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Networking for Growth - Leveraging Connections in the Amazon eCommerce Ecosystem with Liz Downing · Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, what's going on?
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: This is Will Hare with Selling on Giants.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Today's guest, Liz Downing, is going to talk about networking for growth, what it's like leveraging Amazon communities.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: These are communities of other sellers or service providers who are building group grouping their knowledge together in order to achieve growth on these marketplaces.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: There's tons of them out there.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm excited we got to sit down with Liz from the e-commerce cooperative and dive into what makes their community unique and how they drive value for sellers.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Let's jump in.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: Hi, I'm Liz Downing.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm the partnership director at the e-comm cooperative.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: I've been in the e-commerce space for almost 10 whole years, and I'm really, really happy to be here.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: And to be the connector in the e-commerce space, that sounds like a really uh busy, busy job.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: So, what what does it look like for you in your role at the e-commerce cooperative?
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: So the e-com cooperative is sort of a connection hub between the seller space in e-commerce and the service provider space.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: So we are free for all sellers and brand owners to engage with our content, to have access to resources on our website, which are growing, um, to be part of our WhatsApp community and to attend our in-person events.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: And then we uh power that with our relationships with uh vetted service providers in the industry.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Beautiful.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, so how did you guys get started?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it was during COVID, and David Dayan, who is the CEO and founder of Amazon Experts, Yoni Mazor, who is the CGO and co-founder of Getita, Frank Acosta, who had an agency called Creative Percent, and Lenny Ash and Jason Hannon, who are the founders and creators of AZ Seller Kit, among other organizations that they uh run, were routinely taking sellers and brand owners out to dinner.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: And um there weren't a lot of conferences, obviously, because COVID was at it at its height, but they're all based in the New York, New Jersey area.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: We know that that's a place really, really heavy with sellers.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so David had this aha moment one night and was like, you know what, we could do a lot more.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: We could do bigger events, we could do big giveaways.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: There's actually a video on our YouTube channel that talks about how um how the the e comm cooperative actually started, but it started off with a great big seller mania webinar giving away a bunch of services and and um and value to the seller community, and it's just sort of grown from there.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: I've been on the board since it started, and then I came over to work here full-time in January of this year.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: So we're changing things, but at the heart of it, it was the service provider community giving back to sellers, and it was all David's idea.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's cool.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: I like the concept the service provider community giving back to sellers.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's pretty awesome.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: So if I'm a seller, what are some of the benefits of uh of of following and joining the uh the cooperative?
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: What uh what what do you guys help the most with?
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I'll start with the the passive benefit benefits, which are invitations to webinars that are packed with great content and often have a giveaway aspect to it.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we share content created by our partners like Bellovics so that they can learn more and get tips on how to be profitable, tips on advertising, tips on every aspect of their business, but they also get invited to our in-person events, which are sort of legendary.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I think probably the biggest benefit is that if a seller or a brand owner is having a pain point, they can come to us and we can help make recommendations on who they can work with to solve that pain point.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: We vet all of our partners very carefully.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: We only work with good actors in the space, and we understand the nuances of offerings across the different verticals that exist in the service provider community.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: So it actually really solidifies me.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: I was talking to a brand owner that I'm friends with at Prospero Show at this last Prospero Show this year.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: And he we had all of our the logos of our partners on our booth, and he said, he thought for a minute and he said, So all these guys on this on this booth behind you, if I have a problem, you'll you'll tell me which of these guys I should use.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, Yeah, absolutely.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not gonna tell you just one because we have lots of companies that we work with, but I can tell you what your options are and who I recommend, or I can give you a list of options, tell you what I know about them, and you can pick which one you want an intro to.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: And he was like, Yeah, I'm gonna sign up for that.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: Because as we know in e-commerce, there are a ton of service providers and there are more entering this space every day.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: There are new companies cropping up.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, just walk around a trade show like Prosper Show and you'll see that there are brand new companies entering this space all the time.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: So uh being able to understand that that landscape and then being able to help sellers and brand owners navigate that is probably our biggest value point.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: But luckily, the the merchant community doesn't need help every single day.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: So in the meantime, we like give them tips on how to be more successful.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: Beautiful.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: I like it.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Do you guys have any uh success stories you could share of a brand you connected with, a good service provider that helped them uh kind of get through some type of challenge or problem?
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, sure.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, anywhere from people getting ASIN suspended to getting a fast resolution on that.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: We had a brand that came to us not too long ago that said that they were having trouble with um with that and with expanding internationally.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: And the the beauty of all of these interactions we have is that it's a pretty quick resolution.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: So somebody can come to us and say, I have this problem, and we can say, Okay, talk to this person, and then because the service providers that we work with are responsive and great, then they get on the phone with that merchant and say, Okay, tell me your problem.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: And then the problem usually gets solved faster because it's sort of a fast track into the inbox or to the phone number of that service provider that we recommend.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: Nice.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: That is pretty odd.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: It pays to be uh in the who's no, and you guys are primarily focused on Amazon and uh the marketplaces around in the beginning, it was all about Amazon, but that's kind of all of us, isn't it?
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: But we um we're we're I we're completely Switzerland when it comes to marketplace.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: As long as someone is an online seller, we have a resource for the, you know, a multiple resources for them.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: And as you know, service providers in the industry are expanding their offerings to multi-channel as well.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: So people who used to solely just do Amazon advertising or just do Amazon fulfillment or logistics have uh shifted to supporting an omnichannel approach because that's the direction that brands are going.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Beautiful.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I mean covered a lot here, and uh, I could see the value in the networking, obviously, in just the community aspect, but um what should a service provider consider when choosing a partner for co-marketing?
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that's another thing.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: So I didn't really talk about the benefit of the e comm cooperative to the service provider community.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, obviously, we've got a big network of sellers and brand owners that we have in our audience and through all of our partners, but what we do for service providers is among other things, help them choose partners for co-marketing.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: So the marketer in me is a little different than the community um coordinator in me.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: So when you're choosing a partner, you have to think about several things, right?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: You have to think about what's that partner's list like, who's their ICP?
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: Because if their ICP is widely different from yours, then the leads that you get or the leads that you share might not be a beneficial for either of you, right?
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: But you also need to think about how both of you approach the industry ideologically too.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it's great to work with partners that you get along with.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: So there are a number of, and you need to pick and choose too.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: If you've got a great content voice with someone else and you can create a lot of value, then maybe that's more about the pure value of content than it is about a lead play.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: So you've got to sort of balance your co-marketing between the value that you provide to the community and the value you get in terms of ROI.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a balancing act.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: And what we like to do is help service providers by being sort of a fractional marketing arm of their organization and say, okay, what are your pain points?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: And how can we use our marketing expertise and our connections in the space to help you solve those pain points?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: So I have a background where I was in the marketing department of two different software companies in the e-commerce space prior, and I know what it's like to be a service provider who has the audience and is seeking the audience of sellers and brand owners.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: So we're able to give some advice, make some connections, and help amplify a service provider's marketing to get them in front of more sellers and brand owners.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Beautiful.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Sounds like uh just a great collaboration, and you guys are just the intermediary uh between some brands and great service providers.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, what now, what are the costs for uh for a seller to be uh part of this community?
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: There is no cost for a seller to be part of this community.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: That that was the that that's the main marching order for all of the stuff that we do.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: We do support some conferences that you have to pay to go to, like we're part of we're partnered with The Prosper Show, and you know, we're a partner with Chris McCabe, who does the seller velocity conference.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: There are a couple others that people have to pay to go to, but for our events, um, we do dinners, we do mastermind networking events, and that's there's never a cost for a seller or brand owner to attend those.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: And all of our content is free to the community, and all of this advice that we give.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: If somebody calls me on the phone and asks me, hey, can you help me with this problem?
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: We don't charge them for that.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a hundred percent free for sellers and brand owners.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: Beautiful.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: Sounds like it sounds like a no-brainer.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, it sounds like there's lots of uh great content to help these brands uh get over whatever obstacles that are that are in their way.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Liz, you have any last words for uh for our sellers, our listeners around um uh leveraging their network for growth and being a part of a community.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: One thing that I love about this industry is the community that exists in the seller, brand owner, merchant space.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: You guys love hearing from each other.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: The most popular sessions at Prosper Show are the think tanks because that's when sellers sit around tables together, talk about pain points, talk about tips, and really get each other's perspectives.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I love the collaboration and sharing that happens among merchants themselves.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: And there are lots of times where they don't want service providers in the room.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they want to be able to draw off of each other's experiences, to share experiences, to say, hey, this happened, make sure it doesn't happen to you.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: They want open communication.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: And it didn't used to be like that.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: I've been in the e-commerce space since 2014, and I remember when sellers would not give up any secrets.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: There were no hacks, there were no 27 tips, there were no nothing, no content like that.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: That's why it's still so popular, because those of us that have been around for such a long time remember when it was such a black box of information and sellers didn't want to give tips to each other, but now they do, and I love that.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I will say that the service provider community that we're a part of cares so much about the entrepreneurship and the success of these businesses that it is really heartwarming.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: I love this industry, I love both sides of it.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: I love the service providers, I love the sellers, and I just feel really lucky to be able to do what I do every day.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Liz, thanks so much for being here.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: It was great chit chat, wouldn't you?
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, please let our let our viewers know where they can find you.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: We're at the ecomcooperative.com.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: My email address is liz at the ecomcooperative.com.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: You just click that join button at the top of the screen and it'll take you to a contact page where you fill out your information and then boom, you're in.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's that easy.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: Beautiful.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, this is Will Hare with selling on giants, signing off.