As an Amazon operator, how can I improve my skills without anyone to help or guide me?

Anonymous user

Upvoted by: Cherry-flavored Cherry, Shunmao di Xuebi ya, zjhhhh123, Miilu99, Johnfy0929 and more »

Practically speaking, there are three things you should do:

1. Post on forums to showcase your own thinking and takeaways, thereby demonstrating that you have something valuable to contribute to a discussion.

2. While ensuring you can support yourself, accumulate all the time or money you can to invest in yourself. That doesn't necessarily mean buying courses or getting fit. It could even mean purchasing paid plugins yourself to research,AI tools, modifying product samples, or paying out of pocket to visit factories, and so on.

3. Set your own career goals proactively. For example, leave if you haven't achieved XX within three months, or move on if you can't achieve XX at this company. Once you've set your goals, make a feasible plan and proactively ask those above you for the resources you need to achieve them.

There is only one thing you need to do on the theoretical side:

If you have time, you can read some of Bourdieu's books and understand the process: family and social position shape capital; capital gives rise to habitus; habitus enters different fields; the rules of each field create differences in social position; and these differences ultimately lead to social reproduction.

Fundamentally change your way of thinking. Leave behind the habits shaped by your previous social circle. Reconstruct your mindset by seeing yourself as someone from a higher social stratum. If you can anticipate the habitus of the next stage before accumulating the capital, you may be able to proactively break out of your social position.

Anonymous user • Jinhua

Thank you. I really have read a lot of books over the past while. I'll download the books by the authors you recommended and give them a thorough read. I really admire Buffett and Munger. After thinking deeply about it, I've realized I'm the kind of person who needs someone alongside me. So, taking Aduan's comments into account, I may really need to change my environment.

When it comes to money, I've already finished reading books such as Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Latte Factor. My attitude toward money is that there must always be cash flow. When buying something, there's the purchase itself, as well as the cost of ownership and maintenance. My desire to consume won't be driven by marketing when a product launches. I stick to necessary spending plus a little emotional value.

feilihad

Upvoted by: my19519, It's rare to find someone you can talk to, 8 Cheese Durian, Shunmao di Xuebi ya, 13024801031 and more »

Improving operational skills is fundamentally not about knowing more tricks. It's about continually completing the cycle of identifying a problem, forming a hypothesis, testing it, and reviewing and refining your approach.

Here are a few things to start with:

Use data to pinpoint problems instead of relying on gut feeling to decide that you're “bad at everything.”

Sales can be broken down into: impressions × click-through rate × conversion rate × average order value. To understand profit, you also need to look at ad spend, procurement costs, warehousing fees, returns, and promotional costs. Each week, identify just one metric with the biggest deviation, then analyze whether it was caused by traffic,Listing, price, reviews, advertising, or inventory.

Keep a record of every important action.

For example, before adjusting ads, write down why you are making the change, the expected result, and the observation period. When selecting products, record your assessment of demand, competition, differentiation, costs, compliance, and cash flow. When the time comes, compare the actual results against your expectations. Without a record made beforehand, it is easy to rely on impressions to explain a failure afterward, and much harder to truly build your skills.

When asking a colleague for advice, do not simply ask, “What is wrong with this product?”

That question is too broad: it is essentially asking the other person to diagnose the problem for you, and they may even be held responsible if their answer is wrong. You could instead ask: “This product’s click-through rate has dropped from A to B over the past two weeks. I checked the main image, price, and ad placements, and I currently suspect a competitor has lowered their price. Have I overlooked anything in my assessment?” When you bring data, analysis, and a specific question, it is easier for others to respond, and you will not seem completely dependent on them.

Do not pin all your hopes for growth on your company’s colleagues.

Prioritize Amazon’s official policies and data from Seller Central as learning resources, then validate what you learn using competitors, search terms, advertising reports, and your own business results. Industry chat groups can provide additional perspectives, but do not take other people’s experience as a definitive answer. Categories, profit structures, and product stages differ, so strategies differ too.

Set yourself a three-month evaluation period.

Choose a product you can take full responsibility for, review it once a week, and keep a continuous record of traffic, conversions, ads, profits, and the actions you take. After three months, if you can independently identify problems, propose solutions, and validate them, it means your skills are taking shape. If the company gives you neither authority nor data, and no room to experiment, then you are not solely to blame for the bottleneck. Moving to a team with training, reviews, and a clear division of responsibilities may be more effective.

The so-called “strong get stronger” effect is often not because strong people are naturally smarter, but because they have more feedback, resources, and opportunities to experiment. What an ordinary operations specialist can really do is proactively build their own feedback system and gradually accumulate verifiable examples of their work. Do not wait for someone else to “enlighten” you, but you also do not need to blame yourself entirely for the company’s lack of a development system.

Anonymous user

Agreement from: It is hard to find someone you can really talk to, even in a thousand miles

I came across this post and clicked in to read it. I could relate to it, so I went on to read most of the comments. It seemed that most people were saying there are lots of courses online and you need to study on your own, and so on. I have some thoughts of my own about this.

I joined a cross-border company in Shenzhen in 4 this year, and I am still on probation. I will become a permanent employee next month. When I first joined, my supervisor gave me a set of study materials and told me to study on my own. I read them very carefully at the time and took notes... SKU is the smallest inventory unit, ASIN is a product’s ID number... For the first two weeks of advertising, only run automatic close-match targeting, and so on.

A week later, I was assigned several clearance listings. I could launch ads and manage the listings myself. I was thrown into the “battlefield” while still trying to figure things out. My supervisor would give me suggestions about which match type to use for a search term (exact? phrase? broad?) and the maximum CPC bid, but would only tell me to use dynamic bids—down only. They never explained why.

After selling this way for a while, I gradually developed my own understanding. I followed many creators on Douyin and Bilibili and watched lots of videos. Looking back today, there was very little useful information. It was the same on the Zhiwu community: I would see a post where someone talked at length, and many people would comment enthusiastically, but was it really right? For one question, I saw 100 different answers on these platforms and tried some of them. All I can say is that reality slapped me in the face.

That was about the extent of my supervisor’s guidance. What they told us most often was to study on our own and think more for ourselves. They would take over advertising for products that were not gaining traction, but I did not see any improvement. As I gradually learned more about Amazon, I realized that my supervisor’s ability to launch products did not go beyond that, and their knowledge was limited too. The company’s experienced operators are all coasting on past success. When advertising products, they just throw a bunch of keywords into one ad group and run broad match, then set up another campaign with rule-based bidding. I have no idea how to learn from this. I also wish I had someone to exchange ideas with; figuring everything out alone is too hard. You need at least two weeks to test an advertising strategy, and there are not that many products for you to practice on.

As for the advice to the original poster, if your company’s situation is much like mine and you are allowed to manage ads, keep learning while you can. I don’t know what companies or the outside world are like. I really am like a frog at the bottom of a well. When will I ever be able to climb out?

Anonymous user  • Jinhua

Congratulations on becoming a permanent employee! At least your supervisor tells you a bit about how to run ads. We have a supervisor too, but they are the type who will say a few nice things when you succeed, and won’t even talk to you if you don’t. In short, the supervisor is here to pick the fruit, not water the plant.

Capybara

Agreement from: Wu in Wu Shuai and Shuai in Wu Shuai, Fish013111 , lin552 , Baiwu Jinji, zzmtdkx More »

First of all, do not force yourself to build relationships with colleagues, and do not lower yourself or do things just to win their approval. There is no need.
You hope to find an operations partner you can exchange ideas with. That is something you may or may not find. Until you do, focus on improving yourself.

Amazon operations places great importance on summarizing and reviewing your work. First, you need to identify your specific weaknesses, then find resources to improve gradually. Whether you use your own product data or analyze the trends and logic behind your colleagues’ product data, you need to take the time to think it through and draw conclusions. You can then take what you have learned and developed yourself to your supervisor to confirm whether it is viable.

If the company doesn’t have a structured training program, you need to take the initiative to ask experienced senior colleagues for guidance. Before asking, think things through for yourself instead of simply asking questions.
 
There are lots of basic Amazon tutorials online. You can also follow some WeChat public accounts about Amazon, such asAmazon Global Sellingand so on. There are many ways to learn; you need to organize them yourself.
 
I don’t entirely agree with the statement, “You can’t identify your own problems.” You need to set a reasonably appropriate standard for reviewing your work. Every beginning is difficult, and you’ll need to figure these things out gradually.
When adjusting the visual layout of your main product image and A+ page, you can use Amazon’s A/B testing tool directly in Seller Central. Use click-through rate and conversion rate to establish evaluation criteria.
 
Company training generally only covers basic concepts, and advertising operations training usually teaches only simple operating logic. If you want to make real progress afterward, it still depends on whether you have a clear development plan and learning path—these are what you should focus on. It’s great if you find like-minded people to exchange ideas with, but not everyone is that lucky. If you can’t find anyone to talk to within the company, you’ll have to seek support externally.

Capybara  • Zhengzhou

Get more hands-on experience and test different operating methods. Keep learning through trial and error, and develop approaches of your own. As you refine and review your work, remember to confirm with your supervisor that you’re on the right track.

Wu Shuai: “Wu” from Wu Shuai, and “Shuai” from Wu Shuai  • Jinhua

First, think things through for yourself before asking; don’t just ask questions. Second, I don’t entirely agree with the statement, “You can’t identify your own problems.” You need to set a reasonably appropriate standard for reviewing your work. Every beginning is difficult, and you’ll need to figure these things out gradually. These two points come from the original poster’s experience, and they’re my experience too. Otherwise, no matter how long you’ve been doing the job, you’ll still just be an assistant—especially when it comes to the second point.

Anonymous user  • Jinhua

Right, we do have a supervisor. For example, when we develop a product, we also prepare a product development spreadsheet. You send it to your supervisor, but they don’t offer any suggestions and just reply, “Okay.” When you ask questions, they may simply say, “I don’t know,” or “Mm-hmm, I see.” Before asking, you need to think for yourself, and I’m also continually improving my ability to find information. This way of working sometimes makes me feel exhausted. By the way, we don’t even have basic advertising training. I’ve already figured out the basics on my own. Our model is bottom-up: if you have a question, you can ask your supervisor. They may answer, or they may say they don’t know. But they won’t proactively train you or point out potential problems with your listing. Do you understand?

Capybara  • Zhengzhou

@Anonymous user In that case, you might as well not have a supervisor. You’ll have to find a way to figure things out yourself. If your manager gives you room to learn from mistakes and permission to put your own ideas into practice, do hands-on testing and review the results yourself. In your spare time, browse forums and other platforms to learn more, then gradually develop your own way of thinking. If all else fails, you’ll have to find another company.

Anonymous user  • Jinhua

@Capybara: Okay, thanks.

CoCo2026

Agreed by: AIX2023 , Someone You Can Talk To Is Hard to Find , PiedPipergogo

1. The operations function mainly covers market research, competitor research, product positioning, traffic positioning, keyword organization, advertising structure, inventory planning, pricing strategy, promotion plans, regular reviews, copywriting, image requirements, and other areas. You can study them one at a time. Use Xiaohongshu, AI,Zhi Wu Bu Yan, WeChat public accounts, and other channels to gather SOPs and templates, then apply them to your own operations and keep refining your templates through hands-on practice.

2. Operations involves analyzing a problem, taking action, reviewing the data, and adjusting again. So you can pull product data regularly to identify product issues. Work from the big picture down to the details. Start with the main areas of sales, traffic, and conversion rate.

For example, if the conversion rate worsens, analyze organic conversions and advertising conversions.
If organic conversions worsen, look at market trends, competitor actions, and changes to your own listing.

If advertising conversions worsen significantly, analyze the reasons (ad type / ad targeting method / individual ad campaign / advertised product / ad schedule / ad placement / keyword).

If you don’t know what factors affect traffic or conversions, ask AI, then investigate the factors it suggests.

3. In your day-to-day operations, record the bits of knowledge you pick up and build your own operations notebook.

4. You can also follow relevant WeChat public accounts, join communities, and take online courses to make your knowledge more systematic.
The most important thing is to summarize and synthesize what you learn, and make the information you collect your own. You should also adjust and review promptly. Data waits for no one; making adjustments without reviewing the results is like a student taking a test but never checking the answers.

peter163

Agreed by: my19519

A personal suggestion: regardless of whether the work environment is good or bad, if you want to earn your colleagues’ support:
 
First: Personal effort is essential. No matter whether the company is good or bad, the performance you build up at work and the experience you gain are your own. If you don't put in the time and effort, it is difficult to earn the recognition of your colleagues. This isn't workplace manipulation; when someone is new to the industry, people throughout the company are naturally watching and assessing them.

Second: You need to maintain a strong learning habit. Use your commute, time at home, and holidays to read books, study materials, and keep up with the latest news. Maintain a ratio of 7-3: systematic books and materials should account for 70%, and information and news for 30%. Otherwise, your learning may become too scattered and confusing. Don't aim to absorb everything; focus on breadth.

Third: Don't ask experienced operations colleagues basic questions. Try asking AI first to solve them directly. For complex questions, ask AI first as well. Once you have a basic framework for thinking about the issue, discuss it with someone else.

Fourth: Once you have met the first three conditions, first consider building a personal relationship with experienced operations colleagues you work with who are genuinely good at their jobs. For example, if you receive reasonable work-related guidance, show your appreciation. Have a meal or coffee together now and then, bring colleagues a local specialty from your hometown, or, when there's a chance, play some ball or share a cigarette.
 
Working in Amazon is stressful enough as it is. Experienced operations colleagues are under even greater pressure. Everyone wants to avoid hassle. If a newcomer doesn't work hard, doesn't study in their own time, and asks about every little problem, they may be judged as a colleague who offers no "value." Even if you meet the first three conditions, if you lack interpersonal skills and don't make an effort to fit in, your growth has little to do with your colleagues.

Old Zhang Talks About Instruments a

I also think it's hard for people to identify problems entirely on their own. But not having a mentor doesn't mean you have to stay stuck. Start with one product or a specific problem at hand, and write down what you thought at the time, what you changed, and what happened afterward. For example, if an ad isn't performing well, first explain what you think the cause is, then change one thing and see what happens. Don't change several things at once; otherwise, if the results change, you won't know which change made a difference. You can do the same with product selection: look back after a while and consider what you got right and what you missed.

When asking someone for advice, bringing a specific example often makes it easier to start a conversation than asking vaguely, "Could you teach me?" For example: "I think this set of ad keywords doesn't quite match the product. Does my reasoning make sense?" That's easier for the other person to respond to.

If a colleague doesn't accept your suggestion, that doesn't mean you're stupid. Maybe they simply weren't looking to discuss it, or it sounded like you were pointing out their mistakes. Next time, you could ask first: "I noticed a possible issue. Would you like to hear about it?" If they don't want to discuss it, leave it at that. You don't have to keep offering help just to get a conversation in return.

Of course, if the company keeps leaving newcomers to figure things out on their own without clear standards or opportunities to review their work, that really does make it harder for them to grow. You could try arranging regular data reviews with your manager and keeping a record of what you've tried. After a while, look back and assess whether you've made progress and whether the company is giving you room to keep growing.

Anonymous user

I'll share my own experience in my reply. I'm in much the same situation as you. Here are some ways I believe can help you improve, and that I've tried and verified myself;

First: Ways to increase store profits (the foundation of everything): copy or imitate;
Borrow advertising models or structures from colleagues (if the company specializes in a vertical category). For product selection, find popular products and create bundles (if products in this category generally aren't patented). Set some basic product-selection criteria to ensure quality, then list a large number of products, list them quickly, quickly discontinue the ones that don't perform, and keep the high-quality products (if the company uses a high-volume listing model);

Second: If the store has enough gross margin, you can try more things, such as new advertising models, new product types, and new promotion schedules. At that point, it's okay if some of the gross margin is used up. To be honest, as an employee, I don't earn much in commission or wages. Once I'm earning the salary I want, improving my skills becomes much more important;

Third: Communication within a company isn't always easy, especially when the products in different people's stores are similar and they compete with one another. Everyone will hold some things back. The most important prerequisite for sharing ideas is mutual benefit: it's only possible when people can help each other;

Fourth: Break out of your bubble. Staying in one role for a long time can easily make your thinking rigid. The best way to change that is to spend money. You're most likely to gain access to structured knowledge or new technologies by paying for them, and doing so can also save time;

Anonymous user

Agreed with: It's hard to find someone you can really talk to, even if they're a thousand miles away

I'm also a newcomer to the industry. A friend helped me get started. At first, they helped me register the store. After that, they told me to choose products and decide what I wanted to sell. I spent half a month browsing Amazon's storefront, chose one or two products, got samples, and negotiated prices. Then my friend told me the next step was to create the listings. They didn't teach me much. Most of the time, I listened to and watched creators share their experiences on Bilibili and Douyin. After completing the first listing, from 0 to 1, I became a little more familiar with the process.

When I ran into a problem, I would ask my friend first. They knew a lot and would tell me how to solve it when they weren't busy. Later, when they got busy, they didn't have time to reply. So I continued listening to creators on various platforms and asking them how to solve these problems. As I created more listings, I ran into more problems, solved them, ran into more problems, and solved them again.

But after doing this for a few years, I realized that there were still many problems I couldn't solve on my own, because new problems kept coming up that I had never encountered before. So I chose a creator I thought was particularly knowledgeable. I listen to their livestream every morning and keep listening to other people in the evening to broaden my knowledge.

Anonymous user

Actually, I think that when working with Amazon, there are many skills you really have to learn gradually through your own experience, especially at a small company without an established operating system or anyone to guide you.

But I think the most important thing is not to stay at the execution level forever. For example, anyone can learn to handle Listings, ads, and keywords after doing them for a while. The real challenge is understanding why you do things a certain way and how to tell whether they worked afterward.

You could try doing a thorough review of a product you are responsible for, analyzing it one aspect at a time: product selection, competitors, pricing, advertising, profit, and inventory. Pay particular attention to ads: don’t just look at ACOS and orders; also consider profit, organic orders, and keyword rankings.

Also, I don’t think you need to worry too much about whether your colleagues are willing to share. Everyone has their own work, and some people may not be willing to share certain things. You can look at examples from other sellers, but don’t copy them wholesale, since the products and budgets are different.

I think whether you can grow depends mainly on whether you get the chance to take part in the full operating process. If your company only lets you handle basic execution and gives you no chance to work with new products, profit, or the supply chain, that will indeed limit your growth.

Cunyu Archon

Likes from: Someone You Can Talk To Is Hard to Find

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.For now, don’t worry about the dazzling array of tactics used by the experts. At the beginning of your career, the most important thing is to build a solid foundation. Here are a few core areas you can start with:
 

1. Master the platform fundamentals:

   Learn your way around all the features in Amazon Seller Central, and understand the underlying logic of Amazon’s algorithms. Know exactly how the Listings you write can affect traffic.

2. Understand the operating logic:

   Learn systematically about the characteristics of different types of ads and how ad placements work, and get a clear understanding of the customer’s browsing and conversion journey.

3. Get to know the product inside out:

   Know the features, positioning, target audience, and key selling points of your product in great detail.

Anonymous user

Gathering information online and learning from multiple sources are basic skills.

For example, on this forum, you focus on one topic after another.
 
You can also look at various other sources, such as Knowledge Planet, Bilibili, Zhihu, and WeChat Official Accounts (the official Amazon account and the Amazon Ads account).

You can also see who Amazon Ads has invited to share their expertise and find out whether you can join the WeChat groups of those guest speakers.

It’s not just about courses. You can also follow service providers’ WeChat Official Accounts to help you avoid pitfalls when choosing products. For example, providers specializing in Amazon tax compliance, Amazon legal compliance, and Amazon product certification compliance can all greatly improve your understanding of products.
 
You can also connect with more sales reps on 1688 who work in categories related to your products. Check their WeChat Moments to see what they’re focusing on and what improvements have been made to new products using shared molds.

If you’re buying courses, try the second-hand marketplace; there’s no need to spend money unnecessarily.

Anonymous user  • Jinhua

Thanks, got it. I found courses by two creators on Bilibili and have finished watching them. They were free, and I thought they were pretty good.

Anonymous user  • Jinhua

Wow, I also stumbled upon the fact that lots of paid courses are sold at rock-bottom prices on the second-hand marketplace. I could hardly believe it. Since then, I’ve still bought courses, but only through the second-hand marketplace.

kucoco

Likes from: Someone You Can Talk To Is Hard to Find

The forum itself has lots of high-quality discussions. I recommend spending at least 0.5h reading them every day. Some of the best collections of posts are worth revisiting again and again.

Whether it’s forums or conversations with other sellers, the content tends to be fragmented. Even though there are systematic processes, each step has many detailed issues, making knowledge in this industry highly fragmented.
 
But,
Dods will connect
Learning by doing
 
When you run into a problem, look it up, think it through, put it into practice, and reflect on it. That’s how you gain a feel for things, make progress, and build lasting knowledge.
In the end, it comes back to this:What matters is solving problems. As long as you want to solve a problem, you’ll probably find a way to do it.

Zi Fei Yu Ya

Likes from: Someone You Can Talk To Is Hard to Find

I can share some practices that I think may work. I haven't had much experience with product selection, but you can refer to what I've learned about product operations and advertising. Advertising requires constant adjustments and reviews, so you should use a spreadsheet to record all your ideas, specific actions, and problems each day. Then, when you work on things the next day, look back at the ideas from the previous day or a few days earlier and review your previous actions—for example, whether ad clicks or conversions changed significantly after an adjustment.

For theories about operations, you can search on Bilibili. You can refer to and take notes on a few of the videos with the most views. Ultimately, theoretical knowledge from others won't improve your operational skills unless you put it into practice and draw your own conclusions.

Axu Talks About Cross-Border Design

I really relate to your post. I work in Amazon design, and I used to be at a small company where no one mentored me. I completely understand the anxiety of having to figure everything out on your own.

When no one is there to teach you, your best teachers are your competitors and your account data. Don't just focus on ads. Dig into competitors' listing main images, A+ content, and reviews to work out how they highlight their selling points and drive conversions. Take the time to thoroughly study one competitor each day; that's better than blindly feeling your way forward. The same goes for product selection—see what the benchmarks are selling.

As for proactively helping your colleagues, don't let it eat away at you. That's just how the workplace is: everyone has limited energy, and people may not appreciate it even if you take the initiative to teach them. Turn that energy back toward the products you're responsible for.

It's normal for small companies to lack established systems, but that also gives you a good opportunity to experiment. Keep analyzing things for a month or two, and your understanding will improve. Let's encourage each other.

Anonymous User

Agreed by: People you can really talk to are hard to find, even a thousand miles away

Watch more video courses. I feel I've progressed faster than my colleagues because I watch courses and browse forums. They prefer to keep their heads down and work hard; they look busy, but that doesn't necessarily mean they get results. Still, talking with them has some benefits: they may point out details I hadn't thought of, and I can ask about company processes I'm unfamiliar with.

But you really can improve your operational skills by watching courses and livestreams. One thing I'm also quite confused about is that I don't have much autonomy to make decisions at my company. It seems like I have to check with my manager before I can do many things. Following the principle that it's better to avoid unnecessary trouble, I've gradually lost some of my desire to explore. I understand that a company is a team and that execution is important too, but I still feel like I'm missing some motivation.

Xiaobu  • Dongguan  •  14 hours ago

Official Amazon livestream courses?

Anonymous User

Agreed by: People you can really talk to are hard to find, even a thousand miles away

Thanks so much to the original poster for sharing. I learned a lot. It's hard to find someone at work to talk things through with. When you take the initiative to ask, they say things like, "You have to learn on your own," and so on.
 
But I feel that you can't identify your own problems by yourself.
For example, with product selection: if this is the level of my product-selection skills, can they improve without outside support or guidance?
That's how it is in advertising, too.
 
And society in general largely follows the Matthew effect: the strong get stronger, and the weak get weaker.
A salesperson who isn't very good won't find a good job in the market. If you're good at your job, extra support will come your way; if you're weak, you won't get any help.

DJ Yizhang

Agreed by: People you can really talk to are hard to find, even a thousand miles away, NIKOOOO, Xiaobu

If your salary isn't much higher than the industry average, I'd recommend switching to a more established company. I believe you're still young and have room to try different things.

Everyone's talking about learning on your own, experimenting, and reviewing your work, but that all assumes you have a well-established account to practice on. Yet your current company can't even provide systematic support. After all that self-study, how can you verify that you're doing things right?

Move to a company with more experience and history. You can simply look at the traces left by experienced operations staff, follow your manager through a stable workflow, and gradually try to incorporate your own understanding while following the established process. I think that would be easier and more comprehensive than trying to break out of your predicament all alone.

Anonymous User  • Jinhua

Wow, so many people have replied above. The main point is to try, review, and keep trying. I think I'll do that. The problem right now is, as you said, we've been teaching ourselves from 0 to 0.5; we learned everything on our own. People who already know how to do it might say it's easy, but only those who have gone through the whole process of learning everything themselves will understand. I just hope someone can guide me through handling one product. On that basis, I'll keep searching for experience-sharing posts on Zhihu and elsewhere and continue improving.

I'm not afraid to admit that when it comes to Amazon ads, I've always used automatic and broad targeting. Now, after reading lots of posts, I've learned that with automatic targeting, close match is all you need. For broad targeting, you need to classify keywords by search volume and avoid putting high-volume and low-volume keywords in the same ad group. I learned all of this on my own. I'll give your advice careful consideration.

Winning

Agreed by: People you can really talk to are hard to find, even a thousand miles away

You won’t discover specific problems if you do nothing. So even if you ask a colleague, you won’t know how to make the problem specific; you can only ask how to improve this very general advertising, and all they can tell you is to learn on your own.

If you want to learn about advertising, start by finding out what types there are. For a new product, run the types of ads that are commonly launched at the beginning. Set up the ads yourself. The ad data reflects your advertising decisions, so you can tell whether your current approach is right. Advertising is inherently volatile; it’s normal for results to be good for a while and then poor for a while, so you also need to keep adjusting and optimizing. Each adjustment and optimization is an evolution in your approach to advertising.

Anonymous user  • Jinhua

No, my questions are always extremely specific, but my colleagues are useless and give very vague answers. For example, when we were putting together a product research report, there was a table, and I asked a colleague how many products they usually research and how they choose them. They replied, “Sometimes more, sometimes fewer. It depends.” I let that one go. Anyway, sometimes I go in with the answer already in mind when I ask a question. I won’t even get into my colleague’s attitude after that.

Winning  • Shenzhen

Then just ask online. You can find reliable advice online; you just have to judge for yourself whether it’s feasible.

Anonymous user

Likes from: “It’s hard to find someone you can talk to, even after searching far and wide.”

20 I entered the industry, and the company hired a few beginners, along with a supervisor who only knew a little. That was how we got started. The supervisor’s operational skills were average, but they were good at making promises, making them to the beginners and the boss alike. So we started learning as we went and putting what we learned into practice.

Later, the supervisor turned out to be so incompetent that the boss fired them and brought in a new manager, who also didn’t know what they were doing. There was no choice but to learn on my own. By then, I had already decided to go out on my own, so every day, outside of my work, I spent time on the forums reading posts on all kinds of topics. Every week, I worked overtime 3 days until 9 o’clock, and whenever I had nothing else to do, I read posts. Honestly, you really can learn a lot from forums. Spending some time on them every day is much more efficient than asking colleagues at the company for help.

Anonymous user  • Jinhua

Hello, are all the posts you read from the Zhi Wu Bu Yan forum? Our company has a group, but there’s not a single message in it, haha. It’s an Amazon seller recruitment group. I feel like it’s a waste of time, and that I’d be better off actively looking for forums to learn from.

Anonymous user  • Jinhua

Yes, time efficiency matters too. I’ve realized that now. For example, if you ask a question in an Amazon seller recruitment group, you might not get a reply until the next day, even if you asked in the morning. I’ve learned to take the initiative and ask questions, proactively seeking out more information. Great, I’ll keep that method in mind.

Anonymous user  • Xiamen

@Anonymous user Exactly. Search for whatever topic you want to learn about. Buy a one-year membership as a respondent, and you can read most of the answers.

LucSeller

Don’t pin your growth on your colleagues. They have no obligation to mentor you. At the end of the day, everyone is competing with one another. Giving up the expectation of having someone to talk things through with can actually make life easier.

Don’t overthink things. Most people running their businesses independently learned by making mistakes without anyone to guide them. Amazon operations are fundamentally about trial and error plus data analysis. It’s a craft, not something that depends on intuition or talent. Keep a record of every experiment and build on it continuously, and your skills will steadily improve.