“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” These words by Winston Churchill resonated with Tony as he sat in a bar, drowning his sorrows.
As the owner of an ecommerce business, he was struggling to make sales, despite all his efforts to generate traffic to his website through Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Instagram Ads.
One of his biggest challenges was abandoned carts from customers, and he felt like he was on the brink of failure.
But little did he know that a chance encounter with a stranger would change his fortunes forever.
This is the story of how Tony turned his struggling business around with the help of some valuable advice from a Google employee.
John (43), living in London (UK) happily married to his love with 2 small kids, was a busy man.
As a middle-aged man working for Google in London, he had a lot of responsibilities on his plate.
He was constantly running from one meeting to the next, and had little time to spare for himself.
However, one evening he had a heated discussion with a female colleague – Stacy.
Stacy was an intelligent and ambitious woman, but often came across as aggressive and rude.
She had been pushing for a new project at work, and John had disagreed with her approach. They had ended up having a heated argument in front of their team, which had left John feeling frustrated and angry.
He needed some time to clear his head, so he decided to step out of the office and head to the nearest bar.
As he sat at the bar, sipping his drink, John couldn’t help but think about the incident with Stacy.
He wondered if he had been too harsh with her, or if he had been right in voicing his opinion.
As he pondered over this, he noticed a man sitting a few stools away from him.
The man seemed to be lost in thought, staring into his drink. John felt a strange sense of kinship with him, and decided to strike up a conversation.
Little did he know that this chance encounter would lead to a life-changing experience for both him and the stranger.
John took a deep breath and turned to the man sitting next to him.
“Tough day at work?” he asked, hoping to strike up a conversation.
The man, who introduced himself as Tony, looked up and nodded.
“You could say that,” he replied with a sigh.
“Running an ecommerce business is not as easy as I thought it would be.”
John was intrigued. He had heard about the challenges of running an online business, and was curious to know more.
“What kind of ecommerce business do you run?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink.
“It’s a website that sells handmade crafts and gifts,” Tony explained.
“I started it with my wife a few years ago, and we’ve been struggling to make sales ever since.”
He took a long gulp of his drink and looked down at the table.
“It’s been a real challenge. We’ve tried everything from Google Ads to Facebook Ads, but nothing seems to be working.”
John could sense the frustration in Tony’s voice, and felt a sudden urge to help.
But he wanted to make him comfortable. So he started asking him simple question, to know him better.
“So, Tony, where do you live?” John asked, taking another sip of his drink.
“I live in a small town outside of London,” Tony replied.
“It’s a quiet place, but it’s home.”
“That sounds nice,” John said. “Do you have a family?”
“I do,” Tony replied with a smile.
“I have a wife and two young children, Sally and Sean. They’re the reason I started this business in the first place. I wanted to provide for them and give them a better life.”
John nodded in understanding.
“I have a family too,” he said. “I have a wife and two teenagers. It’s tough balancing work and family, but it’s worth it in the end.”
“I know what you mean,” Tony said, taking another sip of his drink.
“It’s hard work, but it’s worth it to see them happy.”
They fell into a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
John couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie with Tony.
They were both fathers, both struggling to balance work and family, and both looking for a way to succeed.
Tony took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.
“Running an ecommerce business is not as easy as it seems,” he began.
“There are so many things to consider, from product development to marketing to customer service. It’s a constant juggling act, and it can be overwhelming at times.”
John listened intently, sensing that there was more to Tony’s story.
“What’s been the biggest challenge for you?” he asked, hoping to get to the root of the problem.
Tony hesitated for a moment before answering.
“I think the biggest challenge has been getting people to actually buy from our website,” he said.
“We get a lot of traffic, but most people just browse and then leave without making a purchase. It’s frustrating because we put so much time and effort into our website, but it’s not translating into sales.”
John could sense the frustration in Tony’s voice, and he knew that he had dealt with similar issues in his own line of work.
“That sounds like a classic case of cart abandonment,” he said, trying to sound casual. “Have you looked into that?”
Tony looked up, surprised. “What’s cart abandonment?” he asked.
“It’s when someone adds items to their cart, but then leaves the website without making a purchase,” John explained.
“It’s a common problem for ecommerce businesses, but there are ways to combat it.”
Tony leaned forward, eager to learn more. “Like what?” he asked.
And with that, John launched into a detailed explanation of the various tactics that ecommerce businesses can use to combat cart abandonment.
He discussed everything from retargeting ads to email campaigns, and Tony listened intently, taking notes as John spoke. By the end of their conversation, Tony had a whole new perspective on how to tackle the issue of cart abandonment on his own website.
Tip 1# Live Chat
John took a sip of his drink before asking Tony, “So, how much traffic are you currently getting on your ecommerce website?”
Tony sighed before responding, “We’re getting about 10,000 visitors a month, but it’s not translating into sales. We’re barely hitting our break-even point right now.”
John nodded in understanding, “And how many sales are you currently making?”
“Right now, we’re only making about 50 sales a month,” Tony said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. “We really need to increase that number if we want to see any real growth in our business.”
John leaned forward, “Do you have any idea why people are leaving your website without making a purchase?”
Tony shook his head, “We have no idea. We’ve tried everything we can think of, but nothing seems to be working.”
John took another sip of his drink before responding, “Well, have you considered implementing a live chat feature on your website?”
Tony looked at John quizzically, “How would that help?”
John explained, “By having a live chat feature on your website, you can engage with potential customers in real-time and help answer any questions or concerns they may have about your products or services. It can help build trust and ultimately lead to more conversions.”
Tony was intrigued by the idea, “That sounds interesting. Do you have any suggestions on how to implement it?”
John smiled, “There are plenty of live chat software options out there, but I would recommend looking into Intercom, Tidio or LiveChat. They’re all easy to set up and have plenty of features to help improve your customer engagement.”
Tony pulled out his phone and started taking notes.
He knew that he needed to implement some changes to his website if he wanted to see any real growth in his business.
Tip 2# Cart Abandonment Solutions
John took another sip of his drink before asking Tony, “Have you thought about using email marketing to retarget customers who have abandoned their carts?”
Tony looked intrigued, “How would that work?”
John explained, “To solve customer cart abandonment you can set up an email campaign that targets customers who have left items in their cart without completing their purchase. The email can remind them of what they left behind and offer an incentive to encourage them to complete the purchase.”
Tony nodded thoughtfully, “That sounds like a good idea. Do you have any suggestions on how to set up the email campaign?”
John smiled, “There are plenty of shopping cart abandonment solutions tools out there, but I recommend using CartAllot, It's very simple to implement just copy and paste a JavaScript file URL into your website and everything will be automagically done for you.”
Tony pulled out his phone and made a note to check out those tools later.
Tony finished his drink and turned to John with a grateful smile.
“Thank you so much for all your suggestions. I really appreciate it.”
John grinned, “No problem at all. I’m always happy to help out a fellow entrepreneur.”
Tony stood up from the bar stool and extended his hand to John.
“It was great meeting you, John. I hope we can stay in touch and I can update you on how my business is doing.”
John shook his hand firmly, “Definitely, I’d love to hear how everything is going. And if you ever need any more advice, feel free to give me a call.”
And then they exchanged their numbers.
Excited by the potential of John’s suggestions, the next morning, Tony immediately got to work implementing them.
He immediately implemented the live chat feature on his website to provide instant customer support.
This allowed customers to ask any questions they had about his products and get answers in real-time, leading to increased customer satisfaction and sales.
Additionally, Tony signed up for the CartAllot.com service, which helped him automate his email marketing efforts.
This service sent out personalized emails to customers who abandoned their carts, reminding them of their abandoned items and providing a discount code to incentivize them to complete their purchase.
Over the next few weeks, Tony watched as his sales skyrocketed.
He was thrilled to see that his sales had increased by 90% since implementing John’s suggestions.
He knew that the live chat feature had made a huge impact on his customers and but the Abandon Cart service will do the magic he had no idea, not only it helped him win back lost sales but also generate more sales from the same customers.
Tony shared the news with his wife, Rose, who was ecstatic.
“Wow, Tony! This is amazing news! You have worked so hard to get here, and I am so proud of you,” she said, giving him a hug.
Tony smiled, “Thank you, Rose. John’s suggestions really helped me take my business to the next level. I feel like we’re finally making progress.”
Rose nodded, “It’s important to keep pushing forward and keep trying new things. I have no doubt that you’ll continue to grow and succeed.”
Tony knew that there was still more work to be done, but he was grateful for the support of his wife and the valuable guidance of John.
Tony was ecstatic with the results he had achieved after implementing John’s suggestions.
His e-commerce business was now generating a substantial amount of revenue and he couldn’t thank John enough.
Tony decided to pay John a surprise visit at Google’s office with a thank-you gift basket.
Excited and eager to thank John in person, Tony headed to the Google office.
However, when he arrived, he was met by the receptionist who informed him that he couldn’t see John without an appointment.
Tony felt disappointed but he wasn’t going to give up that easily.
As he was leaving the building, he saw John walking back to the office with some of his colleagues.
“John, hey!” Tony shouted, waving his hand. John looked up and saw Tony. “Tony, what are you doing here?” John asked in surprise.
“I came to say thank you for all your help. My e-commerce business is doing so much better now, thanks to your suggestions,” Tony said, holding up the gift basket. “I wanted to give you this as a token of my appreciation.”
John was touched by Tony’s gesture and was happy to hear that his suggestions had made a significant impact on Tony’s business.
They chatted for a while, and John invited Tony to come inside the office and meet some of his colleagues.
Tony felt thrilled and grateful for the opportunity.
As they walked inside the office, John introduced Tony to some of his colleagues, who were also impressed by the results Tony had achieved.
They congratulated him and commended him for his hard work and dedication.
Tony felt proud and happy to have made some new connections.
After spending some time with John and his colleagues, Tony thanked them for their hospitality and promised to keep in touch. John walked Tony to the door and shook his hand.
“I’m so happy to hear that your business is doing well. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need any more help or advice,” John said, smiling.
“Thanks, John. I won’t forget your kindness,” Tony replied, waving goodbye.
As Tony walked away from the Google office, he felt grateful for the unexpected encounter and for the impact that John had made on his life and business.
He knew that he still had a lot to learn and to work on, but with John’s guidance and support, he felt confident that he could continue to grow and succeed.
As John took the lift to go back to his desk, he felt a sense of satisfaction and happiness.
Helping Tony with his business had not only made a positive impact on Tony’s life, but it had also brought a sense of purpose to John’s own life.
He had forgotten about his personal problems and was reminded of the joy that comes from helping others.
As he sat at his desk, he felt grateful for the unexpected encounter at the bar that had led to this new friendship and opportunity to make a difference.
In the end, it just goes to show that a small act of kindness and generosity can go a long way.
As for Tony’s business, it continued to flourish with the implementation of John’s suggestions.
If you enjoyed this story and want to learn more about the impact of mentorship and kindness in the business world, feel free to leave a comment below.
Let’s continue to inspire and uplift each other.
