try it RISK FREE!

 

We are testing out the product as we speak and love what we see so far.  It really fills the gap (legally) in our eBay business of contacting previous customers and asking them to be on a newsletter list.  Can’t wait to learn more from Greg.