eeks!!  It is hailing, snowing, raining, thundering and some huge lightening just hit.  Got to hurry and get this newsletter out before the power goes.

Huge blessings and thanks for all of the amazing emails I have received today in response to the powerful newsletter about faith and success.  For ALL of you, I know and believe that every single one of the things you emailed me about and were going to do for the next 24 hours definitely got done - and without fear, just faith.  I am SO proud of you.  And for those of you who requested permission to send this article out to others - thank you for asking - and  yes, definitely, please do so.  I wish everyone had an amazing, faith-filled life that was lived without fear.  You can also send them directly to the article at http://osirockstars.com/?p=477

One of our amazing Rock Stars, Jamie of www.DreamBuilderCds.com (a diligent seeker of all things motivational and inspiring!) just sent me this great article written by Dan Kennedy that talks about what your buyers really buy:

Here’s the big fact …98% of all dissatisfied customers were not dissatisfied because of a quality problem with the product or service purchased. In 98% of the cases their dissatisfaction was related to their perception of how they were treated by the people they dealt with.

One more time… note that I said their perception of how they were treated not how they were treated. This is very significant. It means that in some, maybe many of those cases, the employees involved actually treated the customers fairly, courteously and tried to do the best they could. However, what they did is not the issue. It’s how the customer perceived what they did that counts.

Customer service diplomacy has to do with…(to read the rest of the article, head over to Dan Kennedy’s site)

So if you have seen me on stage, you have probably heard me tell the story of the coffee bean.  If you haven’t it basically talks about the fact that your buyers purchase based upon perception and an experience NOT on price.  SO many businesses get this one so very wrong…like Starbucks…who I am mad at – well perhaps annoyed is a better word for it.  They obviously missed the above talk I had about coffee beans!

The head honcho, Howard Schultz recently announced at the stock holders annual meeting some changes to hopefully help with slumping sales – and obviously make the stock holders more money.  Everyone who is a so-called analyst has torn apart his speech & business plan from every angle already – I have no desire to do that.  I just have a simple question for him.  Why didn’t he just ask me?  I used to get coffee and usually breakfast there every morning – almost 7 days a week.  Approx. $200 a month…almost $2400 a year is what I was worth to Howard under the heading of a ‘lifetime customer’.  But now Howard has been getting approx. $21 a month from me…which equates to a loss in one customer’s revenue for the company of over $2100 per year.  Ok, just a mere drop in the bucket compared to the $21 Billion in revenue made – but I bet the reason I have stopped going to Starbucks so much has a lot to do with why SO many others have also stopped going to Starbucks…and together we make up more than a drop in the bucket – which is apparent in the recent dramatic announcement he made.

Hey Howard, I know you didn’t ask – but here’s my two cents.  Big surprise, if you had been sitting in some of your stores talking to the “people who are trying to give you money’, instead of flitting around the country trying to figure out how coffee should be made (quit burning your beans would be a good start), you would be making smarter (& more profitable) changes right now.  Amazingly the new expensive ($11,000) espresso machines you are bringing in to the stores Howard won’t bring me back.  Nor will the fact that you are going back to grinding the beans so the aroma causes the romance and theatrics of old coffee houses (your words, not mine).  Oh, and the big ‘retraining’ you just did with the Starbuck’s worker bees – not sure what you retrained them on, but it definitely wasn’t customer service.

Your spokeschick said they were doing all this due to slumping sales caused by rivals that were selling cheaper coffee.  Are you joking me?  I buy coffee from your competitors now because of the experience I receive; it has nothing to do with money.  They remember my name (yours never did even after going there almost everyday for a year), they remember my drink order, they are friendly, they consistently make the drink I order THE SAME each time, they apologize if there is a hold up on my order, they don’t make me wait for their conversation about their date on Friday to finish before helping me, their tables are clean (and not soaking wet clean from a dripping towel swished over them).  They know why they are in business – to make my perception of the experience a fabulous one.

One of the reasons you said you were investing in these $11,000 machines (besides the fact that the company in NY who uses this machine and is making $7 a cup of coffee intrigues you) is that they are shorter so the baristas can more ‘easily engage in conversation with the customers’.  Just what I want, to have a barista with attitude be given more face time with me…and shouldn’t they be concentrating on making my drink instead of chatting.  Last time I checked with the people who spend money with you, ‘getting my drink in a timely manner’ ranks WAY higher than ‘chatting with my rude barista’.  And, gosh, the fancy-smanshy so called ‘social networking’ site you put up to encourage ‘people to help shape Starbucks’…Why?  There already is a social networking site for you to get great information from and it’s been gathering this information for you for years AT NO CHARGE TO YOU - http://starbucksgossip.com/

Ok, Howard – you got more than two cents worth…but I am in awe that even a big company like yours doesn’t get it.  You could have had me for only $7000 - lol.  Technically, you could have had me with a friendly ‘hello’ from the people who work in your Stores

________________________________________________________________________

Why the rant about Starbucks you might ask…well, two reasons – one, you need to be asking your customers what THEY want.  I don’t know why this is the most simple of rules about running a successful business, yet SO many companies don’t do it.  And Two, no matter what you think of eBay – they are rocking this rule right now.  eBay put their ego aside and admitted last year they didn’t know everything and went to the people who were spending money on the site who HAD LEFT or weren’t buying as much and said, ‘Why?’.  Plain and simple – they went to the people with money and asked what they wanted.  All of those recent eBay fee and site changes were based upon this simple question.  To not only help get our customers back, but to KEEP them happy and buying on the site.

According to recent figures, eBay is in the top ten retail sites on the internet that is converting customers.  They are hitting right at a respectable 14% (which is quite high on the internet).  Interestingly enough, for the past 6 months eBay has only made the Top 10 two other times.  Just an educated guess, but with eBay giving the buyers more of what they want – Security and Confidence – we will be getting more of what WE want as eBay sellers…happy buyers that convert into more sales!!

PS – I do have one favorite barista at Starbucks – his name is Eddie and he rocks – he is the only reason Starbucks is even getting the $21 a month now.

Our Rock Stars Rock

Speaking of buyer’s perception…check out these great stories….

·        Growing

I am Rocking March with my fabulous DSR ratings this month! My 30 day average DSR ratings are:

4.9, 4.9, 5.0, 5.0

On my way to solid 4 x 5.0 status! I will be getting that all important 15% discount this month.
I know the DSR ratings are the result of the intensive work we have been doing to improve our customer relations and experience while shopping with us on eBay. I truly do believe the 5 Star approach is giving the OSI Rock Stars a certain edge above our competition! Janelle started our training well before other sellers even knew what changes were coming! As they say, ‘the proof is in the pudding!’
OSI Rock Stars delight buyers and spoil customers!

I also received my best Feedback comment ever:
Highest integrity seller. Strongly recommend

My business is built on honesty and integrity. I truly honor these values above all else, even above making a profit. This buyer captured my business ethic in this short comment.
Believe it or not, this comment comes at the conclusion of a failed transaction! When I listed my item, I inspected it carefully for any chips…it was in excellent condition. When I pulled for shipping, a chip on the spout. I know it was due to knocking against something in storage or while putting it away, etc. I emailed the buyer asap to explain, she was heart broken but understood.
I emailed her back to tell her how much I appreciated her feedback comment.

March has been a very good month…can’t wait for April!

Mary Evans - Drei Katzen Media

You so rock Mary!

·        Learning

Hi Janelle - I am a new rock star. I first saw you at ebay University here in Nashville a few years ago and learned so much. I have been subscribing to your newsletter for a couple of years and FINALLY joined last month. I have been able to learn so much and have barely gotten my feet wet!

First of all, I learned so much from the Gold Star Experience pages and video and so I created my own last Friday thanks to all the great pages that others did first. I have added the star to my front page and have used your checklist to make all the other changes…an on-going experience. Today I just checked the seller dashboard and my DSR’s were 4.9, 4.9, 4.8 and 4.8!! I am so excited about the last one (Shipping) as it has been 4.6 since they began the program. Last week it upped to 4.7 and now is 4.8!! I couldn’t believe it! Also, I am close to 9000 positive feedback. I am just feeling so good about the store and know I will keep learning and growing with this site.

Thank you to all the rock stars and to you Janelle for starting this. Today ROCKS and can’t wait to see what good things are ahead! Please check out my site for Griffin Technology iPod, Sansa, Zune, Mac and PC accessories!

Carla – Carmel Station - http://stores.ebay.com/Carmel-Station/

You definitely Rock Carla!

You can purchase your copy of the 3-CD set, “Profiting from the eBay Fee and Site Changes” with over 9 hours of Success and Profit training on it at http://www.janelleelms.com/cd/

New Class replay is up – “The Spiritual Entrepreneurs”

The Spiritual Entrepreneurs - meet Coach Mike

Wow – great response from our first interview in this new series!  Can’t wait to bring on the other guests I have lined up.  All of them are Successful entrepreneurs, but definitely have different ways of being a successful, spiritual entrepreneur.

First up in this new series is my Pastor…Pastor Mike. But he also goes by the name of Coach Mike as he is also an entrepreneurial coach! For the past 13+ years, Coach has trained & motivated entrepreneurs, business leaders, CEO’s and top executives to maximize their potential using his unique blend of humor and proven insights.
Coach Mike shared:

• Why he detests religious ’stuff’
• What a Success mindset is
• Why people prosper
• What the key is to spiritual growth
• Why you have a moral obligation to prosper
• Why people are uncomfortable with making money
• How to change your loved ones from an unhealthy protection mode to a visionary mode
• Why we keep naysayers in our life
• His opinion on the book The Secret
• What the REAL secret is
• Tools to build your self-esteem
• What one advantage a negative person has over a positive person
• The reasons why people buy into giving up their dreams for a false sense of security
• What your destiny is

An amazing way to start this new series – very motivational and inspiring to move to a faith based mindset instead of a fear based mindset.

Sneak peak into the new affiliate program

As mentioned in this post by eBay - http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200803.shtml#2008-03-17144344 – starting tomorrow all new affiliate links will need to be done through eBay’s new partner network.  Your CJ links will work for the next 30 days and then you will no longer receive credit for them.

Remember, eBay said we would be receiving a 5% bonus on all new eBay partner network affiliate commissions during this first 30 day period to compensate, so don’t hesitate on getting your old links switched over!

The new website is at www.eBayPartnerNetwork.com – this is where you will sign-up tomorrow.  I was able to sign up tonight, but I think I caught them while they were doing some testing – lol.  Sign up is easy – you’ll need to know what ‘type’ of business they classify you as. There are 4 business models to pick from – most of you will be the natural search website business model.  When I go into create new links, they are still ‘rover’ links – so I am not sure if our links will look similar to CJ (without the PID number) or eBay is also using the ‘rover’ term.  We’ll have to wait for tomorrow I guess!  Get in there as soon as you can, with over 100,000 affiliates moving over from CJ to eBay’s new partner network, that site will be getting some heavy traffic.

It looks like some great benefits including:

·        extensive reporting tools for multiple campaigns

·        affiliate training

·        option of being paid with PayPal

·        global tracking to send your customers to international sites (eBay is referring to this as geo-track)

·        fabulous banners and widget

·        a pretty powerful dashboard (Stephanie, you are going to love this)

·        the ability to do campaigns in bulk

You will register once and then eBay will submit your application to ALL of their partner sites for consideration.  These include:

·         eBay US (United States)

·         eBay AU (Australia)

·         eBay BE (Belgium)

·         eBay IN (India)

·         eBay CA (Canada)

·         eBay HK (Hong Kong)

·         eBay FR (France)

·         eBay IT (Italy)

·         eBay UK (United Kingdom)

·         eBay NL (Netherlands)

·         eBay SG (Singapore)

·         eBay ES (Spain)

·         Half.com (United States)

No surprises in the payment structure – thank goodness:

Total winning bid revenue generated  % of Revenue 

$0.00 - $99.99 50.00%

$100.00 - $4,999.99 55.00%

$5,000.00 - $199,999.99 60.00%

$200,000.00 - $699,999.99 65.00%

$700,000.00 - $2,999,999.99 70.00%

$3,000,000.00+ 75.00%

And we still make $25 per new user registration.

There are also some great videos to walk you through the steps.

Some initial concerns:

·        If you use affiliate links in email – you have to now get permission.

·        The banner ads, etc are all in java – doesn’t work with my blogging software

·        It’s cumbersome to find a banner or widget – too many ‘partner’ screens to move through

But, it is a brand new program and it’s going to take a bit to work out the bugs – so we’ll see.

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Just received this great short note about using DHL to help your shipping DSR’s.  If you are using FedEx or UPS – you might want to take a look at DHL and their automation tools through ShipRush.  Here is what Todd of FreightSavers had to say:

You might be wondering  …”How can I make more money at my eBay store?” The answer is reducing your eBay fees by improving your DSR Rating! Here are 3 ways to get that DSR Rating UP! UP! UP!

1)                 Use Proview to track your packages through DHL. Proview allows you to:

·                    Instantly know all the details of your shipment’s location

·                    Be notified via email or text message each time your package is scanned

·                    Let you know when the package was picked up, delivered or if there is a delay

2)                 Use ShipRush for DHL and eBay.  ShipRush allows you to integrate your “My eBay” page with a shipping application

·        When you make a sale at your eBay store, the data is automatically imported seamlessly into ShipRush.

·        One click is all it takes to prepare your shipment, and print shipping labels.

3)                 Work  with a DHL authorized selling partner.

·        You become part of a group that can gets reduced shipping rates which increases your profit margins.

·        You might be a small business but you can benefit from becoming part of a group that get big discount on express and ground shipping

It’s all about getting your customers to give your store those high ratings that keep your eBay costs down. With accurate and prompt communication with your customers they are bound to have a favorable rating for you. Want more information on how to get these 3 things working for you? Email me at:  todd.allan@freightsavers.com

Todd Allan - Freight Savers Express

New Classes this week

New Classes for this week…

Hey…get registered ASAP for this week’s classes. All OSI Live classes are fr-ee to attend and instructions are included during the registration process for both the podcasts and the webinars. Remember, you can either ask a question for our special guest or simply put “I Choose Success” in the question box.

4/1/08, Tuesday at Noon pst/3pm est – Meet your fellow Rock Stars.  This Tuesday we have world-traveler, multi-talented artist, PowerSeller and Rock Star Charlene Anderson on the show.  You can check out her many facets at www. www.andersonshea.com.  Boy I can’t wait for these fascinating tales from her!  Save your spot by getting registered at www.osiRockStars.com (scroll to the bottom for details)

4/2/08, Wednesday at Noon pst/3pm est – Rock Star Sneak Peek
at Cool NEW Research Tools by Terapeak – the fabulous Denise of Terapeak will be joining us again, but this time incognito as she will be sharing with you super, duper, secret spy stuff – just for YOU! – Before the rest of the eBay public gets a chance!  Come see what all the fuss is about (they are very cool – I have seen them!) by getting your registration information at www.osiRockStars.com (scroll to the bottom for details)

4/3/08, Thursday at 3pm pst/6pm est - Ask Janelle your Success questions - LIVE - for 2 hours (Rock Star exclusive) - answering all of YOUR Success questions.  

Want me to take a look at your eBay Store?

Have a new business idea that you need advice on?

Questions about sourcing, research, marketing?

I’ll be answering these Live during the show.  First come, first served!!  Get your questions in asap in the registration box.

Find out more information as well as how to register at http://osirockstars.com/topic.php?id=291&replies=1#post-2287

You can find out more about these classes, as well as register at: www.osiRockStars.com (scroll to the bottom of that webpage for upcoming classes, details and registration information).

Best in Stores Contest - Final hours

The eBay Best in Stores contest is almost closed for entries.  We already have many of our amazing Rock Stars entered and I hope many more of you will enter too before the deadline.  I am excited to see SO many of you entered and think it would be fabulous if ALL of you win!

·        Flightline Fabrications **

·        Katiyana’s Collectibles

·        MJ Consignments

·        Belas Boutique

·        Alice In Stitches

·        Infant Traveler *

·        Worldwide Traders Online **

·        Janieruth’s Fabulous to Funky Finds **

·        Brens Mart USA

·        Mimis Discount Boutique ***

·        Vineyard Creek Original Findings

·        Brown Dog Treasures ****

·        Purveyors of all Things Creative **(Soon)

·        Sweet Pea Jeans Stitchery

·        Vintage Millinery Flowers

·        Le Petit Garage **

·        Lady Linda’s Loft **

·        Vintage and Now

* Designer, Jennifer at www.Meepworks.com

** Designer, Jennifer at www.SittingBoo.com

*** Designer, Auction Add-ons at www.auctionaddons.com

**** Designer, Jennarationx at www.jennarationx.com

There are also new entries from the Success Newsletter:

·        Dixie Cats Books and Stuff

Can’t wait to see the others! 

• Register your Store into the Best in Stores contest
• Open an eBay Store
• 99% of eBay Stores are set up wrong – be that 1%
• Some of our favoritest eBay Store designers are our Jennifers…Jennifer at www.Sittingboo.com and Jennifer at www.meepworks.com
• eBay Live ‘Best in Stores’ forum – lets hear who is entering! - http://osirockstars.com/topic.php?id=275&replies=3

1 CENT insertion fees for high DSR’s – Final hours

From eBay…

Start it low and listing fees are just a penny.
List any item for just a penny when you:

·         List it auction-style starting at 99¢ or less, and

·         Specify your shipping costs

·         Detailed Seller Rating requirement applies

Get more details at: http://pages.ebay.com/promo/startlow08/

Remember, you can still get one of the remaining copies of the 3-CD set that includes: 9+ hours of training on DSR’s, feedback and other eBay Fee and Site Changes at www.JanelleElms.com/cd

huge blessings,

j