Beauty
Health
Women
in Business
Romance
& Relationships
Parenting
Single
and Loving It!
House
& Garden
Speak
Out
Entertainment,
General
Entertainment,
TV Shows
Martha
Stewart Living
Meet
Our Staff
Contact
Us
JUST FOR YOU!
Quizes
& Tests
Polls
Horoscope
The
What's New
Channels!
|
|
House &
Garden
The "6 P’s" of Professional
Crafting
By Penny Stewart
Once you make the decision to go into "business," you need time not only
for making what you’re going to sell, but also for pricing, packaging,
promoting and selling. Often crafters don’t realize how much work is
involved. It’s best to face facts before making a major commitment in
time and/or money. Talk to others who are successful, and also those who
have failed. Learn from their experience, so you won’t have to make
all the mistakes yourself.
Finding an outlet
If you are still determined, then try selling to friends, family and coworkers
first. There’s no overhead and less commitment than doing craft shows.
Plus, it helps establish a price range and determines whether there’s
a market for your product. But, eventually, if sales go well, you’ll
want to expand your customer base, increase profits, and move on to bigger
and better things.
So where should you sell? Craft malls, consignment stores, seasonal boutiques,
craft shows—the list goes on. Craft selling opportunities abound today,
especially with computers. Every day a new on-line shopping mall surfaces
beckoning you to sell your wares on the web. This can be a great way for
you to test market products. If you shop around, it can cost as little as
$10 a month. There’s usually a set-up fee and a percentage of sales
may go to the store. Be sure you understand all charges before you sign any
contracts.
If the mall processes credit cards, handles sales taxes, and has a convenient
method for shopping (like a virtual shopping cart system), then it might
be worth trying. But be prepared to give it at least six months (at $10 a
month that’s only $60.00). It takes time for shoppers to get to know
you.
A winning combination
By joining forces with other crafters, you could become an entrepreneur without
the headaches of going it alone. Crafters like crafting, but as a rule they
don’t particularly like the business end. In a mall, the store has the
responsibility of paying the sales tax, collecting the money and dealing
with the customers. You get to spend more time at home doing what you love
to do most - make more crafts. It’s much like renting space in any
crafter’s mall, only you ship the merchandise to the customer after
they order it, so your inventory doesn’t have to be as large.
The mall has the responsibility of advertising, promoting, and merchandising
your crafts. The more traffic the mall gets, the more crafts are sold, and
then more crafters want to join the mall. Word of mouth on the internet works
better than it does in the "real" world. Email disseminates information faster
than the grapevine or party line telephones used to, and everyone benefits.
Be sure to shop around for a mall that fits you and your product. If you
make hand-crafted items, there are advantages to joining a mall selling handmade
items exclusively, so you aren’t competing with low-cost imports. Cruise
around the mall and try ordering something. Find out how they treat their
customers.
Here are the 6 P's.
PURCHASING
Even if you plan to sell through a craft mall or blended boutique where the
store owner collects the sales taxes, you should obtain a Resale Certificate
and order your supplies in bulk. The money you save by purchasing materials
wholesale will increase your profit margins considerably.
PREPARING
Plan to make at least six to twelve items at a time and work in assembly
line fashion doing repetitive tasks all at once. This will increase your
overall profit by decreasing the time it takes you to make an item and you
can therefore make more inventory in less time.
PACKAGING
Consider purchasing professional looking price tags or labels with your name
imprinted on them, or use your computer to make some sort of hang tag that
creates an "image" for your line of products. This encourages customers to
contact you for special orders and they get your advertisement each time
they buy one of your products.
PRICING
Comparison shopping helps you keep your prices within a fair market value.
You need to be competitive, but don’t undervalue your time and talent.
People do appreciate quality, so if your goods are exceptional, don’t
be afraid to ask a better price for them than mass produced imports.
PROMOTING
Advertising pays, and you pay for advertising. But in some cases, a small
ad touting your collectible cats in a cat-lovers magazine will do wonders
to increase your sales. Co-op ads save money because the cost is divided
between the people involved. If you sell in a craft store that does direct
mail advertising, be sure to give them a copy of your mailing list to add
to theirs. Let your customers know where to see your crafts. Be sure to use
your internet address on all written material and in all print advertising.
PROFESSIONALISM
Always do what you say you will. If you promise to deliver a special order
this week, do it. And don’t promise what you cannot deliver. Taking
an order for 100 stuffed animals for a department store when you have doubts
you can do it is not only foolhardy, it is unprofessional. Don’t be
afraid to say, "no thank you" or "I’m sorry, I can’t do that."
People will appreciate your honesty and might come back another time with
a different request - maybe one you can fulfill.
Penny Stewart has been a
professional crafter for several years selling her decorative tole painted
pieces in boutiques, craft malls, consignment shops, beauty salons, and craft
shows. After displaying her painted furniture and crafts in Crafty Lady Boutique
for over a year, Stewart purchased the store and became "The Crafty Lady."
Her Crafty Lady Boutique Shopping Mall on the interenet opened almost
simultaneously. Two years later, she closed the "real:" store (due to increasing
overhead and sales costs) and now devotes her time exclusively to selling
on the internet. Some people know her better by one of her other nicknames
- ‘The Cat Lady," because she paints and sells cat rocks and teaches
classes in rock painting, "The Pink Gypsy" because she belly dances in her
spare time, and Captain of "Web Space Nine," her computer consulting and
web design business with a Star Trek theme.
Web Site: Crafty Lady Boutique:
http://www.craftylady.com
Email:
boutique@craftylady.com
PHONE: 626 289 7609 FAX: 626 289 2994
Snail Mail: P O Box 1846, San Gabriel, CA 91778
MORE HOUSE & GARDEN
ARTICLES...>>
BACK to previous page |
HOME
The above article
brought
to you by: World Wide Information Outlet -
http://certificate.net/wwio/,
your source of FREEWare Content online.
|
|
|
|
|
|