E105: The Formula for Success on Amazon for Retailers by Andy Heck
11/12/21 Nick Uresin
Alpin Haus President, Andy Heck started out as a retailer before eventually diving into the online side of the business. As he learned the ins and outs of Amazon selling, he was also able to build an adaptable and efficient system to stay on top of the game. In this episode, Nick and Andy reveal the secret formula for a successful Amazon career as a retailer. Stay tuned to learn more about the do’s and dont’s, best practices, and important things to remember when choosing what products to sell, managing your staff, selecting a suitable shipping method, protecting your pricing margin, considering pay-per-click campaigns, and preparing for unexpected events and peak seasons. We can not prepare for everything that happens, but we can certainly prepare ourselves to face them and win them.
“You have to look at products that are worth your while and whether you are protected from a pricing standpoint. You don’t want to go through all the effort, and then find out that you make zero margins on it.” -Andy Heck
Episode Highlights:
- 02:01 Jumping Into Online Retail
- 06:26 Benefits of FBA
- 10:24 Adapting to the Amazon Environment
- 14:41 Preparing for the Unexpected Twists
- 20:23 Protect Your Pricing Margin
- 27:14 How Long Does It Take To Get ROI
- 31:45 What About Advertising and Pay-Per-Click?
- 33:13 Do’s and Dont’s for Retailers
- 38:17 3 Things to Remember
Inspirational Quotes:
04:46 “It’s about finding the products that you can do well with online. It doesn’t have to be something overly sexy. It’s just something that people want to go on and buy and need and offer convenience.” -Andy Heck
07:43 “Customer experience is what Amazon is selling. And that means all the sellers have to meet the same kind of standards that Amazon expects.” -Nick Uresin
10:16 “You cannot prepare for everything because it’s always changing. Amazon is also changing the rules all the time.” -Nick Uresin
11:15 “When the brand wants to cut out the retailer, eventually the retailers find different products. And that’s a cycle.” -Andy Heck
20:51 “You have to look at products that are worth your while and whether you are protected from a pricing standpoint. You don’t want to go through all the effort, and then find out that you make zero margins on it.” -Andy Heck
24:28 “Not everything’s allowed to be sold, and not everything makes sense.” -Andy Heck
27:52 “Don’t expect anything for about six months. You have to give it a year to understand what can be accomplished, and then start scaling it from that point.” –Nick Uresin
35:18 “Don’t neglect. If you get Amazon reviews, you have to react quickly… Communication is key.” -Andy Heck
36:25 “Sometimes, it’s nobody’s fault. Things just happen. But if there’s something you can control, make sure it doesn’t happen again.” -Andy Heck
36:38 “Amazon’s business strategy always is: Be Prepared.” -Nick Uresin
Meet Your Guest!
Andy Heck is the President & Co-Owner of Alpin Haus a retailer of skis and apparel, boats, RVs, swimming pools, spas, and snowmobiles. Alpin Haus is a 2nd generation family business founded by Bud Heck and John Daly as a ski shop in 1964. Andy’s brother, sister, daughter, son, and daughter-in-law all work full time in the business. Today, it has grown to 6 locations in the Albany NY area, downstate, and Northern NJ.
- Website: www.alpinhaus.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/alpinhaus
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/alpinhaus
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alpinhausskipool/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-heck-9750035/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxC9y2KFqd2JzModXbsotAo0s6th9W9IY
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/alpinhaus/
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