How to Learn to Sell on the Internet

Recently, someone asked me:

i am sorry to be a nuisance and i apologize if i am being rude but i have looked at copy writing before and selling ebooks or subjects written by me. Can you suggest where to learn how to copywrite from genuine people who are not just after your money and run, that will learn me?
Best wishes


It is easiest to learn to write ad copy about physical objects. One very simple way - that also allows you to make money in the process - is to start selling stuff on ebay, specifically for the purpose of practicing over and over how to write something that sells something.

You can't learn to write copy from reading: You have to actually do it. Over and over. eBay is the fastest place to do that - and people wouldn't be there is they didn't already want to buy something.

Take stuff from your house that you don't want. Find, borrow, or buy a cheap digital camera. Look at eBay listings for the same thing and think about which ones make you want to buy the things, and which ones are just "there".

Think about how you could provide information that you'd want to see, that other people haven't provided. Write listings and sell stuff. Try different things. Yes, it's work, but at least you'll be making money at the same time.

Go to the local Dollar store (or a good closeout store), wander around, and see if you can spot stuff that you honestly think is worth far more than it is being sold for. A recent actual example: My local "99 Cents Only" store has genuine Bell Caller ID Units - they originally had about 200 of them.

Not everyone lives near the same types of stores. Caller ID units are worth far more than a dollar. Buy 10-15 of something like that, and sell them on eBay for $10-$15 dollars each. Try for high, with fixed price listings: You're not trying to compete on lowest price, you're trying to practice sales skills with minimal investment.

See if you can write listings that provide so much information and pictures that people will buy from you instead of people with the same item who are selling it cheaper. It can be done. People will pay $12 for something that they could get from another seller for $4 - if they think that you're a more worthwhile, persuasive, safer, or honorable person to buy from. (However, if there are 55 people selling something for $2, nobody is going to buy it for $10.)

Watch your listing view counter. How many people looked at your listing before someone bought something? 200 is bad. 100 is okay. 20-30 is super! If you have multiple items you can list them in a single listings and the average the total sales over the total views.

After you sell the items (remember, your initial investment was $10-$15) take the $100-$150 (or whatever you made) and buy more stuff to sell. Eventually, you'll be playing with hundreds of dollars if you just keep reinvesting.

Not everything will work. That's okay, because you initial investment was small.

Read books on sales and advertising. Buy used ones on Amazon if they're cheaper.

Read websites like the one you were captivated by - but don't buy from them, learn from them. Take a mental step back: What are they doing that makes you want to take out your wallet? How are they doing that? What makes you want to trust them? What makes them seem sincere? What can you borrow and adapt to something you want to sell?

Do they offer free information? Read it! Then, Google the same topic, and learn everything you can about it free. Do the same with other biz-op websites. You can learn an enormous amount of stuff by simply letting such websites direct your research, rather than emptying your pocketbook. See if there's a real physical book on the subject. Buy the book (preferably used). Read it. Master it.

Try the book Ca$hvertising by Drew Eric Whitman. ISBN: 978-1-60163-032-2. It's very concentrated and succinct.

Dex