Missed the 'Secret Discount?' How To Catch the Next One!

Yesterday's 'Tips From the Top' podcast on 'How To Blog with WordPress'(Part 1) was a huge success!

Many thanks to Dany Byrne of Ghostleg Media who presented an information-packed training. At least one listener had an 'AHA' moment after Dany explained the difference between wordpress.com & wordpress.org. Thanks also to those who joined us in the Chat Room and asked some great questions!

During the training, Dany generously offered a 'Secret Discount' which was available only to those who listened in 'live.' The 'Secret Discount' expired last night but Dany will be offering a different one next week during Part 2! Don't miss it - Thursday, Nov 6 at 2:00pm EST.

For your listening convenience, we did make a recording of yesterday's 'How To Blog with WordPress' Part 1 training and you can listen to it on your computer or download it HERE.

How to Blog With WordPress - Get Savvy!

Our 'Tips From the Top' podcast series is offering a free, 3-part training on 'How To Blog with WordPress' with Blog and WordPress expert Dany Byrne. Dany's company, Ghostleg Media, provides multi-media training and services for internet entrepreneurs.

In this 3-part series Dany will cover:

* 5 Questions to Answer Before You Begin Blogging
* Which Wordpress is right for you?
* Themes, Plug-Ins & SEO
* The Art of Blog Writing
* Profitable Blogging

Dany's training highlights some of the material covered in her brand new, information-packed eBook, 'How To Blog with WordPress'.

Please mark your calendars and join The Savvy Seller and Dany Byrne for this free, 'How To Blog with WordPress' training series. Part 1 is Thursday Oct 30 at 2:00pm EST, Part 2 is Nov 6 (2:00pm EST) & Part 3 is Nov 13 (2:00pm EST). Each podcast will last approximately 20-30 minutes.

You can listen to the trainings 'LIVE' by clicking HERE at 2:00pm EST on Oct 30, Nov 6 & Nov 13. The Podcast Chat Room will be open and your questions are welcome. If you have any questions for Dany, please join us live or dm your questions to me on Twitter (twitter ID = thesavvyseller) before the shows!

To be sure that you don't miss a single word, sign up with Talkshoe (it's free) and 'Follow' our 'Tips From the Top' podcast series.

Meet Randy Smythe

Yesterday as part of our 'Tips From the Top' podcast series, I had the pleasure of speaking with Randy Smythe - consultant, eCommerce entrepreneur, blogger and 'Giant Squid.'

Randy has his finger on the pulse of the world of eCommerce, social networking, Web 2.0, online marketing, Google, Amazon, Squidoo, Bonanzle and eBay. During this podcast he shared his thoughts on all these topics and more!

Formerly one of ebay's top Powersellers, Randy has a unique perspective on running an online business. From his start as an 'accidental entrepreneur' to his current success as an eCommerce entrepreneur, Randy shared numerous tips for small internet sellers including:

* what your business should focus on first
* how to find products to sell
* the importance of deciding what you want out of your business

You can listen to the complete interview HERE!

Randy Smythe of My Blog Utopia

Join me, The Savvy Seller, on Monday, Oct 27 at noon EST (9am Pacific) as I interview Randy Smythe on today's 'Tips From the Top' podcast.

Randy is a consultant, eCommerce entrepreneur, blogger & 'Giant Squid'.

You can join us in the Chat Room by clicking on the 'Talkshoe Live - Join In' button on this page or call in with your comments or questions (1-724-444-7444 / show ID # = 19245 / PIN = 1#). The Chat Room opens 15 minutes prior to the show (11:45am EST / 8:45am Pacific).

We'll be talking about all things ecommerce so be sure to tune in!

Blogging with WordPress, Brand Your Business & How-To Squidoo!

The Savvy Seller is delighted to announce a series of FREE Trainings as part of our 'Tips From the Top' podcast series!

Each topic will be covered in a series of 2 or 3 podcasts. The speakers, all experts in their field, will focus on concrete 'how-to' steps and provide top tips for success.

The first 3 topics to be covered are:

* How To Blog with WordPress
* Branding Your Business
* Squidoo 101

First up is 'How To Blog with WordPress' with Blogging and WordPress expert Dany Byrne. Dany's company, Ghostleg Media, provides multi-media training and services for internet entrepreneurs.

In this 3-part series Dany covers:

* 5 Questions to Answer Before You Begin Blogging
* Which Wordpress is right for you?
* Themes, Plug-Ins & SEO
* The Art of Blog Writing
* Profitable Blogging

Dany's training will cover some of the material in her brand new, information-packed eBook, 'How To Blog with WordPress' which was released earlier this week.

Mark your calendars and join Dany Byrne for our 'How To Blog with WordPress' 3-part training series on Thu Oct 30, Nov 6 & Nov 13 at 2pm EST.

You can listen to the podcast 'live' by clicking here at 2pm EST on Oct 30, Nov 6 & Nov 13. The Podcast Chat Room will be open and your questions are welcome. If you have any questions for Dany, please join us when we are live or dm your questions to me on Twitter (twitter ID = thesavvyseller) before the shows!

Also coming up in the series:

'How To Create and Promote Your Brand' with Debbie Levitt, CEO of As Was

AND

'Squidoo 101' with Stephanie Daugherty, a Giant Squid who has created 195 lenses from scratch .... including my personal favorite!

John Gilmore & My Auction Source

Today, in our 'Tips from the Top' podcast series, we take a look into the world of successful eBay/eCommerce entrepreneurs with John Gilmore of My Auction Source.

John is an eBay Powerseller who also lists on Amazon, iOffer and Bonanzle. He brings a unique perspective to online selling as he is also the owner of a brick and mortar store.

In this podcast John talks about scaling your business, the effect of being stubborn & the fact that you don't have to have the lowest priced items to be successful. Also hear his tips on using Endicia and working with Channel Advisor.

You can listen HERE!

10 Things I Learned the Hard Way

Today, in our 'Tips from the Top' podcast series, we take a look into the world of successful eBay/eCommerce entrepreneurs with Charlene Anderson, Purveyor of All Things Creative.

Charlene is an artist whose work has been featured in major textile, jewelry and bead magazines and exhibited in shows & galleries across the US. She is also an experienced online seller who learned many things by trial and error.

In this podcast , Charlene shares 10 unique tips to help you avoid the mistakes she made!

Find out:

* how to choose a business name when you're a woman
* what to watch out for when going into business with a friend
* how not to choose what to sell
* finding suppliers and dealing with 'the big guys'
* how to get the best deal when working with a supplier
* how to save money when you spend it
* the importance of having an inventory system
* why customer service counts
* when to start developing your brand
* how to approach your branding & design

Google Apps, Small Business & Bootstrap Academy

Today, in our 'Tips from the Top' podcast series, we take a look into the world of successful eBay/eCommerce entrepreneurs with Steve Kennedy of Bootstrap Academy.

Steve has been an eBay seller since 1998 and is currently an Education Specialist Trained by eBay. His area of expertise is in starting and running a business using no or low cost online resources. That is the focus of his new venture - Bootstrap Academy.

In this podcast, Steve talks (in plain English) about many of the Google Apps features such as gmail, google calendar, google talk, google doc and google sites. He shares numerous tips on how businesses and non-profits can use them to increase efficiency and become more productive.

You can listen to Steve's tips and tricks here.

Don't Let the Fear of the Unknown Stop You

Today, in our 'Tips from the Top' podcast series, we take a look into the world of successful eBay/eCommerce entrepreneurs with Amy Hallowell of aandbdiscount.

Amy is an entrepreneur whose full-time business is selling online using both eBay and Amazon. Amy is also an Education Specialist Trained by eBay.

Amy has been selling on eBay full-time since 2006 and is an established powerseller. She is a true success story for those who question whether it's possible to have a full-time income from selling online.

While Amy shares many tips in this podcast, you'll want to hear her thoughts on not letting the fear of the unknown stop you.

You can listen to Amy's words of wisdom here.

Brooklyn Books and More!

Today, in our 'Tips from the Top' podcast series, we take a look into the world of successful eBay/eCommerce entrepreneurs with Jennifer Stevens of Brooklyn Books and More.

Jennifer is an eBay Certified Business Consultant, and an eBay Trading Assistant. She sells on eBay as well as on Amazon, half.com, alibris and other book sites.

In this podcast, Jennifer shares tips on customer service, communication and using loss leaders. And you'll definitely want to hear about one of her 'creative' sourcing techniques and how successful it's been for her!

You can listen right here.

Twitter: Mystery of the 140 Characters

I regularly post on a social networking site called Twitter. If you want the whole truth, I'm probably addicted to checking 'tweets.' Does that make me a 'twitter-holic'? But I digress.

Twitter is a free micro-blogging site where you can share thoughts and ideas with others using a maximum of 140 characters. That's it - 140 characters!

You can read more about Twitter here, find all sorts of associated applications here and get a start on Twitter vocabulary terms here.

So, why 140 characters? I don't know! I haven't found a definitive answer anywhere online.

This piqued my curiousity so I posed the question on Twitter and got a couple of interesting answers. One very plausible response came from the CEO of As Was and another great explanation came from the Insatiable Geisha.

Both said their replies were speculation. Does anyone really know? Would you care to venture a guess? I'd love to hear from you!

And if you hold the key the TRUE meaning of the 140 characters, please clue me in!

The Savvy Seller is Having an UnSavvy Moment :-(

Recently, when checking completed listings on eBay, I found something new. What a surprise (lol)!

As you may know, by looking at the 'Completed Listings' pages on the eBay site, you can check to see which items have and have not sold during the past two weeks.

Up until recently when you checked the Completed Listings, the prices would either be in bold green (meaning the item sold for that price) or in red (meaning the item didn't sell).

A couple of weeks ago, prices in BLACK started showing up. At first I thought it was something quirky to my computer but those prices in black are still there!

What do prices in black mean?

Unfortunately there hasn't been a consistent pattern that I can find. In most cases, it looks like the item didn't sell - so why is it not in red? Once in a while an item in black did sell - so why is it not in bold green? Does the format (auction, BIN, etc) make a difference?

If you are in the know, can you help The Savvy Seller become 'savvy' again??

eBay and Beyond Radio & The Savvy Seller

Join me - The Savvy Seller - today on Dave White's radio show - eBay and Beyond: Business to Basics!

The show starts at 10am EST and I'll be talking with Dave around 11am EST.

Tune in here and come visit the chat room too!

See you soon!