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This week I have Josh Smallbone, President of Premiere Collectibles to talk about how the autograph and rare book industry works online. With a unique business model of having limited inventory as an online retailer, tune in to hear how they differentiate themselves as the #1 seller of these books.

Topics Discussed:

• 02:20 – Background of Premiere Collectibles
• 04:00 – Sourcing inventory of autographed books
• 05:30 – Sales process of sourcing inventory
• 07:00 – Dealing with sports stars and autographs
• 07:40 – Pricing of autographed books, supply and demand
• 09:45 – Competing with Amazon
• 10:15 – Rare books vs autographed books
• 11:30 – Profile of collectors and avid fans
• 12:30 – How the market has changed for independent retailers
• 13:30 – Exclusivity as a competitive advantage
• 15:38 – Building relationships with the top book publishers
• 17:40 – Two-pronged approaches to relationship leverage
• 19:00 – Strategy for building relationships with B2B contacts
• 21:00 – Certificate of authenticity and auto-pens
• 24:50 – Setting aside inventory as future investments
• 25:45 – What happens when inventory runs out
• 27:30 – Limitations of the business model
• 30:20 – Insurance on the products
• 34:30 – Importance of having a strong customer list
• 35:00 – Lifetime value of a customer for Premiere Collectibles

Mentions in the Episode:

• Premiere Collectibles
• Marco Rubio
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• George W. Bush
• John Grisham
• Glenn Beck
• Tim Tebow
• Sarah Palin
• Ray Bradbury
• Andrew Brietbart

Episode Length: 38:57

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