How to Choose the Best Amazon Consultants

Amazon is the powerhouse of online sales. In 2018, the company’s market share was 33.7 percent of all e-commerce sales, across a large number of retail industries. From books to toys to flowers, if you sell any of these or other products, you need to be on Amazon. Recognizing this is essential to any Amazon seller. Yet, that also means there’s more competition than ever for sellers.

As a seller, it’s up to you to navigate the competition and stand out to ensure every product you place on the marketplace gets the highest level of attention and consumer access. Doing that on your own isn’t always effective or efficient. That’s where Amazon Consultants can help you.

 

Why Hire Amazon Consultants if You’re a Seller?

Hiring an Amazon consultant allows you to tap into new marketing strategies and resources to comprehensively change the way you do business on the site. Consultants are able to help you earn more from every sale and to increase your sales percentage. They are an investment into your business on Amazon.

Amazon Consultants can offer some key advantages to you:

• They provide guidance on your storefront and your product.
•  They help you know where to spend money on marketing.
• They allow you to get your products and services in front of the right customers in the right format.

However, there are some agencies that don’t provide the best overall service. If you don’t choose your Amazon marketing agency wisely, it will cost you time, money, and, even more importantly, opportunity.

Let’s be frank – there are plenty of companies promising to offer you some type of “secret sauce” or inside information that seems too good to be true. It usually is. However, if you invest in the right company, you’ll gain insight that’s truly valuable to your business efforts. And, with so many competitors on the site alongside you, you have to have this type of support to do well at Amazon.

How do you get through all of the false ads and find that one opportunity? It’s easy. Ask these questions to determine which Amazon consultant is right for your company.

 

#1: Exactly What Are They Going to Do for You?

Here’s the first step to take. Examine what the Amazon marketing agency is actually promoting. Not just “higher sales” but what methods will they use to get you there? What additional services can they provide?

The best, most holistic providers will do it all for you. That means:

• Handling search engine optimization of your product and storefront
•  Managing crises that will develop during your listing
• Developing a strategy for your specific product or storefront
• Providing offsite support to you as needed

In order for the company to make any promise about the services they offer, ask about your company. If you know what specific services you need, ask the consultant for information about those concerns. Provide pointed questions to the company – can they help you? If they run around those questions and don’t offer authentic information, move on.

 

#2: Why Is This the Right Company? What Makes Them Actually Worthwhile?

Cut through the hype and find out who the company is. What is their reputation? When hiring an Amazon consulting service of any type, it is always valuable to learn this insight – what is their reputation, what have they done, and what has happened to their other clients in the process? If the company can’t answer this, or you can’t find the info online, they are not telling you everything.

Here’s what to look for instead.

• When did they enter the business? This gives you good insight into how much they’ve seen Amazon change and grow.
• Who is on their active client list? Most consultants are happy to showcase the other companies they’ve supported and helped.
• What industries do they have experience in? This is important simple because you want a company that understands the product or service that you offer – and that’s not always easy to find.
• What is their Domain Authority? Visit this site. You want to see that the company has a DA score of 35 or higher. It shows how much trust Google has in the company.
• What types of reviews can you find online about the company? Just like any other service you buy, you want to see what others think before you invest.

Each one of these tasks will take you about 5 minutes to complete. The insight they provide you is immediately available. It’s information you have to have to choose the right provider.

 

#3: How Will They Work with You?

If you’ve ever found yourself stuck with a big company, one that’s too busy to help you or a company that has a dozen people “supporting” you, you know the problem. You need to know how you will get support and how the process will work. It’s best to choose a company that assigns a specific account manager to you. This ensures you have an Amazon consultant that’s always available to you.

Ask these questions before you hire anyone:

• Who will be your dedicated account manager?
•  When will you meet with this person?
•  How often will you be able to meet with this person?
• What’s the framework of the account management?
• What if there is a problem – who will you call and how fast can they help?

It’s also helpful to get to know the person behind your account support. When did they get started in this area? What qualifies them to support you on Amazon-related topics? What type of companies have they, personally helped?

 

#4: Where Is Their Success?

Every company looking to do well on Amazon needs a marketing agency that has proven success. The problem is, even the best agencies don’t have phenomenal numbers and, if they promise incredible statistics, they may not be authentic. There’s no simple, one-way method of determining success in terms of marketing teams like this.

Many people put a lot of effort into sales. How many sales does a product have? However, Amazon is far more than this. It’s not about getting a million sales in a short period of time. It’s creating a lasting brand on Amazon that continues to do well. How do you know the company can offer that?

• Do they teach you how to get sales or how to succeed on Amazon? These are two different areas.
•  Do they provide numerous key performance indicators? They shouldn’t rely just on ACoS. They should also be considering ROI, margins, and both blended ACoS and ACoS.
• If they don’t report any information, that’s also a warning sign for you.
  

 

#5: Does the Contract You Sign Put You in Charge?

One of the most common misconceptions that sellers have when working with an Amazon Consultant is that they are going to be there until they succeed. Yet, you sign a contract that could be limiting in some cases to that goal. Read through the contract before you agree to sign it. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you do.

• Start with a 30-day out contract. If you’re not happy at 30 days, you can walk away from the service.
• Who owns the creative or the components created for your Amazon marketing campaign? If you don’t own it, that’s a red flag as well.
• What are the contract’s terms? Read them and question anything you are unsure of.
• What type of insurance is in place to protect you as the client if something goes wrong?

Avoid long-term contracts, especially those that lock you in for a year or longer. There is no way you want to be stuck with the wrong company for that long.

 

#6: Choose a Transparent Amazon Marketing Agency

It’s very important for you to have a marketing agency that’s capable of telling you what they are doing and why. What is the scope of the work they are doing, how are they getting it done, and what can you expect from it?

More so, you want to be able to teach your team the ins-and-outs of Amazon marketing. If your Amazon consultant isn’t telling you what is happening or why you can’t do this effectively.  Here is what to look for:

• The company is training your staff. If they don’t train your staff with Amazon best practices, there’s little long-term benefit.
• They should be communicating what they are doing at any given time. You should feel comfortable asking questions.
• They should be driving success through a strategy you can see and understand.

If you don’t feel the company is truly being transparent and open to you, how can you learn from them? On the other side of that is this question – Why aren’t they being transparent? Are they not doing what they say? Are they not putting enough time into the strategy for you?

 

#7: Do You Feel They Are Committed to You?

One of the most consistent concerns that is evident when choosing an Amazon marketing agency is this one. Companies get very excited about bringing your brand on board. They are happy to help you, provide some great insight, and then they seem to be hard to reach. You want to feel excitement. Here’s what you should be seeing when you are working with a company like this:

•  Do they take the time to learn about your product and service? Do they learn the ins and outs of your service? And, do they know the value differentiator – what makes your product different from everyone else’s?
• Do they offer the right services for your needs? This generally should include Amazon SEO tools, Amazon FBA support, and Amazon PPC. Amazon Marketing Service consultants may specialize, but they should tell you specifically how these services will benefit your company.
• Are they tailoring a marketing plan just for you? You don’t want a one-size-fits-all type of arrangement, but a customized solution for you. And, they need to communicate that to you, too.

Here’s another important tip to keep in mind as you choose the right Amazon consultant for your business. If their marketing isn’t on point, effective, and clear, why would it be any different for you? Judge the company based on their website, the services they offer, and what they’ve proven is their skill.

You don’t have to fall into the path of a sleazy snake oil salesman. Instead, choose a company that’s committed to your success and excited to work with you.

Unsure of what you need? That’s okay, too. Scheduling a consultation with a team that’s willing to listen and work with you is always important. Let our team help you learn more about making your Amazon business a success.

Free Amazon Keyword Analysis: Comment “Keyword” below and we will run a FREE Amazon Keyword Analysis so you can gauge your Amazon Business Opportunity