Hello Arelor!

** On Saturday 02.01.21 - 08:15, arelor wrote to Ogg:

Ok, your mesage was too long for me to quote so I will try to
make it quick.

[snip]

-+-
ª Synchronet ª Palantir BBS * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL

Are you posting "live" on Planatir? I can imagine that online
messaging can be tedious.

Thanks for the reply and info. I will reply that a bit later.

--
../|ug

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þ Synchronet þ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com

Hello Arelor!

** On Saturday 02.01.21 - 07:15, Arelor wrote to Ogg:

I can't find the original study regarding organic growth in social media, but this site comes to say the same thing:

https://www.business2community.com/facebook/6-studies-show-facebook-organi c-rea ch-declining-quickly-01564179

Excellent. The downward lines tell all.

When I talk about offering something that nobody else is providing, I was not talking about products necessarily. A lot of people needs advice, documentation, tight delivery deadlines... try asking Amazon or Alibaba if certain micronutrient is good for this or that and see what happens... if you do that in my website I will just grab a doctor and post his opinion :-)

Yes.. that is what I do. People ask for recommendations. I seem
to be pretty good at it.

When I speak about alternate ways of generating customers, I mean just that... for example, the way I work is to have things that doctors I know recomend to people but people has a hard time finding. Lots of doctors get mad because they recomend Zinc Gluconate 70, the patient goes out there, fails to find it, and gets Zinc Bisglicinate 30 or whatever instead.

A can't think of a comparable situation in my business. :(

A lot of what I curate is based on my own research. But local-
history and local-authors are always a good category.

I do carry a line of GPS SD cards. Hunters specifically look for
that. Only one other place in town carries the line. But some
people like the option of coming in to my shop, and get what they
want barely 12 feet from the door - instead of meandering through
a big-box harware department store for that one little thing.

BY ensuring I have that stuff I know that doctors will tell
people "if you can't find this stuff, call this number / go
to this website".

That is sweet! The closest to that I've heard people say is
"Call August, he can find and get anything!"

Here is a recent example of a query from email:

-=[start]=-
From: David <david@######.ca>
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 2021 09:02:43 -0500
Subject: Books
Message-Id: <####-####-####-####-#########@######.ca>
To: august@ashlies.ca
X-Mailer: iPad Mail (18B92)

Hey August,
Happy new year!
I need to read more and you can help. Would you be able to get me a copy of "the code of an extraordinary mind" by Vishnu Lakhiani and "the 48 laws of power" by Robert Green?
I'm not planning on world domination, any more, but am still curious about how people function.

davidinbancroft
-=[end]=-

I love it when people add some whimsy in their messages. "world
domination". LOL.

Lots of patients are 80+ years old so yes, they have a big
deal of a problem ordering online. I have struck a deal with
a bunch of doctors.. ..I make a sale, and delivery costs are
zero.

Very nice. I can't think of anything analogous to that I can
employ.


--
../|ug

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When I talk about offering something that nobody else is providing, I was
not talking about products necessarily. A lot of people needs advice,
documentation, tight delivery deadlines... try asking Amazon or Alibaba
if certain micronutrient is good for this or that and see what happens...
if you do that in my website I will just grab a doctor and post his
opinion :-)

Yes.. that is what I do. People ask for recommendations. I seem
to be pretty good at it.

Meanwhile, another thing I could do is use eBay. I *just*
discovered a new way that someone is listing their CDs for sale:

" D Lot ÿU Pick ($3 flat rate shipping on any quantity) Updated
12/08/20 ÿ| eBay https://ebay.us/YxMQkt "

It is basically one listing, but the drop-down lets you pick a
SPECIFIC one! I have never seen that before.

I wouldn't mind using something like that for a collection or a
series of books that I have and just let that system manage the
individual sales tracking.

I even have some LPs that I hope to showcase in the store (if I
can survive this incomeless lockdown) - my own collection of 1100
albums + others that people just dropped off.

The eBay listing-method above could work well for those.

Yesterday, a fellow dropped in and happened to notice one box of
CDs that I had laying around. They were a prestine collection of
TimeLife and other series-branded CDs of rock music spanning the
50s to the 90s - about 80 CDs in total. A few people had cherry
picked some titles this past year; I had only about 65 left.
Anyway.. the guy decided to buy them all (except for the Elvis
and Billie Holiday titles). I priced them at $7ea. He bought 58
of them. That was a cool $400 for a slow covid-lockdown day.
The CDs were a total profit since they were originally a drop-
off/donation to me. The total visit in the store went well over
30 minutes, as he was a chatty guy. But, hey.. I don't mind
having a little friendly chit chat on a slow covid-lockdown day
if anyone pays me $400. ;)


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Re: FB decline / alternative ways..
By: Ogg to Arelor on Sun Jan 03 2021 03:49 pm

That is sweet! The closest to that I've heard people say is
"Call August, he can find and get anything!"

Well, that is very important.

My friendly local game store is known precisely for that. The owner is very well connected and always manages to have things that are iout of stock everywhere else.

I remember once I went in and bought a Blue Box for Aventuras de La Marca del Este (a roleplaying game). As soon as I snatched it up, a guy came in running asking for the Blue Box, because he had heard the shop had it, and it turned out it was the last one available in Spain at the time :-)

That said, it has been a long time since I went there, because the owner has not bought a single soap from me since I opened my store.

--
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þ Synchronet þ Palantir BBS * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL

Hello Arelor!

** On Monday 04.01.21 - 03:17, Arelor wrote to Ogg:

That is sweet! The closest to that I've heard people say is
"Call August, he can find and get anything!"

Well, that is very important.

Word of mouth works both ways. I am sure there are some critisms
going around in the mix.

I remember once I went in and bought a Blue Box for Aventuras de La Marca del Este (a roleplaying game)..

That said, it has been a long time since I went there, because the owner has not bought a single soap from me since I opened my store.

Maybe "gift" the fellow with a sample of your wares. That might
soften the situation.

I purposely acquire some special wall calendars for several
people whom I know are stuggling with regular purchases - the
calendars are of the themes they have purchased before.. and -
after standing in awe a few seconds following that gesture, they
appreciate it.

For other people, I simply offer a gift certificate and tell them
"a free book for you! just because."


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Re: FB decline / alternative ways..
By: Ogg to Arelor on Mon Jan 04 2021 10:28 am

Maybe "gift" the fellow with a sample of your wares. That might
soften the situation.

I purposely acquire some special wall calendars for several
people whom I know are stuggling with regular purchases - the
calendars are of the themes they have purchased before.. and -
after standing in awe a few seconds following that gesture, they
appreciate it.

For other people, I simply offer a gift certificate and tell them
"a free book for you! just because."

Sorry, gifts don't work that way.

I have been endorsing this particular game store for years because I am the sort of stupid moron who likes endorsing local stores. That means I have been purchasing stuff at this place for years even if I could find it faster and cheaper elsewhere.

I set mine nearly in front of his and told him. He has not even paid me a visit.

Loyalty is somethign that must be earned. I am willing to stick to friends and providers under adverse conditions if they are covering for me. In fact I have refused to sign very nice deals with some providers, because signing would have meant backstabbing people who was there when things got screwed up. If my business partners cannot live up to the same level of compromise, they can rot in hell as far as I am concerned.

I will always be the first to offer a loyalty token, but if I don't get it back when I need it you can consider yourself crossed off my list.

I actually give a lot of merchandise away, usually to people who appreciates it. In fact, giving soap bars to dermathologists seems to be improving my business - they love the soap and recommend it lots.

--
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---
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Hello Arelor!

** On Monday 04.01.21 - 16:38, Arelor wrote to Ogg:

Maybe "gift" the fellow with a sample of your wares. That might
soften the situation.

[snip]

For other people, I simply offer a gift certificate and tell them
"a free book for you! just because."

Sorry, gifts don't work that way.

I have been endorsing this particular game store for years
because I am the sort of stupid moron who likes endorsing
local stores. That means I have been purchasing stuff at this
place for years even if I could find it faster and cheaper
elsewhere.

Don't stop. People would know you for this fine "support local"
attitude and appreciate it.

I set mine nearly in front of his and told him. He has not even paid me a visit.

Keep reminding him. Just continue to remain casual and pleasant
about it. People notice those things.

Loyalty is somethign that must be earned. I am willing to stick to friends and providers under adverse conditions if they are covering for me.

I hear ya. But sometimes the reciprocation takes a bit longer
than we expect.

screwed up. If my business partners cannot live up to the same level of compromise, they can rot in hell as far as I am concerned.

Oy. Dunno what to say. But I think I can feel your pain.

I actually give a lot of merchandise away, usually to people who appreciates it. In fact, giving soap bars to dermathologists seems to be improving my business - they love the soap and recommend it lots.

Me too. I give to libraries, schools, local reading groups, etc.
I don't flaunt it for recognition as some people do to get a
mention in the newspaper and their big oversized cheques. When I
see "so and so, donates $1000 to some charity" ..I just shake my
head knowing that I have given back to the community cumulatively
much more than that.

People talk.. and knowledge of good biz operations gets around.
I wouldn't want to be known as the grumpy old bookseller in my
town.

HOWEVER, this latest lockdown has turned me into a bit of a
cynic. I only operate from about 11a-3p, and I glad to get out of
there, go home and take a fine afternoon nap.


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