Tom:
Welcome everyone! Today we’re talking about Seven-Figure Selling on Amazon in 2023.
If you’re an Amazon seller looking to take your success to the next level, this session is for you. Clear Ads is delighted to bring together some of the brightest Amazon advertising minds from around the world to share insights that can help you scale to seven figures and beyond.
I’m Tom Wacon, Head of Accounts and Training at Clear Ads, and I’ll be hosting today’s webinar.
We’ve got a fantastic panel with us:
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Sean Smith, who has helped hundreds of six-, seven-, and eight-figure sellers improve sales velocity and profitability through Amazon PPC.
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Destiny Wishon, CEO of BetterAMS — a retail media agency that scales some of the world’s best brands.
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Brent Zahradnik, founder of AMZ Pathfinder, managing millions in ad spend across North America and Europe.
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And Aaron Marino, an experienced Amazon PPC specialist.
By the end of this webinar, you’ll know how other brands scale, what strategies work best, and how to apply them to your own business.
Let’s dive right in.
Tom:
What do you think makes an Amazon seller super successful? What sets seven-figure sellers apart from those still climbing from four or five figures? Is it branding, systems, products, tools — or something else?
Destiny:
Beyond having a great product that people actually want, two major things stand out.
First is a mindset shift. The most successful sellers embrace delayed gratification. They focus on margins, reinvest heavily, and think long-term — knowing those investments will pay off later in organic rank and audience growth.
Second is letting go of what they’re not great at. Early on, you do everything yourself, but the real growth comes from delegating — hiring people who can do specific tasks better than you can. It’s about trusting others so you can focus on what you do best.
Tom:
Absolutely. We’ve seen that too — when leadership starts to delegate, the business scales faster.
Destiny:
Exactly. Something that’s “good enough” done by ten other people is better than one person trying to do it perfectly and burning out.
Brent:
I’ve got two main answers.
The first is a willingness to invest in branding — and I don’t just mean logos and pretty photos. I mean real brand identity. Great branding creates demand, and demand creates revenue. Revenue, in turn, buys you flexibility to make mistakes, experiment, and still grow.
Think of brands like McDonald’s, Nike, or Adidas — global recognition built over time. On Amazon, you can still create that level of brand power.
The second factor is dashboarding and data visibility. The best sellers have dashboards that track their key metrics daily. They spot issues early — before things spiral. It’s like having an early warning system for your business.
Aaron:
For me, mindset is the big one too. It’s the “why” behind what they do that fuels consistency.
One of my clients started out as a virtual assistant in India. He faced tough managers but used that frustration as motivation. He found mentors, learned, and stuck with the process — that determination got him to seven figures.
Sean:
I’d break it into two areas: the entrepreneur and the Amazon-specific side.
On the entrepreneurial side, success comes from community and mentorship. Surround yourself with the right people — life’s a team sport.
Then there’s decision-making. Successful entrepreneurs constantly sharpen that skill. They stay consistent, data-driven, and self-aware enough to avoid burnout.
On the Amazon side, it’s all about adaptability. The platform changes constantly. Sellers who thrive are the ones who evolve with it — focusing on profit, conversion rates, and efficient customer acquisition.
Product research, conversion optimization, and supply chain management — those are the big levers.
Tom:
Brilliant. Let’s move to insights. What reports or tools do you use most often when scaling to seven figures?
Destiny:
My current favorite is Brand Metrics.
It lets you see your actual conversion rate across both ads and retail and compare it to your category average. Before you increase ad spend, you need to know if your traffic converts.
If your category average is 30% and you’re at 20%, fix the listing before spending more on PPC.
Tom:
Good advice. What do you say to people who think you need PPC to improve conversion rate?
Destiny:
That’s a myth. PPC drives traffic; it doesn’t fix conversion rate. Ten times more traffic won’t help if your listing doesn’t convert visitors into buyers.
Brent:
We also love Search Term Impression Share and the Search Query Performance reports. Those tools show how your ads perform against competitors and reveal keyword-level insights that drive rank and revenue.
Helen (Tom):
And don’t forget to check the Search Catalog Performance Report too — it’s another great way to see how your ASINs convert week to week.
Aaron:
I focus a lot on net profit per product and sales rank.
If PPC spend increases sales but lowers profit, I check whether the improved rank will eventually balance it out. That combination of data helps decide where to push or pull back.
Sean:
We’ve been using Sellerboard for SKU-level profitability. Instead of just looking at ACoS, we track how ad changes impact total sales and margins.
Scaling to seven or eight figures requires cash flow — and you can’t have that without healthy margins.
It’s about having a relationship with your business — understanding how each lever affects profit and growth.
Tom:
Great point. And we’ve seen the same — sometimes a campaign looks unprofitable on paper, but when turned off, total sales drop. So you’ve got to look at the full picture, not just campaign-level data.
Let’s talk about TACoS — the ratio of total ad spend to total revenue.
Destiny:
TACoS has been a huge focus lately. It used to be that 7–10% was healthy, but now we’re seeing 10–15% as the new normal.
Why? Amazon’s ad space is more competitive. You need to “pay to play.” The trick is identifying which keywords actually improve organic rank and focusing spend there.
Sean:
Right. And remember — lowering ad spend might make your TACoS look better, but it often reduces revenue too.
Aaron:
Exactly. There’s even a “PPC ceiling.” Once you rank #1, more ads won’t necessarily grow sales — they just eat into profit. So it’s about knowing when PPC helps and when it’s cannibalizing.
Tom:
Excellent. Let’s move to tools. What software or systems do you find most valuable for seven- and eight-figure sellers?
Sean:
I like Sellerboard and bulk files for flexibility.
Other smart sellers use DataDive for keyword research, PickFu for image testing, and DataHawk for market insights. These help you fine-tune listings and pricing strategy.
Brent:
I agree. Tools like DataDive help you understand the “robot side” — how Amazon’s algorithm reads your listing.
A deep understanding of A9 (Amazon’s ranking system) is what gets most brands from six to seven figures.
Destiny:
And don’t overlook Amazon’s own data.
First-party tools like Brand Analytics, Marketing Stream, and Marketing Cloud are goldmines. They give you better attribution, demographic data, and dayparting insights.
Aaron:
Before sellers hit seven figures, many still do everything manually — bid changes, keyword harvesting, campaign setups.
Automate that with scripts, bulk sheets, or management software. Free your time to focus on strategy.
Tom:
And of course, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room — ChatGPT.
Is it a real business tool or just a fad?
Destiny:
Both! It’s extremely powerful when used correctly.
We’ve used it to brainstorm headlines, keyword opportunities, and even biz dev content. The key is writing good prompts.
Brent:
I agree. It’s already more useful than crypto ever was.
We use it internally for copywriting, ideation, and even client SOPs. It’s here to stay — but use it smartly.
Sean:
I haven’t used it much yet, but I think it’s awesome. It’s AI — it’s the future.
Aaron:
I use it to overcome creative blocks. If I’m stuck writing copy, I ask it for ideas or frameworks. It’s like a brainstorming partner.
Tom:
Exactly. It’s not about laziness — it’s about productivity.
Alright, let’s move on. What are the biggest challenges sellers face when trying to reach seven figures?
Brent:
Visibility. The hardest part is standing out. Thousands of new sellers enter every day. You need consistent visibility to build trust and sales momentum.
Destiny:
Agreed. And rising CPCs are a huge hurdle.
Five years ago, clicks were 60 cents. Now, some categories see $30 CPCs. You can’t afford to make mistakes anymore — there’s less room for error.
Tom:
Exactly. It’s not just about being smarter with bids; it’s about adapting to the new economy of Amazon ads.
Destiny:
And bigger brands are pushing prices up too. Companies like Nestlé and Procter & Gamble have massive budgets. They’ll pay whatever it takes for prime placements, which inflates costs for everyone else.
Tom:
We’ve seen that first-hand. Competing with household names drives CPCs through the roof.
Destiny:
That’s why sellers need to educate themselves constantly. The strategies that worked in 2017 won’t work today.
Brent:
Exactly. The industry evolves too quickly to stand still.
Tom:
Do you think the pandemic accelerated the shift of big brands onto Amazon?
Destiny:
Absolutely. Between iOS tracking changes and lockdowns, brands moved their ad budgets to Amazon, where they could measure results and reach consumers directly.
Brent:
E-commerce adoption jumped forward by a year or two. And that structural change isn’t going away.
Tom:
Do you think Walmart will catch up?
Destiny:
It’s possible. Walmart’s huge retail footprint gives it potential to merge in-store and online advertising data — that’s powerful.
Brent:
Right. And their CPCs are still low, like Amazon’s “wild west” days. It’s a great time to get in early.
Tom:
Let’s talk adaptability. How can sellers make better decisions as Amazon evolves?
Sean:
Focus on who not to listen to.
There’s too much noise online. Build a system for choosing which voices and communities you trust. Find mentors and keep a clear North Star for where you want to go.
You can’t grow if you’re constantly pulled in different directions.
Tom:
Great advice. Let’s end with one key question before audience Q&A:
If you could give sellers one top tip for scaling to seven figures, what would it be?
Destiny:
Learn to navigate the Targeting Tab in the ad console.
In seconds, you can filter by highest spend, add a conversion rate column, and instantly see whether your top-spend keywords are actually converting.
That snapshot can completely change how you manage PPC.
Sean:
Mine would be: master conversion rate optimization.
Focus on improving your images, titles, and A+ content. Add brand stories and videos. The better your listing converts, the lower your acquisition costs.
Brent:
Zooming out a bit — focus on the 1% improvements.
The unsexy stuff like supply chain efficiency, packaging optimization, and better warehouse systems. Those tiny gains compound and separate seven-figure brands from the rest.
Aaron:
I’ll say — track net profit, not just ACoS.
Tie in every cost — fees, promos, refunds — and measure profitability holistically. That’s how you make smarter decisions.
Tom:
Fantastic. Let’s move to audience questions.
Audience Question:
What basic principles should Amazon sellers and service providers master first?
Brent:
For service providers — communication and follow-through. Do what you say you’ll do. It builds trust.
For sellers — know your costs. Understand your margins inside out.
Tom:
And make sure both sides — agencies and sellers — are aligned. Misalignment is the fastest way to stall progress.
Aaron:
Consistency is huge. Agencies lose clients when results taper off. If you’re spending less time on accounts, innovate your processes so output stays strong.
Destiny:
Exactly. Results matter, but relationships matter more.
We’ve kept clients for years because we listened, stayed proactive, and cared about their long-term goals — not just metrics.
Audience Question:
How can fast-growing sellers manage cash flow?
Destiny:
Know your numbers. If you don’t understand your finances, you can’t make informed PPC decisions.
Brent:
Get an e-commerce accountant. Seriously. A professional bookkeeper can save you from stockouts, overstock, and expired inventory.
Aaron:
Use dashboards like Sellerboard to monitor profit in real time. Seeing actual margins helps you make faster adjustments.
Sean:
Improving margins is the best cash flow fix. The more profit per unit, the easier it is to reinvest and scale.
Audience Question:
Has anyone tried external traffic sources?
Brent:
Yes — we use Google-to-Amazon campaigns via Ampd.
Typically, we start with $500 per product per month, focusing on six to eight keywords. We’ve proven it can improve both ROAS and organic rank.
Destiny:
And TikTok and Pinterest are growing fast too. They’re great for brand awareness and cheaper traffic, even if conversion rates are lower.
Tom:
Right. Amazon rewards external traffic, so it’s worth experimenting.
Audience Question:
What about ZonGuru — is it worth using?
Brent:
We’ve used it for listing optimization and keyword research. It’s solid, especially with the AI features now built in.
Tom:
Next question — how do you stay competitive as more sellers flood the market?
Sean:
Have a data-driven product research system. Know your keywords, trends, and margins before you launch.
Tom:
And use reviews as insight. Highlight what customers love in your copy — and address competitor complaints in your listings.
Destiny:
Exactly. If competitors’ reviews complain about “poor quality,” make sure your listing emphasizes “premium build” or “long-lasting.”
And innovate. Don’t stop improving your products or someone else will.
Brent:
Think about your moats — what protects your business. That could be brand loyalty, patents, or proprietary manufacturing.
Brands like Kiwi or McDonald’s succeed because they’re top of mind. Build that recognition.
Tom:
Let’s wrap with one final question: what’s the best ad strategy for building brand awareness on Amazon?
Destiny:
Move into DSP — Amazon’s display advertising.
PPC is reactive — you wait for shoppers to come to you. DSP lets you go find them, on and off Amazon.
Tom:
Exactly. It’s audience-based, not keyword-based, and gives you reach beyond the platform.
Aaron:
We’ve also used Google Display to feed top-of-funnel awareness before retargeting on Amazon.
Destiny:
And with Amazon Marketing Cloud, you can finally connect DSP exposure to real conversions — it’s getting smarter every day.
Brent:
Yes — AMP + AMC together are game changers. You can see how your video or DSP ads influence the full customer journey.
Tom:
Perfect. Thank you all — Destiny, Sean, Brent, and Aaron — for sharing your expertise today.
If you’d like a free account audit, visit clearads.co.uk/event-offer — we’re waiving setup fees and offering 10% off management for the first three months.
You can also follow our guests:
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Destiny Wishon at BetterAMS.com or on LinkedIn.
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Sean Smith at PPCAMSAccelerator.com or YouTube.
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Brent Zahradnik at AMZPathfinder.com.
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Aaron Marino at Amazing.com or LinkedIn.
Thanks for joining us — and we’ll see you next time!
All:
Thank you! Bye!
