Feedback please - potential AI Amazon course

[AmazonGeek]

Good afternoon everyone

Some of you may know that I found my way onto this forum many years ago when it was called 'The Wholesale Forums'. Almost 20 years ago I stumbled across a post from a chap called Andrew Minalto, who was selling a £75 DVD titled 'Easy Auction Business'. It was a step-by-step process on how to set up an eBay business and it led to me setting up my company, 'The Ink Squid' - a compatible ink cartridge brand. I then became a case-study on a later edition of the DVD and sold the business in lockdown for 6 figures.

Andrew went on to develop the 'Amazon Sharks' course which sold for £999 and had page after page of great reviews from members of this forum. I got to see the content and it was actually very good - PowerPoint-based and a little basic with an obvious voiceover actor (I later found out that Andrew was from Latvia) but very good and from the feedback it looks like he sold many hundreds, if not thousands of subscriptions.

Anyway, for the last few years I have been consulting for all types of business, from big brands right down to one-man bands. I am very good at what I do and I am not cheap. However, there are only so many hours in the month so I am limited in how many people I can work with and support.

For the last few years I have been thinking about developing a course of my own. The biggest problem is that Amazon changes the rules so quickly these days and content is out of date almost as quickly as it is published. Luckily, Sales Geek (the company I am with) has great resources and we are looking at putting together something along these lines:

• Comprehensive modular course, taking people from literally knowing nothing about Amazon to having a brand and business up and running (largely automated)
• Modules will include: Business and Amazon account set up, business structure, Amazon fees, product research and finding opportunities (private label), Helium 10, product validation, sourcing from China, importing and pitfalls to avoid, listing creation, photography, videography, trademarks and the Brand Registry, storefronts, indexing/ranking, FBA, PPC, influencers and outside traffic, VAT and Pan-European FBA, inventory management, etc. So very comprehensive.
• The course will be a combination of screen-sharing, talking to camera, walk-throughs, etc but the clever part is that a lot of it will be delivered by my AI avatar (almost certainly created via Heygen or Synthesia). 'Real me' will probably deliver intro/outro videos to each section but the bulk of the content needs to be agile and the AI element allows us to tweak the script and re-render very quickly, keeping it bang up to date.
• It is getting to the point where it is difficult to tell the difference these days but there will be no subterfuge. I will be crystal clear up front which parts are 'real me' and which are 'virtual me' (assuming you can tell the difference) and the reasons why. I spend a lot of time and money keeping up to date with the ever-changing Amazon landscape and this will allow me to reach so many more people and keep it right on the cutting edge.
• The course will be supported by regular Zoom sessions, WhatsApp groups (for different stages), etc so it won't be a question of just dumping a course on people and leaving them to it (although they could work through it on their own if they wish). The AI angle is purely for flexibility.
• One of the benefits from a commercial angle is that the language can be changed very easily and suddenly the course is being delivered in French or German. Again, this needs to evolve a bit more but it is improving exponentially. Also, if someone with a similar level of knowledge to my own wants to have their own course, we can train their avatar, tweak the content and suddenly they are delivering it instead of me (which is also useful for the exit - the business isn't necessarily tied to me and my face).
• Cost-wise it will probably be a combination of a fixed fee for the course and then a modest monthly amount for the ongoing support. That way, people have the option of buying it and working through it on their own if they prefer (which is what I did all those years ago). The fixed fee would probably be the equivalent of my day rate for 121 training (which, considering people usually spend at least 6 days being trained, is good value). I am almost fully booked at the moment and have been for months by the way so there is no shortage of demand, and that is without really looking for it. Most of my clients come via referral.

This would be a massive undertaking and will cost a lot of time and money to develop. The Amazon Sharks course was in 12 sections, with a total of about 115 modules averaging 25-30 minutes each, so about 50 hours of content. Mine would be at least double that and would go into a lot more detail.

So the question is...what do you think? By the way, I'm not interested in hearing that you don't believe in paying for coaching and would only ever learn at the coalface. I don't have any problem getting clients and am always on the edge of being fully booked (I am now in my 50s and if anything I am being a little lazy). Almost everyone comes to me through word of mouth and the other 'Geeks' (who are all incredibly talented sales directors/trainers for hire and who support companies from Royal Mail and Panasonic down to SMEs) all regularly refer clients to me. We are already in 3 countries and growing fast so one of the other benefits is that they can sell it to their client base and get a decent slice of the action. The same for affiliates.

But if you are the kind of person that would pay a consultant, how would you react to this AI-based approach?

Thanks in advance

 

[NickGrogan]

What will the course teach me that I can't get from ChatGPT deep research or similar for $20 per month?

 

[AmazonGeek]

What will the course teach me that I can't get from ChatGPT deep research or similar for $20 per month?

Sorry, I thought I was clear. If you want to try and learn Amazon via Chat GPT then you are not my client avatar (and I'm not going to go into hallucinations, not knowing what to ask in the first place, how do you know whether the information is accurate, etc)

There is a very clear demand for what I do - evident in the fact I am as busy as I want to be, have been for months and I get referred to people every week who want their hand holding through the process to make sure they have the best possible chance of success.

There are plenty of courses out there with very good content, not to mention in-person courses charging many thousands to attend. There is no question about the demand.

The question is not whether you would pay for a course (which you obviously won't).

The question is - if you are the kind of person who would pay for this kind of advice, would the AI element put you off?

 

[fisicx]

The question is - if you are the kind of person who would pay for this kind of advice, would the AI element put you off?

Yes.

However, I really dislike any sort of video training. I much prefer documents with a series of steps I need to follow. The video (or audio) should enhance my reading not be the whole thing. With a document I can go back and check details. Can't easily do this with a 50 minute video.

Maybe I'm the exception but I can learn far faster from a document than I can sitting watching a talking head. Even worse, and AI talking head.

And for the sort of money I'm paying I'd expect to be able to ask the real you questions about the bits that confuse me.

 

[AmazonGeek]

I much prefer documents with a series of steps I need to follow.

Not easy with something as vast as Amazon. We are talking hundreds of hours of content so it would be a series of encyclopaedias. There would be pdf summaries for each topic but I don't think you could cover the vast amount of material purely with documents.

 

[AmazonGeek]

And for the sort of money I'm paying I'd expect to be able to ask the real you questions about the bits that confuse me.

This would definitely be part of the course for those that want it.

 

[fisicx]

Not easy with something as vast as Amazon. We are talking hundreds of hours of content so it would be a series of encyclopaedias. There would be pdf summaries for each topic but I don't think you could cover the vast amount of material purely with documents.

Maybe not but begin with a set of core documents. EG: how to set up a seller account. With screenshots so I can work through the process. A video on the same topic could cover pitfalls and mistakes.

There will be some topics that are really complicated so a walkthough I can follow will be far more useful than watching you clicking on the screen then pausing while I try to do the same on my screen.

(I write user manuals - once you get started they aren't too difficult or time consuming).

 

[AmazonGeek]

Maybe not but begin with a set of core documents. EG: how to set up a seller account. Withscreens shots so I can work through the process. A video on the same topic could cover pitfalls and mistakes.

There will be some topics that are really complicated so a walkthough I can follow will be far more useful than watching you clicking on the screen then pausing while I try to do the same on my screen.

100% - that would be the plan. A balanced combination of walk-through, talk-through, support documentation, video peer support groups, support directly from me, etc. The key thing is that it would be agile and able to adapt very quickly when the goalposts move. A lot of them stuff that is out there is just out of date and some of it will get you shut down so being agile is very important.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

I think it is a great idea.

As another TWF ex-member, I remember his course (although I think I got to it via a different route).

Bottom line is that:
A - There are lots of people who want to sell on Amazon
B - Most of them do not have a pot to p in
C - Some will buy into any course as they are course type people
D - There is a need for a quality course and community that keeps members up to date
E - If you have credibility in the area, you have a stronger chance of making it work
F - You will need to invest a bit into marketing to get through the noise of all of the pretenders

You have the credibility and the course would sell primarily because of you and your story.

As long as you have
Education
Updates
Community
I think it has a lot of legs.

Keeping it primarily online will allow you to keep the information up to date, even if it means editing/reshooting a few videos.

 

[AmazonGeek]

I think it is a great idea.

As another TWF ex-member, I remember his course (although I think I got to it via a different route).

Bottom line is that:
A - There are lots of people who want to sell on Amazon
B - Most of them do not have a pot to p in
C - Some will buy into any course as they are course type people
D - There is a need for a quality course and community that keeps members up to date
E - If you have credibility in the area, you have a stronger chance of making it work
F - You will need to invest a bit into marketing to get through the noise of all of the pretenders

You have the credibility and the course would sell primarily because of you and your story.

As long as you have
Education
Updates
Community
I think it has a lot of legs.

Keeping it primarily online will allow you to keep the information up to date, even if it means editing/reshooting a few videos.

Thanks Paul. That is what I think too, but I am biased of course!

Yes you can trawl the internet and listen to Chat GPT but how do you know the content is accurate or up to date? And how do you know what to ask in the first place? After all, you don't know what you don't know. Most companies I support have teams of people working on their Amazon accounts and they are clueless a lot of the time (and it is their job to know so what chance has a newbie got?!) And a lot of the people I help are either a) dramatically underperforming or b) trying to get their accounts back because they broke a rule they didn't even know existed!

Re marketing, Sales Geek HQ has the resources for that and they will be taking a % of the revenue so it is in their interests to get it out there. We are already in the UK, US and India, with dozens of 'Geeks' helping businesses of all shapes and sizes. They already send me clients (in fact I have had a new one this morning) without getting rewarded simply because they know I will help the client with their business, which will then reflect well back on the geek passing the referral. The course would give the other geeks a way to earn good money too (as it would for any affiliate).

Education - 100%. There would be tonnes and tonnes of this because Amazon is incredibly complex and changing all the time. I deliver regularly to the Chamber of Commerce ('Amazon Academy'), FSB and various growth hubs and universities around the country. There is no shortage of stuff to teach and it grows every day.

Updates - absolutely vital because the goalposts are constantly moving and it is easy to get left behind. A phrase I often use is "I'm an Amazon Geek so you don't have to be". In other words, I spend hours and hours each week networking with the best Amazon brains in the world, listening to webinars and podcasts, visiting Amazon's offices, attending conferences, etc to stay right on the cutting edge. The problem is keeping the content up to date, which is why I want the AI approach. If something changes, we tweak the script and 'AI Adrian' (maybe that should be 'AIdrian'?) instantly starts delivering the new content.

Community - yes, it won't just be sell and forget. There will be back-up material, peer-support groups and direct support from me. The problem with working 121 all the time is that there are only so many hours in the week. With the course, I can support many more people at the same time.

Online - luckily Sales Geek has its own education hub which has been developed at significant cost (7 figures). It hosts all our proprietary material and is used to support the companies we work with all over the world. It would also host the course and the AI structure would allow us to keep it up to date very easily. We just change the script and the avatar instantly updates the delivery. Some people won't like that but it is getting harder and harder to tell the difference and I think it is a price worth paying for the flexibility.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Sorry, the thing I forgot to ask is what will AI have to do with it?

 

[ethical PR]

Good afternoon everyone

Some of you may know that I found my way onto this forum many years ago when it was called 'The Wholesale Forums'. Almost 20 years ago I stumbled across a post from a chap called Andrew Minalto, who was selling a £75 DVD titled 'Easy Auction Business'. It was a step-by-step process on how to set up an eBay business and it led to me setting up my company, 'The Ink Squid' - a compatible ink cartridge brand. I then became a case-study on a later edition of the DVD and sold the business in lockdown for 6 figures.

Andrew went on to develop the 'Amazon Sharks' course which sold for £999 and had page after page of great reviews from members of this forum. I got to see the content and it was actually very good - PowerPoint-based and a little basic with an obvious voiceover actor (I later found out that Andrew was from Latvia) but very good and from the feedback it looks like he sold many hundreds, if not thousands of subscriptions.

Anyway, for the last few years I have been consulting for all types of business, from big brands right down to one-man bands. I am very good at what I do and I am not cheap. However, there are only so many hours in the month so I am limited in how many people I can work with and support.

For the last few years I have been thinking about developing a course of my own. The biggest problem is that Amazon changes the rules so quickly these days and content is out of date almost as quickly as it is published. Luckily, Sales Geek (the company I am with) has great resources and we are looking at putting together something along these lines:

• Comprehensive modular course, taking people from literally knowing nothing about Amazon to having a brand and business up and running (largely automated)
• Modules will include: Business and Amazon account set up, business structure, Amazon fees, product research and finding opportunities (private label), Helium 10, product validation, sourcing from China, importing and pitfalls to avoid, listing creation, photography, videography, trademarks and the Brand Registry, storefronts, indexing/ranking, FBA, PPC, influencers and outside traffic, VAT and Pan-European FBA, inventory management, etc. So very comprehensive.
• The course will be a combination of screen-sharing, talking to camera, walk-throughs, etc but the clever part is that a lot of it will be delivered by my AI avatar (almost certainly created via Heygen or Synthesia). 'Real me' will probably deliver intro/outro videos to each section but the bulk of the content needs to be agile and the AI element allows us to tweak the script and re-render very quickly, keeping it bang up to date.
• It is getting to the point where it is difficult to tell the difference these days but there will be no subterfuge. I will be crystal clear up front which parts are 'real me' and which are 'virtual me' (assuming you can tell the difference) and the reasons why. I spend a lot of time and money keeping up to date with the ever-changing Amazon landscape and this will allow me to reach so many more people and keep it right on the cutting edge.
• The course will be supported by regular Zoom sessions, WhatsApp groups (for different stages), etc so it won't be a question of just dumping a course on people and leaving them to it (although they could work through it on their own if they wish). The AI angle is purely for flexibility.
• One of the benefits from a commercial angle is that the language can be changed very easily and suddenly the course is being delivered in French or German. Again, this needs to evolve a bit more but it is improving exponentially. Also, if someone with a similar level of knowledge to my own wants to have their own course, we can train their avatar, tweak the content and suddenly they are delivering it instead of me (which is also useful for the exit - the business isn't necessarily tied to me and my face).
• Cost-wise it will probably be a combination of a fixed fee for the course and then a modest monthly amount for the ongoing support. That way, people have the option of buying it and working through it on their own if they prefer (which is what I did all those years ago). The fixed fee would probably be the equivalent of my day rate for 121 training (which, considering people usually spend at least 6 days being trained, is good value). I am almost fully booked at the moment and have been for months by the way so there is no shortage of demand, and that is without really looking for it. Most of my clients come via referral.

This would be a massive undertaking and will cost a lot of time and money to develop. The Amazon Sharks course was in 12 sections, with a total of about 115 modules averaging 25-30 minutes each, so about 50 hours of content. Mine would be at least double that and would go into a lot more detail.

So the question is...what do you think? By the way, I'm not interested in hearing that you don't believe in paying for coaching and would only ever learn at the coalface. I don't have any problem getting clients and am always on the edge of being fully booked (I am now in my 50s and if anything I am being a little lazy). Almost everyone comes to me through word of mouth and the other 'Geeks' (who are all incredibly talented sales directors/trainers for hire and who support companies from Royal Mail and Panasonic down to SMEs) all regularly refer clients to me. We are already in 3 countries and growing fast so one of the other benefits is that they can sell it to their client base and get a decent slice of the action. The same for affiliates.

But if you are the kind of person that would pay a consultant, how would you react to this AI-based approach?

Thanks in advance

Why aren't you asking customers you've identified as your target market?

 

[AmazonGeek]

Why aren't you asking customers you've identified as your target market?

I am, and the feedback is very good. Just after a broader range of opinions

 

[Porky]

I think your issue here is that there is a vast difference between booking you one to one to coach/advise (on specific areas I'm unclear on) and buying an AI generated course out the box.

If you take courses per sae, they are cheap as chips, zillions of them on practically everything and that's in addition to the free videos out there and free amazon video content they already provide hence, in my considered opinion no matter how great your course is it would have a ceiling price on it. I don't know where the price pain threshold would be, for me personally it might be £75-£99 for something like that, maybe some might pay more some less but I don't see you getting a premium price for a set course nor a monthly subscription model working well, not in any volume anyhow but maybe I'm wrong others might think differently.

Coaching on the otherhand an entirely different ball game because I'm prepared to pay you more of a premium as I have your undivided attention.

That's my opinion for what it's worth. You could try one AI training video first on a specific topic and see if that sells - if it does then add to the range.

I would think feedback from those that have had coaching sessions with you would be the most valuable feedback here?

Good luck

 

[AmazonGeek]

I think your issue here is that there is a vast difference between booking you one to one to coach/advise (on specific areas I'm unclear on) and buying an AI generated course out the box.

If you take courses per sae, they are cheap as chips, zillions of them on practically everything and that's in addition to the free videos out there and free amazon video content they already provide hence, in my considered opinion no matter how great your course is it would have a ceiling price on it. I don't know where the price pain threshold would be, for me personally it might be £75-£99 for something like that, maybe some might pay more some less but I don't see you getting a premium price for a set course nor a monthly subscription model working well, not in any volume anyhow but maybe I'm wrong others might think differently.

Coaching on the otherhand an entirely different ball game because I'm prepared to pay you more of a premium as I have your undivided attention.

That's my opinion for what it's worth. You could try one AI training video first on a specific topic and see if that sells - if it does then add to the range.

I would think feedback from those that have had coaching sessions with you would be the most valuable feedback here?

Good luck

Hi Porky

Thanks for the feedback. This would be 100+ hours of content walking people through everything from setting up an Amazon account to international expansion plus support via email/WhatsApp and regular group WhatsApp support sessions.

To put it into context, my day rate is just under £1000 (for 6 hours of support) and I am fully booked most of the time with a waiting list. I have clients all over the world including some names you will have heard of. The other 'geeks' in our company support some huge companies and we now operate in 3 countries and are growing rapidly as an organisation. We have a proprietary online hub which hosts all our regular content and cost over £1m to develop - this course would be hosted there.

I have pitched the idea to people I already coach and it has been well received. I also deliver workshops for the Chamber of Commerce, FSB, regional growth hubs, etc and again, well received.

So it isn't the content or the commercial attractiveness I am worried about. I know it would sell as a course - it is the AI element and whether that would put people off.

 

[fisicx]

The AI element would instantly put off even trialling the course.

 

[Ozzy]

I have pitched the idea to people I already coach and it has been well received. I also deliver workshops for the Chamber of Commerce, FSB, regional growth hubs, etc and again, well received.

So it isn't the content or the commercial attractiveness I am worried about. I know it would sell as a course - it is the AI element and whether that would put people off.

For me the 'AI' aspect would also put me off, as I'd be comparing it to YouTube tutorials, and I'd hold the YT tutorials in higher regard than an AI tutorial.
Or to put it another way, I would be prepared to pay more for access to some pre-recorded video tutorials than I would be will to pay for an AI course.

 

[AmazonGeek]

Just to clarify...

This is not an AI-generated course - in that the material is not generated by Chat or anything else. It is my material and 'real me' will be heavily involved in delivering it. We have a great in-house studio with all the best equipment and we are more than capable of filming the whole thing with me fronting it all the way through. However, it isn't very agile that way.

The main reason that AI is being considered is because Amazon changes so damned fast. By the time the course is finished, everything has changed and you have to start again. So 'virtual me' will deliver the core material with 'real me' topping and tailing each section. It is purely for flexibility and this will be made very clear throughout. It will also be done with a sense of humour and bear in mind that it is getting harder and harder to tell the difference.

So just to be crystal clear, it is all my own material - the same material I deliver face to face - just delivered in a way that is easier to keep up to date.

Also bear in mind that this is targeted at warm prospects who are serious about setting up an Amazon business - not people who think they can learn Amazon from YouTube/Chat GPT or who would only pay £75 for a course.

A quick reminder that the 'Amazon Sharks' course that was promoted on this forum a while back sold for £999 and had thousands of subscribers (and it was basically PowerPoint with a voiceover).

The question is, do they pay £990/day to work with me on a 121 basis, usually for half a day or a full day per month for up to 6 months; or do they pay for access to a cutting-edge course that is always bang up to date and work through the material at their leisure for a fraction of the overall cost (with peer-group/email/WhatsApp support included).

 

[fisicx]

In which don’t mention AI. Just say the material will be updated to account for changes to Amazon’s processes.

I’d expect to see both old and new so I can see what has changed.

Which means you may be better off with the core content as one module followed by mini modules. That way I can run the course then return to just watch the updates (after you send me an email saying there is an update).

 

[AmazonGeek]

In which don’t mention AI. Just say the material will be updated to account for changes to Amazon’s processes.

I’d expect to see both old and new so I can see what has changed.

I've thought about this and it can take you down a very confusing path. For example, when it comes to launching a new product, the current strategy is completely different to what it was even 2 or 3 years ago and a lot of the main techniques are now completely banned. This isn't because the were black hat - Amazon just changed what was allowed.

• Go back far enough and you could give away products in return for reviews (and Amazon encourage it). Now banned unless you use the Vine programme
• You could do product giveaways and rebates - now banned
• You could pay companies to run 'search-find-buy' campaigns - now banned
• You could launch individual ASINs, run Vine on them all and them combine them into a variation family for a cumulative total - now banned (and this only happened this month)

So yes, we could have a core video but after a while there wouldn't be much point watching it. It could be followed by shorter, supplementary videos covering the updates but wouldn't it be better the other way around - to have a bang up-to-date main video with maybe a record of what has changed afterwards if you wanted to look for reference? It you wanted to learn all the outdated techniques as well as the current ones it would take you forever to get through it.

 

[fisicx]

However, shorter modules are far more useful. I’d rather go back and watch a 5minute presentation than try to find the same info in a 60minute tutorial.

As an example, I might just need a refresher on labelling or whatever. So that’s the module I want to watch.

Bang up to date is good. But not when I’ve got to sit still and listen for 90minutes.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Or keep pushing out updates which will get registered users coming back?

 

[AmazonGeek]

However, shorter modules are far more useful. I’d rather go back and watch a 5minute presentation than try to find the same info in a 60minute tutorial.

As an example, I might just need a refresher on labelling or whatever. So that’s the module I want to watch.

Bang up to date is good. But not when I’ve got to sit still and listen for 90minutes.

Absolutely - there will be 10-12 main sections (basics and account set up, finding opportunities, sourcing, importing, keyword research, listing creation, FBA, international expansion, etc). Then within each section there will be multiple short-form videos covering the subtopics, each no more than 10-15 minutes long. Given the amount to learn you are looking at 100+ hours.

But I keep coming back to this... Why would someone want to watch out-of-date content followed by lots of separate updates? Wouldn't it be better to just watch the up-to-date version? We could still keep everyone posted when something changes and point them to the relevant part...? If you try learning how to do Amazon properly via YouTube most of the content is horribly out of date and plenty of it will get your account suspended/terminated because Amazon has moved the goalposts.

One of the best sources of material on learning Amazon is the 'Serious Seller's Podcast' by Bradley Sutton, a VP at Helium 10 and one of the best-know faces in the Amazon world (I help them with their product development from time to time). As of today there are 658 episodes, each lasting about 30 minutes, and most of them are now completely out of date! So you get lots of different episodes dealing with updates on the same topic each saying don't do it that way any more - you need to do it this way instead.

For example , the 'Maldives Honeymoon' launch strategy is covered in about 8 different episodes and each time the rules have changed completely and stuff you could do earlier is now banned. So does it make sense to watch all those earlier episodes followed by the updates? Or would it be better if it was always up to date (granted with an archive of what has changed and updates pushed out to subscribers?)

If I wanted to learn how to use Windows, do I really need to know everything from the earliest version or do I just want to learn the current one (with maybe a reference to what has changed?)

Again, I'm not looking to convert people who would try and learn via Chat GPT/Google/YouTube or who think that £75 is too much - they aren't my client base. My clients are often 7-8 figure businesses and brands who are worried about falling behind, breaking a rule they didn't know had changed and getting suspended. Or people who are serious about setting up a new business and have no idea where to start.

'Virtual me' would deliver a lot of the content (to camera, or via voiceover) with the advantage that it can instantly be updated/re-rendered or even translated into a foreign language.