AF241 - The Real Truth About Selling on Amazon in 2022

In today’s episode of The Amazon Files, we are going to have an honest, vulnerable conversation about the truth of what’s happening out in the Amazon world. Because honestly, I’m feeling sad and disappointed and a little bit frustrated, and it feels like there are some things I need to address when it comes to swimming around in that world. I recently had an email from someone who took a course with a so-called guru guaranteeing that they would be generating thousands in sales of their own private-label item by the end of the course. This person wound up spending $12,000 on a product that’s just sitting in an Amazon warehouse, mostly unsold, and more than another $8,000 on other costs. And they wrote to me at their wit’s end, asking for some light at the end of this tunnel they’re stuck in.

This person isn’t alone—I hear from so many people who have been burned by fake gurus promising instant, spectacular success that they can’t (and probably don’t intend to) deliver on. As a teacher of Amazon courses, and a teacher in general, this breaks my heart. So my first piece of advice today is when you come across someone whose promises seem too good to be true, do your due diligence. Everybody leaves a digital footprint these days, so do a little searching online and see if their presence matches the story they’re selling you before buying into their teaching. And my second piece of advice is that you need to understand that selling on Amazon can be hard and that it’s going to take several years for you to build a business that’s comfortable and sustainable. Nothing worth building comes quick and easy, and nobody with integrity will try to convince you it does, so steer clear of people promising get-rich-quick Amazon schemes. That said, there are courses and teachers out there (me included!) who do want to give you support and guidance; you just have to make sure that their approach aligns with your ultimate goals. So my third piece of advice this week is to spend time figuring out what your goal is, what’s the thing that you’re willing to put time and effort into, and then be persistent and consistent in pursuing it. There are lots of distractions on the way to your destination—including webinars and gurus—and everyone is designed to keep you off the path you’re on and stop you doing the work to get where you want to be. It’s impossible to avoid them all, life is gonna get in your way, but if you know what you want and never give up, you will reach your goals, and it will be worth the work. And, if you’re really struggling to figure it out, take my fourth piece of advice and get in touch with me for some help and guidance in finding the right path for you. Just be careful what you wish for—I will ask the hard questions because I actually care. This brings me to my last piece of advice for this episode: be curious and ask questions, especially of yourself. Get in touch with your inner four-year-old and ask those hard “Why?” questions to get to the bottom of what you really want and what the best path is to achieve it.

A great place to find a sense of community and belonging is the Amazon Files and Mommy Income community. You can join our Facebook group with today’s codeword TRUTH to learn more about bundling, ask questions, and participate in the conversation with other sellers. And if you’re ready to take your business to a whole new level, visit MommyIncome.com/Coach to schedule your one-on-one coaching call today.

This week on the Amazon Files:

• False gurus and bully marketing
  
• The real keys to success
  
• Figuring out your ultimate goal
  
• Detours from your destination
  
• Hard work is the road to success
  
• The importance of being persistent and consistent
  
• Knowing what is worth your time and effort
  
• Being curious and asking questions
  
  

“The truth is no one’s going to tell you that this is hard. No one’s going to tell you that business is hard. No one’s gonna tell you that it takes several years to build something comfortable and sustainable. No one’s going to tell you that you’re not going to spend a lot of time or money upfront learning and practicing, you know why? Because that stuff doesn’t sell, right?”

- Kristin Ostrander

WATCH:

LISTEN:

Quotes:

“I would love to say that I’m excited about today’s topic. But unfortunately, I’m sad and disappointed and a little bit frustrated. And so there’s… just feels like some necessary things I need to address when it comes to swimming around in the Amazon world right now. And I want to be upfront and honest with you like I am all the time.”

“The reality is, people want to tell you all about the results and the benefits and the transformations and all this stuff, which all can be very real. But there’s also people out there that are just trying to make a dollar. And they will literally tell you anything, truth or not, just to make a dollar.”

“Some are blowing smoke, a lot of people are blowing smoke. As a teacher of Amazon courses, as a teacher in general, as someone who desires to see people succeed, it really breaks my heart.”

“I’m not asking you to be Debbie Downer or be always skeptical of every single thing. But just literally in five minutes, I realized that the people that were giving me this presentation and wanting me to spend thousands of dollars on their course that was going to make me millions, a quick five-minute Facebook search, and YouTube search, and Instagram search showed me that this is not the truth of these people’s lives.”

“I know, you guys, I’m not for everybody. I got an email from a lady that she told me she loves my training and my teaching, but she hates my high-pitched voice. And could I make transcripts, so she doesn’t have to hear me talk? That’s literally, these are emails that I get.”

“I started as a stay-at-home mom with a hundred dollars with some thrifted books to sell on Amazon. That’s not a sexy start. After even after grossing a million dollars a year for over five years, I still don’t have a Benz in the driveway of my mansion.”

“Despite what you might think, I’m actually not here to sell you courses. My life’s purpose is really to lead people to success.”

“I like to see people reach their potential and to change their own lives and be proud of their accomplishments and move forward and have a happy, peaceful life that they deserve. And that’s gonna come with some education and learning and planning and coaching and mentorship and leadership. I’m here to guide you, if you want your life to change.”

“Just a couple of keys is persistence and consistency. But the biggest, most important thing is you have to know what you want. What is your ultimate goal here? In anything? We’re talking about business, yes, especially specifically on Amazon. The real truth about selling online and ecommerce, you have to figure out what you want most, your ultimate end goal.”

“Maybe working at Starbucks gives you peace and comfort and not as much responsibility, and you just go in and do your job and punch out and come home. And that is worth it to you. Then if that’s what you really want, what is the ultimate goal? Figure out what you want most, and be consistent and persistent in pursuing it.”

“The important thing to grasp here is that most of the distractions are designed to keep you off the path that you’re on. They’re keeping you from doing the necessary work to arrive at your intended destination.”

“I don’t care if you sell on Amazon or not. I don’t care if you decide that e-commerce isn’t for you. I care about you, as a person, as a business owner, as a friend, with or without Amazon. When I started Mommy Income nearly eight years ago, it was to help people succeed. Your success is my success.”

“Life will get in the way. But don’t miss this part. If you can define where you want to go, and you consistently and persistently keep on that journey, you will arrive.”

“The big fancy cars, the mansions, the huge numbers, the ‘Make twenty grand your first month!’ sounds more appealing than hard work and setbacks and consistency, doesn’t it? But if you see anyone, anyone who has success at anything, that’s exactly how they got there. They worked really hard.”

“Any successful person that you see, they never gave up. They had bad days, they wanted to quit many times. They had hard days, they had long hours and failed products. They started and stopped many times. But in the end, they kept moving forward to what they wanted.”

“The real truth about selling on Amazon doesn’t have anything to do with Amazon. It doesn’t have anything to do with software programs that you use, or PPC campaigns, or even the product that you’re trying to sell. The real truth is, are you consistent and persistent at pursuing what you want?”

“Now I run my business a couple days a week with a generous six-figure salary. But I didn’t start that way. I was willing to work eighty hours a week in the beginning so that I could work two days ten years from that.”

“No matter who you listen to, no matter what information you consume, it won’t work unless you do. It won’t work unless you take action.”

“Not everything is for everyone. You’ve tried things for a while, you give it your all and realize, like, I just don’t like this, I don’t enjoy it, or it’s sucking the life out of me. And there are certain things, strategies, and purposes, and plans we can put in place, some processes to lighten the load because that might be the problem. But the real problem might be I just don’t like this.”

“In order to get closer to where you want to go, there’s all kinds of work that’s going to need to be done. And it doesn’t work unless you take the action and do the work, and you will be so thankful, and it will be so worth it for you if you actually do that. So be willing to ask yourself and answer the hard questions. The ‘why?’ questions.”

“Figure out what is going to be the best path - not the easiest or fastest path - the best path, the most enjoyable path for me to get from where I am right now to that ‘In a perfect world,’ to that ultimate goal, to that ultimate feeling or destination of desire.”

Related Content:

• 2022 Workshops - Coupon code: workshop50
  
• Wholesale Bundle System
  
• Email questions
  
• Learn With Us
  
• Coaching
  
• The Amazon Files Hub
  
  

Grow Your Amazon Business!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Amazon Files, the show to help Amazon sellers along their business journey one step at a time with Amazon expert and your host, Kristin Ostrander. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us your honest review. Don’t forget to share your favorite episodes with your friends on social media! Use the codeword TRUTH to join us on Facebook. Each week, Kristin hosts a live discussion on how to grow your Amazon business. Don’t forget to check out our website and subscribe to our mailing list for even more resources.