I just now, caught myself getting frazzled over having to do 3 things at once. Having just finished a large mold making job, I was busy making decisions on just how to pack up these molds for shipping, at the same time, adding layers of rubber to yet another 3 molds, resting at the [...]
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After all, you’re not the shopper, you’re the creator. So if you have any plans for good Christmas sales, you’d better already be at it, getting stocked up. If you’re stocking a shop, it’s time to start thinking Christmas and getting ready for it. Remember too, that vacation season isn’t quite over yet, in [...] I haven’t seen much activity at the Crafter’s Corner. Either, everybody is worn out with summer, or they’ve found something better to do, or they aren’t interested in selling crafts, or…… Just to let everybody know, I’m adding instructional videos. On the home page, scroll down a little to a box with links to [...]
It’s when I got into those search terms, my eyes popped. It has seemed to me, for a long time now, that there are few folks looking for a means to make an extra buck or better yet, make a living off their crafting. I don’t feel that way any more. Not after seeing the huge list of search terms. Reading between the lines, I see a whole bunch of hurting people who need a boost. Want to see those search terms? Check this out. hydrastone mixture What does it take? Aside from talent and a particular crafted product you can turn out, it takes determination and planning. You have a product. You’ve seen shops where it would go nicely. Now what? First, know your market. If you’ve never been a shopper in your area, how can you know what the market will bear? So if you haven’t paid much attention, in a while, then it’s time to go play tourist. The shop owners are keenly aware of the latest, popular tastes and desires. They know their market, better than anyone else. So where, do you think, you will ever get that information? From the shop owners. Don’t be afraid that you’ll be showing yourself off as the ‘wannabe’ in the neighborhood. On the contrary. When you spend some quality time with the shop owners, asking them pertinent questions about your own product, you are joining in the marketing scene. Simply ask. Most tourist and gift shops in tourist areas, stay open on the weekends. Most of them also, take Monday as their day off. Why? Because of shoppers. When you’ve found a shop, you want to get acquainted with, find out which day they are closed. You want to visit, the following day. Usually, your day to visit, is Tuesday or even Wednesday. Those are the quietest days of the week. Don’t try this on a Sat. You want to make friends, not enemies. All you have to do is step inside and ask for the owner. Then introduce yourself and quickly let them know, you don’t have samples with you, you just want to make plans for future products. Gab with them. Ask which hand crafted products moved the fastest. The shop owner isn’t interested in the highest profit per piece, they are interested in the most volume in sales. If they can sell a $5 item, 4 or 5 times each day, it’s better than that $100 item that only moves maybe twice a year. Think the way the shop owner thinks. Every square inch of display space, needs to pull its weight. Watching a product collect dust is disheartening, to say the least. That shop keeper is looking for that product that everybody wants, attracts attention to itself and practically sells itself. If you can provide that product, it doesn’t matter what China can make cheaper. If that shop doesn’t survive, where will you sell your product? Unless, of course, you’re in the mood to open your own shop. So without actually saying it, let the owner know you know what wholesale means and that you agree with the shop owner, in what it takes to move that product. You might say something like this: I know I produce an item that would be great in this shop, but I wanted to make sure it could sell for enough for me to still make a profit at the wholesale rate. Right there, you’ve relieved the shop owner from the worry of arguments over your price. They’re going to ask just what it is you make. Be prepared to explain to them what you produce. Talk honestly with them. “It takes about $2 in materials and I can push them through with only about an hour of man hours, so I can actually produce it for $4, although I’d like to go for $6 so that I can see a profit. But, would it sell for $12? What do you think?” Then comes the walk through the store while they show you which products do move and at what prices. Just talking to my crafty friends. If you have an online presence, you want traffic. Right? There are all sorts of ways to get traffic but one, I doubt you think about and is so valuable. Commenting on blogs, like this one. You see, when someone types in a search term, there’s [...] If you can’t sell them your end product, maybe they want to learn how to make it themselves. [...] So here’s my point. To you, it’s a small time local market. To your business competitor, it’ a world market. They have and will take your product away from you, steal and walk on your face. So where is the defense? YOU! Your name, your face, your reputation. [...] OK, so now the question is out there. How do I start? Let’s say you make a little doll. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty and say ‘clothespin dolls’. There’s hardly a market for something like a clothespin doll but that’s what you make and you wonder if there is any possible [...] When you first decide you need to build and farm out a market, it dawns on you that you don’t really know for sure which direction to go. Florists? Gift shops? Tourism? A specialized line? [...] |
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