Chapter 90
Alvin smiled and patted Mary on the shoulder.
"Hey, don't sweat it. The beginning's always the toughest. Let me give you a hand."
"I'll also show you some tricks for talking to customers and sprucing up your store."
Mary's eyes lit up, and she looked at Alvin gratefully. "Really? That'd be awesome!"
"But Alvin, do you know much about this stuff?"
Mary and Alvin had been neighbors for a long time, and she knew what Alvin used to be like better than anyone, except maybe Karen and Isabelle.
When Karen got beaten up by Alvin, she wouldn't dare tell her parents and would come crying to Mary. So, Mary knew Alvin very well.
She had never heard of Alvin having any knowledge about e-commerce.
Before Alvin could explain himself, Sam jumped in.
"Mary, trust Alvin!"
"Alvin's amazing!"
"He can do anything, he's practically a jack-of-all-trades!"
"E-commerce is a piece of cake for him!"
Hearing Sam say this made Mary very happy. She beamed, and Sam almost got lost in her smile again.
Then she suddenly remembered she needed to keep her distance from Alvin, and her expression froze.
But this time, Alvin didn't catch on to Mary's thoughts.
He continued enthusiastically, "Of course it's true!"
"You're Karen's good friend and the mother of my goddaughter!"
"Helping you is the least I can do."
"Besides, you're a single mom with a kid, working so hard!"
"If your online store takes off, your life will get a lot easier."
Mary was instantly drawn in by Alvin's words, quickly forgetting her complicated thoughts.
At the same time, she kept reminding herself to maintain some distance from Alvin.
Alvin was right; she was Karen's good friend.
Their families were so close, and they were the godparents of each other's children!
Mary swore she wouldn't let herself fantasize!
Especially since Alvin was going to teach her how to run an online store!
If it worked out, her daughter Lisa wouldn't have to live in poverty anymore.
She looked excited, "That's great! I really need help right now!"
Alvin took Mary's phone and started examining the details of her online store.
"For an online store to survive in such a competitive market, many factors come into play."
"First, we need to make the store look more professional."
Alvin suggested, "The product images need to be high-quality and attractive."
"The descriptions should be detailed, so customers understand the product's features and benefits at a glance."
"Look, this product image is too blurry; we need to retake it."
Alvin pointed at an image on the screen.
"Yeah, I thought it wasn't great either, but I didn't know how to fix it."
Mary said, a bit embarrassed.
"No worries, take it slow. I'll teach you."
Alvin began teaching Mary how to use the camera and some basic photo editing techniques.
He explained everything from product photography to writing descriptions and customer service tips.
Mary listened intently, nodding occasionally to show she understood.
After finishing with the photos, Alvin pulled up Mary's chat history with customers.
He skimmed through it and quickly got the gist.
He chuckled and teased, "Mary, as a seller, you need to work on your communication skills!"
"Don't be so straightforward, only answering what the customer asks!"
"You need to guide the customer to ask questions!"
"Our goal in chatting is to sell the product."
"Everything else is just fluff!"
"And you need to have confidence in your products!"
"When a customer asks if your weight loss product works, you can't reply with uncertainty!"
"How will the customer buy your product if even you aren't sure?"
Mary frowned slightly, not fully understanding what Alvin meant.
Alvin had already taught her a lot, and he definitely had more experience in this area than she did.
But Mary was also worried that exaggerating too much might damage her credibility.
"Alvin, isn't that a bit too much?"
Mary hesitated, not wanting to lose customers' trust for the sake of short-term sales.
Alvin smiled and shook his head, expecting Mary to ask this.
"Mary, you're right. Business isn't just about selling products; it's about selling service and trust."
"The product's effectiveness does vary from person to person, but the key is teaching customers how to use it right."
"In other words, how to combine it with a healthy lifestyle for the best results."
"Otherwise, if a customer isn't disciplined and doesn't see any results, they'll be furious and leave us a bad review!"
Mary nodded, starting to understand Alvin's point.
"So you're saying we need to make customers understand that our product works, but it's not a magic pill. It needs to be paired with a healthy lifestyle for the best results."
"Exactly!"
Alvin smiled, pleased.
Meanwhile, Sam, unable to get a word in, held the hands of two kids, glancing at Alvin and Mary.
Suddenly, Mary seemed to think of something, looking puzzled.
"But Alvin, most overweight people have unhealthy lifestyles!"
"Won't customers find it ridiculous if we tell them this?"
"They'll think, 'If I could live healthily, I wouldn't be this fat!'"
Alvin burst out laughing.
"Don't worry about that!"
"This weight loss product was recommended by your good friend, so it must have some effect!"
"A healthy lifestyle just maximizes that effect!"
"As long as customers feel a change in their bodies, they'll become our product's biggest fans!"
"In this way, our weight loss product genuinely helps customers in another way!"
As they talked, a message popped up on Mary's phone.
"Hello, is customer service available?"
Seeing the message, Alvin raised an eyebrow and quickly took action.
In no time, the customer placed an order!
Mary was stunned!
How could there be such a big difference between people?
Mary checked her store frequently, even during work, and getting one order a day was considered good!
Yet Alvin had effortlessly made a sale in such a short time.
While Mary was still trying to figure it out, Alvin spoke up.
He showed Mary the chat history with the customer.
"See, we can first explain the product's effects."
"Then mention that combining it with a healthy diet and exercise will yield even better results!"
"This way, customers will feel we're genuinely helping them, not just selling a product."
Mary's eyes lit up as she read Alvin's chat.
Suddenly, she had an idea and immediately shared it.
"That's a great approach."
"Alvin, we could offer free consultation services."
"Like healthy diet plans or simple home exercise guides."
Mary looked at Alvin eagerly, hoping for his approval.
Of course, Mary's idea was excellent.
Alvin didn't hesitate to praise her.
"Mary, that's brilliant!"
"You're pretty smart!"
"Looks like you have a knack for this!"
Mary beamed with pride, looking even more beautiful in her outfit.
She was a stunning sight to passersby.
Alvin continued, "This way, your store won't just be a platform for selling weight loss products."
"It'll be a place for providing healthy weight loss advice."
Mary nodded enthusiastically, smiling again, "Alvin, I think this is a fantastic idea."
"We could include health tip cards with the products."
"Or set up a dedicated health consultation area on the store."
Alvin nodded, genuinely impressed by Mary.
"This will make your store more unique and attract more customers."
"And it will enhance your professional image, making customers feel you're providing value, not just selling products."
After finishing, Alvin smiled and patted Mary on the shoulder.
With a serious tone, he said, "Mary, I believe in you!"
"If you put your heart into it, nothing is impossible."
By the time they got home, Mary's online store had been completely revamped with Alvin's help.
The product images were clear and attractive, the descriptions were lively and engaging, and the store's decor looked more professional and appealing.
But due to the limited time, Alvin still had many ideas left to implement.
He told Mary to come over with Lisa after dinner, bringing her laptop.
Mary had invested in a good laptop for the new store.
She had considered a desktop but decided against it since she was only home after work.
With the laptop, Alvin was unstoppable.
His skills were impressive.