A Guide to Hiring the Best Amazon Consultant to Scale Your Business

amazon consultant

Last updated on June 5th, 2023

Written by Himanshi Raj

The eCommerce industry has grown exponentially over the years. If you’re a business owner, then you might have thought of selling on Amazon. You see, selling on Amazon takes a lot of work. You need to be armed with the right information to scale your business successfully. Having an Amazon consultant to help you out is a good choice. 

As Amazon continues to grow, many services are offered by professionals, such as Amazon PPC and Amazon consulting. They offer support, advice, and training on product listing optimization, Amazon SEO tips, account suspension appeals, product advertisement, and many more. Despite the number of Amazon consultants and agencies popping up, not all of them are the same when it comes to experience. 

Some of them have worked for Amazon, while others have a couple of years of experience with Amazon. Others were successful Amazon sellers who wish to share their knowledge. If you want to know the benefits of having Amazon consulting experts and learn about Amazon consulting services, read below. 

What is an Amazon consultant?

An Amazon consultant is a person who provides expert advice on how to sell on the Amazon platform. An expert Amazon consultant should have hands-on knowledge about Amazon in order to share juicy tidbits and strategies that you can apply. Moreover, an Amazon consultant should know what works for your store and target pain points in your business that are holding you back from generating sales.  

 Generally, an Amazon consultant knows about:

  • how to sell on Amazon
  • how to market products on Amazon or other sites
  • understand the technical side of the Amazon platform

Who works with Amazon consultants?

We’ve created a list of the different types of people that ask for help from Amazon consultants:

  1. New Amazon sellers

Newbie Amazon sellers have a lot to learn when it comes to starting their Amazon business. They will commit a lot of mistakes along the way, and they need expert advice from experienced professionals. Having an Amazon consultant that can train them about product research and order fulfillment is definitely a good choice. They may also benefit from the advice of a consultant regarding outsourcing tasks to Virtual Assistants to lessen their workload. 

  1. Amazon private labelers

Sellers with their own private label products can benefit from having an Amazon consultant. They can ask for advice on how to optimize listings, generate reviews, and run a successful Amazon Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertisement. Also, private labels may encounter a hijacked listing or intellectual property claims. In this case, they need help from a consultant and a lawyer. 

  1. Established retailers

If you are a successful and established Amazon seller, chances are, you face tough competition. By asking for advice from an Amazon consultant, you can develop a strategy to stay ahead of the game and offer the best prices to your customers. Moreover, there are some Amazon sellers that engage in dirty tactics to have other stores closed or suspended. Having someone to consult regarding these matters is a good tool in your arsenal. 

  1. Wholesalers and manufacturers

There are different types of Amazon businesses that have their own market and needs. By having an Amazon consultant, they can receive expert advice to grow their business. It will also help them change their processes to become more efficient and effective. 

Where can you find an Amazon consultant?

  1. Search engines

Simply search “Amazon Consultant near me” on Google, Yahoo, Bing, or any other search engine to look for Amazon consultants. You can look into their profile and reviews to know more about them. It may take you a while to look for the one that is best for you, but the reward is worth it. What you can do is list the potential consultants on a piece of paper and arrange a meeting with them. You can even highlight those that suit your business and budget. 

  1. Recommendations

A second way to look for consultants is through recommendations. You can ask sellers for consultants they have worked with, or try online forums. Often, dozens of members comment on the search queries posted. Just remember that each business is unique, so you may want to ask around for a consultant who is better suited to your store. 

  1. Online platforms 

If you’ve ever heard of Upwork and Fiverr, then you are familiar with these freelancer platforms. Upwork and Fiverr are popular online platforms where you can look for freelancers that offer their services for a fee. You can search for Amazon consultants on Upwork and rank them based on their earnings and Job Success Score. 

What are the top 10 reasons to hire an Amazon consultant?

Here are the top ten reasons why you need an Amazon consultant in your life.

  1. They help you assess whether your business is profitable or not.

The first thing your Amazon consultant will do is examine your business situation and analyze it. They’ll look at your sales channel, target market, and competitors. Moreover, they’ll assess how you can better work with your budget, how you run your advertisements, and how you must position yourself. Also, the consultant checks if Amazon is the best distribution channel for your business. 

Afterward, the consultant will develop appropriate strategies for your products. You will also be taught how to optimize your listings for a better Amazon search results ranking. 

  1. They help you establish efficient workflows for your store and manage your finances.

You wouldn’t believe how much time you can save when you change your workflow. Establishing an efficient workflow can help you lessen the burden of doing all the work so you can instead focus on offering high-quality services to your customers. Your consultant can suggest hiring a Virtual Assistant to manage customer emails and create reports. 

Aside from helping you establish an efficient workflow, a consultant monitors your development and helps you with your budget. There are so many different costs involved when running an Amazon store. A consultant helps you keep track of them and manage your finances. 

  1. They help you avoid rookie mistakes.

When you hire an Amazon consultant, they prevent you from making expensive rookie mistakes. Beginners often spend so much on PPC campaigns that perform poorly. Or, they have to pay fines due to failure to settle FBA fees and tax obligations. With the help of a consultant, you can avoid wasting money due to wrong practices, and instead head straight towards earning.  

  1. They help you handle suspension appeals and offer legal services.

It is every seller’s nightmare when their Amazon account gets suspended. Not only does it affect their sales, but it also affects their reputation. It’s a good thing that Amazon consultants are knowledgeable in writing suspension appeals. Some of them are even lawyers who can handle suspension appeals and intellectual property issues. They can provide you a Plan of Action or review your existing one and help you handle the process. Lastly, they can draft supplier contracts to help protect your business from stores that want to copy your products. 

  1. They help you expand your store internationally.

Do you plan to target the international market? There are consultants who are experts in selling internationally. They can help translate listings, provide customer support, and help with customs duties. Lastly, they can give you suggestions regarding the best shipping carriers and shipping regulations.

  1. They help you improve your listing to increase brand content.

Optimizing your listing is important to increase visibility and brand awareness. There are consultants who specialize in optimization. They help you improve your listing to increase conversion rates. Furthermore, consultants can suggest other ways to present your brand and keep you in the loop about the latest tools.

  1. They help you improve your advertising campaigns.

PPC tends to be difficult for many sellers. Oftentimes, sellers don’t have a plan as to how to run their campaigns, which results in poor performance. A consultant can determine how your campaigns are set up, and will help create a process for you to manage your campaigns over time. 

By having an Amazon consultant, you can have someone who can give you proper advice on bidding strategies. You can save a lot of money on ads and attract the right customers. Lastly, the data collected from the ads will tell you how your keywords are performing and allow you to use these data for retargeting. 

  1. They help you find ways to improve your product offerings and know when to drop poor-performing products.

Making decisions is part of being an Amazon seller. Choosing the right products and processes for your business is essential, for it can result in you making or losing a sale. One of the decisions you have to make is whether to remove a product or not. 

Having a consultant can help determine if your problem is the product itself or your advertising campaigns. They can give you advice on whether to sell a product or not. They can even advise you to bundle products with other items or upgrade some of the features

A consultant can also give you a second opinion on whether a product is even worth pursuing in the first place. They can also suggest other products that go well with your existing products. This will help you save a ton of time and money.

  1. They help you connect with your customers.

Building a relationship with your customers is key to brand loyalty. You want your customers to continuously buy your products, so you need to give the best service. However, there are situations that may be out of your hands, such as shipping delays that can affect your relationship with your customers. This can result in a negative review on your page. 

Instead of getting upset about the negative review, think of it as a way to improve your product and process, and plan ways to reduce its impact. Having an efficient consultant who knows how to respond to negative feedback is highly beneficial. They’re not just there to troubleshoot the problem, but they have a solid plan in place to minimize bad reviews. They also know how to leverage the power of positive reviews.

  1. They keep you in the loop regarding news and updates.

The eCommerce industry is continuously growing. Hence, the rules and regulations that govern Amazon also change to adhere to the growing market. Having a consultant who keeps track of these changes will help you in avoiding suspension. 

How to Pick the Right Amazon Consultant for You

Now that you know why you need an Amazon consultant and where to find one, let’s find out how to pick the best Amazon consultant for you.

  1. Look for sore spots in your business.

Before you even start looking for a consultant, you need to look at your business and determine where you experience consistent problems. Once you identify the area you are struggling with, you need to assess how big your problems are and create a detailed brief on what you want your consultants to do. 

  1. Pick a consultant who can communicate well and address your problems.

Your Amazon consultant needs to be approachable and easily contactable, especially if you see a problem in your account that needs immediate action. Also, they must know how to properly communicate suggestions, and be open to your questions.

If you happen to stumble on an overseas consultant, you need to set a date and time where you can both communicate with each other. It can be disrespectful to contact your consultant at an ungodly hour. However, if you wish to be taught in-person, then a local consultant is your best option. 

  1. Ask your consultant some questions to determine their expertise.

To test their knowledge about Amazon, you can ask them questions about Amazon and what they can do given a certain scenario. You don’t want to hire an Amazon consultant with fake credentials and reviews because it can jeopardize your business. So, inviting them for an interview where you ask them questions about Amazon is a helpful way to test their skills and knowledge. 

Start by giving them a detailed brief of what your business does, how it works, and, most importantly, what your problem is, and what you need them to do. Based on the information you provided, ask them what they would do for you and how they would achieve the results you want? However, exceptions to this are legal services concerns, since you can always opt for a qualified lawyer.

Qualities of an Amazon Consultant That You Should Look for

Aside from checking the necessary credentials of a consultant and interviewing them, you need to know what makes a good Amazon consultant. Here are the qualities you should look for. 

  1. They have lots of experience.

Of course,  experience is an important factor when picking your Amazon consultant. A common misconception is that a consultant must first be an Amazon seller to say that they have enough experience and knowledge. This is not the case. Consultants can also gain experience from working in a consulting firm or being an Amazon sales channel employee. 

  1. They understand your brand and vision.

A good Amazon consultant should understand your brand and vision. If your vision is offering eco-friendly or vegan products, then the suggestions will be towards this goal. Your consultant should learn to empathize with your vision and goal. 

  1. They don’t believe in “one-size-fits-it-all.”

A good Amazon consultant does not only apply one strategy to every client but uses their knowledge to create a tailor-made strategy for each business. They will create plans and give advice that will fit each business’s needs and take into account the individual characteristics of each product. 

  1. They can adapt to an ever-changing environment.

In a constantly changing environment, your consultant should know how to adapt to the changing laws, rules, and trends. Considering that Jeff Bezos and his team often change Amazon’s policies, you need to be informed and change your processes as well. Moreover, if you have any changes in your organization, your consultant should be flexible enough to adapt to these changes. 

  1. They only recommend white hat methods.

Another characteristic of a good Amazon consultant that one should look for is that they should only recommend white hat methods. This means they don’t suggest tricks that will violate Amazon’s policies. Even though black hat methods are tempting because they produce fast results, they’re not right. Plus, Amazon’s employees are always on the lookout for those who violate the policies. If they catch you doing these practices, your account can get suspended. 

Also, a good Amazon consultant knows that earning on Amazon isn’t a race. They will advise you to use a carefully laid out plan that does not violate any laws but gives you the results you wish for. 

  1. They practice the value of honesty and integrity.

Honesty and integrity are two of the most important values your Amazon consultant should possess. It helps them avoid tricky black hat practices and only offer you the best services. Moreover, they give you their honest opinion on areas you need to improve on -- even if their opinion doesn’t match with yours. 

You need to hear the truth from them. Some consultants are scared to speak their minds out of  fear of losing a client. But, the truth is what you need. You need an objective, independent opinion. Lastly, it helps them relay to you the consulting hours, cost, and time frame. 

  1. They base their decisions on facts.

As a business owner, you often make decisions based on your own opinions. For example, you believe that the advertising campaign you have created is good, but for others, it isn’t appealing. Having an Amazon consultant who can give you their advice is helpful. Most of their suggestions are based on facts rather than perceptions. They work with a lot of split testing and evaluate the result to make the necessary adjustments.. 

Marketing helps increase organic traffic to your listing. By having an Amazon consultant who knows how to conduct A/B testing, you can run campaigns that will yield the best results. 

  1. They know the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Did you know that 46.7% of shoppers search for the products they want to buy using Amazon’s search bar? By placing keywords in your listing, potential customers may view your product and purchase it. If you don’t know how to optimize a listing, having an Amazon consultant who knows how Amazon’s A10 Algorithm works will help you rank high on Amazon’s search rankings. They can guide you through updating your listing to increase traffic and conversion rates, because the higher you are in the search results, the more customers will visit your listing, which can turn into sales. 

  1. They think about your long-term goals and see the bigger picture.

A good Amazon consultant always focuses on the bigger picture. They will remind you to invest in long-term measures that will generate better results than short-term ones that will only generate sales today. Even though you want to see success as quickly as possible, that is not always possible. You need to adopt a slow and steady pace to reach the top. 

  1. They have a large network of contacts and friends.

No man is an island. It’s the same way in business; you can’t run your store on your own. You need to work with different people and make acquaintances. An Amazon consultant who has a large network can put you in touch with service providers they know are doing a good job. Plus, they can give you cheaper offers. 

Final Thoughts

When you sell on Amazon, you need to look into different areas. It can be nerve-wracking, especially if you’re just starting your business. But, if you have an Amazon consultant, you can get expert advice on the topics you need help with. 

To get the best results, you need to understand your business first and assess where  you need to improve. Once you are able to do so, look for an Amazon consultant. Here at Seller Interactive, we have a team of experts that can give you advice regarding your store. You can email [email protected] to know more about our consulting services. 

Just remember that consultants aren’t miracles workers. You also have to do your part and implement their suggestions. 

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