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The Business of Knife Making A forum dedicated to all aspects of running, managing and legal operational issues relating to the custom knife making and custom knife selling industry.

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  #1  
Old 02-24-2003, 07:27 AM
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SVanderkolff SVanderkolff is offline
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Getting Orders

How do you go about getting customers to start placing orders? I am getting to the point of being able to sell most of what I am making, albiet slowly but I have not been able to drum up any orders. I have a gallery but cannot afford a website. I live in Canada which makes going to shows virtually impossible, other than the Canadian shows which tend to be a collectors only shows. If I am going to turn this into full time I need to have a backlog of orders and I am not sure how to get them.
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Steve


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Old 02-24-2003, 08:09 AM
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floridafred floridafred is offline
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Marketing

I think to be successful two skills are required. 1. You must be very good at making knives. (you are). 2. You must be very good at marketing your product. Since number one here is apparently not at issue I think you would do well to pay close attention to number 2.

One example is that I tried to get to your site to see your other work and was unable to do so. Yes, if I had persisted in my efforts maybe I could have figured it out. However, I am like the millions of folks browsing the web who have no patience.

Marketing, is not only the process of creating a desire for the consumer to own your product but it must be made easy for the consumer to own your product. Easy access, easy ordering, ease of communication, credit card acceptance are of prime importance particularly when using the internet. I don't mean to bill myself as an expert because I am not. However, my limited experience has proven the above to be basic to a successful internet business. You must show up on search engines and have a site that links to other sites for referrals. Click of a button purchases and easy contact information.

When I want to see a product I don't want to have to give my email address because that will only get me more unwanted spam. If I go to a site to see knives and I get all kinds of popup adds I leave and never go back. I sell all of my products on the web. I buy almost all my supplies on the web. This is a great way to do business but success does not come easy. Just my thoughts. Please take them for whatever they may be worth.


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Old 02-24-2003, 08:42 AM
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SharpByCoop SharpByCoop is offline
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Steven,

You can start by editing your sig line to have a simple link into your Fototime website. I do.

Log into your FT account, go to the buttons on the left that say 'create links' and go through the process to generate a link that will allow the public to see your gallery. Don't make them work for it.

Here is how I set up my sig line:

My photo collection and more...< A HREF=http://www.fototime.com/inv/BCE57A9895C789B>Click here!
Handfinished kit folders ~ Customized to your specs or mine ~ See my < a href="http://www.fototime.com/inv/7698164470855CC">Gallery.

(I added a space after the two beginning (< )'s to disable it in this instance)

Make it easy on the public!

Coop


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Old 02-24-2003, 11:55 AM
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SVanderkolff SVanderkolff is offline
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Test of new signature line

testing


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Old 02-24-2003, 11:58 AM
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SVanderkolff SVanderkolff is offline
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Hey it works.
Thanks Jim, I didn't know you could do that. Amazing what you learn when you ask.
Thanks
Steve


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Old 02-24-2003, 12:41 PM
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SharpByCoop SharpByCoop is offline
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Now that's a start! Since you are new to Fototime, realize that you can edit a description (and price) under each and every photo. Right click on the photo in your PC software, go to 'properties' and then fill in as needed.

Then under web preferences, you can have it so it will display the text instead of a filename (or a filename if there is no text). Cheapo website!

Coop


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Old 02-24-2003, 12:59 PM
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J.Arthur Loose J.Arthur Loose is offline
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Steve,

You definitely want your own website. Alex here can host it for as little as $14.95 / mo and for that you get a very fast-loading page, loads of stats and a ton of space to store it all.

I taught myself basic html and had my site up and running for $20 / mo. and a $25.00 book. ( That was before I switched to Alex. )

For people to place orders you have to create the demand. If you aren't going to many shows you'll have to create that demand through the internet ( very easy ) and magazines ( a little harder. ) Having a link in your sig is a great place to start and also helps with most search engine stats. Having a dedicated website with your own domain name just makes things professional... and helps demonstrate that you are serious and have credibility. Once you have the website put things on it to get people to visit in addition to your knives. Once you're getting a small amount of sales off the website then think about advertising in magazines... it's all kind of symbiotic.

I always find that posting a pic of a cool new piece in a display forum either here or in other knife forums with a discreet link to my website generates a lot of visits to my site and usually precipitates a sale or two.

Update your website frequently to keep people interested. Make it a little personal; you're selling yourself as well as your knives.

Also ( and I hate to say it ) E-bay can be good advertising when you're starting out. You won't get what your knife is worth, but if there is a discreet link to your site it'll definitely generate some orders. The trick with E-bay is that you can't have a hyperlink off of your auction page that goes to your site, especially if there are better deals on your site ( which is never the case with E-bay and knives... ) What I do to get around this is post my website address ( ie "www.jloose.com" but not make it a clickable link; so that someone has to type in the address by hand. They do. Also you can hyperlink off your "About Me," page. I make sure to tell people to check out my "About Me," page so they will eventually hit my website.

I haven't had to E-bay in a long time, but I couldn't have gotten started without it, and I have a couple customers who found me there that will always have an order going... so there are good collectors looking for new talent on E-bay... you are just paying heavy dues in terms of your prices.


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  #8  
Old 02-24-2003, 03:34 PM
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floridafred floridafred is offline
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Thumbs up

What J. Loose said!! Ebay is great cheap advertising. Even if you put the price you want for your knife and it does not sell you are still getting cheap exposure. With your own web site you can track the number of visitors to your site and even tell where they are coming from. When I placed a photo in the "Display Case" it generated over 100 hits on my web site the same day. It takes a while to establish yourself on the web but "the journey begins with a single step". Good luck and keep showing those knives. I enjoy them.


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  #9  
Old 02-25-2003, 11:00 AM
Les Williams Les Williams is offline
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Sign of the times

Steve,

One thing to keep in mind is the current situation economically.
Without going into detail everyone is aware that people are more focused toward current affairs and shoring up their financial situations. A lot of us have seen our 401K's take extreme hits, lost jobs, etc..... I know, my compensation package at work was recently cut back, although our profits grew within our group, yet it's reflective of the uneasiness within the business world.
Another example I saw this morning in the paper was a fishing tournament that was cancelled due to only 5 entries received at this time. They indicated that they would have had already 50+ teams signed up in past years, and I live in an area where bass fishing fanatics would hock their dogs to go fishing.
Just don't get discouraged. From your photos your knives look great. I still want to add one to my collection, because you can't beat the prices, and I got a gut feeling that it could turn into a real nice investment in the long run. May take a little longer to get there, but I know that all of us who make up the free world will recover and we'll be able to start throwing our money down on our hobbies, enjoyments and other items we like that aren't everyday necessities.

Take Care
Les
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