| Oct. 05 2007 at 11:49 AM |
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 As a high end custom furniture maker , self employeed for over 28 years. I seem to be constantly either in a dip or coming out of one. What is the secret to maintaining a constant flow of exciting new pieces, and reaching new clients?
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| Oct. 05 2007 at 3:46 PM |
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You don't. I think that is a myth.
Everyone struggles to stay on the cutting edge of things. Highs and lows are the reality of doing business!
That being said ... planning is crucial. There is a great interaction between sales, development, and marketing ... and making these all dance together in the most efficient, profitable way is always the balance every entrepreneur has to make.
Edited by: nhgnikole - Oct. 05 2007 at 3:47 PM* Bad Habits
* A True "Lifestyle Business"
(from Small Business Essentials)
writing | marketing | web: NHG Consulting
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| Oct. 05 2007 at 5:51 PM |
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Can you expand upon the interaction between developement and marketing. The sales are not as important, if I have done my job they take care of themselves pretty much.
The finished product is on the highest level in the U.S. The problem seems to be finding the most effective way to reach and get the attention and interest of the prospective Client/Designer.
thanks
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| Oct. 05 2007 at 6:20 PM |
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lucky11 wrote: What is the secret to maintaining a constant flow of exciting new pieces....
Lysergic acid diethylamide... oh wait, wrong board...
Seriously though, if you are asking about maintaining a high level of creativity you might want to check out a book called The Artist's Way. I first read this many years ago and to this day I still carry some of the things I learned from it around with me, for example, the importance of getting OUT of the studio so your brain can get recharged with sights, sounds, smells, etc., that form the building blocks of new ideas. It's a great read and offers a lot of exercises and such to help get ideas flowin'.
-Paula
• Rabbit Mountain, LLC, print and digital communications
• NEW! The Sustainable • Local Centre County Shopper's Guide
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| Oct. 07 2007 at 1:26 AM |
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LOL! RabbitMountain.... :-) I was gonna suggest a prescription for
Tri-Forgettin IT, a new drug I heard about in an advertisement on the
Rush Limbaugh show.
In all seriousness, though. I think two things could be helpful in
terms of the so-called dip. The one is to widen one's scope to annual
income, instead of maybe monthly or seasonal. Think of annual revenues,
and only calculate your position at the end of your fiscal year.
The other is stability of product, brand, and services. I disagree
strongly with the seemingly modern trend of having to always change
everything, regardless of if its working. That's catering to the
zero-attention-span crowd of young folks who've grown up with ADD and
30-second sound bytes.
If you have a good product that's still relevant to the everyday world,
then keep it in the public awareness with a strong marketing and
advertising strategy. There's a lot to be said for casting a line into
the water and letting it sit for quite a while. Fishing isn't always
about running here and there, trying different lures, and moving to
another location every 10 minutes.
Craig Landes
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Defining the undefinable. "There are 10 kinds of people in the world---those who understand binary numbers and those who don't." - Unknown
International Society of Curmudgeons
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| Oct. 07 2007 at 1:13 PM |
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Well, I am always on the lookout for ways to expand myself or shift focus. It is a constant process of evaluation of my current services, watching trends, and making that decision for myself.
With that, it's important to have a marketing schedule. Not just what I am going to market, but how I am going to market it, when I'm going to market it, and what path will it follow. This could be based on seasonal timing, product releases, whatever the case may be ... you need to think of ways to keep something fresh and don't dump all your marketing eggs in a basket. For example, if you are doing a lot of PR for your product, don't get into 7 magazines in one month ... space them out so that you can spread that benefit over the course of 7 months.
Most small businesses underestimate how time consuming marketing and PR is. Some spend a majority of the time marketing their business instead of working in it!
I will also make a comment on things "selling themselves if you do your job right" ... don't discount the benefits of the sales funnel. It is important to follow through all aspects of the sales cycle -- prospecting, making the sale, and then following up. One sale is not going to keep your business going, but a happy customer who will be a repeat buyer and/or give you referrals does. So it is important to keep your customers cycling through your sales long after that one sale is made.
* Bad Habits
* A True "Lifestyle Business"
(from Small Business Essentials)
writing | marketing | web: NHG Consulting
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| Oct. 08 2007 at 3:54 PM |
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How do I develop/ purchase a mailing address list of selected high end individual interior design firms in the Pacific Northwest ( from San Francisco- Seattle). With the principle designer's contact name.
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| Oct. 08 2007 at 4:16 PM |
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luck11
There is great website called http://www.infousa.com/ you will find good things www.legalcpu.com
is an online document preparation company that offers professional services.
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