Using the internet
to embark on a potential business venture involves an entirely different set of
skills. Some could make an argument against buying unique handmade items
online, particularly those who take great pleasure in interacting with the
sellers or in seeing something new and unexpected. These issues aside, the
internet could be seen as a giant cluster of ongoing craft fairs with business
hours spanning twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. Much
like first-time vendors presenting their earliest works, the establishment of
an online business requires expressing a clear identity. The absence of
in-person communication serves to place additional expectations on both the
seller and client.
As the sole owner
and operator of San Jose-based Feast of Dreams, Katie Lipton specializes in
handmade costumes and clothing of various styles. These include but are not
limited to mascot-styled outfits, knitting, leatherwork and some small-scale
props or jewelry. Katie handles most of her business through direct
transactions by email or personal message with an Etsy store offering only
occasional, simple items not custom-designed for one individual.
There are certainly a greater number of
opportunities for business, but the process itself comes with a blend of
advantages and flaws, as Katie has found in her approach to talking with
clients. “An online store is great because it allows you to access a much wider
audience than you would normally be able to reach. The drawback of this is that
it’s more difficult to be a salesperson. Tone doesn’t always come through in
text, and it doesn’t matter how personable you are, if your sales listing is
full of typos or is poorly written, people will look for the product elsewhere.
You need to have a higher level of professionalism and polish to sell it
online.”
Speaking as a repeat Feast of Dreams customer
myself, I am able to verify that this is a true small business. With a room in
her home devoted exclusively to her work, Katie continuously maintains a busy
schedule for herself, further evidenced by a full commission queue on her
website. Recently, she announced her intention to begin focusing more on
pre-made items that would be readily available for shipping right away.
When we examine these establishments as a
whole, we immediately notice that there is more to this than just keeping up a
fresh product line. Presentation is an even greater factor, revealing to others
where the business owner sees her skills residing. In the selecting the
participants for her study on crafting as a full-time occupation, Virginia A.
Dickie cited this as a major influence in picking out vendor business cards at
a fair. “Whose cards did I select? The crafters who were most businesslike and
most memorable were often the ones that had cards. As a group, they had
well-constructed displays of products that were different from those people
around them, and made themselves available through handouts or business cards
or both listing their future fairs and contact information” (259).
After attending Seasons of Crafts, this
statement is one that is very clear to us. We made sure to pick up every
business card that we saw. Upon revisiting the most memorable displays for the
both the blog and the presentation, the ones we choose to discuss had the most
organized displays and the most creative offerings. This was the degree of
professionalism that we saw with Bonfire Glass and the careful selection of
stained glass works that they offered. No matter what type of involvement a
newcomer is considering when joining the crafting community, how they present
themselves to customers is what ultimately determines the rate for success.
Katie offers three separate pieces of advice:
1. “Professionalism is huge. You need to
conduct yourself as a friendly professional, stay on top of emails, and make
sure that you are accessible. Quick and easy communication will always make a
sale go smoother. Also, be very mindful
of the quality of your work or product. What you send out is a representation of
yourself and your business. If you aren’t happy with the finished piece, it
shouldn’t go out.”
2. “Always have a terms-of-service available and
stick to it. Don’t bend the rules or make exceptions, this will protect both
you and your customers. Never ship something without being paid in full, and
always keep the commissioner updated on the status of their order.”
3. “Most importantly, stay true to yourself. If
you’re selling handmade items, it’s likely because you’re doing something you
love. Don’t lose sight of that, and don’t allow people to take advantage of
your skills. Always make sure you are charging enough to make the return worth
your effort.”
Dickie, Virginia Allen. “Establishing Worker
Identity: A Study of People in Craft Work.”
American Journal of Occupational Therapy 57 (2003): 250-261.
No comments:
Post a Comment