the other day a local customer came to my house to pick up some supplies i was selling. i answered the door dripping wet and half dressed (read: not really half dressed, just still in the process of trying to find something cute to wear. which means i was disheveled and not feeling cute at all). when i handed her the package she looked at me and said "so, are YOU the one behind Allora Handmade?" in disbelief.
i wanted to laugh out loud because, certainly, at that moment, and after a hectic morning, i did not match my product image nor was i putting my best foot forward. "i know it's hard to believe, but i do clean up pretty nice." i wanted to say. instead i just spit out an embarrassed,"yeeeesss?"
what a thrill to see my lovelies on a real mannequin in a real store. (shade's local designer accessory market)
she proceeded to ask me questions about how i had sold so many items and what she should do to get the word out for her new shop as though i was some sort of an expert. again, i wanted to laugh but tried to keep it together and appear somewhat professional. i know that this past year i have been very blessed. there's no doubt about that. but, what started as a cross-your-fingers and hope we can pay rent next month last-ditch effort has now bloomed into a busy, thriving business. and it almost feels like an accident. don't get me wrong, i've put a lot of long hours into this budding beauty, but the hardest part is finding the hours in the day to meet the demand - not finding a way to get the word out. as i gave her a few tips, things that seemed so intuitive to me, i realized that they aren't actually intuitive to every one.
so before i share my tips, any shop owners out there? what about you? what is your go-to for spreading the word and bringing in new customers?
3 comments:
My husband and I are moving back to Utah--jobless so far....and I'm thinking that I might have to do exactly what you described--a last ditch effort of being creative and trying to sell my creative-ness, so I would LOVE LOVE any tips anyone has!
I am going to talk to my Mom-in-law. Get back with ya!
I love it when people share their ideas about things like this. Since we all come from different backgrounds, we all have different "basics." Makes it so nice to share what we know and what we've learned ;)
I'm learning I need someone to boss me around and remind me of everything I need to do. Any ideas for that? LOL!
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