By Sarah Shaw

Some people think that just having a super cool product is enough to make people want to buy it. Maybe you have done your research and know your customer, packaged it super cute, posted it on your website, sold it to a store or two and are now waiting for the rest of the world to find you. Good for you for getting it done and out there……but now comes the fun….. and hard part.

I know that a lot of you are thinking, “What is she talking about? The hard part was actually getting it made!” Yes, I agree, that can be hard, fun, challenging, creative, and invigorating. But the sales part – otherwise known as getting buyers to want you is the second half of the equation.

Since I am a bootstrapper, and in the trenches every day just like YOU working on my accessory line, I am always trying new sales strategies as everyone needs to fill the pipeline ALL the time.

Here are my Top 7 ideas to get your product out there for FREE so that buyers WANT you.

These are ideas you can use over and over with new “launches” each week to keep your customers intrigued and coming back for more.

1. Take a photo of your product in use. People need to be shown how to use it. Even if it’s as simple as note cards, suggest sending a handwritten (gasp!) note to someone each week thanking them for something they did for you. Come up with ways to use the cards other than as thank you’s. With the ease of email, we need to remind people about these “old fashioned” ways!

2. Send this photo out in your newsletter. Instead of always trying to “sell” your customers something, give them ideas of how to use what they already have or start giving them the idea that they NEED to have it. TIP: I switched from Constant Contact to Rate Point earlier this year and they have an automatic feed of your newsletter to your twitter page. One less step and you can customize the tweet……and they are cheaper. And no, I don’t get referral fees from them!

3. Post this image with some great text on your website. Changing the images weekly gives people a reason to visit more often (and hopefully purchase) if they are guided there by a clever photo and ideas of how to use your product. You may catch them needing a hostess gift or birthday present……they will need to hear from you often to remember to buy from you.

4. Post the image with your clever text on your Facebook Fan Page. You can even ask your fans to share the ways they use their note cards. Or even ask them for the creative ways to reuse or repurpose cards they receive. This creates interaction on your page which in turn creates more visibility and drives potential fans to your page and hopefully to your website to purchase.

5. Twitter it – Facebook just launched an automatic update of your posts to twitter. It should be on your fan page. Easy to set up. How easy is that? One less step to getting the word out.

6. Post these ideas on your blog. NO brainer here right? If you are connected on Network Blogs it will auto update it to Facebook and twitter for you.

7. Other ideas: Poll your Facebook Fans, see what they like about certain products you make or are thinking of making. Find complimentary companies on twitter and FB and make friends with them. You might be able to do a cross promo with them and drive fans to each other. Be sure to tweet about useful info not just about buying your products. Retweet (RT) things you find useful. You can use the search functions on both FB and Twitter to find good matches for you.

Popularity: 83% [?]

There’s No Time like Now
By Sarah Shaw

I hosted a Tele-call with Mike Michalowicz, Author of the The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, this past week and it really got me thinking about how much we put off in the hopes that we can do it better if we wait for our “circumstances” to improve.

What does this mean exactly?

• Are we waiting for the economy to improve?
• Are we waiting to learn some more “stuff” before we get going?
• Are we trying to find money to fund our project?
• Are we hoping to get someone’s “approval” to begin?
• Are we just scared?
• Are we waiting until our kids are toilet trained?
• Are we hoping it will all be perfect the first time?

How did we get to this point and what can we do about it?

First of all, as Entreprenettes trying to launch in general, we work harder than anyone else we know, usually logging in 16 hour days to get it all done.  We sweat over the smallest detail, worry about every penny and try to read as much as possible to get it done as close to right the first time.

Is this going to change if any of the above “circumstances” change?
NO WAY JOSE
None of those things on your list make a difference in when you decide to get your rear-end in gear.

As Mike reminded us all, it’s time to think outside of outside the box.

LET’S KICK THE EXCUSES TO THE CURB SHALL WE?

• The economy will improve and if you are ready to take advantage of it then you will come out on top.
• As you DO, you will learn more.
• Try to figure out how to get things for free.  An example is to go to a local college and try to get the business school to take on your business as a project.
• If you can’t find someone who likes your idea then it might not be a good one.
• Entreprenettes are scared all the time but keep going.
• No kid ever went to college in a diaper.
• You will probably want to update your idea from time to time so don’t worry about it being perfect now. It will probably never be perfect to you.

Here are some suggestions for taking just ONE step this week towards
making your “big idea” a reality.

• Make one call you have been putting off.
• Ask one question you need to know to move forward.
• Research one thing on line.
• Ask one person if they like your idea.
• Be thankful that you have an idea worth pursuing.

When in doubt, take the next step.

Popularity: 84% [?]

The Top 5 Ways to Save When Launching
By Sarah Shaw

Office staff: There is a time when office staff makes sense but at the launch phase it is a waste of money.  I know wearing all the hats can be exhausting and keep you from the part you really love but hang in there – you will get there!  The first thing we all want to hire is an accountant, bookkeeper and an assistant…..but do we really need them all right now?  Learning to do all aspects of your business is a must in my opinion.  You don’t have to continue to do them, but knowledge is key. Hard to give direction when you don’t know how to do it yourself, or at least have some understanding of the job. Having a great accountant is a MUST for me (and honestly I’d be a goner without mine) so spend the money there to keep yourself on track.  Try outsourcing to a VA or hiring a part time bookkeeper to start if those are areas you really can’t manage on your own.  It gets better I promise!

An office: Will anyone take my calls if they know I am in my Pj’s and haven’t showered yet? Let’s be straight here – unless you are talking to them on skype, they don’t know if you are naked or calling from a penthouse office. Sometimes we try to convince ourselves that WE will feel more important and that we have a REAL job if we have an office. If you really believe in yourself it doesn’t matter if your office is your dining room table.  Spending precious dollars on an office to impress our selves is silly. We know we are fabulous already right? If the amount of inventory is the main issue because of space, then investigate a 3rd party shipping warehouse as that is often more economical than an office and a shipping clerk (means workman’s comp insurance = $$$$$$$).

Fancy catalogs and stationery: I never made a sale because I had a glossy tri-fold catalog or line-sheet.  Please don’t spend money on these.  Instead, use your money to pay a graphic designer to develop a killer logo instead.  Make an effort to learn photoshop so you can set up your own line-sheets or at least edit them going forward if you pay someone to do it for you.  Photoshop is fairly simple when just making small edits like line-sheets – trust me – if I can learn it so can you.  You want to be sure your line-sheet is clear, legible and gives all the pertinent information for your collection.  That’s what is going to get you the sale – not the paper it’s printed on or the fancy stationery and preprinted envelope. Trust me on this one!

Advertising: Paid advertising (in the big sense) is for very mature companies with big bank.  The ROI (return on investment) is very small and is usually used more for brand awareness than to sell a particular item. It takes a lot of investigative market research to find your target demographic and make sure you will make the most of paid ads.  In general, a company should plan to spend at about 10% of gross receipts on marketing and PR. While you are growing, I suggest using all the FREE, or very inexpensive, marketing tools out there. A Facebook Fan Page for one can be a great marketing tool if used correctly. It’s not enough to just get it up and hope for the best. You need to work it and come up with a marketing plan that has legs and can build your fan base and hopefully your pocket too. Post contests, poll your fans, make them post photos of themselves doing something with your product……get them to interact on your page.   Once you have a small fan base of about 200, you can cull the FREE data from FB and generate a targeted ad for a few dollars a day. If you need help with this then I suggest spending a few of your marketing dollars with Socialbees to get a great FB page and learn some strategic planning from their savvy owner Hazel Grace. I did and am learning a lot and building my fan base.  I am sure a lot of you use Twitter already but it’s not enough to tweet that you got ice cream – You need to send information that your followers will find interesting enough to Retweet and help build your brand awareness.  And lastly, I know everyone is sick of hearing these, but blogging and writing articles to post on line is a great way to become an expert and gain some momentum. We are all experts at what we do.  If you design shoes then write about the latest shoe trends and why they are so great (or not)….see where I am going with this?  Any links that you can post on line that trackback to your website will help increase your on-line visibility and hopefully sales will follow.  All this is FREE…… or a tiny investment in your future.

A DYI attitude: You all know I am a BIG advocate of knowing how to do it all yourself, but that is not what I am talking about here. What I mean is that everyone needs a mentor or a coach to help them SAVE MONEY and TIME on the learning curve. I sure wish I’d had it.  I am not talking about dumping your life savings into a coach – but if you won’t invest in your future and learn the steps to make things happen faster, or save you from mistakes, or just teach you the ropes – what does that say about you?  Admitting what you don’t know is a sign of greatness.  We all want to save where we can of course - but knowing where you need help, and sometimes learning what you don’t even know you need to know is one of the keys to success. No one ever got there all by them selves.  Ask for advice, pay for advice, GET advice to save yourself a bigger loss of time and money down the road.

Popularity: 81% [?]

Have a product-based company?
A “guide” to working with reps

Guest post by Romy Taormina
Nausea Relief Chief/Co-Founder, Psi Bands

What is a rep?

Broker rep. Sales rep. Showroom rep. They go by different names, but their job is the same. They represent your product and the goal is for them to help you get new accounts.

Why would you want/need one?

• Because they might be able to help you get in front of a buyer when you might not have been able to do so on your own.
• They should be familiar with the retailer that you are seeking so they can educate you on what to expect when working with this retailer (their margins, their promo allowances, sales projections, etc.).
• It gives you a sales person. It cuts down the amount of your travel, so it saves you time (and, hopefully, if they are local to the reatiler, it will save on travel expenses).
• It cuts down the amount of communications, because the rep will be handling a bulk of it on your behalf. The more accounts this rep handles on your behalf, the greater economies of scale reached – for you and your rep.

How do I find one?

• Word of mouth
• Through a tradeshow
• Call up and ask a fellow entrepreneur who is in the same category as yours and ask her for a recommendation
• Through your existing retailers
  

What if the rep won’t rep you

If you find a rep that won’t represent you, make sure you understand why. For example, perhaps they rep for Target but in a different category than the one that fits your product. Maybe they know someone who reps in your category at Target. It’s all about the best fit so everyone is maximizing their time.

Sometimes reps and retailers are resistant to working with companies that only have one product/product line. We have found this to be true in some cases, and in some of those cases we have overcome. So, keep plugging away.

Here are some questions that you could ask of the rep (choose those that are appropriate for your situation):

• What is your territory?
• Are you are considering representing me nationally? Can you give me some examples of other companies that you represent nationally?
• You have a wide range of retailers – drug, grocery, mass, catalog and online. Which categories/departments does your team specialize in?
• Where are most of your product lines?
• Do you have products in my category? If yes, which one(s)?
• Can you provide manufacturer references?
• Where are you located in relationship to the retailer headquarters?
• What are your payment terms (retainer, commission, travel expenses, etc.)

Before contacting a rep, make sure you are prepared

You may only have one shot with this rep (treat this as a special opportunity, just as you would the first time you meet with the retail buyer).

• Craft your sales pitch. How is your product unique? Who is your competition? How large is your market? You need to convince your sales rep-to-be that they should rep you.
• Can you fulfill large orders on time?
• How will you support retail sales – in and out of the store (i.e. what are your marketing plans)?

Popularity: 42% [?]

I have been thinking a lot this week how hard it can be to decide to move forward with a new plan of action. The ladies in my current 26-week Tele-seminar are all moving forward with new ideas and it got me thinking about myself and what I am doing to move forward these days since I am not actually designing anything new right now. What I came to realize is that I wanted new solutions - fresh ideas and a new plan.

I too can get stuck and not know what to do next, or how to improve sales, attract new customers, or just feel stale about how I am doing things. I LOVE new ideas and try to always be coming up with something or some new way to do things – but no one is perfect right?

When I first started my handbag line I didn’t have plan of action. I just had an idea and thought it’d be fun to try to make it. As I progressed and my line started to take off, I realized how important a plan is, as well as a support team to help you execute it. Since I didn’t know the first thing about anything to do with manufacturing, selling, promoting or how to build a website I relied on people I met along the way to give me some advice and tried it all myself. I am a big believer in trying it all yourself first so you understand what needs to be done so you can know how to instruct the person helping you do the task.
I realized last week, that with everything I have going on in my life with work, my 17 month old twins, classes I am taking and teaching, that I had sort of let the delegating fall by the wayside – actually off the cliff the truth be told.

I recently met a very interesting man through a mastermind group I go to once a month at Ketchup in West Hollywood. I love this group. I find sitting with other entrepreneurs is so invigorating and gets your creative juices flowing. Anyway – this guy has a company that does market intelligence research to help you determine the best approach for your brand. He states “Information is the key to the market knowledge and success”. I was so taken by his presentation (and the fact that he thought he could really help me get a competitive edge going with my handbag hanger) that I hired him to consult for my Simply Sarah Company. I am so excited by the prospect of all the new information and the ideas he is going to bring me I don’t know how I am going to wait the 4 weeks for the full report! By just taking this ONE step, I feel totally reinvigorated and have a brand new excitement towards my own products.

I feel like I have a new plan of action and am looking forward to implementing it.

* What is your plan of action?
* What can you change about they way you are doing things this week?
* How can you take the first step towards realizing your ideas?
* Can you get something down on paper this week?

Here are a few simple steps to get your new ideas in motion:

Once you are armed with this information you may feel inspired to get an action plan and turn that “big idea” into a real product!

1. Write a description of your idea
2. How did you come up with this idea?
3. What does it look like?
4. How does it work?
5. Does it solve a problem for people?
6. What are the benefits?
7. Do you have a name for it?
8. What makes it unique
9. Who will buy it?
10. Where will you market it?

I want to hear from you – are you inspired?

Popularity: 52% [?]

Article by Sarah Shaw | Entreprenette
Sarah teaches people how to take their “big idea” and turn it into a bankable tangible product.

As funny as this may sound, it struck me today as I was drying my hair that we are our OWN best advocate.  I know this deep down inside but I often forget, or just don’t think about it. Note to self: Think about this every day all the time! We know our products best and should be talking about them, working them into conversations and GETTING them into the hands of potential users as often as possible.OK back to my hair – I have curly hair but really prefer straight (the grass is always greener right?) and drag out that blow dryer and products galore to get it that way.

So last weekend I held a seminar about the 10 simple steps to starting a product line and I was given a leave-in conditioner sample to try out by a woman there.  I have to say – I  was immediately suspicious when she said, “This is the best  detangler, static controller, frizz stopper you will ever try and on top of that, it has all kinds of vitamins and stuff to make your hair shiny.”  “Yeah right” I thought!  Anyhow, a week later when I realized I forgot to try it – I tried it today…… I am amazed!

IT WORKED!
IT WAS A MIRACLE

She was 100% correct.  I am hooked.  I wrote her the gushiest note ever and she now has a client forever!  She took the time to hand me a sample, follow up with an email and see where it got her?

IT WAS A MIRACLE

She was 100% correct.  I am hooked.  I wrote her the gushiest note ever and she now has a client forever!  She took the time to hand me a sample, follow up with an email and see where it got her?

Talking about your product (or idea if at that stage) will only help spread the word and attract new buyers.  You have the passion and commitment to make this happen more than anyone; more than your sales reps, more than your stores, more then your BFF, your significant other, and more than your mom.   If you want your hair to look as great as mine did (does?) then click here to buy her Vita Plexx.  This is a total shameless plug and she has no idea I am doing this!

Be BOLD, take action steps today to reach out to the people you are most afraid of.
Is it stores? The media?

Here are a few pointers to ATTRACT your next potential customer:

1.    Create a list of “dream stores” - Call them all and find out who the buyer is.                                        A few ways to find these stores are:

• Magazines (online and in person)   example: Luckymag
• Look at competitors websites and “borrow” their list.
• Google Google Google ex:  Boutiques Denver – you will see how many retail stores come up - then call call call.
• Trade lists with a friend in similar industry

2.    Make sure your catalogs are up to date and looking good.
3.    Stay on top of your current stores – call or email, check in from time to time to see how sales are going, make friends with the buyer.
4.    Reach out to the media.  If you don’t want to go sit in a bookstore and find the contacts yourself, you can join seeking designers.com for $20/month and they provide media lists and PR opps FREE with your membership + you get to build a little store on their website for more exposure. Awesome right?
5.    Join helpareporterout for FREE PR opps 3x  a day.
6.    Join some networking groups that cater to products or your demographic.  I like smartyla and savorthesuccess
7.    Twitter, Facebook, Linkden, etc……….
8.    Send email updates with specials from your website
9.    Offer an incentive to get them to sign up on your mailing list.  I offer 25% off on Simply Sarah
10.    TALK about it with as many people as possible all the time.

Popularity: 49% [?]