The Shops At Funky Finds

PSST......want in on a little secret? The fab site , Funky Finds, that promotes independent crafters and artists (like you and me) world wide has now added an e-commerce venue aka The Shops!

There are 4 types of shops available starting at under $10/month. That's about the cost of 2 fancy coffees from Starbucks so what are you waiting for. All you need to get started is a Paypal account and photos of your jewelry (and/or other products).

So, what are you waiting for? Get on over to The Shops @ Funky Finds and check it out!

Jewelry Business Slow ? Have a SALE to bring in cash!

Typically, summer means lean times in the jewelry business but it doesn't have to be! Have a SALE to bring in much needed cash to breathe life into your business; have fun and be creative and people will respond to it even more!

One of my favorite ways to increase jewelry sales is to offer my "regular customers and newsletter subscribers" monthly "specials". Note, I said "special" NOT "sale"! Often, I will create a limited edition design and let them get first crack at it. These "sneak previews" make them feel special (and they are!) and give me valuable feedback as well!

Here are 7 tips from Alicia M Forest on having a sale in your business to bring in cash NOW!

Enjoy!

----Randi

P.S.
Do you have marketing strategy that you would like to share that brings in consistent sales in your jewelry business? Please leave a comment!

Strapped For Cash? 7 Ways to Have a Sale Today
by Alicia M Forest, MBA
Multiple Streams Queen & Coach

Want to encourage people on your email list to buy one (or more) of your products or programs sooner than later? Have a sale! The following are 7 ways that you can provide value to your potential clients/customers and still bring in a profit for you at the same time.

1. Half-Off Sale:

Offer your product or program for 50% off its usual price. That may seem like a big discount - and it is - which means that many more people are likely to buy it.

Or go one step further and offer all your products or programs at 50% off (except any one-on-one work with you, of course!). I've been thinking about buying a few products over the past year from one site, and when they had a 50% off sale recently, I jumped at the chance to buy not just one, but three products for half-price.

2. Close-Out Sale:

Do you have a product or a program that you are no longer going to offer, perhaps to make room for some other offerings? Or are you coming out with a new version of one of your offerings? Have a close-out sale by offering a deep discount.

TIP: As an added bonus, you could then offer those people who bought your offering at the close-out price that same amount in a discount if they buy the new version.

3. Re-Gift Sale:

Remember the Seinfeld episode about re-gifting? Do something similar for the stock of any of your products that have been returned. "Re-gift" them to a new buyer for a discount.

4. VIP Sale:

Offer a coupon or promo code ONLY to your email list, or to your clients, or to those people who have bought from you before, that is good towards the purchase of any one or all of your offerings. You can set this up in your shopping cart system very easily, so there's no other extra work on your part.

5. Free Shipping Sale:

Offer free shipping on any of your physical products for a limited time, or offer free shipping on all orders over a certain amount.

Personally, if I'm looking to purchase something online, I will hunt through a half dozen or so websites to find the one that offers free shipping and make my purchase through them (price of item being equal).

6. Bonus Sale:

Add a valuable bonus or two to your offering for a limited time. It can be something you've created or something from one of your colleagues that your niche would benefit from.

Leverage this kind of sale by doing a "bonus sale swap" with a colleague, where they would offer a bonus from you and vice versa. Your own sale will bring you cash, and your bonus offering for your colleague's sale will bring you more subscribers to your list, which will ultimately bring you more cash.

7. Just Because Sale:

This is a favorite of mine - having a sale just because - it's your birthday, you want to show your gratitude to your list, it's the 1, 5, or 10 year anniversary of when you went into business for yourself, or for any other reason you can think of.

Having a sale WILL increase your sales, but there are some cautions to take when doing so. Only have a sale occasionally, and when you do, have a compelling reason for doing so. Otherwise, if it seems you're always having a sale, you're planting a seed in your potential buyer's mind that your offerings may not be worth their usual price.

So, which kind of sale are you going to have to put some extra cash in your pocket?

© 2008 Alicia M Forest and ClientAbundance.com

Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach^(TM) teaches self-employed professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create wild abundance in your business, visit www.ClientAbundance.com

Jewelry Box and Display Resource Alert

One of the great things about the web is that new potential partners/vendors can find you! I recently got an e-mail from Alice Turner from Prestige Pak about exchanging links. How could I refuse when the link exchange involves wholesale jewelry boxes and displays!

If you are looking for a new package resource for your handcrafted jewelry, check out Prestige Pak for your jewelry boxes and displays!

Randi
P.S.
Let me know what you think and share your favorite packaging resource for others to check out!

Happy 4th of July & Save Some $$$ on Beading Supplies

My kids are super excited as the 4th of July fireworks and mini-carnival will be held from 7-10pm tonight. I see a little cotton candy in my future! Yum. Yum.

I hope that you have a happy and safe 4th!

Randi

P.S.
If you need to stock up on semi-precious round beads, I just got an e-mail that Fusion Beads is having a 20% off sale on all their semi-precious rounds (3mm, 4mm, 6mm, 8mm and 10mm). I have ordered from them before (labradorite and garnet) and was impressed with their prices and FREE domestic shipping. The sale ends July 6th!

Even if you do NOT need beads right now, bookmark the site as a jewelry resource (you can never have enough of those IMHO)!

Call for Entries-the Spectrum Awards

Define Greatness. Enter Now.
The American Gem Trade Association is commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the AGTA Spectrum Awards™. Entries due September 26, 2008.

Design in Color.
The AGTA Spectrum Awards™ recognizes outstanding jewelry design and lapidary arts.

Set the Standard.
Winners set the standards of excellence in the industry and create the trends of tomorrow.

Become an AGTA Member.
Receive a free entry in the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards™. Simply complete an AGTA application for Membership and your first entry into the Spectrum Awards will be free! That is a $175 value. (Applicants must meet the requirements for Membership and payment must be received in full.)

The AGTA Spectrum Awards™, considered the most respected and prestigious creative award for the design industry, has been honoring artistic excellence for over two decades.

One of AGTA's biggest contributions in the promotion of color has come from its AGTA Spectrum Awards™ and Cutting Edge Awards competitions, launched in 1984 and 1991, respectively. Spectrum recognizes the innovative use of natural gemstones and cultured pearls in finished fine jewelry design. Cutting Edge honors creativity in lapidary arts, including faceted gems and pearls, carvings, and objects of art. AGTA promotes both collections in the media on the trade and consumer levels.

Gifted Communications Blog-great resource for the new and seasoned jewelry artist/designer

I subscribe to the Gift List Media Newsletter and have found it to be a golden nugget in my e-mail inbox! It also reminded me that many "holiday gift list" deadlines are looming and if you haven't already got that pitch in you may have a sad looking 4th quarter.

Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned jewelry artist/designer, you may be scratching your head on how to introduce your product to magazines, newspaper editors, "on camera" (film or tv show), reviews, etc...

Publicity can make a huge difference in your sales and there is no "magic bullet" IMHO. It is a matter of "customizing" each product's pitch for each media outlet which can be very intimidating.

The Gift List Media now falls under the umbrella Gifted Communications and has a fairly new Wordpress blog so you can get articles from many PR experts in the field. I am excited to have another resource at my fingerprints! Grab a cup of your favorite brew whatever that may be and read some of the great posts that will help you navigate the PR and marketing of your jewelry professionally and successfully!

Jewelers Resource Bureau-Fine Jewelry Business Resource

I recently came across this resource called, Jewelers Resource Bureau, that "provides the fine jewelry industry with marketing, publishing and trade show expertise that promotes designer-owned businesses".

I was very impressed with the credentials and experience of the founders plus the testimonials from various "design'preneurs"! The site appears to target "fine jewelry" starting at $200 and up but the "free pages" may be of use to any artistic jewelry entrepreneur!

If your target audience is fine jewelry and you offer wholesale prices, I think you will appreciate how cost effective it is to "rent" their list of jewelers who carry fine jewelry for those direct mail campaigns.

The membership is ~$300 dollars/year which is a drop in the bucket and a tax and write off!