The Ecommerce Influence Podcast

Chase Dimond is a prolific email marketer who is making a lot of noise in the eCommerce arena. In 2018, he launched an email marketing agency called Boundless Labs that supports 6-9 figure eCommerce companies. Since then, he and his team have helped their clients send hundreds of millions of emails resulting in over $50 million in email attributable revenue.

Chase joins us on today's episode to share his knowledge on email marketing for eCommerce. He offers specific and tangible actions you can take to drive more sales and increase your email marketing revenue, talks about what works in email and what doesn't, how to optimize your opt-ins, and how to find talented copywriters.

Enjoy!

• 4:26 The Bernie Singles Case Study
• 8:10 Common misconceptions about email marketing
• 10:05 Chase's early career in email marketing
• 14:02 How Chase took complete ownership of his marketing funnel
• 17:54 The easiest ways to increase your eCommerce revenue with email marketing
• 20:09 How to maximize your email opt-ins
• 22:31 Does gamification work for opt-ins?
• 23:36 Chase's email diagnostic checklist
• 27:27 What types of products should be invested in email marketing
• 32:09 The future of SMS marketing and what is overhyped
• 36:41 How to find talented copywriters and designers
• 39:53 Resources that helped Chase build Boundless Labs
• 42:47 What motivates Chase to stay committed to email marketing

• Chase Dimond's Website
• Chase Dimond on Twitter
• Boundless Labs
• Ecommerce Email Marketing Course by Chase Dimond
• Pura Vida Bracelets
• Privy
• Klaviyo
• PostScript
• Seth Godin
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Do you want to unlock massive growth or stay small? If you're unsure why your eCommerce business isn't growing, this episode is for you.

Over the last five years, I've worked with businesses that have grown from $100K per month to $1MM per month, and I've worked with businesses that have continued to stay small, despite their desire for growth.

In this bonus episode, I'm sharing the 9 reasons why your eCommerce business isn't growing, and how you can change that.

If you're ready to unlock growth in your business, without sacrificing your health, personal life, or family, you need to check out Intentional Wealth. It's an 8-week accelerator for eCommerce business owners that kicks off July 7. The enrollment period is open now, and the program is filling up quickly. Get the details here.

Episode Highlights:

• 2:51 Reason #1 why your eCommerce business isn't growing: You're scarcity focused
• 4:12 Reason #2: You aren't keeping up when the game changes
• 5:24 Reason #3: Superhero Syndrome
• 7:23 Reason #4 why your eCommerce business isn't growing: You aren't managing your cash
• 8:35 Reason #5: You're transaction-focused instead of transformation-focused
• 11:20 Reason #6: You're focused on tactics instead of strategy
• 12:46: Reason #7: You don't know what you want or what your business is
• 16:31 Reason #8 why your eCommerce business isn't growing: You think in terms of cost, not investment
• 18:12 Reason #9: You're trying to do it all alone.

Links and Resources:

• Intentional Wealth
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Three-time returning guest Andrew Youderian is back on today's show. Andrew is a well-known entrepreneur in the eCommerce space, host of the eCommerce Fuel Podcast and the owner of the eCommerce Fuel forum.

In this episode, we do some big picture thinking on what's next in eCommerce, what we've seen coming and going, Facebook trends and the future of Amazon. We also touch on brand building, emerging channels to pay attention to and what we think is on the horizon.

• 5:39 Fast-paced growth and what's next in eCommerce
• 8:39 The state of Amazon for eCommerce sellers
• 13:00 Is Facebook advertising going to be a thing of the future or the past?
• 18:46 Why Andrew Youderian doesn't think Facebook is the path to sustainable growth
• 23:40 Strategies for owning your relationship with your community
• 28:10 Are you still experiencing asymmetric returns?
• 32:42 How to take advantage of emerging channels to grow your audience
• 35:49 Why Andrew closed the eCommerce Fuel job board
• 40:04 Exciting new tools and the future of Facebook groups
• 45:47 Why social trust is critical to the success of businesses

• eCommerce Fuel
• eCommerce Fuel Podcast
• Andrew Youderian on Twitter
• eCommerce Fuel Podcast with Kevin Stecko: Shrinking a Business to Save It
• The My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast with Steve Chou
• Reddit
• Circle
• Podcast 106: Building a Business with Andrew Youderian
• Podcast 006: From The Corporate World To Selling His First ECommerce Store And Much More – Andrew Youderian, ECommerce Fuel
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

At least that's what Val Geisler - email marketing conversion copywriter, strategist for B2C startups and Customer Evangelist at Klaviyo - has to say. Val has been a part of the eCommerce community for a long time and is a master at the art of conducting meaningful customer research that translates into copy that converts.

Val joins us today to dive deep into email marketing for eCommerce brands, marketing automation, copywriting, and how you can use words to increase the perceived value of your brand. We also talk about how to improve your email flows, how you should be using SMS, and what it means to build your acquisition flywheel.

If you want to learn how to set up email flows and automations, check out our Email Growth Guide and Intensive Course inside the Coalition.

• 4:18 The easiest way to write copy that converts
• 8:27 How to conduct meaningful customer research
• 12:16 Val's new role at Klaviyo
• 21:40 The emails you absolutely need to do customer research for
• 26:13 Val's approach to balancing qualitative and quantitative data
• 32:06 Klaviyo's SMS product update
• 36:54 How do upgrade your flows with SMS
• 41:31 Ways you can optimize your abandoned cart
• 47:31 The power of marketing automation
• 52:00 How to design your customer acquisition flywheel
• 55:29 Val's Email Marketing Hall of Fame

• Val Geisler's Website
• Klaviyo
• Rev.com
• Otter.ai
• Enjoy HQ
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

John Warrillow is the founder of The Value Builder System, a Top 10 Forbes Ranked Podcast host, and author of Built to Sell, a best-selling book that's helped over 50,000 businesses build more valuable companies. Throughout his career, he's founded and exited four companies and now dedicates his time to helping entrepreneurs sell their own for higher multiples.

Listen now for John's most valuable advice on the secret to a successful exit, key pillars for being built to sell, how to create more value in your business, and the biggest mistakes he sees entrepreneurs make when trying to do this on their own.

• 6:49 The secret to having a successful exit
• 12:04 How much you should get for your business
• 19:26 The number one job you have as a business owner
• 23:58 Why so few entrepreneurs turn pro
• 28:49 Tactical ways you can increase the long term value of your business
• 36:20 The power of taking a pause in entrepreneurship
• 43:54 The biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when selling their business
• 49:49 What to do if you are forced to take an earnout

• John Warrilow's Website (Click "Free Gifts" for bonuses from John)
• Built to Sell Radio
• Built to Sell
• The Automatic Customer
• The Art of Selling Your Business
• The Membership Economy
• Podcast 235: A Behind The Scenes Look At Pura Vida's Multi-Million Dollar Exit
• Podcast 296: The Keys To A 9-Figure Exit: How Moiz Ali Sold Native For $100MM
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Here to help you keep up is my good friend Brett Curry. Brett is an entrepreneur, eCommerce strategist, and host of the eCommerce Evolution podcast. He leads an incredibly talented team at OMG Commerce, and today we're diving into what's new in eCommerce.

We talk about the future of eCommerce advertising and who should be most concerned about upcoming privacy changes. Brett shares his formula for creating consistently great content, I share what makes lucrative subscription models work, and we touch on how our roles as CEOs and operators have evolved as our businesses have grown.

• 4:44 The future of eCommerce: A return to the renaissance
• 8:26 Google's changes to audience targeting and attribution
• 11:29 Why agencies and freelancers should be weary of privacy changes
• 19:12 The formula for consistently creating high-converting content
• 28:02 Why subscription models aren't going away anytime soon
• 31:13 How to make a subscription model work for your business
• 35:51 Three types of subscription models to consider
• 42:31 How to keep up with the speed of change in business
• 44:32 What being a basketball coach and CEO have in common
• 48:10 Austin's perspective shift on his role in business
• 53:43 Check out the eCommerce Evolution Podcast

• OMG Commerce
• eCommerce Evolution Podcast
• Brett Curry on Twitter
• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath
• The Automatic Customer by John Warrillow
• The Art of Selling Your Business by John Warrillow
• The Membership Economy by John Warrillow
• Podcast 295: Building A $100MM Brand: The Story Behind Snow Teeth Whitening
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Sean D'Souza, author of The Brain Audit, founder of Psychotactics, and host of The Three Month Vacation Podcast, is a Marketing Strategist and expert on consumer psychology. He's one of the most articulate and well-spoken people I've met in the field of marketing and he's here to help you figure out why you aren't selling as much as you should.

In this episode, Sean sets the record straight on the number one reason your customers back out of a purchase. We also dive into how to ease your customer's fears, the importance of having a uniqueness factor, and how to start understanding your customers in a deeper way so you can stop losing customers.

Sean is giving a training inside of the Coalition on May 11th called, "Buy Your Life Back: How to Raise Prices and Not Lose Customers". Apply to join the Coalition today so you don't miss out.

• 4:23 Why Sean D'Souza created "psychotactics"
• 6:41 What stops people from taking a 3-month vacation
• 10:57 The best way to stop losing customers
• 19:30 Why your business needs to have a uniqueness factor
• 25:12 How to come up with your uniqueness factor
• 32:15 Unpacking the misconception around sales
• 37:07 Tiger Woods' iconic shot and what it has to do with your customers
• 40:58 How to start understanding your customer in a deeper way
• 45:04 Learn more about Sean D'Souza
• 47:08 Sean's top recommendation for a vacation destination

• Sean D'Souza's Website
• The Three Month Vacation Podcast
• The Brain Audit: Why Customers Buy (And Why They Don't)
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Steve Chou, host of the My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast, has built a large business that only requires the help of one VA. From managing a robust social media calendar to tackling email marketing, Steve has cracked the code on how to do more with less.

Steve and I share a joint passion for helping entrepreneurs build businesses that don't consume their entire life. If you've been feeling overworked and bogged down in the weeds of your business, this episode is for you. Tune in to hear how we've freed up our time by automating five key areas of our businesses: hiring, social media, email marketing, our inbox, and project management.

• 4:10 Automation #1: Your hiring process
• 10:18 Automation #2: Your social media production
• 15:07 Automation #3: Your inbox
• 18:17 Automation #4: Your project management
• 24:15 Automation #5: Your email marketing
• 29:40 How to combine SMS and email
• 34:04 What Steve is most excited about
• 38:14 Check out Steve's podcast

• My Wife Quit Her Job Website
• My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast
• Airtable
• HelpScout
• Gorgias
• Planoly
• Electric SMS
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

"A little crazy" is what Ecuadorian artisans called Case Bakker after he requested order after order of handmade blankets to sell to boutiques all over the Ottawa Valley. Rooted in a mission to give back, Pokoloko started off as a wholesale brand dedicated to bringing global inspiration to people's homes and directly supporting artisans all over South America, Turkey, Morocco, and Indonesia.

I met Case, Pokoloko's CEO and co-founder, about a year ago when he reached out with one goal in mind: transition from wholesale to DTC eCommerce. Since then, we've worked together inside the Coalition and Intentional Wealth, and his team has made incredible progress. Case joins us today to tell us how.

Tune in for a candid talk about how Pokoloko generated their first $100k in sales, what marketing strategies move the needle, the hires that have been essential to their success, and leadership lessons he's picked up along the way.

Enjoy!

• 3:51 How Pokoloko was first created
• 6:23 How Pokoloko generated their first $100,000
• 9:19 The biggest difference between running wholesale vs direct to consumer
• 11:02 Three major initiatives that moved the needle when switching to online sales
• 13:32 Critical hires when growing a B2C business
• 15:28 Marketing initiatives with a high ROI
• 19:01 How transitioning to B2C affects wholesale
• 20:28 Leaderships lessons Case wishes he knew years ago
• 24:20 What Case is most excited about

• Pokoloko
• Pokoloko on Instagram
• Case Bakker on LinkedIn
• Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
• The Coalition
• Intentional Wealth
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

We are excited to bring you episode 300 of the Ecommerce Influence podcast and our special guest today is Kurt Elster. Kurt is a CRO expert, host of the Unofficial Shopify Podcast, and runs an eCommerce website design and development agency called Ethercycle.

If you've been a long-time listener of the podcast, you know that Kurt is a trusted recurring guest and in this episode, we're hoping to put a nail in the coffin of six costly eCommerce myths.

Tune in as we set the record straight on Google PageSpeed, website design and copywriting, work ethic and so much more.

Enjoy!

• 5:28 Myth #1: You need to diversify your traffic
• 8:38 Myth #2: Google PageSpeed is crucial to getting more sales
• 14:00 Myth #3: You have to be the first to do everything
• 18:49 Myth #4: If a "big" business is doing it, it must be right
• 23:10 Myth #5: Hustle and grind is the key to business success
• 27:57 Myth #6: People don't read on the internet
• 35:40 Check out the Unofficial Shopify Podcast

• Kurt Elster
• The Unofficial Shopify Podcast
• Ethercycle
• Podcast 193: "Must Know" Elements Of Successful Ecom Design Most Business Forget
• Podcast 282: 8 Ecommerce All Stars Share Their Best Marketing Advice
• Intentional Wealth
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes