Here are 10 stages of sales from my personal experience. From the experience of a married 42-years-old woman, who has one adult son, higher economic education with a background in private business, and therefore an ability to organize and lead. That's why I write short and clearly.
You have made a wonderful product and want to make it profitable, you don't want it to gather dust on shelves. Indeed, why not tell the world about yourself?! Where to start and how to fulfill your potential?
So there you go!
The first point. Your product must be of high quality. The quality is more valued by buyers than everything else. There must be no loose threads and crooked seams, stains of glue on the product. Do not hide behind the fact that it is a manual labor, not a mass product, the work must be at the highest level. Crafts for kindergarten are not appropriate, that's for sure! Be adequate to your work, look at your product from the outside and think if you want to buy such a product, if yes, feel free to move on!
The second point. Make a good photo of the product. You must look advantageous and have your own style and eventually your works will become recognizable, and it is very cool for an artisan! Buyers like with their eyes, so photos from different angles will let them touch your product and try it on. If there is no possibility to use natural landscapes or a photo studio (the second option is more expensive), try to use Photoshop to create a white background by yourself. White background is best selling. It is tested! There is learning material even for beginners on the Internet. And if you succeed, and I'm sure in that, you are a tough nut to crack, move on!
The third point. Buyers also love with their ears. Tell us about your product, how it appeared and what prompted you to make it, let it be short, but touching story. Explain what is unique about your product and how it will further help the buyer. Identify the buyer... what can they wear your product with, do not forget about fashion trends. Or tell us how your product can be useful in everyday life, because it is comfortable and functional. Did you manage to do that? I do not doubt :)
The fourth point. Please rate your product! The first time I do not advise to set high prices. Be generous, not to extremes, of course, you shouldn't work in the red. Count details, what you spend and take quite a bit for your work, interest the buyer with the price — it works well, besides in the beginning an artisan needs good reviews! Don't worry, in a few months, when the demand for your work will increase and you will have virtually no free time, you will be able to reconsider the price! Interested? Then let's continue!
The fifth point. When talking to a buyer, be discreet and well-mannered, do not forget the "magic words". Answer all their questions, not concerning their personal life. Carefully refer to the rules of your store (write the terms of your store in advance). The first time I do not advise to offer installments, they can be available only for regular customers, and you will definitely have them. If the customer refers to another shop with similar works, calmly and gently explain that your materials or material is twice as expensive, and therefore better. Tempt the customer to buy, but don't push. Your emails should be short, no more than three sentences, do not sent superfluous phrases to a potential customer. Appreciate your customer and they will visit you again and bring a new one. We are already on the half way.
The sixth point. Your product is bought! You must wrap your product in an advantageous packing, put a little surprise in your style or a gift certificate for the next purchase, plus fast delivery of a parcel within one to two days will bring your buyer only positive emotions! Imagine... A buyer opens the package, and there is a beautiful packaging — at least there is a smile on their face, they open the package, and there is the product — neat and beautiful, which they were tremblingly expecting and tracking! And if there is a cute present in your style or a discount on the next order — I think a good review is provided! So you are a good artisan, and there are very few of them...
The seventh point. Make contests to promote your products, participate in sales and charitable funds, make discounts and DIYs, the latter can be sold. Let's not forget about them. It all just works for you!
The eighth point. Write keywords, most popular keywords will be offered to you, choose those that directly correspond to your needlework. The right hashtags will lead you to potential buyers or artisans who work in the same style, you can offer DIYs to other artisans. Look for benefits everywhere, do not stop there. If you do not succeed in something, then the next try will be definitely a success!
The ninth point. Make useful contacts, you can not do without them in business or in personal life. "Rather have a hundred friends than a hundred rubles!" — the words from my favorite song from childhood, Alla Pugacheva sang it, this is also a fine example to follow, but this is not what I want to talk about! Join groups with different interests, share secrets, support each other, unfortunately, many people can not master the art of making new friends. However, people that are trying to make useful contacts are often judged, implying that for these contacts they are able to step on other people's toes. Fortunately, in the modern world, it is considered that contacts interfere only with those who don't have them. Don't forget that buyers evaluate a good artisan not only by the number of good reviews, but also by the number of subscribers — here is what I'm getting at! Do you understand? And the last one...
The tenth point. Organize your creative process competently. I wrote about this in a previous article! Read, enjoy and like.
Don't forget... the buyer is always right!
Thank you, dear artisans, if you liked the article — click the thumb up button!
Do you remember your first sale? And what rule didn't I mention?
Yours, Olga:)