How do I find sellers as a Shopspotter?
It is easiest with people who already know you: your clients, colleagues and network. After that, your own content, a newsletter to subscribers, workshops and helpful answers in communities that allow recommendations can help. The ground rule: people come to you or have agreed to hear from you, and every recommendation is labelled as advertising.
Where should you start?
With people who know you. A recommendation from someone you trust carries more weight than any ad. You also already know what they offer and where they are stuck. Check whether Merchavio really suits them with the signs of a good-fit seller. Setting up your account and link and deciding who to start with is covered in getting started as a Shopspotter.
The ground rule: people come to you
All the allowed routes have one thing in common: you don’t push yourself on anyone. Either someone finds you through your content, or the topic comes up in a conversation you are having anyway, or the person has agreed to hear from you. Two examples:
- Fine: A client tells you in a project meeting that she wants to sell her course online. You tell her about Merchavio and mention that you receive a commission. If she wants the link, you send it with “Ad” right next to it.
- Not fine: You look up creators on Instagram or LinkedIn who offer courses and message them. Without prior consent, the partner terms prohibit even a friendly, personal message. The same goes for comments with your link under other people’s posts.
Routes through people who know you
Your own clients and network
If you work with self-employed people, you often hear things like “I finally want to sell my course online”. Agencies build the recommendation into client projects, coaches into their programmes. The guides Shopspotting for agencies and Shopspotting for coaches show how.
Recommending in conversation
Most recommendations happen in conversations that take place anyway. Listen first, ask about their offer, tools and goals, and only then recommend. You don’t send an advertising message out of the blue, not even to people you know. Phrases you can use are in how to recommend Merchavio.
Collaborations
A guest post, a joint webinar or a guest spot on a podcast puts you in front of a new audience. Your hosts know beforehand that you recommend Merchavio, and you label it as advertising there too.
Routes through your own reach
Your own content
A blog post, video or podcast episode about selling digital products gets found when someone searches for exactly that. Here people come to you, not the other way round. Guides for each channel: blog and SEO, YouTube and podcasts, plus Shopspotting for creators.
Many consultants, trainers and coaches are active there. Your own posts with insights and concrete tips work better than a link without context. Connection requests or messages with advertising to people who didn’t ask for it are off limits. More in Shopspotting on LinkedIn.
Newsletter
People who subscribed to your newsletter read it by choice. You can recommend Merchavio there, labelled as advertising. Bought or third-party mailing lists are not allowed. Ideas for an issue: Shopspotting in your newsletter.
Workshops and webinars
A workshop on a question like “How do I sell my first digital product?” attracts exactly the people who need a shop system. You present Merchavio in it, labelled as advertising. Afterwards, you only write to those who agreed to it. More in Shopspotting with workshops and webinars.
Communities
In forums and groups, you help with good answers first. You only recommend where the community’s rules allow it, and without posting the same link under every question. Shopspotting in communities shows what that looks like.
Ads that lead to your own content
You can run ads on general search terms like “sell an online course” if they lead to your own content and not straight to merchavio.com. “Merchavio” must not appear in the keyword, the ad text or the displayed URL, and on your page the link is labelled “Ad”. Details: ads as a Shopspotter.
Which route suits you?
| What you already have | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Self-employed clients | A recommendation in a project or conversation |
| An audience for your videos, posts or podcast | A piece of content that answers one specific question |
| A newsletter with subscribers | An issue about selling digital products |
| Experience as a trainer or speaker | A workshop or webinar |
| Little reach, but some time | One thorough blog post and helpful answers in communities |
You don’t need every route. One or two that fit your everyday work are enough to begin with. For the effort to expect, see how much work Shopspotting is.
What else is not allowed?
Besides messages and comments without consent, the prohibited methods include ads on the name “Merchavio”, profile names or domains containing “Merchavio”, and benefits you tie to signing up through your link. The overview is in what is allowed in Shopspotting; the binding version is the partner terms.
Your next step
Pick one route from the table and start there. You get your link with a free Shopspotter account.
Know people who sell online?
Then create your free Shopspotter account with Merchavio and share your link. You receive 25% of everything your sellers pay, every month.