Shownotes
- Determine your product scope.
- Focus on producing your proven best sellers.
- Get out to in person shows.
- Promote the advantages of holiday handmade.
- Contact your local media.
- Bring the message to social media and through email.
- Be fluid as the situation evolves.
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Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue.
Speaker:And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day.
Speaker:These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and
Speaker:things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.
Speaker:If you'd like to submit a topic,
Speaker:DME, over on Instagram at gift biz unwrapped,
Speaker:of course you've seen or read about this.
Speaker:The seemingly endless stacks of cargo containers held up in our
Speaker:ports going nowhere or possibly moving slowly.
Speaker:Albeit this is debatable inside.
Speaker:Those containers are either finished products produced by factories,
Speaker:overseas or parts for products that are to be made here
Speaker:stateside. And they're stuck in transit they're stalled in American ports
Speaker:waiting to be processed from there.
Speaker:Of course they can be stocked on shelves in our local
Speaker:stores or made into products we all use,
Speaker:but only if we can get our hands on the goods,
Speaker:I'm experiencing this right now at the ribbon print company,
Speaker:our latest inventory replenishment of our branded pretty print ribbon ordered
Speaker:back in January,
Speaker:I might add still has not arrived.
Speaker:What normally would take three months to produce and get shipped
Speaker:to the U S is caught up in this mess yet
Speaker:I'm much better than most.
Speaker:So I can't complain.
Speaker:We still have ribbon in stock to sell.
Speaker:So for all the ribbon print customers out there listening no
Speaker:need to panic,
Speaker:at least not yet.
Speaker:And our order isn't sitting in the water in LA either.
Speaker:It's actually right here about an hour outside of Chicago,
Speaker:but we can't touch it until it's cleared the system.
Speaker:We're completely at their mercy.
Speaker:I'm not getting into politics and the house and the why's
Speaker:behind this today.
Speaker:Instead, I want to talk about your opportunity to help during
Speaker:this supply chain crisis,
Speaker:unless something drastically changes,
Speaker:we're headed for toilet paper hoarding again and worse yet the
Speaker:holiday gifting season is in jeopardy.
Speaker:What if there are any presence to be purchased the Grinch
Speaker:at work for stealing Christmas 2021,
Speaker:I saw a post going around recently that reads the work
Speaker:of local artists is not sitting on cargo ships.
Speaker:That's exactly right.
Speaker:This is in sharp contrast with other product sellers who have
Speaker:their items produced through factories.
Speaker:Particularly if it's done overseas,
Speaker:compounding the issue are labor shortages,
Speaker:the increase in shipping prices and the slowdown of the postal
Speaker:service FedEx and ups deliveries.
Speaker:It's a perfect storm setting up roadblocks right in the path
Speaker:of Santa's sleigh.
Speaker:Here's where you come in as a handmade product maker,
Speaker:you have a unique opportunity to help save the holidays.
Speaker:If you're sitting on a decent supply of production inventory,
Speaker:meaning the elements that you use to make your products like
Speaker:yarn for your shawls clay,
Speaker:for pottery or beads wire and closures for your jewelry,
Speaker:your product production is not effected by the supply chain crisis,
Speaker:all signs point to the fact that we'll need your help
Speaker:to provide gifts that we can actually get to give for
Speaker:the holidays.
Speaker:It's a holiday win for everyone,
Speaker:you by gaining new customers and advancing your business and your
Speaker:customers with having holiday gifts in hand to distribute.
Speaker:But to do this,
Speaker:you must act and act now because we're already in the
Speaker:midst of the season and there's no time to waste.
Speaker:You may have also seen the warnings in print or on
Speaker:the news about buying for the holidays early,
Speaker:nothing like mass media,
Speaker:helping with your marketing.
Speaker:Here's what you should do right now to be of service
Speaker:to your customers while collecting your share.
Speaker:And in this environment,
Speaker:even more than your share of holiday sales,
Speaker:first off,
Speaker:determining your production scope by this.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:how much product can you make based on what you have
Speaker:already accessible?
Speaker:How many candles do you have completed already?
Speaker:And how many more can you make for the holiday season
Speaker:based on inventory that you already have.
Speaker:This is a combination of your inventory and your production time,
Speaker:but we'll give you a top line number of what you
Speaker:have to sell.
Speaker:Secondly, based on last year's sales,
Speaker:focus on your proven sellers and make those first.
Speaker:If you're a low unfinished product,
Speaker:these are tested and known to sell in your market.
Speaker:If this is your first season,
Speaker:you'll have to project where the interest of your customers will
Speaker:fall. Typically,
Speaker:anything theme to holiday by sense,
Speaker:and flavors will be popular,
Speaker:but balance that out with other non holiday themed products too,
Speaker:because you don't want holiday product left after the season is
Speaker:over. If at all possible or make sense in flavors that
Speaker:can hold over for Valentine's day too,
Speaker:just in case third,
Speaker:go out to in-person shows.
Speaker:Yes, selling online is great and yes,
Speaker:you should be doing this too,
Speaker:but putting your product directly in front of your customer,
Speaker:where they can purchase immediately is a necessity.
Speaker:This year it's convenient and cost effective for them and a
Speaker:time saver for you without the shipping that would be involved
Speaker:with online purchases for promote the advantages of holiday handmade at
Speaker:shows, make signs reminding your booth visitors that buying today from
Speaker:you is the solution effortless holiday gifting.
Speaker:This year suggest gift solutions for various family members or other
Speaker:uses for your product that a booth visitor may not have
Speaker:considered. This will help increase the value of many of your
Speaker:orders through ad-on sales.
Speaker:Number five,
Speaker:contact your local media as mentioned already.
Speaker:The supply chain shortage is big news.
Speaker:Think of what it can do for your business.
Speaker:If you're highlighted as a local small business solution this year,
Speaker:when pitching remember it,
Speaker:shouldn't be about selling your product as much as the story
Speaker:about how your managing through the season and that you can
Speaker:help by providing gifts locally.
Speaker:Past posts on this topic for more information can be found
Speaker:in episodes 2 0 1,
Speaker:2 89 and three 10,
Speaker:moving on number six,
Speaker:bring the message to social media.
Speaker:And through emails we have holiday items are ready and waiting
Speaker:can be one of your subject lines address the issue and
Speaker:your ability to solve your customer's problem with acquiring gifts,
Speaker:promote the shows you'll be attending and do online sales shows
Speaker:too. Along with the normal product posts that you would run
Speaker:finally be fluid as the situation progresses.
Speaker:Nobody knows exactly how this will play out.
Speaker:Be ready to adjust your messaging accordingly,
Speaker:to stay up to date with this and ask questions about
Speaker:how to manage through your supply chain strategy.
Speaker:Join the discussion in the Facebook group,
Speaker:gift biz breeze.
Speaker:Remember we do live Q and A's every Thursday morning.
Speaker:I think it'll be helpful if I summarize these seven action
Speaker:items again,
Speaker:number one,
Speaker:determine your production scope,
Speaker:how much product you can actually create based on what you
Speaker:already have in stock the season.
Speaker:Secondly, focus on your proven best sellers.
Speaker:Third, get out to in-person shows for promote the advantages of
Speaker:holiday handmade five,
Speaker:contact your local media and get highlighted as a solution provider
Speaker:for the holiday gifting season,
Speaker:number six,
Speaker:bring the message to social media and also through your email
Speaker:communications and seven,
Speaker:be fluid as the situation changes and progresses.
Speaker:You have a unique opportunity this year to help offset the
Speaker:supply challenge that we're all facing this holiday season.
Speaker:We need your help and you want more sales.
Speaker:It's a beautiful pairing,
Speaker:happy holiday selling.
Speaker:That's a wrap.
Speaker:I'm a get to the point kind of girl.
Speaker:And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek
Speaker:sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream
Speaker:of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.
