JPD Mom

We interupt this program.....for change!

February 23, 2009.

So....a few weeks ago we mentioned we.......er uh me was making some changes at Jamie's Painting & Design.  Some of our policies were not really working out the way they were supposed to (in case you need a refresher course this is how it is supposed to go):

1. My company sells a products wholesale through a sales channel
2. The sales channel places an order with my company
3. My company makes the order
4. My company ships the order
5. My company bills the sales channel
6. Then we wait 30 days to get paid
7. and wait
8. and wait
9. really, still waiting.....I kid you not, we are still WAITING!

Ch...ch...changes

Which brought me to that post I was discussing, where we decided to change our policies.  In simple terms, "We don't ship it till you pay for it."  Times are tough.  Times are very tough for retail and I can not afford to keep all these business's afloat.

Are there exceptions? Yes - always.  Are we penalizing the entire industry for a few bad apples?  Um....yes we are, we can not afford to stay in business if we do not get paid.  Are we willing to work with a store, a website or catalog that is honest about their finances and open about when we will get paid?  Absolutely - yes we will be open to that.

Fortunately for me most of my sales channels are great to work with, though that is not the case with all of our channels.    I must state that 99.9% of the channels are fabulous and pay their bills.  I have hundreds of channels and I am grateful for all of them and happy they pay for their services.  What I did not state in my earlier post was how I felt about my change in policy.  I was  horrified about it.  I did not want to rock the boat.  I was afraid I would lose sales, lose friends and get hate mail.  Really, I am okay with change - I am not so okay with making demands or refusing to keep up my part of the bargain (and yes I totally get they did not keep up their part of the bargain).

What Happened Next

After my accountant pushed send on the "change email" I held my breath, no really I did.  I was a nervous wreck about it.   We got one email back from a physical store....and it went something like this:

Dear Jamie,

I am disappointed that a few bad accounts has forced you to change your accounting policies.  It is unfortunate that only a few of your other accounts have not paid on time will affect those of us that do pay on time.  Unfortunately at this time we will no longer be able to work with Jamie's Painting & Design, due to our terms do not let us continue with this partnership.  As far as I know we have never gone delinquent with any of our bills.

Um........ya our return email was this:

Dear "Store that only sold $300 of product this year",

We are sorry that this partnership must come to an end, however your store has been delinquent more than once this year.  Also, our records show you owe us ____ amount of money for products Jamie's Painting & Design shipped out over 9o days ago.  Thank you again for your partnership.

The Moral of the Story

And um if I must....before you send out an email propping yourself up, putting us down and assuming (never assume anything it will make an ass out of you and....ya, ya Bad News Bears) that you are innocent.  For the love of God - check your accounting records too!  I have to say I hate losing any account, and I am sad that I lost this one - but come on!  Pay your bills um kay?  Ironic? I say,yep!

Looking For a New Partner

December 10, 2008.

Change takes time, change is usually in the air before the actual "event" occurs.  I am always shocked when people say you can 'change on a dime' - I don't get what that means.  I am more of the 'change is coming - get ready and deal with it!'  

I have always been open and honest about what running my business is like.  I don't sugar coat it, I don't wrap it up in fluffy happy affirmations and spew it out all over the Internet.  I would like to think I pull back the band aid and expose the under belly of what running a wholesale and manufacturing business is like.  Which brings me to the quandary I am in at this moment:

Need Sales

For the most part in the last six years I have succeeded by hard work, determination, and the ability to get new products/themes to market quickly.  Though, no one does it alone - I have done the best I can with what I know and have been willing to learn.  Only a handful of sales reps have helped in my quest to get Jamie's Painting & Design in every child's bedroom and nursery in the United States (did I forget to mention I want to rule the world too?).    News flash - I don't know it all, and I never will.  I'm at a crossroads with growing my business - Do I stay status quo?, or do I look to blow this out and look towards significant growth?

When I started Jamie's Painting & Design I was had an opportunity to get into Nordstrom and I jumped at the chance.  As fate would have it, my products did not end up in their stores.  A good friend was baffled at my wish to actually get into a big store, kept asking, "Why do you want to grow?  Why not stay small and keep it in your home?"  My response was, and it still is, "If I am going to do this, I want to grow it and I want to be big."

What Is Missing for JPD?

I have decided that I want to go big and I need help in doing so - I am actually saying it out loud, here on my blog : I am looking for a business partner to help take Jamie's Painting & Design to that next level.  This is something I never thought I would do - I used to want to be in charge of everything, run it all, read used to.  My reason is because my area of expertise does not include Sales & Marketing.  I always think I should do what I do well and let others do what they do well.  I am okay at sales, I am not great - I need someone who is great.  I am not good at on line marketing - I need someone who is great (hmmmm, I see a trend here).

My husband claims this is very similar to what Six Apart did when Barak came in as acting CEO to help grow the business.  The company Founders still remain the Founders and a large part of the strategy moving forward, but Barak was the key they needed to expand and make TypePad a global brand.  Though I have no plans to go overseas at this time (never say never, that would be cool though!), I do need to look ahead and grow my business and brand.  

Sales Experience

This is a mixed bag for me because any Entrepreneur that starts their own business has this talent.  You have to be able to "sell yourself", otherwise how would you survive?  I have watched other businesses succeed and fail and I always go back and look at their qualifications and history.  Most successful ones seem to have a sales background, or at least the discipline to call daily on sales.  For me to do this, it takes me away from the designing, the developing - it is hard to do both well.  Sales is not my strength or my passion, and that can make a significant impact on my success.

Internet Marketing & SEO    

Where do I begin?  If I understood these things I guess  I would not be looking for a partner.  There are millions of searches each day for terms related to my products, yet, unless people know my brand, they will not know who I am.  I want to be a brand that everyone talks about, and when they are shopping somewhere, they are looking for my products.  From the exploration phase to the consideration phase to the purchase phase - I want to be top of mind. 

I believe the Internet is the only form of marketing that is both "lean-forward" (something my husband keeps telling me) and measurable (off line, and display are suspect to nothing).  My potential customers are opening browsers all over the country and telling the world that they are looking for a gift of some sort (they are trying to talk to me), I want to have conversations with those people through my content, messaging, and brand.........wow, that was a mouthful.  Kind of lost myself there for a minute.....see I told you it was not what I am good at.

Change Here We Come!

I am actually pretty excited about the future of Jamie's Painting  & Design.  I am optimistic that this will be a good move for us.  This has been in the works for quite sometime, not something I woke up and decided to do yesterday....see how I wrapped that whole 'change' thing up?  I think asking for help, or admitting I have a problem is the first step.....wait that sounds like a 12 step program - I think I made some sense though.  Anyhoo, change is a comin' and I am ready - I leave you with a favorite quote of mine:

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result"

How to Boost Your Sales

September 15, 2008

So, I was all I am not doing a bunch of new products and I don't have time for development, blah, blah, blah!  Then this summer I was under tons of pressure to develop new products for a few projects.  I painted for days, weeks, hours, weekends - it was like I was a crazy woman....a crazy woman covered in paint that is.  After 32 new designs, I think I am done for the year....well for this week anyway.  Two weeks ago we released our products out into the world, now my job is to get people to purchase them....

Paying Attention

My paintings, or master pieces (as I call the little babies) become my customers keepsake.  Not a knick-knack, but possibly a small piece of wall art for the nursery.  I know I have said this before, how I am an accessory....well not me literally, but my products.  Our products are considered an add-on to a purchase, or a gift for a new baby.  Though I like to consider Jamie's Painting & Design the center of the universe, I do not think anyone would ever design an entire nursery around one of our products. 

I think understanding what you make and where you fit into the purchase is key to understanding your market.  It took me awhile to get this - when I started I designed products that I liked, that I wanted or that customers commissioned - art monkey for hire.  I am not an artist for hire - I know that now.  When I figured out exactly where my product fit into the industry I was able to target companies with a pitch.  I found my niche, I found good partners, good sales channels and that is when we started to grow. 

Holiday Sales

Retail companies can do as much as much as 70 to 80% of their business in the last quarter of the year.  I need to focus on sales, and press now.  We are almost at the end of the year and being a company that is retail -we expect to do at least 30% maybe even 40% of our sales in the next three months.  Sales Baby! 

Well by sales I mean sales in my existing accounts, not new sales or new accounts - it is almost too late in the year to consider a new sales channel.  But, growing existing accounts or focusing on promotions, improving partnerships....the details.  The details, the small details are really what is important...

God is in the Details

Before starting this business I did not have a sales background, however my husband did.  He was a  veteran salesman even back in 2002, he had been around the block a few times.  Me, not so much.  His best advice has always been, "How will you know the answer if you don't ask the question?"  This is great advice for any entrepreneur, and I think it sums up most of my sales channels and relationships.  Don't fool yourself, the relationships is just, if not more, important than the product you are selling.

For example, if you are a wholesaler on a popular children's site, yet never get featured in their catalogs, never are on the front door of the website,mentioned in promotions or email blasts - who's fault is it?  Did you hunt down the buyer?  Did you list your accomplishments, talk about sales, discuss new ideas....offer to do an exclusive?  Do you have a advocate at the company you are working with?  I always....well almost always, get one.  Find an advocate at every company you work with.  Start asking the important questions.  If you don't like to do this - suck it up, or get a sales representative, but you NEED to ask the questions.

Be In the Know & Be A Good Partner

I have often mentioned that information is golden, and I am not one to hide my head in the sand.  I like information, whether it is good or bad, I want to know.  If you are a small business owner that sells through other channels you should know what is going on with that company.  I don't mean you need a cheerleader at every company, but your top sales channels, or your top 10-20% of sales - know them well.   

Do you make calls every few months to check in, see how sales are going, or what the direction of the company is going?  Pssst....you should know how sales are going with that company already, and if there is a drop - find out why.  Do you send thank you emails after they post your new products or do you ignore that they got the products up quickly?  Do you acknowledge a big event, or just send an email asking to be paid?  Don't be afraid to ask the big questions, just be prepared, and be polite.  Gushing never hurt any one either....so I heard.

Being a good partner with a company is key, knowing what is going on is key.  I have relationships with almost all of the businesses I work with, I have an advocate in the bigger companies - a champion, a sponsor - someone who will tell me what is going on.  It is easy to ignore the sales channels, to just let the product speak for itself - this is easy.  I know that, I hear you - but easy is not always the way to go.

You Scratch my Back...

First you need to prove yourself to the sales channel, then you can ask the questions.  You need to be a good or even a GREAT partner before you ask for a favor or ask for information.  Are they a fan of your company?  You need to prove that you can handle the favor - if your customer service has not been stellar, work on it and then call the partner.  Do you rush an order just because?  Do you do a few extra things because they made a mistake?  Tell them about how you have ramped up, how you are ready to take on the extra business.  Don't expect any favors if you can not pay them back...

We were working with a company that was a good channel, well actually they were a great channel.  We had a "relationship" already, a good one.  Earlier this year the payments stopped coming.  They were late on paying us.  We discussed it, we called, we emailed we acknowledged their problem and kept tabs on the situation.  Anyway, the company was able to get back on track with payments, they called us immediately, they emailed us, their accountant called me direct.  I asked around and found that that other vendors did not receive any of this information.  They put us on the list of companies to contact.  Even though we are not a million dollar company, we were treated like one and more importantly we were one of the first companies to be paid.

But What are Favors?

Calling in the favors always reminds me of a line from the Godfather, or any other fabulous Gangster  (not Gansta') movie.  And somewhere, somehow you may need to call in a favor.  Again, if you do not have anyone that you are "tight" with at the companies you have partnered with - you can not ask a favor.  Well, you can, but who would you call?  Customer service?  Leave a message with the accountant's assistant's secretary?  Ya - no.

By favors please know I do not mean sabotaging another companies success, or abusing relationship to ask a sales channel to not carry another line.  I have never asked that favor, and that is not a favor that is cruel.  I would not ask that.  Remember my rant, competition is good, blah blah - bring it on.....you know the drill.  By favor I mean:

"So I was just wondering how my widgets were doing against that other companies widgets?"

"What are you looking for in new designs?  We could develop some new designs for you." 

"What do you think is missing in my line?  What would you like to see?"

"I designed a new Halloween shirt that I think would sell really well, it has already sold out at the ABC store in my area.  Would you consider featuring it in your next newsletter?" 

Do you see what I mean?  You may need to grease the wheel before asking, you may need to send a sample product, you MAY need to give them something (a few percentage points off the sale, free shipping, a twofer (two for the price of one).  Now is the time to be creative - with the economy down and the holiday season around the corner, get out there and make it happen.  I would love to hear about other favors that may have helped your company? Or the tough questions you were not afraid to ask.....

 

New products at Atlanta

July 17, 2008.

  Possible Art for Atlanta

We are not at Atlanta this year, well physically I am not there, nor is Jamie's Painting & Designs products not there.  Our licensed products are though.  They traveled with one of the company's that license our artwork, and we, or me made a ton of samples.

I am excited by the new designs and hopeful that a few do well.  This one is another "Brown & Pink" design...which is all anyone is asking for these days.  I will continue to show some of our other new products, that have been sitting around, collecting dust. 

I worked on about 20 new Just Because Plaque designs back in March? Yes March,sheesh? (remember Long Duck Dong from Sixteen Candles - Married?  Married?  Yes, married...sheesh!  Anyway, they have yet to see the light of day.  Hopefully with Christmas designs around the corner, I can start releasing the other new products.

Retail Trade Shows

I have heard through the grapevine that the Atlanta Gift Mart is slow, it sounds like many a retailer opted to stay home instead of traveling to a show.  I am not going to jump the gun, or make assumptions - but I am not surprised.  Slow may not be bad though - even if a show is slow an artisan may still pick up new accounts.  I personally am relieved not to have the added pressure of exhibiting at a show this week, it would have been more than I could handle.

Who Loves You Baby?

September 26, 2007.

Do you ever have those days where you are positive that everyone is against you?  You know someone has a voo-doo doll and they are totally poking you?  Well, I KNOW those days (um, yesterday.....today.......)  But, let's back-track to last Thursday......you know I was kind of (okay totally) complaining and rallying the troops about what we can do about copy-cat artists, designers,blah, blah blah blah.  That very day, this magazine shows up; Fortune Small Business, "Extreme Customer Service".  Hmmm, I think the universe is totally on my side......

  The cover story basically talks about what it takes to win on service.  Customers (we know this) want to be dealt with, they want to know they are important and they want their problems taken care of - in a speedy manner.

Last post, I mentioned I was going to step it up a bit, promise to deliver (uh, what I had already been doing....but still).  The small companies featured in the article had some very creative ways of dealing with, and exceeding in Customer Service:

• Simply Soles was started by Kassie Rempel, due to poor service she encountered on line.  She started simplyshoes.com, an on line women's shoe emporium for high-end women shoes.  The company will send samples to a customer, no cost, to try on shoes - and the customer only gets charged for shoes purchased.  Since European sizes and American sizes do not always match up - it gives the customer the opportunity to sample the shoes.
• Threadless.com gets feedback from it's customer base - on every t-shirt design.  It uses its website and various company sponsored blogs of underground t-shirt design contests to gather information on the best design to reproduce.  Sometimes a t-shirt that has a "hate-it" response will provoke more controversy.......this mean sales.
• A gym based in Michigan sends our various newsletters and tracks responses.  He gathers email addresses and if someone stops coming to the gym he sends gentle reminders, consisting of phone calls, emails and letters.  Emailing an article about "a marathon" was all it took for a (this is what they called him) laggard, (their terms NOT mine) to start training again.  A little encouragement has been found to get people back into the gym.

The back lash on America made products, or created in the U.S.A is very evident these days.  Being a parent I get what it means to save a few bucks for that gift.  However, it seems that some small companies are doing all that it takes to win the deal and keep the customer.

We have had the great fortune to work with an amazing company, The Warm Biscuit Bedding Company for the past three years.  They have helped me understand how important customer service is.  When a mistake is made - they fix it.  If  it is my product, they contact me, and see how fast I can get it out and they apologize.  I swear, it sound so simple, but most companies do not do either.  Make it right - fix it , that is all the customer wants, and The Warm Biscuit Bedding Company gets it!

Yesterday I got to take our Customer Service to the test.  A customer, who had purchased a Birth Certificate 3 months ago, (we turn our products around in 2 to 3 weeks) from one of our sales channels called to complain.  She had called  (the re-seller) to get tracking information, she emailed to find out if the order had shipped......she even went as far as finding out the store next door and making them walk over and track her sale.  She got no response.  She got no confirmation.  But, oh ya she DID get charged for the product, and the shipping.  Well, she found us on line and called as a last ditch effort to get some information on her purchase (it was for her brother's first born).

I spoke with her on the phone, listened to her story.  We never got the order, in fact we had continuously tried to contact this vendor for listing us incorrectly (Jamie's Printing & Design....um, close!).  Bottom line, is it was not my problem I never got the order, THEY took her money, not me.

However, my product was what she wanted to order - I did NOT want her to have a bad impression of Jamie's Painting & Design.  I took her information, I took the order, I took the shipping information - I personally made the tile.  We are shipping it Friday - at NO charge to her.  I figure she has been through enough.  I am sending it at no charge (did I mention that? It is very late...).  She was ecstatic - what more could I ask for?

I am not puffing my chest out and pounding it........my chest is not big enough, and I am too tired for physical labor at this point.  I want her to have a good impression and experience with my company. 

And, yes, I AM dropping this sales channel..........immediately.  I do not want to be associated with a company, no matter what the excuses are - for not handling Customer Service like we do.  We make sure the customer is happy - we make sure that we make it right.  And my gosh, we call or email back.......come on people!

There's a new Sherriff in town...

September 21, 2007.

Yesirree pardner' I have come out with both guns blasting, take no prisoners if you will.  I have a plan and that is helpful.  I just read a blog last night that talked about changing direction for your company, even if it was not what you ever wanted to do.  Successful entrepreneurs are creative, they are able to go with the flow, move with the punches......cry, pout and throw a tantrum when no one is looking.

If you have read this blog for any length of time, or you know anything about my philosophy you know one thing - I may start out negative, swearing, crying (uh we have addressed that) but I always come to a solution.  The solution may take weeks, or months - but I do get there.

Fortunately I have figured some things out rather quickly:

I can win and will win on service when competing against other, similar products.  I have been delivering my products on time, actually make that early for the past year.  We have processes so tight that we have exceeded our deadlines, with almost a perfect record.  We put customers first, we fix problems quickly, we are nice about it.   

So, I have turned my turn around times around....sorry that sounded better in my head.  I have been able (at a crucial time mind you - the Holiday season) to shorten my turn around time on a number of products. 

• This is the time of year when most artisans start their Holiay cut-off dates around middle of November..........ah, I laugh at November!  We keep taking orders till middle of December.
• This is the time of year when artisans put 4-6 weeks down as turn around time, because they are sooooo overloaded with orders.......pfff, again - we get overloaded with orders, guess what we do?  No really guess?  We bring in holiday help, we work extra hours - we prepare for the holiday season!
• We say YES when others say no.  What a RUSH order? Sure!  What you need that in a week?  You betcha!  Gift wrap?  Okey Dokey!  You lost the order, it's going to be late?  No problemo, we will get that out for you!

Figure out what you do well and do it - that is my motto...oh, uh my other motto!  Consider this part I of a series called, "Plagiarism-shmagerism....or uh, Copy-Cat Dirty Rat Don't Mess with Me, better yet....Bring it On!  Oh, damn.....I need to work on this a bit more.

Not sure if I mentioned this earlier but I was in a sorority waaay back in the day, and we had these inspiration books where people wrote nice things about you, or left you messages.  Now that I think of it, I would love to have one at home now....anyhoo - a good friend left me a message, right before she graduated.  This is what she wrote:

"Jamie I know you will be a huge success in life, you have drive you have ambition and you are very talented.  Oh hell, who am I kidding?  We both know you will just knock anyone down that stands in  your way"

Ah, I guess it is what it is, or I am what I am.

Uh...what? Not enough?

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Originally uploaded by mama_lentz.

February 1. 2007.

Blah Blah, a girl can't have enough paint, right? Or sales channels right? And, lost one yesterday, and I gained one...right? with me?  Did you read the blog?

Today that sales channel that "dumped" me.....placed another order.

Yes, kid you not. So I sent an email back stating, thanks for the order and how shall I proceed, since you are no longer carrying our products?

I got an email back stating we are only discontinuing SOME of your products....

Oh, um, okay I get it, I guess.....

I am happy the relationship, or partnership did not end...for whatever reason. I am not sure I understand after the conversation that transpired yesterday what actually happened.  Maybe they saw we are the only ceramic birth certificates?  Maybe it is too much work to pulls us off the site? Who knows?

Lesson learned - if I had been rude, mean or sarcastic the relationship would be over. And there would be one person out there thinking really bad of JPD.

So, need to go buy more paint (no seriously I do) and go after new channels....still.

I am thrilled that one of our channels (small or not) is still with us. I am sticking with my mantra, "It's not personal....it's business."

When You have had Enough

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Originally uploaded by mama_lentz.

February 1. 2007.

Paint, I love paint. I can never have enough of it. I can never throw it away either. I have paint from our first home, just in case (used it to paint the office wall this past fall in fact) I decide to use it again. My boxes of paint continue to grow to different boxes, to cabinets, to dressers - a girl can NOT have enough paint.

Unfortunately paint is not like channel partners. I mean, I don't know if I will ever have enough sales channels, always growing, expanding to different parts of the country maybe the world! However, when do you know you have had enough? When do you decide or let them decide that.....the relationship is over? Who gets to be the dumper? Is it mutual?  Who is ending the partnership?

Which brings me what happened today to my company, I um, think I was dumped....sorry, let me back up and tell the story the way it really happened:

Being February 1, 2007 we had to make some changes, we had to raise some shipping charges (Fed Ex does this every year, I do not make a penny off of shipping) and we wanted to make sure our 150+ products got named correct when the sales channel ordered them.  So we sent out emails and faxes to our 150+ sales channels. I hate, I mean it, I hate getting an order wrong, even if it is the channel's mistake. I like happy customers, I want them to love me...er, I mean Jamie's Painting & Design products.

So, I get an email from an e-tailer stating that they have never had any problems and will keep the naming conventions just the way they are, thank you very much.

I start to respond in a nice email, stating okay you are doing this at your own risk, we warned you....then I decide to look at the website, it's been like a year or more and I should see, there naming conventions may be perfect (husband has warned me of this in the past, I need to check things out before firing back, or even sending a skud missile). So, guess what? Not only did they call one product the total wrong thing (um the name of another one of our products actually), a second product was still on the site that was discontinued TWO, yes two years ago!

So I make a call in to state my case, did not want the email to sound mean. Go through the whole, "Hi, sorry to bug, I know you don't want to change the naming conventions, however, this one is wrong, and this one was discontinued two years ago....." I get cut off and the owner gets on....I go through the same rig-a-ma-roll, state my case, blah, blah, blah........

Silence.

"Ya, you have spoken to my employees before and we just can't keep up with all your changes.. (did I mention that the product was discontinued two years ago and the other CHANGE she is referring to is the ONE, I repeat ONE time we raised our Name Tile prices in the four years we have sold them?)...so we are going to pull your products."

"Uh, I was just stating (this is me talking) and telling you the reason we have had problems is your naming conventions have been wrong and you have a product on your site that we no longer carry.....I take customer service very seriously and would hate for your customer to purchase something and get the wrong product."

Silence.

"Ya, you have spoken to my employees before and we just can't keep up with all your changes...so we are going to pull your products."

This conversation went on for ten minutes, I kid you not, same thing over and over.

So I said, fine...

Now, yes, yes, YES, I know there are two sides to every story. And this channel did not do more than $1,500 in sales for us last year. However, I do not know why you would not want to 'fix' an error on your site, and I do not know why you would complain when you have a product that is two years old....or you are calling another product the wrong thing all together - I mean really, customer service?  Sending wrong product out?  Anyone??

So, good news is that I picked up another new website today, I guess today I am just status quo.  And I really wish things had not ended....thank god they did not end bad (been there...another blog).  So at least I followed my rules with this 'relationship' that ended:

• Do not get Nasty
• Do not get Personal
• It's just Business

The more I think about it, there were lots of phone calls, lots of 'mistakes' on there orders, communication was not perfect, some lost orders that they lost and some incorrect prices, shipping costs, addresses...maybe the relationship really was over.  So, I guess I did get dumped...however I am taking some of the credit.

If at first you don't succeed.....

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Originally uploaded by mama_lentz.

January 24, 2006.

Well, you know the old saying, about not succeeding, then try, try again? This reminds me of my daughter learning to swim, we are still trying to get her to swim. She has taken all the classes, and each year we get oh SO close and then she fizzles out like a fire cracker. Now that she is almost five and almost in kindergarten she is pressing for lessons, I think she knows we are not going on vacation with all her um 'floating stuff'.  Really, really she tries...and come May we will try again.

Which brings me to today.....each January I go back over our 'People That Want to Carry Our Products' folder and look over the companies that have contacted us.  I re-send our catalogs, emails, wholesale docs, anything they may  need to make a decision.  Then I go back over the folder of 'DAMN, why won't they take my products?" folder and re-send a kiss-ass, hey did you catch me on Ellen Show email.  Now, I know this sounds desperate and childish, but I am like a dog that gets kicked.......I come back for more.

Truth be told, following up come February or March is very hard for me.  It's not that I don't have every intention of following up on my submissions but I get so dang busy....with orders, life, kids, orders, life - seriously daunting.  And, my biggest pet peeve ( and if I have done this to you please forgive me) some of these 'channels' do not ever ( and I mean EVER) respond!  It is so RUDE!!!  Why not just send the following letter:

Dear Crafty Ceramic Lady (if that is what you call yourself),

Thank you very much for submitting your "artwork" to our (catalog/boutique/website - fill in the blank) .  We are totally NOT interested, but please feel free to submit your products at a later date........when you get some talent, or on Oprah.

Best of Luck,

Mean (Boutique/Catalog/Website)

Yes, yes, yes there are many 'channels' I would covet to be a part of, for whatever reason.  I just wish I could get an honest answer, or an answer!  I try to respond to all emails, I honestly do, even it if is to say, "No I am sorry I can not teach you how to paint tiles" or "No, I am sorry I do not have any interest in taking your artwork, placing it on tiles, showing it to my channels and giving you a royalty...uh NO thank you"  I force myself to send out these letters.  No matter how big (or small) your company is I think you need to remember the little guy.  And, know that you will not be on top forever....trust me, coke, pepsi, coke, pepsi.........if one is number one, then the other is not.

Which brings me back to, the mantra, 'try, try again'....I was speaking to a large company I met in Atlanta on Monday, the buyer was new and told me she had worked for another large company prior.  I was green with envy and stated I had tried for years to get my products in their catalog (her prior company), she said, "Well, you never got me on the phone".......case in point, you need to keep trying.

The Only Way to Win

April 8,2006.

Succeeding in business can only be done one way:

A Success Story

Having come up with a new product to sell almost three years ago, I was able to start Jamie's Painting & Design.  It was a new way to personalize a child's room and we marketed it to boutiques, then websites, then bedding catalogs.  Soon other products came on the market with a similar look, and or feel.  Sometimes they copied my themes (please don't make me go there again), other times 'same concept but different medium'.  I could not win on product alone.

Lowering our prices to get the customer back seemed like a good strategy.  We played around with the idea, but decided against it.  Reason was, if we were selling on price and our sales may have picked up for a short time - our competitors would have done the same - a price war.  Our margins now suck and our brand is losing it's integrity, it's quality and we are not making any money.  We could not afford to do this.  I could not win on price.

What did we do? Nothing.

Stay the Course

We already had great customer service, our customers are very happy.  They come back.  Our sales channels are happy, they always get their problems fixed (yes all companies have problems).  We go the extra mile, where our competition won't go.  Include a coupon in direct sales, free gift wrap, rewards to repeat customers, or just a friendly voice and kind word when they call our office.  The customer may not always be right, but we always try to make it right.  We fix problems immediately, we take blame when we screwed up, we send notes to apologize, we return calls and emails promptly.  I always try to think how would I want to be treated if I were the customer.  We won on service.  I am not saying this is easy...

Selling on Service is the only way to win in Business.

This is the way to succeed. 

My husband always tell me (usually while I am ranting about something) that if it was easy EVERYBODY would start their own business.  Not sure if that makes me feel any better....but it is so true.

You are going to sell WHAT?

April 1, 2006.

When is your line complete?  When do you stop tinkering and start selling?  These are questions I have to deal with on a daily basis.  I may see a hot new designer with a great bedding design..is it a fad or is it a trend?

Any good entrepreneur has to sense when it is time to develop new products and when it is time to, well um, get off the pot.  In the beginning, when sales were slow, development was all I did.  I would research, develop, research, show people, ask opinions - not a lot going on.  However, now I find that I get an urge to do some new product development and I first must find the time and now do the research and back it up with solid numbers as to WHY we need dinosaurs or robots or horses.

I have developed a few clinkers (which sucks), some were done with other companies (even worse) and it is always so painful when something does not do well.  The owner of a large company I design products with recently told me, 'Don't fall in love with it'.  She was so correct, because I have blinders on or rose colored glasses after painting a sample(or I am totally out of it).  Everything I do I TOTALLY (yes I did just watch Valley Girl on TV) fall in love with.  I now must take a step (or seven) back to really evaluate if this idea is a good one. 

If all else fails I will make the prototype for one of my kids so I can see it all the time.  Or I can just try to convince everyone else that MY idea is good....

Where to sell? How to sell?

March 31, 2006.

I get asked all the time how I decided to sell my products to the retail industry, and how I did it.  Deciding where to sell your products and how to sell them are two of the biggest questions you need to ask when starting a business.  Not to say that the answers may change as your company grows and matures.  Finding your audience is key....

Our first sales plan was to print up a brochure at home, on a color printer, with our own digital photos and my limited graphic design knowledge.  I would call local stores and either offer to ship them a sample or meet with them in person and show them our products.  After awhile this got exhausting and the time spent on the phone and traveling around the bay area got tiresome.

This was a slow process, but really worked for understanding what the store wanted and how much people were willing to spend on wall art.  Our business model and sales plan continued to change as we grew  (websites, catalogs, sales reps) and as we got more sophisticated (professional brochure and photos a must) our sales continued to grow. 

Whether you are selling retail or wholesale, you need to do figure out how you are going to do it.  Are you going to get sales reps?  Or are you going to do it yourself (being the expert and the entrepreneur...who knows the product better than you?)  Are you going to do a trade show? 

Even after 3 1/2 years I still pick up the phone every once in awhile to try and get a new channel.  Now most channels find us, but it's still fun to hunt.

How much is too much?

March 4, 2006.

How do you decide what the sale price should be?  Retail price? Wholesale price? Drop-ship? Shipping costs?  Materials?  What are your margins?  Who will buy this product?

These are all important and devestating questions to anyone that has come up with a 'widget' they want to sell.  When I first started selling nationally I brought my products to a website and had no idea what the sale price should be.  I did not understand the cost that jill public would be willing to pay for my product.  Figuring out shipping was another hard learned lesson.  Shipping cost is based on weight, and the zip code of the recipient - I had no idea. I gave a flat rate, and lost tons of money shipping all over the country to small little towns out in the middle of nowhere.

I have found that if you have the attitude that no idea is an original idea you will succeed.  It is important to find something out there that is similar, see what that company is charging.  And then, find out if they are selling that product.  The internet can be very misleading with the products you see on many sites, not really knowing if they are selling.  Publicity, or press can also be misleading.  Any company with a good PR firm and enough money can get their product into some magazine or newspaper, or a large advertising budget can 'look' like they are featured in magazines.