Using the Promote Features on Ebay to Test Selling Polo Mallets

Small business sometimes get drowned out by the marketing power of larger companies with bigger budgets. As a small business you can gain some front page traction through the use of Ebay's promotion feature. Selling online is one of the ways to get your product out to a national or international market from almost anywhere in the country. Escanaba Polo Mallet Company is a "learning lab" good works low-cost start-up that helps to understand how small manufacturing can grow and develop in the U.S. so that new policies and ideas can develop. Check back often for new ideas.

There is little use locally for these mallets so nearly all sales will need to be conducted virtually in a way that will require higher reliance online marketspaces. While manufacturing will be local sales will be international.

While I haven't sold any mallets internationally because I have been primarily focused on building a national customer base and a strong product with market value it is something that I will keep in the back of my mind. One helpful feature often overlooked by Ebay sellers is the promotion feature. What does it do and what are some of the benefits?

From their website you can gain additional insight into how the feature works.

"Promoted Listings helps your items stand out among billions of listings on eBay and be seen by millions of active buyers when they’re browsing and searching for what you are selling, helping to increase the likelihood of a sale. The best part? You only pay when your item sells." https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/listing-and-marketing/promoted-listings.html

The promotion feature will help you get your product out in front to gain the exposure you need. There is a balance to be made because if you place your price too high then people won't buy it. Yet exposure is often the name of the game when selling. Therefore you will need to play with your strategies a little to balance price, demand, and supply. I have been doing a little experimentation and there are a few things I learned.

Strategy 1: Low Promotion Rate. If you have a brand (product) that has existing market appeal and you want to increase sales a little you can bump up your promotion rate just a smidgen. That basically means you are gaining just a little extra exposure but not necessarily increasing your costs by much. Lets call that under the 10% range.

Strategy 2: High Rate but Increased Cost: If you have a product that you desire to put into a higher category of value and its good enough to do that, you can consider pushing your rate up. Because it also pushes up your costs up you may want some starting brand capital (i.e a new product). It also works well if you have extra inventory you need to liquidate (i.e. extra inventory). That is in the 20% and more range.

Strategy 3: Moderate Rate and Moderate Cost Increase: When your start-up has a product that fits within the average price range you may want use the 10% to 20% promotion rate. The goal is to increase your exposure without wiping out your profits.

Very few businesses exist without some type of marketing and advertising. In the physical world we can gather street attention by a sign but in the virtual world we have to try new things that help highlight the product and features.

Escanaba Polo Mallet company is a good works "learning lab" company that seeks to test micro manufacturing to raise awareness about business issues, government policies, and other actions that lead to a successful export economy. Much of our profits go to good works such as orphans, local child enrichment, and helping the disadvantaged. If you like what you read here please feel free to share. https://www.escanabapolomallet.com/

Escanaba Polo Mallet Company as an Experimental "Learning Lab" Start-up

Making Mallet Heads

Escanaba Polo Mallet Company is an experimental "learning lab" start-up that focuses understanding how other low capital start-ups can compete in the global market. The Millennial generation may not have access to the same capital and resources that previous generations had. However, they will be a more creative generation that will want to chart their own course in life. Understanding how these start-ups operate and function on a grassroots level is important for developing public policy.

It's not about the money! This is why much of the profits will be donated away to various charitable causes. Its about helping a community find its footing with small sustainable manufacturing (SME). If you can sell Polo Mallets nationally and internationally using the same tools and resources other small businesses have access to it will make a difference in our ability to create more robust industries.

Start-ups are great for leading edge ideas and development. As a sector of society they can contribute substantially to our overall national economy through nimble action and higher profit realizations. That is assuming we find new ways to compete. Others may want to follow the start-up because we plan on doing as much teaching as possible.

Whats a "learning lab" company? ....meaning that we are going to talk about SME and implementing new ideas just to see if they work or they don't work. Hopefully, other entrepreneurs will come to learn from our triumphs and failures so they may start their own businesses with greater success rates. We will talk about what it means to start a small manufacturing business, local labor, regulations, and much more!

If it fails, it doesn't, because we learned and shared it with others! If it is a great success 5 years down the road then we have contributed to our understanding of SME manufacturing and its global export potential. If you like what we are doing buy a mallet, share us on social media, or send us a message (contact form to right).

Save our page and continue to check back as we will be providing lots of great information.
-What it means to start with under $500.
-How to use social media (strategies)?
-Design your own advertisements?
-When should you hire new employees?
-The types of contacts in business?
-Why someone should or shouldn't start a business?
-Helpful and unhelpful legislation.
- etc.. etc...etc...

Our website.....go ahead and share....https://www.escanabapolomallet.com/

What Our Customers LIKE and DON'T LIKE About Our Mallets!

Escanaba Polo Mallet Company (EPMC) is a good works start up that desires to sell high quality affordable mallets domestically and internationally while still helping  making the world a better place! Our practice "Yooper" mallet is under $100 with free shipping making it one of the most affordable polo mallets on the market.  As with any new products there are some things we will excel at and other things we need to still work on. We share our experiences for you to be an educated consumer.

EPMC is no different than any other business in that we carry some features that polo players like and some they want to see improvement on. Customer satisfaction is important to us. We want to hear from our customers to tell us what they loved, disliked, and want.. That feedback creates a loop whereby we can improve our product until we get the mix just right!

What Our Customers Liked About Our Mallets?

They liked the handle. Our handles have a two layers of rubberish inner core, wrapped and then a special rubber type wrap that better ensure comfort and no slip. One of our customers liked the handle so much he took off the head he didn't like and affixed a different mallet head on it (He was very honest).

They liked the quality. Customers genuinely like the quality of the product. They felt the mallet was durable and well worth the price.

What They Didn't Like About Our Mallet?

Our heads need additional work. They were considered by some customers as small and light. Reviewing what some of our customers state we couldn't agree more! So...we adjusted.....(see below).

The drill for the shaft was off center. The mallet head and shaft didn't connect together directly center. Looks more like the head is not sitting in the vice securely.

What Are We Doing About It?

We are upsizing our mallet heads. Adjustments are a little bigger with a 2" width so they are heavier than before. We will have a smaller version for customization but the heavier weight will add a little more snap to it. That will work well in the arena!

We are keeping our handles because people like them. There may be a few small adjustments but they are going to stay pretty much the same.

We are adding a rubberish buffer near the head (on the shaft) to protect the shaft from the ball.

Much of our profits are given away (somewhere around 50%) for charitable causes like orphans and horse rescue.

Go ahead and try one!

Watching the Polo Games in Gilgit Balistan?

Watching games from around the world is an excellent way to see how this game originally started and how it is run in its natural state. In wealthier nations the game is well polished. Yet its root is something very different and more casual. When people say there is a right and a wrong way I would say no such thing. There are more polished ways and more natural ways. The polished ways take additional training in order to get more out of the horse and out of yourself.

I noticed they seem more relaxed about the lines of the ball.

Other than that, I didn't see much differences.

If someone can see something more than I do please comment below!

Tips on Dribble Hitting the Polo Ball

An Excellent Article on Mallet Selection by LA POLO

There is an excellent article on polo mallets, history and selection. I try and keep up on the polo news and websites so that I can stay on top of the field and ensure that I share excellent resources with customers. This article helps me think about my own mallets and where they can be improved and what Escanaba Polo Mallet Company is doing well.. EPMC is a small start up so your feedback also helps improve the mallets. Share with us what you like and don't like.

I suggest you read this article by LA POLO. 

Here are some of the main points of the article:

-Early mallets were different but as time went on the heads were adjusted for new skills and games.

-Games are won by horse and player but rely heavily on the mallet.

-Don't get a mallet that is whippy toward the handle.

-Flatter sides on the handles are better than round handles (i.e. golf club).

-Think about protection above the mallet head to catch the ball.

Timmy Dutta and Mr. Musty Sixth Chukker 2020 USPA Gold Cup