Alaa Hassan

The Most Passionate eCommerce Coach & Advisor

alaahassan

The ONE Thing Every eCommerce Executive Should Have

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ecommerce executive should have this

Need some hints?

  • You visit at least one everyday
  • You use them while sitting,  moving or even lying down
  • You judge them within seconds of being introduced
  • You hate dealing with the difficult ones

Did you guess?

 

Every eCommerce Executive Needs a Personal Website

I’m always surprised whenever I meet someone within the eCommerce industry who doesn’t have a website under his or her name (ex: here’s mine www.AlaaHassan.com)

In this digital age, a website is a virtual version of your business card.

Having a personal website is not the same as…

  • Having Linkedin profile
  • Having an About.me page
  • Having a Social media account (Facebook, Twitter, Google+…)

Your Personal Website is:

  • Your personal hub
  • A place you call home
  • A place you own
  • Your reputation
  • Your expertise
  • Your Value Proposition
  • Your Personal Brand

No one is allowed to take it away from you and benefit from it.

Why Don’t You Have A Website Already?

If you do, then congratulations! You’re already ahead of many other eCommerce executives out there.

But if you don’t, is it because…

  1. It costs too much?
  2. You don’t have time?
  3. You don’t need one?
  4. You are not special?
  5. You don’t deserve one?
  6. You never thought of having one?

What is stopping you?

Here’s a thought.

The eCommerce industry is changing every day.  There are more eCommerce executives than ever.  The executive position in general is becoming more specialized.

Our jobs are not as secure as they used to be.  You need to establish your personal brand ASAP.

DO THIS: Start by launching a website on www.Strikingly.com (affordable, reliable & easy to use)

My good friend, Johnny Russo, Director of eCommerce at Mexx.ca,  just launched his own after we discussed it over lunch a couple of weeks ago in Montreal.  I’m glad I was able to inspire him to get started.

Let me know if you need any help.  I can show you how I’ve done it for myself as an eCommerce Executive at iNetVideo.com

In the meantime, you can read some of my personal branding tips.

If you have a personal site already, post it in the comments below!

Avoid These 3 Mistakes When You Create A Website for Your Agency

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3 mistakes to avoid when creating a website

About 2 years ago, I decided to launch my own eCommerce agency.  The need came about when I was being asked numerous times after speaking engagements if I’m willing to help businesses improve their online presence.

At first, I was ignoring the whole idea.  I honestly felt it was a waste of time since there were already many agencies out there.  Why would anyone want to hire me? (I’m sure you’ve told yourself the same thing)

As the years passed and the fact that I was speaking more often at eCommerce conferences, I started considering the idea.

First, Here’s How I Realized I Needed A Website

I really had no idea what I was doing since this was my first attempt at launching a service based company rather than the typical online retailer that I’m used to (similar to what I currently do at iNetVideo.com).

I needed a website simply to showcase myself and my services.

Nonetheless, nothing would stop me from doing what I felt was the right thing to do.  I got excited and immediately launched a website under the name of Troolyworks.com (still points to an inactive account on Hubpsot).

I decided to create a simple page where I offered my services in terms of eCommerce consulting, development and online marketing.

I was able to get my first 2 clients (friends of mine) within days.  It was a great way to test out what I was planning on offering to businesses.  Didn’t charge much since it was a valuable learning experience and obviously, those clients would benefit from my work as well.

From there, I simply started using that site as my hub and sent all new prospects to it.  But here was the problem: My agency website sucked big time!

How can I possibly help companies improve their online business if I wasn’t able to do it for myself?

Here are 3 mistakes you should avoid making 

1) Never Launch a Website Without An Online Strategy

Yup, I made that mistake and I learned the hard way.  I went too fast and made some bad decisions in terms of investing in the wrong software, advertising on the wrong channels and simply not able to target the right clients.  You need to sit down and write things down!  I’m not talking about a business plan.

2) Stop Jumping & Take One Step at A Time (Don’t Lose Focus)

I decided to stop for a moment and re-evaluate exactly what I was trying to accomplish.  I was wasting time, money and most importantly, losing interest in what I was doing.  I was skipping crucial steps that would improve my chances of succeeding thinking that it won’t affect me.  Your strategy should be implemented and must be followed.

3) Never Stop Getting Inspired

Launching your own business is stressful and requires a lot of patience.  I had to continuously get motivated.  I started following numerous people that have been successful & read their blogs for inspiration.  You will be surprised to see how many people are sharing their experience online.

I also decided to attend events not as a speaker but as an attendee.  Something different, something not related to eCommerce, somewhere new & some event where I can meet new people.

That’s when I decided to attend Inbound Conference Hubspot.  That was indeed a life changing event in my business career.  Also, that’s where I met head of eCommerce at Hubspot Sam Mallikarjunan – what an amazing person!

What happened next?

I plan on blogging about this experience.  Stay tuned!

The Power of Saying Thank You To Employees

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say thank you to employees

2 simple words…a powerful combination….can be used anytime….with anyone….anywhere.

Yet, people forget to use them.  And I forgot to mention, free to use.

THANK YOU! (even sexier when capitalized!)

Sometimes, all an employee wants, is being recognized for great work & appreciated by his superiors (supervisor, manager, boss, owner, ceo)

It’s not always about getting a raise, a bonus or any other sort of compensation.  All he or she wants to hear is a THANK YOU.

TRY IT! But don’t exaggerate.  Use it when needed.

Please, try saying thank you to employees more often. You will notice how the mood will change within your team.

Thank you for reading my post 🙂

Does the Car You Drive Affect Your Personal Brand?

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Car and your personal brand

Let’s face it, most human beings evaluate a person based on first impressions.

Remember when a new kid arrives to your class in high school? Or the time a friend introduces you to another friend?

Reality is, most of us do it without even realizing it.  We evaluate the way a person looks, behaves or talks.

Also, some of us also evaluate a person based on the car he or she drives.

The type of car you drive says a lot (just like your clothes)

  • What stage in life you’re at (ex..driving a van means you have a family)
  • Level of success (but sometimes people with nice cars can barely afford them..don’t be fooled)
  • How you feel (convertible car in your 50’s could mean midlife crisis)

Sometimes, it doesn’t mean anything since you value other things in your life more than the car you drive.

One thing for sure is I’ve noticed that people look at you differently whether you like it or not.

Do you invest in a car simply to improve your personal brand?

First of all, a car is not an investment but an expense unless it’s a Ferrari you’re planning on keeping for a very long time.  Second, it really depends the type of personal brand you plan on having.  Some people can benefit from having a better looking car since it helps them close deals (ex. real estate agents) while others it might not even affect them (ex. teacher in hight school).

Think it through and plan it right.

Myself, I only got a better car when I was able to afford it and felt it was time. I did it at a time when it matched my stage in life and it did compliment it.  It helped me boost my credibility and trust as a person who knows what he’s doing in business (but I was still learning about business).

People often said “If he’s driving this car, then he must be doing well.  I should hire him to work with me.”

The car allowed me to generate more leads for my services and it still does.

The car you drive does affect your personal brand whether you like it or not.

Do you agree?

I'm Dealing With Lack of Focus & Concentration Everyday

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Dealing with Focus & ConcentrationI wake up in the morning thinking:

It’s time to conquer this world and accomplish incredible things.

By the time I get my first cup of coffee, I already feel that I’ve wasted some time.  Next thing you know, it’s now lunch. Then I start feeling tired towards the end of the afternoon only to realize that it’s already 5’oclock and need to head back home.

The clock is ticking away at an unbelievable speed and I’m noticing it more often than ever.  Maybe it’s because I’m older now and I feel that I need to be more productive if not more efficient.

Handling Too Many Projects  = Source of My Challenges

That’s exactly what I’m dealing with right now.  I currently have a full time position at iNetVideo.com as vice president as well as the president of my ecommerce agency, founder of my online courses academy and blogging at passionTribe.com.

It’s a lot of work, especially when you’re also managing multiple clients.

What Am I Going To Do About It?

Not sure exactly other than the fact that I need to learn how to improve my focus and concentration skills.  That’s what I will be focusing on this week and will be blogging about it as well.

How To Improve

  1. Learn about the causes of losing focus & concentration
  2. Learn about the techniques to improve focus
  3. Learn about valuable tools to help you focus & concentrate more
  4. Try & track performance of everything I learned

Are you dealing with the same type of challenges? How did you resolve them?