Socially|Mundane

The whole copybot thing is really a non issue except for some creators and the count of those is microscopic when taken into account the 'big picture' of the Second Life grid. However, there are many who express childish emotional knee-jerk reactions at the very mention of copybot or the misnomer: "copybot viewer". Many, if not most of these people are needlessly suffering stress-inducing panic-mode because sales are down. Some will say "way down". However, they aren't taking many things into consideration.

For 99.98% of you merchants and creators across the SL grid, sales are not 'down' because of copybot or these ripping-viewers (viewers that "rip" prims and textures like "ripping" music from a cd.) For the microscopic minority of you: perhaps. And that's only when the rippers turn around and resell your stuff - which is only temporary if you apply your DMCA rights and do so properly and seriously.

The truth is sales are down for many because of several reasons, but primarily it's because people don't want to buy your stuff. Or, they don't know your stuff is available to buy. Put simply: your stuff must be worth the price. Hell, your stuff must be worth 'ripping' even. I can easily attest to this as when I had the ripping-viewer I spoke of previous. I am an honest person (and have far too much to risk going about doing such things) - looking around, most of what I see in SL isn't even worth the effort, to be perfectly truthul about it.

We are coming out of Summer. Every year there seems to be a "Summer slump" in the economy, or at least in many merchants' sales (depending on your genre of business or service, of course.) Part of this is how the population of the grid dips in the Summer. Winter is coming. It's colder outside, so people will be staying inside more. And when they do that, they'll likely come in-world more and, by extension, shop more. Thus why the perception is 'historically' Winter is when sales tend to pick-up again. But the first life real world economy is in the toilet right now, and that will have a definite effect on the in-world economy.

My own business is running strong and smoothly and I am fortunate that I haven't experienced any perceptible slowdown in sales. However, I also am not idiot enough to actually make a go of relying on my pretend-business for any first life income - even to suppliment it. Rather I am quite happy to take my earnings and reinvest it back into the grid, first by covering all my costs (tier, shopping funds and so on) - then having ridiculous amounts of discretionary throw-away money - which I promtly donate to my favorite sims.

However, I also don't rely on that whole "build it and they will come" routine. I don't break my back at it, but I do actually manage my business. I have been in SL three years and in that time I've learned much in the way of selling in Second Life and there are a lot of idiosynchrosies that don't mesh-up with common business practices we might consider. I outline all this clearly in my book "Successful Business in Second Life." (Go buy a copy now and you'll thank me for it.) There will be a series of 15 selling tips that will be posted soon, each a summary of what I cover in-depth in this book. But that's for later.

Because I'm in a convivial mood, I'm going to throw some serious selling and business-management tips at you. I am about to pass along portions of my business recipes, which I consider my own "company secret". And the worst part is that I am going to tell you more or less how I do it. I really should change my mind right now....

Throughout my "SBSL" book I harp on one thing - the platinum rule of business: make it as easy as possible for anyone to give you their money.

Let us consider the 'hazards' of shopping in SL:

• Too many competitors and options. it is near impossible to easily find what you are really looking for. The entire grid is one gigantic shopping mall with bazillions of sales-vendors.
• Pricing for anything is ridiculously inconsistent and not an indicator of quality or usability.
• Quality is entirely hit or miss; often the quality is stunningly wonderful and better than you expect. But more frequently quality is subpar or even ridiculously sloppy - buyer's remorse sets-in fast.
• The concern over delivery issues; a purchase where (for whatever reason) the product is not delivered (that's never happened, right?)
• The fear that a product is not going to do what we want it to do, or not appear as advertised, etc.
  
• Too many creators take a negative attitude towrd you, the customer. Especially with no-copy items. They immediately assume you are trying to 'scam' them out of an extra copy. Though many are cordial, they are less than freindly and certainly not very cheerful when dealing with you.
  

The list can go on considerably, but you get the idea.
Making it 'easy as possible for your customer to give you their money' involves eliminating all these doubts for them. Handle the emotional and mental hurdles for them, the rest will fall in-line. First, you must believe in your product. If you believe in your product, you'll focus on quality and never be satisfied with it until it's perfect, and it never will be perfect. This is a good business attitude.

You seriously need to have some real faith in your customers. Of all the sales you make, even if that one customer claims they didn't receive what they purchased and are asking for another really is scamming you, so what? Just give a replacement without any question and with a big smile and a "thank you for your business." Is it really worth coming-off as curt and unapproachable because of that one in a hundred?

The fact is the overwhelming majority of people on the grid are naturally honest, and wouldn't even think of doing this, much less actually do it. Besides, if you believe in your product and the quality is high enough, word of mouth on your customer service will spread faster than any testimony about your product.

Now that you have true faith in your customer and really do believe in your product, keep this in mind: it costs you nothing but a touch of effort. You have an unlimited supply of inventory and throwing that product around willy-nilly costs you zip, zilch, nadda whatsoever. So why be anal about it?

Here is my business paradigm: and presales message to my customers:

• The sale is never final. You may request a refund within 72-hours, even on no-transfer items. This should be plenty of time for you to decide whether you are happy with my product.
• You may trade your product for a likewise product of a different style. At any time. Even if you bought it three years ago. Even if it's a no-transfer product.
• You may trade-up at any time by simply paying the difference in price. Even if you bought your product three years ago.
• You will receive updates for life (mine or yours, whichever ends sooner.)
• If the product ever breaks for any reason or goes missing, I will replace it cheerfully and as immediately as I am able without question. Even if you bought it three years ago.
• If you make a purchase and the product isn't delivered, notify me immediately and I will resend it, remotely even if I am offline.
• All I ask in return is your word-of-mouth advertisng. I am asking you to tell everyone you know, not as much about my product, but rather about my customer service and how important you are to me.

So, how can I make all these guarantees? With proper business management tools. Some of which I'll share with you now. First, grab an Apez iVend system - they're free. Use the server to remotely deliver any product to anyone who claims they didn't receive it, even when you are offline. An IM to email message will give you the name of the person IMing you. If you are not in-world, reply to the email (which replies to the IM in-world) and let them know you will remotely "resend" the itme to them.

Then go to the Apez web site and send the item to them. Have some good "consolation" gifts in there, too. Send that as well and thank them for their business and inconvenience. They don't care that the grid is wonky right now. They just want their product. How often have you waited, biting your nails because some creator of a product that didn't arrive is off-line - and then wondering if they will treat you suspiciously and balk at sending you a 'replacement'?

Additionally, my products include a "tracker" script. Every single time that product changes hands, I get a report that looks like this in email (this is an actuall report with the buyer's name changed):


I will know immediately if someone is "scamming" me because if "Philip" gives it to someone else, I'll get another report. No, it's not a question of trust or lack of faith. I use the script as a tool I use for my resellers. I don't use "commission" vendors. I actually sell the real product at a discount and this tracker helps me to know where the sales are occuring so I can use the data to help my resellers. But the side benefit is in knowing when the product is transferred from one account to another. Obviously this applies to no-copy, transferrable items.

As for copy items, how can I offer refunds or trades?

I include a content-locker script (XSL Image at top). This allows me to "ban" any particular person from using the product (and it is made known up-front, so nothing sinister or secretive going on here). If a refund is requested, I give the refund then "disable" that product for that person. If they change their mind and repay the sales price, I can 're-enable' the product they already have in their inventory.

Now imagine the peace-of-mind all my shoppers have when considering my product in the knowledge that no matter what, I will refund their money if they aren't satisfied. I have yet to have a single person even ask about it in three years.

As for the 'gifting' of no-transfer items: I use the Giftex system which allows me to plop all the different styles of a similar product (which all sell for the same price) into a server (and a server for each 'genre' of product,) then sell the transferable "voucher certificate". As a gift certificate it's wonderful because the receiver of the gift (or the purchaser, of course) can now choose which style of the product they want (color, shape, whatever). The certificate destroys itself on delivery of the product proper.

As for the 'fear' of people pulling scripts and animations out of my transferrable items (read: fear of copybot or ripping-viewers) there's a script for that, too (though I don't use it currently) by Rumbler Boa called "Prim Content Protector" (vendor image immediately above) which, if one article of a prim's content is moved into a user's inventory, the rest are automatically deleted.

I also pay close attention to where my potential customers are coming from with Kerhop Seattle's "Visitor Source Tracker" - this helps me to know how effective each of my marketing efforts are and where I need to concentrate further work. I know when my visitors arrive by searching "All" or from a landmark I include in a notecard, or one given to them by someone else (a referral) and so on.

There are many other "business secrets" I employ and most of it doesn't require very much effort at all (all outlined in my book - buy it now while you're thinking about it.) It comes down to the whole 'work smarter, not harder' paradigm. But before all of that, it is most important to believe in your product enough, concentrate on quality and focus on your customer satisfaction and people will want to buy your stuff.

Have some killer faith in your customer and stop worrying about copybot, ripping-viewers and scammers. Because when you have happy, satisfied customers, they will support and stand-by you. They will buy from you again. They will bring and send their friends. They will spread a very positive word of mouth - not about your products per se, but rather about you. And that is priceless marketing you just couldn't pay for.

Make it easy as possible for anyone to give you their money.