Offline Marketing

In most new businesses, you need to find clients. One of the best way to find new clients is by networking with friends and colleagues. For shy or inexperienced folks, this exercise can be daunting. Here are some helpful tips for developing your networking skills.

1) Create a target list of people to contact and set contact goals. The list can include family, friends, and neighbors; colleagues; professors and alumni from schools you’ve attended; vendors and salespeople; members of organizations you belong to or volunteer with; other professionals (e.g., accountants, doctors, real estate agents, hair stylists); and bloggers and members of online groups and communities.

Once you have your list, set goals for making contacts. Plan to email three people a week and to meet one person a week, for example.

2) Develop a 30-second “elevator speech” – a concise statement about who you are, what you are looking for, and what makes you unique. Have it ready and use it at every opportunity.

3) Create a business card and carry it with you at all times. Companies like Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com) provide business cards for discounted prices or even for free. The card should include all of your contact information, job title or objective, and even some highlights from your “elevator speech.”  Read more or post a comment...

Don’t Wait, Go Get Em!
We are big fans of Craigslist. We are always finding great deals there. Have you ever thought about advertising your scrapbook business on Craigslist? It is free, why not?

We were very fortunate to find a great van for my mother-in-law at such a great price and so quickly. About a week later, I received a phone call from a lady. Apparently, her friend was also selling a van on Craigslist that we had inquired about. Since we didn’t buy the van from her, she gave our number to her friend who was now selling her van. I had to tell her we had already found a van.

After hanging up the phone, I started thinking about how smart the lady was at being proactive in selling her van. She could have just listed it on Craigslist, wait for a call and hope for the best. But she went one step further. She utilized the resources of her friend who was also selling their van. It only took a few minutes for her to give me a call. Of course in this situation, we already found the van, but what if we hadn’t? We could have become a potential customer.  Read more or post a comment...

How are you holiday sales going?  There is still time to grab some last minute sales this holiday season.  Today I thought I would share an article with you with a different approach to holiday marketing.

Holiday Season Sales Or Slump? Use The Holidays To Market and Sell
By Angela Booth

During the holiday season, you’re busy buying gifts, attending celebrations and doing the hundred and one things that make the season so frantic.

But what about your business? You can get a real business hangover after the holidays if you forget that you’ve got a business to run.

You’ll want to relax and take a few days off, but don’t drop the ball completely. Holidays or not, the bills will keep coming in, and you’ve got to keep moving and keep your business humming.

If you’re tempted to slacken off, tell yourself that your competitors are almost certainly not guzzling champagne or lounging on the beach in Tahiti, they’re working harder than ever.

Here’s how to keep sales steaming along during the holiday season:

* Send greeting cards to customers: all your customers. Your customers are your personal gold mine. Say thanks. Offer them a special holiday deal;  Read more or post a comment...

In the previous post, I discussed the best way to find scrapbook customers. In two words, the best way is with craft fairs. Why? Because that is where your potential customers are shopping. I understand your initial reaction may not be in agreement.

Overcome Craft Fair Negativity
The sheer thought of building up an inventory that may or may not sell, packing up the car, driving, unpacking the car, setting up an attractive display and sitting all day hoping for some sales is just not my idea of a productive Saturday. Does this sound like you? If so, I’ve been there. However, are these thoughts realistic? In reality, this negative attitude probably will yield the results you fear.

Positive Attitude
If you want to succeed at a craft fair, you must start with a positive attitude. As you prepare for the craft fair, think positively about each part of the process. As you are setting up your display, think about your creations, what are the hot selling points? What are some conversation starters?  Read more or post a comment...

Be where your scrapbook customers shop!
What if there was a place where potential customers hung out and came on their own volition?( ones who enjoy a hand-crafted keepsake) Imagine if you will, a place where you can “set up shop” displaying samples of your work, finished albums, layout ideas and fun projects where these potential customers already are shopping. These places do exist and can be found in the form of craft fairs or craft malls. Selling at craft fairs is an excellent way to gain business and grow your customer base.

Take the Time to Plan
Before you sign up to sell your keepsakes at your first craft show, be sure to attend a few. Discover who is selling, what kinds of products are featured(and selling) and at what price range. Take some time to chat with the vendors to ask questions and get a feel for the environment. Find out which fairs are best for your creations.

Gather all the information necessary before you take the plunge. Be sure to find out the cost to have an exhibit and what the expected attendance is. When calculating costs it ‘s important to factor in travel, shipping costs and the cost for your table and display. Determining your potential profit and loss will help you make an informed decision.  Read more or post a comment...

It doesn’t matter what type of business you have, you need to keep finding new clients if you want to stay in business. As someone in the scrapbooking industry, you have an advantage over other business owners. Why?

Because most people love and cherish their photos. You are offering a service that people not only need and want, you offer a service that people treasure! Not only is scrapbooking a way to preserve memories and create family heirlooms, it’s also a fun and relaxing hobby.

Finding new clients for your scrapbooking business does not have to be difficult. If you think outside the box and get creative, finding new clients can be a fun part of your business.

Here are a few ideas:  Read more or post a comment...

• Craft Fairs-You can find craft fairs in your local area by reading the local paper, visiting the websites of local television and radio stations, and keeping an eye out for signs and posters on area bulletin boards.
• Partner-Partnering up with other professionals is a great way to market your work.
• Home Parties-Scrapbook consultants who sell scrapbook product for big companies are not the only ones who can take advantage of the home party. The party plan method has been around for so many decades because it works!

Most of us love to learn something new, once we have learned it and get excited about it, we want to share that excitement with others.� So, why not share your love for and excitement about scrapbooking with others through workshops in your home or church.

This is a great way to take your love of scrapbooking to a new level and begin to create an income for yourself doing something you love.� Workshops are one fun and un-intimidating way that you can share your scrapbooking skills with others.

Workshops will allow you to not only share the fun of scrapbooking but also showcase the skills that you have learned and your talents and abilities.� In turn, people will realize that you are serious about scrapbooking and may come to you for advice, for products, or even for services, wanting you to do theirs for them, rather than having you teach them.

Whatever happens holding the workshops is a great place to start when attempting to create your scrapbooking business.� Getting the workshops going is relatively easy as well.� Simply ask a few friends or associates if they would be interested in getting together to scrapbook.� If they are a little hesitant, assure them that you will be there to help and share your excitement and expertise with them.  Read more or post a comment...

As a scrapbooking enthusiast the love for scrapbooking may run through your veins and as a result, you have decided to pursue scrapbooking as a business.� This is a win-win situation but can be challenging as well.� One of the challenges you may face is growing your client base.� So, what do you do?

One of the ways that you can increase your client base is through home parties.� What could be more fun than getting together with a group of people who share your love for scrapbooking or introducing scrapbooking to a group who have never done it before?� Either way, it is a wonderful opportunity for you to gain more clients.

The setup is simple you find someone who is willing to host the party in their home, business, church or elsewhere and you set up a time with them to hold the party.� They then invite family, friends, coworkers and others who they feel would be interested in scrapbooking to come.� At the party, you give them a sampling of what scrapbooking is, and allow them to complete one scrapbooking page or project to get them interested.� You might also want to have some completed scrapbooks of your own to show them to peak their interest.  Read more or post a comment...

Sometimes it is ok to toot your own horn; in fact, it may be down right necessary.� When beginning a business, any type of business really, you may have to do a little shameless self-promotion in order to get it started on the right track.� Once you have made it past this step, others will most likely take up the slack and begin promoting you as well, by word of mouth.

Word of mouth is a wonderful way to promote your scrapbooking business.� After all, people talk, and if you are doing a fabulous job with your scrapbooking services or have some really cool products and supplies others can use to create their own scrapbooking creations then they will tell others about it.

Then there is the notion of referrals.� There is simply nothing wrong with asking your clients and customers to refer their friends to you for their scrapbooking supply needs or services.� Plus, you can ask for referrals of people they specifically know who might enjoy the products or need your services and then you can get in touch with them yourself.  Read more or post a comment...

For creative small business selling at craft fairs is an excellent way to gain business and grow customers. It’s a great way for artists and creative people to connect with a new audience all while having a great time.

Craft fairs are typically inexpensive and allow you to markup your goods to reflect a good profit on what you create. Making money and building customers at craft fairs takes research, planning and a positive attitude.

Tips for Craft Fairs:

Attend Shows

Before you sign up to sell your wares at your first craft show be sure to attend a few first. It’s a good idea to check out who is selling, what kinds of products are featured and selling. Take some time to chat with the vendors to ask questions and get a feel for the environment. Find out which fairs are best for your creations.

Do Research

Gather all the information necessary before you take the plunge. Be sure to find out the cost to have an exhibit and what the expected attendance is. When calculating costs it’s important to factor in travel costs, shipping costs and the cost for your table and display. Determining your potential profit and loss will help you make an informed decision.  Read more or post a comment...

Various people in professions such as direct sales and network marketing depend on leads. These leads may come from many sources, including their own advertising. Some people do choose to buy leads from outside companies, and new people who come into these types of businesses wonder if they should buy leads, too.

As with most questions, there really is no �one size fits all” answer. Paying for lead lists may work well for some people, but it might not work very well for others. In this article, we will discuss some of the benefits of buying leads as well as some of the reasons that lead lists may not be the best solution.

Some of the benefits of buying lead lists are that the leads are delivered relatively quickly. When someone is starting a new business and needs to have leads to call, buying a lead list enables them to get started quickly.

There are many creative people in the world who can write great ads and create great graphics. Not everyone has these gifts, and for those that view advertising as a chore, buying lead lists eliminates the need to create one�s own advertising.  Read more or post a comment...

Networking may be one of the oldest forms of advertising. Traditionally, business people would attend designated �networking meetings� where they would meet other people and exchange business cards in the hope that one of the people they talked to would send some clients their way.

Other business people have realized that networking can be done anywhere, not just at designated meetings. These people often carry business cards with them at all times and may strike up a conversation with the person in front of them in line at the grocery store or sitting next to them at the Little League game.

The internet has given networking a new life and people are now turning to social networking sites in order to meet new potential business partners and clients.

It doesn�t matter which form it takes place in, networking is essentially a way of marketing your business through building relationships with other people. Some of these people may turn into your clients, some may be a source of clients, and others may actually become future business partners.  Read more or post a comment...