After a good year of craft or soap sales, it is important to take a moment and reflect upon all that has happened in the past year. The holiday season is a time for appreciation and expressing that to those you care about. Why not show an additional appreciation to your craft customers?
As corny as it sounds, putting a personal touch helps customers remind themselves of you, reminds them of your products, and forges a connection. Writing a small note or an email thanking your customers for their business lets them know that there is a person behind the craft or soap they bought. Heck, if they subscribe to your newsletter, maybe add in a special coupon code for their next purchase as a thank you. It can only help create a bond and continued business into the New Year. For more on this topic, please click here:: The Importance of Customer Holiday Greetings
Your online soap/craft shop is doing well and you sell out your wares at craft expos and the farmer’s market. You have plenty of positive feedback from customers wanting more and you think it might be time to expand. Well, there’s that boutique shop downtown that would be the perfect place to sell your soap. So why not ask?
First, either in person or over the phone, politely explain who you are, what you can offer, and who on the store staff you can send samples to. Next, write a detailed cover letter to that person detailing who you are, what products you sell, how they would be a good fit for the store, and the URL of your website for them to see what you create. Also, include some samples of your more popular soaps and oils for them to try. After a week, follow up and keep following up at least five times for an answer. Follow these steps and you’ll likely find another venue for your wares. For a full article on this topic, click here:: Writing an Introduction Letter to Buyers: Ask for the Sale
If you are doing it right, many craft products showcased on your craft shop or soap shop website have wonderful photos of your craft. When it comes to crafts that are more applicable than art pieces, you likely have some shots of how your craft is used and in action. If you’re smart, you’ll also have a detailed description of the product written next to the photo letting the buyer know the craft’s details and uses. Job’s done, right? No!
If you have crafts such as bath oils, facial scrubs, or other crafts that would require application or assembly, your customer base will appreciate instructions on how your product can be used to its fullest. Keep in mind that many customers are buying your craft soaps as gifts for their friends, so those people probably didn’t even visit your webpage. Including a small note with instructions (example: “Use with cold water for best results”) can eliminate all doubt. Remember how frustrating it is to assemble an IKEA bookcase with just the pictures? Don’t let that happen to your product. For more on this topic, click here:: Staffed by Mimes
While a positive mindset has always been touted as the root for success, it might not fit your personality. The stereotype is that negative thinkers are naysayers, are unlikeable curmudgeons, and won’t amount to anything because of their negativity. However, that’s not true. Sometimes negative thinking can lead to better decisions for your craft shop business.
By thinking negatively, you can see what possibilities that can go wrong and take steps to avoid them. It also allows you to think critically about certain decisions and which ones to choose based on the process of elimination. While being a grump isn’t pleasant, taking that negative part of yourself can help create a realistic balance against your dreams in order to achieve tangible success in your craft sales. For more on how being negative can be positive, click here:: The Positive Results of Being Negative
Thanksgiving occurred yesterday and it is during this time of year when Americans stop for a moment of reflection. What are you thankful for this year? For people who are able to make living sell soaps or other crafts, there is plenty to be thankful for.
First, there is the obvious: using your creativity as means to make money. There are fortunate few that are able to do what they love for a living. Second, is having total control over your health and schedule. Being your own boss means making your own hours which means you can make better personal decisions. If you want, you can have a healthy lunch at home, taking as much time as you need, rather than trying to wolf down a vending machine snack. Also, making your own hours means that you are able to make time with friends and friends, solidifying those relationships. While running an online craft business independently has its hassles, there is certainly a lot that one can appreciate from it. For more on thankfulness, click here:: The Gift of Self-Employment
You’re running your craft shop and feel the need to give back some how. There’s a charity or a cause that you’d like to help support, so why not lend a hand? There are a number of reasons to incorporate certain causes or charities to your craft or soap shop.
Adding a link to your favorite charity or cause onto your online shop’s page gives the customers a window into your personality and what you care about. You’ll find that many within your customer base may have similar passions. If you’d like, it’d be good to create a product or soap and state that proceeds from the sale will go to that particular charity. It’ll help out the cause and probably increase profits in the process. All of this can not only help out your cause and make a few extra sales, but also creates a community around your business that will create a recurring consumer base. For more on social good within your craft/soap business, click here:: 8 Tips to Incorporate Social Good Into Your Business
While selling your soaps and crafts online is a good way to make sales, there is still money to be made in face-to-face encounters at a market or craft expo. However, while you do want to profit from your work, the salesman aspect might stick in your craw. Even the word “sales” can bring up images of sleazy men in leisure suits trying to sucker a person into a Pinto.
If this image turns you off from face-to-face sells, then look at it from a different perspective. Ask yourself, “If this person buys my item, will their life improve?” Also ask, “Once this interaction with this person is over, will the world be a better place than when you began?” If the answer to both is “yes,” then there is nothing to be concerned about. You’re giving a good product to good people. There’s nothing shady or shameful in doing that. For more on this perspective, click here:: When You’re Selling, Always Ask Yourself These 2 Questions
It can be tough to sell soap and crafts out there at the market or craft expo. Getting a good spot, creating a welcoming atmosphere can help, but there is one thing that can help generate the most sales. That one thing is you.
You don’t have to change who you are, but take a good look at yourself and judge how you might appear to others. Dressing up a little bit can show customers that you are putting on an effort. Make sure that you greet each customer and make eye contact. You don’t have to put on a show, but engaging with customers as they enter lets them know they are acknowledged and you’re there to help them if they need it. Lastly, pay attention to your customer. Ignore the phone calls, leave your book at home. If you appear not to care whether or not you make a sale, the customer won’t care about your product. Keeping these things in mind will hopefully create a great customer base for your soaps and other crafts. For a full article on this topic, click here:: 3 Simple Ways to Be a Better Salesperson
Craft and soap bloggers are always looking for the newest item or product to feature. It gives the blogger content to write about and it also gives you a showcase to show off your work to prospective customers. So what can you do to attract bloggers to your wares?
First, make sure that your craft or soap is actually worth writing home about. A unique design, high value, originality, and personality always win out over normality. Also, be sure you have high quality photos of your craft products. This not only can help sales at your store, but also attracts the eyes of the bloggers and writers. There’s also no shame to approach a blogger that you enjoy, introduce yourself, ask if he or she would do a feature on you or your product, and send them a link with pictures. It can definitely help you promote your stuff. For a full article on this topic, click here:: 5 Things Bloggers Look for When Choosing Work To Feature
Sadly, too many people believe that the number of sales you have made determines the success of your online soap or craft shop. It seems like the simple metric to follow, but many who don’t get giant sales numbers feel like failures when that is not the case. So what should a person do to accurately calculate their success in craft sales?
First, try not to let go of the personal accomplishment. Every sale you do make, no matter if it’s a giant number or not, validates you. Keep the thrill that someone enjoys your work. Secondly, it’s not the number of units sold, it’s the amount of revenue and profit the business is making. Someone with a larger sales number could be selling the product at a lower price. In fact, you could be actually making more money selling less goods than your competition due to the price difference. For more on this topic, click here:: Stop Focusing on the Number of Sales You’ve Made & Start Focusing on What Actually Matters