How NOT to Nail a Sale at a Show and What You Should DO Instead

Being a successful handmade business owner means being subscribed to lots of e-mails filled with tons of advice from business experts around the globe in order to help you run your business in the best way possible for your customers.  Today I opened an e-mail from Tracy and Robin of Flourish & Thrive Academy that contained an anecdote about losing sales and advice about what to do to nail that sale at a show.  I have inserted it below because I just HAD to share it with you all: not only is it a good idea to constantly be gathering data and perspectives from your customers, but it's also important to constantly be evaluating what you're doing in your handmade business so that it's running at its optimum.

"I’m often seeking out vintage fine jewelry finds, I even showed up at a vintage jewelry show on the last day about 90 minutes before the show actually closed! I was amazed as I observed the “busy” booths and those that were “dead.”

I am obsessed with vintage jewelry. I collect it and I was trying to get in as much as I could. I found several pieces that I LOVED but wanted to think about. As I walked around, I heard a couple of people complaining about how terrible their sales were! In fact, I was STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO HER ABOUT TO ASK TO SEE SOMETHING in her case.

Guess what I did?

I walked away! Yep, she lost the sale.

I found another amazing ring from another dealer with a snake motif. She and her partner were packing up and could barely give me the time of day. I LOVED the ring I tried on and it was a perfect fit. However, her level of service was awful so guess what I did....

I walked away! Yep she lost the sale too!

Next, I moved on to another booth and asked to look at something. Before the guy even took the necklace out of the case, he told me the price...when I didn’t ask. I still looked but guess what I did…(personally, I find this sales tactic as a sales repellent)...

I walked away! Another sale lost!

I came across a really busy booth. The two owners were each chatting up clients. I found several things I loved and asked if I could snap a few photos of the pieces I liked. Immediately, the owner engaged me and said, “I can open the case if you’d like better photos.” I thanked her and pulled out several pairs of earrings and a few other things I loved.

I ended up purchasing a piece (after the show) and will definitely be purchasing from her again.

The question I ask you. What made this person different than the rest of the people?

They all had lovely jewelry, but were they really deserving of my business? Only 1 out of these 4 people benefitted from my spontaneous jaunt to the trade show and I was ready to drop some cash!

Here is the lesson:

• Make your clients feel important! They will remember and keep coming back for more.

• Don’t EVER start your first interaction with a client by talking about price. I mean EVER! It’s a huge turnoff.

• If they ask about price, talk about the benefits first, then tell them the price.

• People who really love your work don’t buy because of price it’s because they love YOU and the work.

• Anything can happen at the last minute, so don’t ignore the last minute stragglers. They could make or break your day!

• The most positive people always win, have the best sales and make the most income. Always!

…....Even if their products are average.

Energy and keeping up the momentum is the MOST important factor to the success of your jewelry business..."

BKD Signature to Launch a Mini Preview of the Newly Added Polish Jewelry Colors

BKD Signature in Sacramento, CA, is pleased to announce the company’s expansion of its nail polish jewelry product line.

Sacramento, California - May 30, 2014

BKD Signature (www.bkdsignature.com) of Sacramento, CA, is excited to announce the company’s newest addition to its Glam & Glitz Collection that features more indie nail polish brands.

BKD Signature will be debuting new polish jewelry on May 30^th in their Etsy Shop.  Two launch times will occur, the first at 12 noon Pacific Time and the second at 6 pm Pacific Time, in hopes of accommodating most time zones.  Most pieces previewing are one-of-a-kind and will offer a glimpse at the polishes that will be added to the BKD Signature Glam & Glitz Collection at the launch of the grand reopening (tba).  Soon, BKD Signature jewelry will permanently feature Colors by Llarowe polish, NailNation 3000 polish, Superficially Colorful thermal lacquer, and Girly Bits Cosmetics polish; in addition to its product line that already features My Ten Friends polish and Darling Diva Polish indie brands.  BKD Signature is also previewing for consideration of permanency Picture Polish’s 2014 Limited Edition shifting colors. 

While it has been difficult to be without a dedicated studio, the company has persevered and managed to commandeer a tiny creative space in order to continue creating their signature exotic papers jewelry and famous nail polish jewelry.  Currently unable to fulfill new soy candle orders (please contact the company for ready-to-ship soy wax products), BKD Signature hopes to be back in full force soon.  A grand reopening will be announced when they are back in a dedicated studio space.

Pieces from the Glam & Glitz Collection range in price from $20 USD to $30 USD.  Every piece of BKD Signature polish jewelry is handcrafted using toxin free nail polish, handmade glass tiles, and handmade glazes.  BKD Signature continuously searches for more indie polish artisans to collaborate with for their jewelry.

BKD Signature products have been gifted to Rachael Ray, Kaley Cuoco, Genevieve Gorder, Alison Sweeney, Brandi Glanville, Renee Zellweger, Stephanie Drapeau, and Selena Gomez and her band as part of The Artisan Group collaborative gift bags. BKD Signature jewelry was selected for inclusion in a special The Artisan Group Mother’s Day 2013 Collaborative Gift Bag and BKD Signature soy candles were selected for inclusion in a special The Artisan Group Earth Day 2013 Collaborative Gift Bag.  BKD Signature’s famous Birthday Cake soy candle was gifted to the press for the GBK’s 2013 Primetime Emmys Celebrity Gift Lounge.  BKD Signature products have been seen on KCRA 13 News and featured on multiple prominent blogs.

To learn more about BKD Signature, visit www.bkdsignature.com or e-mail bkdsignature[at]gmail.com. Select designs are also carried at Home Ec in Chico, CA; Taylor’s Art & Soul in Sacramento, CA; 4 Elements Yoga in McMinnville, OR; and online at Femme Fatale Cosmetics, Overall Beauty, and Edgy Polish. You can also become a fan of BKD Signature on Facebook, follow on Twitter, and follow on Instagram (@BKDSignature).

About BKD Signature

BKD Signature (http://www.bkdsignature.com) provides the world with elegant artisanal products that includes its distinctive one-of-a-kind exotic papers glass tile jewelry, sophisticated high-quality nail polish jewelry, and premium eco-friendly soy candles. The company, located in Sacramento, California, was founded in February 2009. BKD Signature jewelry has been featured on “The Vampire Diaries” and seen on actress Stephanie Drapeau, and is in the hands of numerous celebrities and tv/movie stylists. BKD Signature is a proud member of The Artisan Group, as well as Unique Women in Business and California Crafters Club of Etsy.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

Here at BKD Signature, we're committed to helping the earth as much as we can.  Sometimes this can be difficult since the most gorgeous and fancy packaging available to us is not usually eco-friendly.  However, our commitment to being earth friendly is more important than lots of glitter (and simple is sometimes better, right?).

We recycle or reuse all packaging materials that come in from supplies. We're researching new packaging for orders right now during our semi-hiatus and are hoping we find an eco-friendly look we love. Our soy candles are eco-friendly in that we pour into tins that are reusable and we use soy wax that is the best out there (biodegradable, kosher, vegan, etc).  We use handmade glass for our jewelry.  We continuously strive to use 3+ free polish, but we must confess that we recently discovered that SOPI is not cruelty free like we thought.  We were beyond bummed to discover this so we will be changing that once our supplies run out so we can switch over to exclusively using CF polish.  We mistakenly (and naively!) thought that all brands are cruelty free now!  However, we are very proud of the fact that about 90% of the polish we use is from handmade businesses.  All but one of our suppliers are small businesses (Sephora is the exception), all but two of which are here in the USA.  Two handmade polishes we use are international (one from Israel and one from Australia) and we think it's pretty cool that we're able to support our artisan friends abroad, too.

We're always seeking ways to be more earth friendly and improving upon our current systems!

New Additions to the BKD Signature Polish Jewelry Line

When our polish jewelry line first launched, we only used My Ten Friends Nail Polish. Then we expanded to include our friends at Girly Bits and Darling Diva Polish, and have an exclusive line at Femme Fatale Cosmetics. We're ecstatic to announce that, during our research phase right now, we've obtained permission from Colors by llarowe, NailNation, and Superficially Colorful to use their polishes as well! We love supporting indies and hope you're just as excited as us for these gorgeous additions to our jewelry line.

Calling All Bloggers!

We're looking for bloggers to post our press release for free when we do our grand re-opening! We have no set date for it yet since it's contingent on a few things, but we like to plan ahead.  No minimum stat requirements - we're simply looking for any and all bloggers on the internet who post press releases from small handmade businesses. Drop us a line so we can add your e-mail to our list!

Going Wholesale!

I've always been interested in doing wholesale, but have not had the good fortune like other artisans to be approached by businesses.  Back when I was going to school in OR, I did meet with one local business with all of my inventory and, to my surprise, she bought from me right on the spot.   Looking back on the meeting... wow, was I naive!  And while the experience was interesting, to say the least, it did get my feet wet (but boy oh boy I didn't know what I was doing!).

Recently, I learned how big a deal going wholesale really is.  That there's lots of paperwork involved on both ends of the transaction.  And then there's this thing called a "wholesale kit": line sheets, lookbooks, contracts, business terms, permits, etc.  Being overwhelmed/confused by this info is an understatement.  Feeling lost may be more accurate.  Hopefully my desire to do wholesale propels me to easily figure this all out (ha!).  Oddly enough, there really isn't anything out there on Google for doing it yourself, and I can't afford someone else doing it for me right now.  So perhaps, once I figure it all out, I can throw together a wholesale-how-to for newbies.  For now, this is one of the best, super simple resources I've found: by The Mother Huddle.

There are several great boutiques in the town of my grad school - the community is really rallying around emphasizing local and handmade, which is great.  I decided to muster up the courage (not sure if that's the right word, but it certainly took me out of my comfort zone because I hate doing anything where I feel unprepared or uneducated) to approach one of them via e-mail.  Because I don't know the technical/professional way to go about it, I spoke from my heart instead.  I was pinning my hopes on perhaps a small boutique owner being more sympathetic to my naivete.

Lucky for me, the owner said yes to an appointment!  She didn't specify whether I'd be a wholesale or consignment account, but I'm going in with samples of all of my jewelry line.  Seeing as she owns a boutique filled with unique finds, I figure my OOAK Chiyogami jewelry would be a perfect fit.  This morning I started some fresh samples, and below is a pic of my progress from about an hour ago.  My appointment is in a couple days.  I'm super nervous, but I'm going to try my best to be prepared.  Wish me luck!