In this week’s episode of the Extra Paycheck Podcast I am joined by an entrepreneur, the owner and founder of JungleScout – Greg Mercer.
Also available on: iTunes | Stitcher | Tunein | Google Play
Greg Mercer worked as a civil engineer but he wasn’t very thrilled with his corporate job. He always felt like an entrepreneur and about 5 years ago he tried selling products on Amazon. Quickly enough this venture became his main source of income and allowed him to quit his job. However he didn’t stop there.
25 months ago Greg launched his very first piece of software, JungleScout. JungleScout exists as an app and as a browser extension as well. This software allows Amazon sellers to do in-depth product research which helps them decide which products will do well on Amazon and which will not. Many beginner sellers simply take a guess when selecting a product and most of these folks fail. Fortunately you don’t need to take a guess anymore, instead you can use a data-driven piece of software that will provide you with all the necessary information.
The first great piece of advice that Greg shares in this episode is that you need to create something that solves a real issue. Greg needed a software to help him do research for his own Amazon business. He was not a programmer or developer so he found someone on Upwork who could create it for him. The basic version was not all that great but it helped Greg realize that there were many other Amazon sellers who needed such a tool. 2 years later 25 people are working for the JungleScout team. This includes a full-time data scientist, an amazing support team and of course developers.
Greg got his initial sales with zero marketing budget. Since he was always looking for ways to improve his business he was very active on relevant Facebook groups and other online networks. When the software was being build Greg often asked for feedback from other sellers and they were incredibly happy to give him their feedback and suggestions. Eventually Greg started asking these folks if they would want to own a copy and as you can imagine, many people jumped on it. I need to mention something important here: you can spam such groups and expect results. Greg was very active in these groups even before he thought of building a software. He offered his advice to other sellers and helped people as much as he could. This built his reputation and trust. Once again, DO NOT spam but offer real value and help.
At this point JungleScout is being marketed in several ways. One of them is Content Marketing. Greg’s goal is to create the absolute go-to guides when it comes to different aspects of building an Amazon business. His content is simply amazing, this is the reason its become a reference for many people. For example, JungleScout is in the middle of doing a “Million Dollar Case Study”. They are showing how they do product research, how they find a manufacturer for the product, how they promote that product and so on. The goal is to get $1,000,000 in sales for that product. Greg’s team is VERY transparent and they share every little detail about the whole process which is unheard of in the Amazon selling industry. Talk about amazing content.
Besides running an Amazon business and JungleScout Greg’s got a few other things on his hand. Splitly is an Amazon split testing software which helps sellers A/B test their listings, pricing, images and a lot more. Fetcher is an accounting software for Amazon sellers. This will help you properly track your Amazon financials, what comes in what comes out and so on. JumpSend is a powerful email automation tool for Amazon sellers. This platforms also allows sellers to offer discounts on their products which increases their sales and as a result increases the product rankings on Amazon. I should mention that Greg Mercer is a digital nomad meaning that he is running all these businesses while traveling around the world.
Greg also explains how he used to listen to podcasts and read blogs from successful online entrepreneurs when he still had his 9 to 5. He thought that all these people were successful because they had something special that he didn’t. However at one point Greg decided that instead of looking for excuses he should take control of his life and simply start taking action. I think this is an amazing piece of advice and certainly is an eye-opener for many.
There is a lot more amazing tips, ideas and strategies that Greg shares in this episode and I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you. So scroll up and press the PLAY button to hear the full interview.
More About Greg Mercer:
JungleScout (affiliate) – official website
The Million Dollar Case Study – follow along as it’s happening
Splitly – split testing software
Fetcher – accounting software for Amazon sellers
JumpSend – email automation tool for Amazon sellers
Other resources mentioned in the show:
How You Can Build A Successful Business On Amazon With Matt Ward – Extra Paycheck Podcast episode 32 (I misspoke and said Mike, sorry Matt)
4 Ways You Can Make Money With Amazon – Extra Paycheck Podcast episode 73
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk (affiliate)
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– Alex
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