Day 1.3: Marketing Tips for Introverts

"Make money online by selling things? Get rich by being a sales affiliate? No thanks. Not for me." Anyone who knows me in real life can testify that I'm quiet, shy, and nothing like a salesman. As a kid I hated fundraisers of any kind, and later when I worked in my parents' bookstore I would intentionally try to look busy whenever a customer came in. Let's face it: I'm lousy at telling people to buy things, even if they're things I love.

When I first read about being a sales affiliate online, I didn't click on the link. I acted as if I hadn't seen it because there was no way I would ever be able to sell anyone anything. But I was wrong in my definition of marketing things online--so wrong that even now I'm shocked to find that it's so much easier than I thought it could ever be! Let me show you some of the tips I'm learning...

1. Amazon. Amazon has everything. Buying, selling, cheap deals or quality purchases, you can find it all on Amazon. My fiance goes so far as to even by shampoo and razors from Amazon, because it's so awesome. Why do I bring it up now? It's easy to become an Amazon Sales Associate. I just became one today, and it took no more than a couple minutes. Through Amazon, you can sell anything you want to and get part of the profit for every sale. You don't even have to advertise or do anything. Just put up a couple widgets and let the customers do the rest!
2. Sell what you love. It can be daunting for some of us to decide what to sell. If you don't associate yourself with any one product to begin with, then how can you start now? But there's a simple trick to it. Are you an artist? Sell your favorite brand of tools. Do you like to travel to exotic places? Sell travel guides. Don't worry about obsessing over your products; just pick products that will compliment you!
3. Windex. One of my favorite movies from about ten years ago is My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Simply put, it's a story about a girl with a very Greek family who falls in love with a guy whose family is very, well, not Greek. One of the quirkiest characters in this movie is Toula's dad, a passionate Greek... who's also passionate about Windex. Seriously, this guy believes Windex is a cure for anything. Whenever someone gets hurt, out comes the windex. If something needs work,  apply Windex. It doesn't feel like watching a commercial, it feels like watching a hilarious character pulling a brilliant gag throughout the show. But it worked. To this day my family still jokes about "Windex!" and the brand has been cemented in my mind as something that every home should have. You don't need to sell things so much as you need to like them. Have fun with a product. Bring it up and recommend it just as you would to a good friend.

Keep in mind that I'm still very new to this and have a lot of learning to do. It's very possible that I've made mistakes in my points or that this whole thing will totally flop. But hopefully I can spare a lot of people grief over learning what not to do as well as what to do. This is a learning experience, after all!

So ends day one of my money-making adventure. So far I've had about thirty visitors to this site, which I'll admit quite astounds me. With my previous blogs I'd be amazed if I could get ten visitors in a day, and those blogs were much better established! I'm excited to see where this is by the end of the month.

P.S. I know it helps to have a picture for each post, but I'm tired and Clipart isn't behaving tonight. Hopefully you can forgive me.