Why Manufacturers Need to “Stop Being the Best Kept Secret” with Curt Anderson

Curt Anderson, author of the fantastic book “Stop Being the Best-Kept Secret: Manufacturing eCommerce Strategies,” and eCommerce Evangelist for Manufacturers at Ecommerce MGMT, is an eCommerce whizz with some great tips to share.

In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, Curt shares how he first dived into the world of eCommerce. He explains why he wants to help manufacturers get on that path too. He discusses the common mistakes that custom manufacturers make and why they should “niche down” and focus on their “soulmate” customers for the best chance of success.

He shares his thoughts on the wider industry, why the big marketplaces are so successful, and why you should always aim to make a great first “webpression.”

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3 Quick Things from this Episode

  1. The “entrepreneurial curse” is to try to be everything to everyone. It only results in being nothing to nobody.
  2. To stand out in the eCommerce world, you need to focus on making a good first impression, or as Curt calls it, “webpression.”
  3. If you’re not pleased with your eCommerce strategy, you often need to niche down.

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Tweetable Quotes

  • “Who is that ideal dream customer? In the book, I call them “soulmates” …basically, your website is a matchmaker, so who can we really connect with?”
  • “There’s a lot of different marketplaces that you can take advantage of. And what are they doing? They make that great first impression because they have multimillion if not billion-dollar budgets. So put your products on the marketplaces.”
  • “Stop being the best-kept secret. So say you’re rocking it, you’ve got the best website on the planet, you’ve got to dominate search.”

Please Scroll Down for Recommended Resources from this Episode

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What We Discuss with Curt

  • How when Curt discovered eCommerce, it was like “a dream come true”
  • Why Curt wants to help custom manufacturers have a digital transformation
  • The entrepreneurial curse of trying to be everything to everyone
  • Why manufacturers need to niche down
  • How finding your “soulmate” customer can transform your growth
  • Why online marketplaces are the place to be
  • Why you should treat your website like a five-star resort

Recommended Resources

Connect with Curt

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