Together to success – Account Management at eBay | Podcast

Together to success – Account Management at eBay

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The optimal service for ambitious sellers on eBay is offered by the newly set up Account Management. If you have already overcome the initial hurdles of online selling and now want to focus on increasing your sales, this is the right place for you.

Our guests in this episode are true professionals when it comes to supporting commercial sellers and their eBay business, and as part of Account Management they are there to provide individual solutions: Karsten Kaenders, DE Commercial Lead at eBay, and Kristina Perlebach, Senior Account Manager at eBay.

Both of them work every day to optimize the shops and marketplace presence of numerous eBay sellers. In this episode, they explain the concrete benefits Account Management offers and why it is especially important to bring your own drive and plenty of commitment. Enjoy listening!

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**Mentioned podcast episodes**

** Chapter markers **

00:02:46 to 00:07:58: Who is Account Management for and what are the goals?
00:07:58 to 00:09:13: What benefits does Account Management offer?
00:09:13 to 00:10:19: How individually are different needs addressed?
00:10:19 to 00:18:13: Where can the consultation specifically start?.
00:18:13 to 00:20:56: Growth and business strategy in the eBay universe.
00:20:56 to 00:24:15: A dedicated eBay contact person for seamless exchange.
00:24:15 to 00:25:17: Access to premium customer service.
00:25:17 to 00:28:01: Who can use Account Management?

Isabell: How can you get the most out of an eBay shop? For example, through one of our new eBay programs, Account Management. But what exactly is behind it? The program is aimed primarily at sellers on eBay who are already successful on our marketplace and now want to expand their business further. They can get support from experienced account managers who show them how to actively use the various eBay tools, for example to increase revenue. In today's episode, DE Commercial Lead Karsten Kaenders and Senior Account Manager Kristina Perlebach are in the studio with us to talk about the new programs.

Karsten: Very, very important: We already had this earlier as well, that we guide people through Seller Cockpit. That means we show where everything is, where to find which information, where which information belongs. Yes, so that's already something we provide, and that is what ends up there in the end. Also, as you mentioned, the topic of legal advice is then again on the seller side. Everyone has to take responsibility for that themselves.

David: Hello, dear listeners, and welcome to another episode of Alles top. Gerne wieder! - the eBay podcast about commerce and e-commerce. I’m David Philippe, Senior Engagement Manager Seller Community at eBay, and with me in the studio is my colleague Isabell Butterwegge. She is also a Seller Engagement Manager at eBay. Hi, Isabell!

Isabell: Hi David! I'm excited to talk with you today and with our two great guests about an exciting topic: the eBay program Account Management, which has been newly set up. It provides ambitious sellers on eBay with comprehensive, individualized support as they grow their business, with an experienced account manager at their side offering valuable strategies. And the best part is: all commercial sellers can book these managers through the Growth Portal. In this episode, we talk about what benefits the program offers ambitious sellers and why it can make sense to get this professional support for your own business.

David: Yes, and as you just said, we’re welcoming two guests to the studio today. Welcome, Karsten Kaenders, DE Commercial Lead at eBay

Karsten: Hello!

Isabell: And a warm welcome also to Kristina Perlebach, Senior Account Manager in the Home & Garden category. We’re glad you’re here too.

Kristina: Thank you for having me!

David: Yes, I’m really happy that we have two experts here. On the one hand team lead Karsten, and on the other someone who speaks with our sellers every day, Kristina. And I want to jump right in, Karsten. Who exactly is the Account Management program for? So who is the “right” fit?

Karsten: Exactly, basically we launched it on 1/10, which means it’s initially aimed at all commercial sellers in DE or AT. We’ve expanded it again as well. And in general we have different commercial programs. Maybe to distinguish them from one another: there’s the New Starter Team, which many may already know from previous podcasts, and which is more about getting started with selling on eBay, where we support new sellers. Then we have the Pro Trader program, which is about working through certain key topics again in a short, compact three-month period, and Account Management is then aimed at all commercial sellers who simply want to strategically expand their business over the long term, want a fixed, reliable partner on the eBay side, and want to continuously develop their business.

David: So just to clarify again...the New Starter program and the Pro Trader program are closed, time-limited programs that you go through once, and then that’s basically it for now. But the Account Management program isn’t like that. It’s not like “okay, you’re in for three or six months,” but rather it’s designed for the long term, right?

Karsten: Right, from our side it’s designed for the long term, simply to take the strategic component into account. The binding commitment is actually only once at the beginning for three months; after that, it can also be canceled monthly as usual. And of course we build on the expectation that people want to keep developing their business consistently and therefore are also looking for long-term partnership with us as a strategic partner.

Isabell: And what exactly is the goal of the program? If you say you want to develop strategically together over the long term... is that exactly the goal?

Karsten: Yes, so first of all the seller should naturally have the need to further develop their eBay business, to keep looking at different focus topics, to stay up to date, including: What’s happening in the eBay landscape community? What’s happening on the product side, for example? Those are all important parts of Account Management. And so you should have goals for the development of the eBay business.

David: Always good.

Karsten: And the Account Manager accompanies you, so to speak, not just in creating this plan, but in consistently following it too. Similar to a personal trainer in fitness, for example—you know the deal. Of course, you’re able to work out on your own, but it’s always nice to have someone at your side who looks at the goals together with you and keeps you moving a bit, motivates you, and really pushes you to move strongly forward.

Isabell: Very nice comparison.

David: Exactly, but personal trainers cost a bit more than just the gym. Is it like that with Account Management too?

Karsten: With the relaunch, we also tried to put it into proportion, so to speak. That means we rethought the previous Account Management approach and made it attractive for a broader audience. That means we have a monthly fee of €199, which should then be seen as an investment in the business and therefore pay for itself through this strategic further development and optimization.

David: And what exactly defines the Account Management program? You already used the personal trainer image. So what’s perhaps the exact difference compared to the New Starter program, which we’ve already talked about several times on the podcast? Just so expectations are right if someone is interested, but also the idea of it.

Karsten: Yes, the difference is, as I said: in principle, the sellers who book Account Management are already active for some time, may have already gone through one or two commercial programs, and have defined for themselves that “it’s good to have someone by your side in the big wide eBay world with whom you can interact.” Someone who really walks through the operational business with you as a partner and genuinely provides access to the eBay network, while also keeping you up to date about innovations, changes, topics that might otherwise lead to restrictions, or similar things—so having a good sparring partner everywhere, really. Then it’s about looking strategically together: which topic areas will be tackled? There’s a lot, starting with the basics: is everything correct? Things that I’ve once sort of gotten into shape can of course change in such a marketplace that changes every day, and that has to be looked at again and again. Or as I like to say...or I always say: if things have once run smoothly, the marketplace moves around it. That means you constantly have to question yourself: am I still up to date? Are there perhaps other approaches that will get me to appear better in search results? The like. So, truly consistent work is necessary. Not only to grow, but also to maintain performance you may once have achieved over the long term. Because otherwise that becomes difficult too, if you don’t monitor everything consistently.

Isabell: Yes, besides this consistent monitoring, let’s say of the basics you just mentioned, there are also super many opportunities to grow further on eBay: eBay Ads, marketing tools...there’s also a very large, broad portfolio. So what is the advantage of having an Account Manager in this context?

Karsten: Yes, first of all it’s important, of course...before I invest in the business, in various tools that you rightly mentioned just now, everything that doesn’t cost money / costs extra money should of course first be sorted out or prepared well. In other words, “fix the basics,” meaning that should always be questioned. And then I should of course look strategically at which levers suit me, suit my products? And plan and implement those together with the Account Manager accordingly. We naturally also have, for example, vouchers that you can take part in, where the account managers also invite you. We have certain deals, campaigns that are planned, also via the Account Manager, which again and again bridge into the different verticals and can thus also provide the latest information in the strategy. So that is of course another advantage I have if I’m well-connected, as they say.

Isabell: So really that individual strategic advice is what’s in the foreground.

Karsten: Exactly.

David: Yes, Isabell just brought up a very good point. In the New Starter program and also in the Pro Trader program, which we’ve already presented, we have rather rigid, I’d say, content, because in the New Starter program especially the basics are clarified first. In the Pro Trader program there are also fixed points. Now Account Management is more about being really very individualized, right?

Karsten: Exactly, yes. At the beginning of the collaboration there is always a so-called welcome call, in which the focus is really on: what is the starting point? That’s also the goal on the seller side. It’s simply about taking stock: where have we perhaps been before? Where do we want to get back to? Or where are we now, and where do we perhaps want to be in one or two years with the consistent development of our business? And that really forms the basis for the collaboration. That means the topics that are relevant for taking the next steps are discussed. And not defined in a blanket way as “we’ll do this, that and the other in three months,” for example.

David: And that’s where you come in too, Kristina. We’ve already talked in detail in past podcast episodes about what the New Starter program does and how you get more visibility, generally speaking. But visibility is always an important topic, and it also plays a major role for you. How do you approach this, then how do you work concretely with the sellers?

Kristina: Yes, Karsten has already mentioned a lot. So first we really go into the conversation to see: what can the seller do? What do they even want? What products do they have? Where could they potentially expand their assortment? What do the listings look like in general? So we really go deep to find out exactly: what is the seller capable of? What can we offer as eBay? And how do we come together there? So do they know the Seller Cockpit well? Do they know all the marketing tools that are available there? We’ve really improved our eBay shop and eBay shop marketing a lot in recent years. You can design the shop yourself very well, add your top categories, run your own banners. There are so many possibilities. The only thing the seller has to invest is time and commitment. And yes, if that’s really there on their side, then we can simply grow together, depending on what is desired. And Karsten said at the start that we have restructured Account Management, and the nice thing is that now not only Premium Shop sellers can use this account manager, but also Basic Shop or Top Shop, Premium Shop and of course our Platinum sellers. They already have Account Management included.

David: I also think it’s very nice, this topic of commitment is also...back to the personal trainer: I can book them as often as I want, but if I don’t go, not much will happen unfortunately. So I still think it’s a very, very good image, and it just shows how important it is, also in the New Starter and Pro Trader programs by the way, how important it is that you as a seller are also willing to really say, okay, I’m taking this on actively and I’m doing it.

Isabell: Now we’ve already talked so much about the personal trainer. I’d just like to stay with the metaphor: if this training plan is now created, basically the starting plan, to get the Account Management...so basically to reach the goal, the strategic direction. What concrete levers are discussed there? You’ve already touched on a few, like optimizing the shop for example, but do you have a few more examples of what exactly you implement?

Kristina: So, if they have potential in the marketing area, then you could, for example, also include the shop...if you’re in shop marketing, there’s the option to run newsletters, for example a welcome newsletter first, maybe for all new subscribers or new followers, so they get the message “This is my shop, and these are the offers I have.” I can also promote special campaigns and price reductions with the newsletter, for example. I can also set up multi-buys and volume discounts myself on my item listings. You also have the option, for example, to start selling internationally, then set shipping to other European countries, and as a result those listings are also shown on the European country sites. That would be the first step to say: “Okay, in Germany I may already have reached a very large buyer group. That’s not enough for me. I may want to grow internationally.” That would be the first step toward saying: “Okay, I set up shipping to other European countries.”

Isabell: Now international trade is super complex. Do you “only,” so to speak, advise on visibility on the eBay platform? So, “how can I make my offers visible internationally?” Or do you also offer advice around that, whether legal advice, advice on shipping solutions...?

Kristina: So, we do not provide legal advice. The seller really has to organize all of that themselves and set it up so that the listings are also legally...that everything is correctly stored there from a legal standpoint. If we’re talking about shipping services or something like that, then...we have a partner, Orange Connex, who offers the possibility to store your items there and have them handle the whole fulfillment for the seller and also ship, for example, to other European countries. Beyond that, America is of course also a topic. But all of that can be negotiated with Orange Connex, for example. We make the connection, and then everything else is handled directly by the seller with Orange Connex, for example.

David: That kind of closes the circle. We currently have a little mini-series on our podcast about shipping on eBay, and I also think it’s very important to emphasize again that eBay can never provide legal advice. But you do point sellers toward the fact that they need legal advice here, and that they get it from their legal advisers. Tax advice is also a topic. So it’s already very, very important that you make people aware that this is necessary. But as aspiring professionals, it isn’t enough just to know these tools and processes already available on eBay. What happens next?

Kristina: The eBay Seller Cockpit offers very, very many possibilities to monitor or report on your performance. There are different areas where, for example, you can find a quality report. So what still needs to be changed in my listings? Or where is it maybe not going so well? Is the conversion rate good? How often is the item actually being watched? There are simply really good reports to pull out the relevant information. There’s also the option for ads campaigns to pull a complete campaign report. So we do that together...so when the seller then asks us as Account Managers “Where do I find what?” We go through it together, I guide them through this Seller Cockpit, explain how often you should use which reportings, and also point out what you can actually learn from them. A very important point is the service statistics and service status on eBay, because those are really relevant topics when it comes to visibility. And it’s also important to download this service, these service statistics, in order to identify products that are returned very often. Then we go in there and ask: okay, why are they returned so often? Is the packaging damaged? Are parts missing? And based on that you can then build and say: okay, then you need to change your item description a bit. Maybe add a few more photos. If the packaging is often damaged, then talk to the shipping provider. Or do you maybe need to add extra packaging material? And if the item is simply returned as defective very often, then very often the issue is that something about the quality needs to be changed and that the seller should once again talk to the manufacturer: “This part is always defective. Can’t we change something to extend the product lifecycle as a result?”

David: Interesting.

Isabell: We’ve talked a lot about how Account Management naturally offers the opportunity to optimize the business in detail. But what about formulating the business strategy in the eBay universe?

Karsten: Yes, that’s a good question. At the beginning...as I said, we do this welcome call and first look at where the seller stands on their own level. And it’s difficult to define goals without knowing all the options. So people always say: you may have a goal, but without a plan it’s only a wish. Yes, and in order to really draw as detailed a path as possible from the desired goal: how do I get there best within the eBay platform or marketplace? That’s why it’s good to enter into this partnership and simply say: okay, you want to achieve this and that, you have this and that product group, this and that is usually possible on our marketplace...those are of course insights that are initially helpful from a gut feeling perspective. Am I on the right track there? Do I maybe need to expand my assortment in a different direction or something like that? These are points that of course help build a strategy at all, and also help you yourself assess whether the goal you’re setting is realistic. Or maybe the timeframe: yes, I want to grow X percent in one year. Is that actually realistic with the product portfolio? Do we really need to get involved there or what? Yes, those are topics...or finding out: I’m still a relatively small seller, and yes, I might be able to get more inventory from my suppliers, but I may currently be lacking the financial means. Yes, there are partner programs where we can also connect again, similar to Orange Connex, in order to show ways to grow healthily, with small steps and support on the financial side as well, to help move forward better there.

Kristina: Exactly, there are also macroeconomic trends, such as the circular economy. So you can really look at whether the seller is already using that, or has already considered it in their strategy? Circular economy is super relevant right now, and you can really sell your returns on eBay, which you might otherwise have scrapped or sold elsewhere. If you have the right item description and good photos, the B-stock market or returns market is really, really strong right now, also on eBay.

David: We also had an episode recently on Re-Store and Re-Commerce, so check that one out too. I find it super exciting; what I’m definitely learning here is that you have experts on your team who are especially very knowledgeable in the respective categories, which naturally gives you a very, very good overview of what’s going on in the categories. What I find especially interesting, though, is something that is always a problem or a challenge, I’d say: employee turnover. It happens. That means, especially when a company is a bit bigger and has one employee for eBay, for example, it can be the case that after two or three years that person changes, and then all the knowledge is quickly gone. But we’re still here. Do we help in such cases too?

Karsten: I would say yes.

David: Good.

Karsten: Yes, the situation you’re describing is not uncommon. It’s not always just about employees leaving, but also about development within companies. And yes, this know-how is often centered on one or a few people, and of course we close the loop there. Account Management also includes documentation of the topics discussed and really at account level, so that the Account Manager can relatively quickly get into the situation again with a new contact person and continue from where they left off with the other employee.

Isabell: Does that mean that, in general, a company tends to have one Account Manager on our side? So is that a fixed contact person, or can it also, let’s say, rotate?

Karsten: On our side there is one contact person at customer level, yes.

Kristina: Exactly, and if that employee should then leave, it’s not like we become operational in some way. So we can train the new employee, we can guide them through the Seller Cockpit again, show strategies for what was already planned. But ultimately, operationally, the seller always has to do the work themselves, and that’s what we said at the beginning, that the commitment has to be there. So whether you want to grow or remain competitively viable in the long term. What matters is always that the commitment is there, that time is invested, that you openly discuss topics together, even if you’re dissatisfied at times, happily...

David: Especially then.

Kristina: Exactly, also give feedback: “This and that somehow didn’t fit, I’d like it differently.” It’s the same from the other side as well: if agreed topics aren’t implemented promptly, then you can’t expect to achieve prompt growth either.

Isabell: So you define goals together, you set up the strategy, but implementation still lies on the other side.

Karsten: Yes.

Kristina: Yes.

Karsten: Yes, very, very important! We had that earlier too, that we guide people through Seller Cockpit, meaning we show where everything is, where to find which information, where which information belongs. Yes, so that’s already something we provide, and that is what ends up there in the end. Also, as you mentioned, the topic of legal advice is then again on the seller side. Everyone has to take responsibility for that themselves.

David: So sellers don’t hand you the account and you do it, but instead you just show them how to do it best.

Karsten: Exactly.

Kristina: Exactly.

David: All right. At this point it would be interesting for us to know where our listeners would have liked closer collaboration with eBay during their careers? Feel free to write us a Facebook comment under eBay for Business Germany or also in our eBay Community, because if participants in the Account Management program ever don’t know what to do next, they also have help, right?

Kristina: Exactly, because the Account Management service also includes our premium customer service, the Concierge Service. And as we like to say, the concierge treats the symptoms. They’re also happy to help with cases/case handling. We Account Managers are the ones who then, so to speak, want to fight the causes and find out: why did negative feedback actually happen? Why are so many cases open? Why are there so many delayed deliveries right now, for example?

Isabell: Yes, speaking of feedback. You just explained that it’s a bit two-sided. So you discuss: what is the goal anyway? How did it go last year? How do you want to develop further? What happens with the feedback you receive from the sellers?

Kristina: Exactly, so it’s very, very important that we also get feedback from our sellers, because we are the internal interface. So we know our way around eBay: who is responsible for what? To whom does which feedback need to go so that something actually happens? So eBay - Karsten already mentioned this earlier - eBay is constantly changing, and we can only do that, or only implement that, if we really get feedback too, and that is very, very important. Andreas Häntsch and Oliver Klinck also keep emphasizing that this feedback from our sellers is important to us in order to really...or optimize the platform.

Karsten: It may fit quite well here that when it comes to newer changes or new product features we want to introduce, or new services, similar things, pilots are usually run beforehand. So it doesn’t always go live, everything all at once, and in many cases the original initiators, for example from the seller side, are also gladly invited to be involved and help us again and again with new things...new paths, developing new products or launching new features.

Isabell: Very nice. So that’s also a nice call to action for everyone listening right now: if you have feedback and suggestions for improvement, please share them with us. You mentioned briefly that there is no longer the hurdle of having to have a Premium or Platinum shop on eBay in order to take part in Account Management. Are there any other requirements?

Karsten: No, so, commercial seller status on eBay Germany or AT is of course the requirement in order to book it through the Growth Portal. We also have a landing page here where, if you haven’t heard of the Growth Portal yet, you can contact us via a contact form, so that the Account Manager can get in touch directly and set everything in motion. And generally, regardless of the shop model, as Kristina already mentioned, it is actually open and possible for every seller who wants to invest in their business and who really wants to make strategic progress to book this.

David: And, as you said, mandatory for the first three months once at the beginning, and then cancelable monthly.

Karsten: Exactly. So everyone decides for themselves how long they want to have it, how intensively they want to enter into the relationship with eBay.

Isabell: Yes, very nice, and I’d say we’ll also put the links to the Growth Portal and the registration form directly in the show notes.

David: Yes, loyal podcast listeners now of course know what always comes at the very end, namely we still ask one question: what did you last buy on eBay or maybe even pick up yourself through eBay Local? I don’t know, Kristina, would you like to start?

Kristina: I just bought a Baby Born advent calendar for my little daughter yesterday.

David: Okay.

Isabell: Aww, cute!

David: Ordered or picked up too? So with shipping or...?

Kristina: Ordered with shipping, exactly.

Isabell: And you, Karsten?

Karsten: Actually, the last product is still on its way: a gift wrap cutter. The season is coming up now. A totally cool gimmick, I think it’s great so the edges don’t get all ragged anymore, so a device for cutting wrapping paper.

David: I’m curious what the wrapping game will look like after that.

Isabell: Yes, definitely the right time to order that. Yes, great, that brings us to the end of our episode. Thank you so much, Karsten and Kristina, for your super exciting and helpful insights into the topic of Account Management. I’m sure you’ve helped many aspiring sellers on their way to an even more successful business on eBay.

David: Yes, thank you for being here.

Kristina: Thank you.

Karsten: My pleasure. Thank you for having us here.

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