Launching an ecommerce website is a natural progression when businesses opt to sell their products online.  Realizing a geographical limitation of having a storefront only, small business owners see limitless possibilities of the internet and open their market to a much wider audience. What about the business owner that skips the storefront and goes right to the wider audience?

This is Part 2 of our interview with The Butcher Block Top owners, Christopher and Shirley Keele.  This is also a part of our “Just Doing It” series where we show how small business owners are already using the internet for their business.  If you missed part one, read “Customer Service is Still Alive Online” and see why they are worthy of a two-part post.

Christopher and Shirley Keele began building band-saw jewelry boxes, picnic benches, and patio furniture for friends and family. When they built and sold a cutting board, then another one, and a third one, they realized there was a market for custom wood creations. In October 2007, they filed for a business certificate and started selling their products online.  They listed their cutting boards and end-grain tables and then began receiving requests for butcher block countertops – their most popular product today.

With regard to their made-to-order creations Shirley points out, “we do not buy butcher blocks and cut them down as most of our competitors do. Selling custom sizes and being sure that your product is your own is very important.” It stands to reason as setting your product apart amongst fierce competition is the way to stake a claim online.

Chris and Shirley have maintained their website themselves, having had basic internet experience only. Getting qualified traffic to their website remains a top priority.  Currently, most customers find The Butcher Block Top through search engine results. As of this writing, The Butcher Block Top ranked #1 on Google for butcher block. That’s a pretty impressive standing.

The Keeles also run promotions such as “10% off first purchase” and discounted shipping rates from time to time.  Sometimes it comes down to giving the customer a little more in order for them to choose your products over a competitor’s.

For the Butcher Block Top Company, the best part of selling online is the potential of reaching millions of customers without the overhead of a brick and mortar store.  Selling through their ecommerce site has given them the flexibility they need to build their business while also maintaining a family life.  Many traditional entrepreneurs don’t have that luxury.

But it’s not always easy.  Without a storefront, Shirley says there’s no way for her customers to see and feel the beauty of their butcher blocks. “Senses play an amazing role in what a person does or does not purchase. Consumers are cautious about buying online.” What does this say to the business owner trying to sell their products online?  Cater to the senses you can, the rest relies on visibility, content and trust.

As noted previously, opening your business to the internet also means opening the business to far more competition.  Keeping ahead of the competition plays an important role in any online marketing plan and Chris and Shirley are off to a good start.

So what’s ahead for Chris and Shirley?  They’d like to embrace Social Media, which we at ODX Fusion obviously endorse.  They’d also like to spend more time on their blog, which they use to educate their customers on their butcher blocks. Finally, remaining high in search results for their targeted keywords is an ongoing task.  All these are top-notch strategies for building a successful business by selling online.

To sum it up, Shirley and Chris are very pleased with the progress of their Butcher Block Top ecommerce website.  Through their constant diligence, they stand to increase sales and grow their business.  To the businesses hesitant to sell their products online, Shirley offers this:

“Do not be intimidated by your fears – grit your teeth, knuckle up, and face them. You will be amazed at what you are capable of achieving when the fear of the unknown is not a factor. Just do it!”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

Special thanks go to Christopher and Shirley Keele for taking the time to be interviewed for the “Just Doing It” series.  Visit their website @ www.thebutcherblocktop.com.

Don’t forget to subscribe to us for more in this series and other Online Marketing topics. It’s free and overwhelmingly informative!

Few things add to the character of your kitchen like butcher block.  A chunky “slab” of wood, you can chop on it, gather round it or serve hors d’oeuvres on it – it’s a fine enhancement to any counter space.  And like a premium wine, butcher block only gets better with age.

As you know, ODX Fusion is not in the business of Butcher Blocks.  We are in the business of helping other small businesses market their products and services online.  So when I purchased a gorgeous piece of block online and was treated with incredible customer service above and beyond what was expected or deserved, I was compelled to begin the “Just Doing it” series with a 2-part post based on the experience.

You see, many small business owners think they’ll put up a website and let it make money for them.  Unfortunately we all know that’s not the case.  It’s hard work, a few sleepless nights and a lot of trying new strategies to find out what works.  Above all, it’s customer service.

Here’s how it all started…. My wife and I decided our kitchen island would look great with butcher block in place of the island countertop.  After searching the internet for Butcher Blocks, we combed through the results and made our selection based on the ability order the exact size, finish and edging.

We contacted the folks at The Butcher Block Top, sent our measurements and after custom building our butcher block, it arrived a few days later.  Excitedly, we unboxed a very solid, quality crafted butcher block and set it atop our island to have a look.

It didn’t fit.  Well, it fit, but only just – no overhang, just a beautiful accent sitting squarely atop our island and not what I had in mind at all. Surely they’d made a mistake and sent me the wrong size.

Frustrated, I checked the measurements I emailed the company only to realize The Butcher Block Top company sent me exactly what I had ordered – in fact a perfect measurement of what I had ordered.

But I had measured wrong.

I was crushed.  When my wife suggested I call the company and ask what our options were I assured her we were stuck because it was a custom piece.

My wife never listens to me, let’s understand that. She called the The Butcher Block Top company anyway and the co-founder Shirley Keele answered the phone.  Yes, you read right, the co-founder answered the phone.  From the beginning, Shirley never made us feel like I had made a silly mistake and instead felt horrible that we’d received product with which we weren’t ecstatic.

Shirley was so determined to make sure that we received the butcher block of our dreams that she took our new and correct measurements and placed the order and then arranged for return shipping of the original block.  That was about 2 weeks prior to this writing.  The new block will be here in a few days!

The point of the Part 1 of this post is that it would have been easy and even understandable for The Butcher Block Top folks to apologize and say there was nothing that could be done – I mean, this was custom built for us.  Easy to tell me my dumb mistake cost me good money and advise that I was out of luck.  After all, they’re in Arizona, I am in New York.  Not likely I would show up and raise a raucous or picket outside their store.

What Shirley Keele and The Butcher Block Top company told me was that whether or not they ever actually meet me, they value me as a customer, appreciate my business and want me to be overjoyed with their product.  Not in words, but in action – and that’s the very definition of customer service.

If you’re looking for butcher block, visit The Butcher Block Top and see Part 2 of this post to find out how they came to be an ecommerce force with their butcher blocks.  Even better, subscribe so you’ll get all the “Just Doing It” Online Marketing posts!

We’re starting something new.

The purpose of this blog is to help small business owners realize the potential of online marketing through their website, search engine marketing and social media.

Sure, we love traffic.  We love getting new clients.  But this blog is mainly here to answer common questions about marketing online, all in one place.
That said, we decided that instead of telling you how to use the Internet to sell your product or service, we would show you how a real live small business is already “Just Doing It”.

How did they get started selling online?  What were their fears about Internet marketing? Who did they turn to for help with their website?  These and many more questions will be answered so that small businesses realize they’re not alone.

We have our first few interviews setup and are excited to present them to you. If you are a small business owner and would like to be considered for this series, send me an email.

The “Just Doing it” series will begin next week, make sure you subscribe now to catch it as soon as we publish.

We know you’ll enjoy it.