With huge competition, it's almost crucial to stay on top of your game. And not doing so leads to bad business.
Pressure is always a knife-to-neck situation because you never know when your product grade is sliding down the platform. And this really hampers your overall business. But, a seller suspension is a total stalemate. And to deal with that successfully you need a flawless strategy, that is, you’re Amazon Action Plan.
There are several reasons behind a seller's suspension. But, the important point is "What exactly is an Amazon Action Plan?"
Well, for simplicity, it is the strategy you devise to deal with any possible problem imaginable that could lead to the suspension of the seller. Different situations require a different plan of action that makes it complex at times for many. Why? Because it requires some knowledge of the platform. To find out what would work?
One must understand the problem with the context of the platform, that is, Amazon in this case. It is very common for your seller account to be suspended and how to reinstate it. This is the reason why it is essential to know the POA even if your account is not suspended.
As I said before, "In one instant it is a happy and flourishing business and in the second it is completely closed." This not only affects days or weeks of activity, but can even lead to a total ban, in addition, it can end up worsening your image or credibility on the platform. And that is dangerous even if you are not guilty.
A well-constructed Amazon action plan is how you reset your seller account. What is required of its subsequent suspension is a letter of appeal from Amazon, still!! The central ingredient is the action plan. An action plan is simply a roadmap for how you will fix the problem as intended by Amazon before or after shipment.
Before you start writing an Amazon Appeal Letter, it's ideal to understand that you will need an actionable response, either now or in the future. An Amazon Action Plan is basically made up of three things:
With the understanding of the problem, half the fight is already successful. The starting point would be to read and understand the suspension notice. This is the email that was sent to you prior to the suspension. Also, if there are any caveats, please analyze the matter and understand it correctly.
The ability to understand what is wrong is the point at which you often realize the solution. For this, you may need to dig deeper and simply review the policies as outlined in Seller Central.
Now, for example, suppose your account was suspended due to ODR or Bad Order Rate. The first thing would be to check the program policies related to ODR. One should look at the previous order in which problems like this occurred and check if there really are faulty products present in their inventory that are being shipped to customers. Also, it is important to know what problems can be defined under the ODR umbrella. Approaches like this will help you reset your account and make a successful plan of action.
This is the second phase in which you must provide the solution. For example, remove all defective items. Or just check with the vendors, you could even check the returned product to validate the issue. This requires comparing your product to the reason for calling it defective. And whatever the case, try to provide the best service even if the reason for returning the order seems inappropriate. And make sure you solve all of your clients' problems and this is really the actionable part. Proof of this will be sent in the Action Plan. It is quite similar to paying off debt so that you can improve your credit score and take out a loan (just an analogy).
Fixing the problem in question is simply a note enough, you need to make sure it is not even repeated in the future. Make sure the entire supply chain is tight for the future. Amazon seller account suspension. The steps that are taken to avoid any future problems, for example, say ODR (Again!!), those steps will be mentioned in the Amazon Action Plan.
It is important that you make sure that the Action Plan you are creating persuades the Amazon representative. You must be informed that you have taken an actionable response and be ready to stay committed to providing quality of service. Not only will this improve your position in the business, but it will keep the suspension of the Amazon seller away from you.
In addition to understanding the problem, creating and implementing solutions, and making prevention plans, there are other factors as well. These are the things that make your case better and make your Amazon Action Plan attractive.
It is important to offer data that is relevant to your problem. And never deny any requested data that seems crucial to share. Resistance to this will increase your exile from the Amazon platform. For example, with ODR it is not necessary to show good customer reviews, as it will not do any good.
It is important that your Amazon action plan can be easily scanned. Many people end up writing long paragraphs. And while it may seem like you're doing something impressive, on the contrary, it only affects its readability. Consider this, if I offer you two pieces to read: one with over a thousand words and one with a couple hundred. And both pieces offer the same value, you would prefer the shorter one. In fact, anyone in the world would prefer it. Humans like simple, scan able information.
While I ask that you avoid using paragraphs, having a short introductory paragraph will set the context. It is important to tell the Amazon representative (in context with the issue at hand) where it came from. This may seem unnecessary to some, but telling your problem and setting a little context will only help. And be honest!!!
Vendor performance is a very important factor that you need catering. And it's beyond sales figures as a metric. Keep Amazon on your side, providing a good amount of sales figures is not enough. Instead, one must be aware of the changing regulations and policy framework set by Amazon. And make sure your account isn't infringing. This can be done by you (being a bit proactive) or by obtaining a service that provides you with information and regular updates on the matter.
This should probably be the first point on this list (sorry for being vague). Managing the root cause is the most important part. But managing it effectively is tricky. The strategies discussed above are the way to go for a perfect plan of action. Make sure to write it down or just hang it up on a wall (if that works for you).
Like I said, long paragraphs won't help you. Add the necessary data that is relevant to the matter. So, make sure your final appeal letter is concise but provides all the necessary information found there. If you refrain from doing that, it can make your demonstration of intention to change worse because you can't provide an actionable answer to everything. And even if it does, it's also acceptable to keep it concise to avoid anything in the future context.
Since we have addressed what to do, then it is also important to attend to what not to do. There are many things that people end up doing more wrong with the things they do with good. These can make your case difficult, so be sure to avoid them in your Amazon Action Plan.
Many salespeople respond hastily, this should never be the case. Your first answer is your golden ticket to resetting your account, don't waste it on petty emotions. Being a take-over company, we see many salespeople writing complicated letters that offer no change, but instead tell a different story.
There is no action plan or steps for it. And, if there are, they just don't make enough sense or bring any change in context with the problem at hand. Also, bad grammar and punctuation are just a headache. And, if you think it looks bad when you read, trust me, it can get worse. It's not about seizing the opportunity, but about throwing it out the window and watching it slide out of your hand.
The day you decided to become a seller on Amazon was the day you signed up for all of Amazon's policies. As unfair as you may feel, it will do you no good to describe it in your letter. Amazon updates its policies and suspends sellers to protect its buyers.
He's a big name and he wants to maintain his credibility in the market. What you can do is simply focus on Amazon's action plan. Failure to do so and commenting on the process will not help.
Since Amazon's inception, it has been focused on the buyer. The purpose of all this is to protect buyers. Commenting on that is not going to help. If you receive negative reviews, it is strictly your fault in Amazon's eyes. And, yes, there are times when the seller is not at fault due to fraudulent activities, but Amazon takes action against that. But mentioning the quality of the customers won't help.
Instead, helping them no matter how bad they may seem, at any cost, will be. Remember this!!! An Amazon business is the toughest as your toughest customer. If you can deal with the worst, then you can deal with anything. And yes, avoid this at all costs in your Amazon action plan.
We already discussed the basics at the top. Understand the root cause, provide an actionable response, and prevent issues to avoid future suspensions. These are the core mantras, so stick with them. However, a well-written appeal letter has its own charm. So, be sure to balance everything to create a flawless Amazon action plan.
To create your own Amazon Action Plan, we provide you with a template of things in order. If you want to write a great action plan then this format will surely help you.
In this part, you will talk about yourself and mention different useful things. For example: who you are, including your seller name, a description of your business or the type of products you sell on the platform, and then the reason for the suspension.
Acknowledging and clearly stating your problem is the intent of this part. You have explained the process you use to identify the problem. And then explain why the problem happened in the first place. Even if it's negligent, don't worry (it's normal to be wrong), but it is important that you commit to not making the mistake.
Also be sure to add all the relevant data in this part. And the tonality should be like that, taking full responsibility for what happened. And well, take that seriously because understanding that it was your fault will save you in the future.
This is the part where you report on the actions you have taken to fix the problem. Clearly describe the steps that you and your team have taken. And also talk about the actions taken to avoid the same problem in the future. This could include things like tools, processes, or any procedures that may have taken place.
Every great thing requires a conclusion and since you have reached the end, it is best to conclude your letter. Please give a brief summary of everything you have done to reset your seller account. And last but not least, clearly state your withdrawal request because that is the goal.
And this is how you can come up with a great Amazon Action Plan. Below is an example of the Amazon Action Plan template. You can reference it to create one for yourself.