I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had a conversation with a business owner who has wanted me to help them set up their systems, whether that’s:
- Creating an automated system to deliver their free report
- Having a system in place so that attendees can register for their teleclasses
- Creating a system so that customers can purchase products and/or programs via their website
All of these business owners have ONE thing in common – they want the system to make it all work, but they’re not prepared to INVEST in the right system.
I usually tell them that if they want to do all of the above (and more) they need an all-in-one ecommerce system, such as 1ShoppingCart** or Infusionsoft**, which can do all of the above, plus so much more!
The response I usually get to this advice is, “I can’t afford it”, or “I don’t want to make that kind of investment”. But what they are really saying is, “I’m not serious about my business so I don’t want to pay for that kind of system.”
Here’s the thing… when you don’t have the right system in place
- You make it difficult for clients to do business with you
- You make it difficult for you to run your business
- You lose revenues
So today I want to share with you my top five reasons why having an all-in-one ecommerce system is CRUCIAL to your business success:
1. Your Client Database Is All Together In One Place. If you’ve ever tried to fudge together two different systems to make everything work (the voice of experience is talking to you here!), then you know exactly the kind of hassle you’re setting yourself up for. You have some clients in one database, other clients in the other database, and even clients in both databases. This makes sending out broadcasts, emails, and other materials messy. Some clients may get them once, some twice, and some not at all!
2. Easily Upgrade To Paid Programs And Products. When you’re ready to start introducing paid programs and products into your business it’s easy to do. You already have the infrastructure in place, so it’s just a case of adding in the shopping cart elements, and you’re ready to start accepting payments.
3. Tracking Your Business Is Easy. One area that business owners ignore is their numbers. They very rarely look at their broadcast rates, open rates, sources of new subscribers, or any other important data that will tell them how their business is doing, which will help them plan effectively for future revenues. When you’re using an all-in-one ecommerce system, all the critical business planning data is right there at your fingertips, so you always know how your business is performing. And you can make adjustments accordingly.
4. Create Your Own Personal Sales Army. Once your business has grown to a certain level, you’ll be ready to add an Affiliate Program to it. An affiliate program is basically your own personal sales army of affiliates who recommend your products and programs to their networks. This is a great way to automate sales and widen your networking reach, without you having to do any additional work … your affiliates do the work for you. And when you are using an all-in-one ecommerce system, adding this piece to your business is really simple. The affiliate program is part of the all-in-one ecommerce system, so it’s right there waiting for you to use it.
5. Automate and Streamline. My favorite part about all of this is when you’re running your entire business through just the ONE system, you can very easily automate and streamline a large part of your business activities, from upselling to products and programs, to marketing. What could be more hassle-free than that!
Having an all-in-one ecommerce system in place is at the heart of running a thriving and profitable online business. If you are serious about building your online business, don’t even consider any other option. Make the decision now to invest in the right system that will grow as your business grows.
