There is still have room for Food Vendors and Crafters in the Fall Apple Festival in Pine, AZ, 25-26 September 2010. This is going to be a fun event with music, vendors, story telling, greased poll climb, pie throwing and lots more. The website for info. and the vendor application is http://www.pinestrawberrybusinesscommunityaz.com/fallfestival.php or they can email or call directly for more information.
Hours are 10am - 4pm both Saturday and Sunday - it's a beautiful time in the mountains for a "country fair"!
Bobbie Tullo 928-978-0487 or bobbie.tullo@gmail.com
August 29, 2010
August 26, 2010
Never Underestimate the Power of Packaging
One of the biggest mistakes that crafters make when they first start selling their crafts (and a mistake many craft business veterans make) is to discount the impact that packaging and labeling have on sales success.
Inventive packaging that tells your story is one of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition. And, it also helps you charge a premium for your crafts. So, take the time to develop a great packaging and labeling strategy. You'll be glad you did.
Packaging your products is like sharing a bit of your business with every purchaser. In the real world professional and creative packaging will help your business more than you can imagine.
This does not mean you have to look corporate or have expensive commercial style packaging. But creating every piece of your promotional material to co-ordinate and send a specific message about you and your business is of utmost importance.
Packaging your products with style and yet adding tiny subtleties to advertise your business is really important for your marketing scheme.
Let's look at how you tag your art. If you are using commercial stick on price tags that look like something used for a yard sale… well this could be the reason you're getting yard sale prices for your work.
How about some creative ideas that will be unique just for your product line? You could design one of a kind tags for each product. This could be tedious and a real time waster. Cute, but unnecessary.
How about heading out to your local office supply store and picking up a box of vanilla colored tie on shipping tags. The come with a nice clean string to use, but you could replace that with a ribbon, torn strips of cloth or raffia. These tags could be customized by you with a simple stamp and a handwritten description of the product.
Or… I just heard about a crafter who makes recycled art. Her tags are cut from cereal boxes. Cute!
Inventive packaging that tells your story is one of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition. And, it also helps you charge a premium for your crafts. So, take the time to develop a great packaging and labeling strategy. You'll be glad you did.
Packaging your products is like sharing a bit of your business with every purchaser. In the real world professional and creative packaging will help your business more than you can imagine.
This does not mean you have to look corporate or have expensive commercial style packaging. But creating every piece of your promotional material to co-ordinate and send a specific message about you and your business is of utmost importance.
Packaging your products with style and yet adding tiny subtleties to advertise your business is really important for your marketing scheme.
Let's look at how you tag your art. If you are using commercial stick on price tags that look like something used for a yard sale… well this could be the reason you're getting yard sale prices for your work.
How about some creative ideas that will be unique just for your product line? You could design one of a kind tags for each product. This could be tedious and a real time waster. Cute, but unnecessary.
How about heading out to your local office supply store and picking up a box of vanilla colored tie on shipping tags. The come with a nice clean string to use, but you could replace that with a ribbon, torn strips of cloth or raffia. These tags could be customized by you with a simple stamp and a handwritten description of the product.
Or… I just heard about a crafter who makes recycled art. Her tags are cut from cereal boxes. Cute!
You could use your business cards as tags, but
creating a business card size tag would be a better idea.
Each one should have your website, phone number and email address so that a customer could save the tag for future purchases. By designing a business card size tag you could add a small area at the bottom for the price. Your customer can then cut the price off when giving the item as a gift and your information is still attached.
Use a hole punch and use your creative juices to add a string or ribbon of some sort.
Are you using plain white plastic bags for your customer purchases?
Or… heaven forbid - grocery bags?
Have you ever purchased something at a great little boutique and marveled at the package you left with. Obviously, you love the product or your wouldn't have thrown down your hard earned pennies. But… the extras that they pile on is often amazing. Wrapping each item in tissue - bound with a cute seal with their logo - and everything put into a gift bag with more tissue and ribbons.
Then… when the gift receiver sees the bag… they know they are going to receive something very cool from their favorite gift shop, just by seeing the bag. It's like adding to the specialness of the event and the anticipation. This is an easy marketing tool to add to your toolbox.
Several years ago… I walked into a consignment gift shop. They sold country gifts when country was still cool.
- The walls were covered with cranberry and beige gingham fabric.
- Every window had a grapevine wreath with a cranberry gingham bow.
- The business cards were bordered with cranberry gingham.
Do you see where they were going with a theme?
The packaging that they used was very simple. They used brown gift bags (like paper grocery bag paper) with handles.
Each item was wrapped in cranberry/beige gingham checked tissue. The bag was lined with the same tissue. The handles were tied with raffia and a business card was attached. This card was designed to be folded and used as a gift tag.
During their free time, they would sit and stamp the bags with a logo. They had the stamp specially designed locally so that it was inexpensive. So, even if the purchase was not for a gift, the purchaser would inevitably save the wrapping and use it for a gift some other time. Now the item they gave didn't actually come from that store, but the bag still had a small bit of the stores information right on the bag. Still more free advertising.
Spend an afternoon shopping for your "look". Then pick up a bin to hold your packaging supplies. Every craft show event will be even more fun now, because you are offering your customers an extra bit of love! You will be a hit!
January 26, 2010
Creating a Fast Start Any Time of the Year
Many people find it challenging to quickly regain momentum after any type of break. To help you maximize your precious time in 2010, below are a few ways to provide a fast start.
Be Awake ~ Mentally throw yourself into an icy lake of realism every day. Wake up to your present reality. Appreciate all that is good and accept or change what isn’t! Be present each and every day! It’s the most productive state possible to achieve your goals for the year.
Move out of Your Comfort Zones ~ the natural tendency for most of us is to stay where it’s “comfortable”. Break through comfort zones by taking intelligent risks. Try new ideas, trust your instincts, and implement new behaviors. Take a chance! If you are feeling UNcomfortable, you are on the right track. If you are still feeling cozy, increase the risk. You can do it! You’ll gain pride and self respect each time you take a chance to grow!
Immediately stop performing tasks that produce zero or little return. Focus on activities that produce the highest results possible. This is the key to successful prioritization. This is the magic wand of time management. Identify activities that produce the greatest results in relationship to your 2010 goals. Then, focus the majority of your time in these areas each day
Foster your energy level. The higher your energy, the greater your results. Your energy level can be divided into three categories
a. Mindset ~ Positive Thoughts + Positive Feelings = Positive Outcomes. Surround every situation with positive words and feelings. Watch your creativity and innovation increase as well as your energy. Positive breeds positive!
b. Nutrition ~ Focus on fresh! Every day make sure your diet includes: fruits and vegetables such as lemons, carrots, apples and greens. Don’t forget nuts, raisins, green tea, pomegranate juice, oatmeal, yogurt and water. Make it easy and be consistent.
c. Physical ~ move, breathe, challenge! Move your body daily ~ At work or at play… run, walk, go to the gym. Breathe deeply. Increased oxygen is critical to maximize your thinking and performance level. Drink water when you need an energy boost. The oxygen in the water creates the energy boost. By taking care of body, you are taking care of your future
Be Awake ~ Mentally throw yourself into an icy lake of realism every day. Wake up to your present reality. Appreciate all that is good and accept or change what isn’t! Be present each and every day! It’s the most productive state possible to achieve your goals for the year.
Move out of Your Comfort Zones ~ the natural tendency for most of us is to stay where it’s “comfortable”. Break through comfort zones by taking intelligent risks. Try new ideas, trust your instincts, and implement new behaviors. Take a chance! If you are feeling UNcomfortable, you are on the right track. If you are still feeling cozy, increase the risk. You can do it! You’ll gain pride and self respect each time you take a chance to grow!
Immediately stop performing tasks that produce zero or little return. Focus on activities that produce the highest results possible. This is the key to successful prioritization. This is the magic wand of time management. Identify activities that produce the greatest results in relationship to your 2010 goals. Then, focus the majority of your time in these areas each day
Foster your energy level. The higher your energy, the greater your results. Your energy level can be divided into three categories
a. Mindset ~ Positive Thoughts + Positive Feelings = Positive Outcomes. Surround every situation with positive words and feelings. Watch your creativity and innovation increase as well as your energy. Positive breeds positive!
b. Nutrition ~ Focus on fresh! Every day make sure your diet includes: fruits and vegetables such as lemons, carrots, apples and greens. Don’t forget nuts, raisins, green tea, pomegranate juice, oatmeal, yogurt and water. Make it easy and be consistent.
c. Physical ~ move, breathe, challenge! Move your body daily ~ At work or at play… run, walk, go to the gym. Breathe deeply. Increased oxygen is critical to maximize your thinking and performance level. Drink water when you need an energy boost. The oxygen in the water creates the energy boost. By taking care of body, you are taking care of your future
(info from Mark David Company)
January 25, 2010
Looking at the 'New" in the New Year
We started this blog to share our information, to give you a place to grow and learn. Thats what information blogs are all about; all of us sharing what we know best. Trading the ‘coupons’ and ‘free offers’ that we know about and helping others to learn and grow.
With this in mind we have decided that to create a better flow we will concentrate on a theme per month. This will allow us to offer you information in larger chunks with better examples and suggestions. It will also make it easier for you to post your comments, questions and experiences that tie into what were talking about. You've got all month to think about things you need to know and to share your experiences with us, with everyone.
So we’ll finish off January 2010 (yep the month is almost gone!) talking about being real, being who you are, no matter where you are.
Remember, we'd love to hear from you, comments, concerns, and your story.
Cindy
With this in mind we have decided that to create a better flow we will concentrate on a theme per month. This will allow us to offer you information in larger chunks with better examples and suggestions. It will also make it easier for you to post your comments, questions and experiences that tie into what were talking about. You've got all month to think about things you need to know and to share your experiences with us, with everyone.
So we’ll finish off January 2010 (yep the month is almost gone!) talking about being real, being who you are, no matter where you are.
Remember, we'd love to hear from you, comments, concerns, and your story.
Cindy
January 19, 2010
The Art of Listening
In the world of craft shows finding those hidden gems, the show where we get to pave the way, is what we sometimes think it’s all about. But don’t discount the shows that have had a predecessor or two before us.
Those shows can turn out to be our personal gold mines. Why? Well, our business name and product has been introduced, it carries credibility and shows stability, if we support those who came before us it shows the heart of the organization that we belong too, and by following in their footsteps we show how the opportunity can be shared by many.
Keeping this in mind we need to make sure that we are positive about those who have been there before us. Support their names and listen to customers tell their stories, if they have any loyal customers that show up at your booth you may not make a sale but you will build your business. They may also have offered something to their customers that you have not thought of, stand behind what they promised. These will now be your customers.
This is the way that businesses are built, one customer at a time. One story. One real person. We have to make a choice to not always be looking to make a sale, but by listening and hearing what we each need. Really listening is an art in itself. The less we say the more we hear.
Have a great show,
Cindy
Those shows can turn out to be our personal gold mines. Why? Well, our business name and product has been introduced, it carries credibility and shows stability, if we support those who came before us it shows the heart of the organization that we belong too, and by following in their footsteps we show how the opportunity can be shared by many.
Keeping this in mind we need to make sure that we are positive about those who have been there before us. Support their names and listen to customers tell their stories, if they have any loyal customers that show up at your booth you may not make a sale but you will build your business. They may also have offered something to their customers that you have not thought of, stand behind what they promised. These will now be your customers.
This is the way that businesses are built, one customer at a time. One story. One real person. We have to make a choice to not always be looking to make a sale, but by listening and hearing what we each need. Really listening is an art in itself. The less we say the more we hear.
Have a great show,
Cindy
January 16, 2010
Welcome
How many craft shows do you see advertised each year? In homes and schools, adult centers and in the park, their big business and drawing a lot of interest these days. It’s the little guy getting started in their dream job, sharing a piece of who they are with you. Allowing you to take home what they so lovingly created. For there has to be love in the creation, the dollars per hour they earn wouldn’t cover the electric bill!
Our ambition is to share what we’ve learned and to listen to what you have to say. To collect all of our ideas and thoughts and hopes and dreams in one place. If you sell as a crafter, we welcome you here, if you sell as an independent marketer, we welcome you too, or if you’re just getting into the ‘show’ business, we welcome you to join in our journey. We’ve been there and loved what we did with passion. That’s why we decided to build a place to share what we know.
So, we welcome you to join us as we set up our table, through the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the good ideas and bad, in that world of craft shows. How to enjoy yourself, how to engage your customers and reasons to come back again next year.
Can we guarantee that you’ll make money? Can we pass you that ever elusive silver bullet? No, but we will open your eyes to new ideas and innovations to draw your customers to your booth.
We hope you’ll join us and share your hearts. For that is what we have found to be the foundation of those who spend their weekends behind the table, their hearts.
Thanks, Cindy & Jen
Our ambition is to share what we’ve learned and to listen to what you have to say. To collect all of our ideas and thoughts and hopes and dreams in one place. If you sell as a crafter, we welcome you here, if you sell as an independent marketer, we welcome you too, or if you’re just getting into the ‘show’ business, we welcome you to join in our journey. We’ve been there and loved what we did with passion. That’s why we decided to build a place to share what we know.
So, we welcome you to join us as we set up our table, through the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the good ideas and bad, in that world of craft shows. How to enjoy yourself, how to engage your customers and reasons to come back again next year.
Can we guarantee that you’ll make money? Can we pass you that ever elusive silver bullet? No, but we will open your eyes to new ideas and innovations to draw your customers to your booth.
We hope you’ll join us and share your hearts. For that is what we have found to be the foundation of those who spend their weekends behind the table, their hearts.
Thanks, Cindy & Jen
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