Thinking Like A Dropshipper. What Is Your Passion?

Most people get started in business because they are passionate about an area of commerce. Maybe it is their hobby or special interest. You will often hear people telling you to follow something you are passionate about.

We applaud those entrepreneurs for their amazing ideas and inventions on Shark Tank. We root for that gal who has gone “all-in” on her great product.  This sounds great and we are changing the world with our unique products. Wow, I feel good.                                        

The problem with this mentality in Dropshipping is that it almost never works.

Consider what you are trying to do – you are taking other people's products and trying to resell those products at a markup so you can make some money as a middle man. You are also trying to do this in a way that gets the products to your customer in a reasonable timeline and fashion. Dropshippers are middle managers, who are more like the sales guy in someone else's shop. 

You have to think differently as a Dropshipper. Your passion should be serving your customer and making your product convenient to that customer. It is about getting products to your customer that they are just not taking the time to find. Your passion should be the expert way you can find products that seemingly no one else can find even though it is available to everyone.

You should be marketing that product to your customer in a way that will help them make that purchase. Developing a relationship with your customers who will want to buy from you instead of AliExpress or even eBay. Creating a boutique experience that will keep that customer at your site instead of going to Amazon.

Using research software on AliExpress like AliExtractor (available at a discounted rate with Dropified membership) will help take the emotion out of the process. You will be able to see the true statistics laid out bare so you can make a decision on a product without being taken up with emotion. Emotion will be important when you are marketing your product but it is rarely your friend when you are choosing a product.

You may be thinking, “What about the quality of our products?” Shouldn’t I focus on quality?

Those who focus on this as a prime directive probably are not picking the right business model either.  I am not saying that you sell junk, but you remember that you are marking your product up from someplace that your customer can get it themselves.

Often the less expensive items will be good enough to sell to your customer and still have room to make a bit of money. Of course there are successful dropshippers that focus on high end quality items but this is well developed niche and requires building up a clientele and reputation.

If quality is important to you then one thing you might want to do is to buy the product yourself. This way you can explore the shipping and delivery of the item as well. Keep in mind that you will want to sell products that you won’t have to manage returns and after sale work.

So what should my passion really be?

How about making money? I know that sounds so shallow but that is ultimately why most of us do this type of work. We want a way to make money as efficiently as possible.

How about answering the need of your customer? Chances are they are not going to find the product that you are offering them if they are buying from you. So you are meeting a need of convenience to your customer. You found the product for them and get a percentage of the cost of that product as the middleman.

What about the satisfaction of being a store owner and salesperson? Most small store businesses don’t go out and invent products. They find the products they want to sell in their store and resell it to their customers. This is retail 101.

Essentially what we are doing is no different than a product being sold at Walmart cheaper than at Target. It is the same product but a different location. It the client wants to take the time to search out your product on other sites then they will likely find a less expensive alternative. The fact of the matter is that many, if not most, customers don't take time to do that. They are responding to your site and or advertising. This is why you can take comfort in the fact that you are meeting a need and you deserve to get your percentage because you're providing this service.

So think like a Dropshipper and never, never feel guilty about taking a markup on that product for the service and experience you provide!!