Archive for August, 2008
Losing the sale
Posted by: | CommentsMineral cosmetics is all the rage at the moment, in almost every shopping centre there is at least one mineral cosmetics counter. I was first introduced by Leighta from Buff Mineral Cosmetics, and I have to say, I’m a fan. I LOVE the foundation, but that’s a different story. This is about the cosmetics counter at my local shopping centre.
As well as the foundation, I also have some great lip gloss in a neutral colour. Looking at the counter, I thought it’d be great to get a gloss with some more colour in it for those times I want to be dressier. They didn’t seem to have gloss that I could buy, until talking with the consultant. She showed me how they mix the colour with a clear gloss and I tried some on. The colour was perfect and I was on the verge of buying, until she told me I’d have to buy the colour, the clear gloss and something else for $50 - when all I wanted was a gloss I could take away with me! Thankfully the boys were with me, so I used them as an excuse not to buy, and walked away.
Now, I understand the whole principle behind upselling. The biggest thing that stood out was the sales consultant wasn’t listening to the needs of the customer. When I said I wanted a gloss and she said they could put the colour together for me, I thought that was what I could buy. So, they missed a sale.
On the plus side, I’m about to send an email to Leighta and see if she can make up the gloss for me in the colour I want and she will make the sale instead!
Thursday Tips - Computer shortcuts
Posted by: | CommentsWell, I came up with the bright idea of having Thursday Tips, where I share some tips on saving time and growing your business. The first was to share some computer shortcuts. Sitting down to write some, I found that Donna-Marie over at Small Business Diva has already done them!
Not someone to reinvent the wheel, here is a link to Handy Computer Shortcuts from Donna-Marie. I hope you find them useful.
To pay or not to pay
Posted by: | CommentsThis is always an issue for business mums & WAHMs, especially when they are just starting out. This question seems to come up often when it comes to placing samples. There are a number of programs that exist where you can include samples free for distribution, and other opportunites where you have to pay. Most business mums and WAHMs have no problem with the free opportunities, however they are often reluctant to pay.
Paying for including samples in bags can open up a whole new market for you. For example, if your target market is Mums, then including a sample in the Mum’s Night Out bags could be the perfect place to have your samples. If your target market is teachers, then including them in conference bags for the VOSA Early Childhood Conference could be the perfect place to put your samples. Both of these are paid opportunites, however they can open up a whole new market for you.
Many organisations charge for including samples in bags at events to help offset their costs. As a business owner, this cost comes under your marketing budget. Often it is well worth paying to include your samples and promotional material in these bags as it is a highly targeted market.
So, don’t dismiss paying to include your promotional material and samples in conference bags. Your next big customer could come from one of these bags.
Monday Marketing - Do something every day!
Posted by: | CommentsMarketing doesn’t have to be a huge job, and as business mums that’s the good news. Often your marketing efforts can be broken down to bite sized chunks. To keep on top of your marketing, do something every day. Some daily activities can include:
- writing blog posts
- posting on message boards & forums
- following up networking contacts
- donate a product for a prize
- list your business in a free directory or three
- prepare and send a media release
- write a free reprint article
- take up a promotion opportunity you find posted on business websites
- send an email newsletter
- do a letterbox drop
- put an advertisement in a school newsletter
When they are put in a list like this, it seems like a huge job, however if you do one or two items every day, it will pay off.
Julie-Ann Waterhouse - Kidz Funky Designs
Posted by: | Comments
Number of children & ages:
Daughter who is 5 and a Son who is 2
URL:
www.kidzfunkydesigns.com.au
How people can contact me:
Either through email: info@kidzfunkydesigns.com.au or phone: 0409 644 576
When did you start your business?
Started my business in July2007, website was up and running in December 2007.
Where I’m based:
Based in Victoria
Background Info:
I’m a stay at home mum to two beautiful kids. I decided back in 2007 to grow my daughters fringe out. I was looking for clips that would firstly stay in my daughters hair and hold her fringe back aswell as I wanted the clips to be unique and funky. After haveing trouble finding anything appropriate, and having a surplus amount of felt left over from a previous project I got to work and created Kidz Funky Designs.
What products we sell:
Kidz Funky Designs sells Hairclips, Elastics, Headbands and Bows from babies through to older girls.
Achievements/awards:
None to date.
Advice to other mums starting out:
If you have a real passion and interest for a business, give it a go!!!, just start out easy and take things slow (as I’ve learnt). Get as much advice and knowledge from other business mums as you can, which is one of the main reasons why I joined Business Mums Network. There is so much to learn but you don’t have to learn it all in one day. Definitely ease into it and ENJOY IT!!!.
Biggest challenge so far:
Would have to be getting my Business name and site out there when I have limited cash flow. Over coming some of it, by donating prizes to competitions, listing on free listing sites, Banner advertising on some of the less expensive sites, Advertising through local kinder newsletters, holding market stalls.
Best thing about being a Business Mum:
Would definitly be having the flexability to be around for me children and to be involved in their activites.
Sunday Spotlight - starting tomorrow
Posted by: | CommentsTomorrow is the start of our Sunday Spotlight. Each Sunday, we will feature a different business mum and share a bit about their business, challenges, achievements and their advice for other Mums.
To read about other business mums, visit every Sunday for a new business mum.
If you would like to be featured, email your request to sundayspotlight@businessmums.com and request the Sunday Spotlight questions. Please note that this is already a popular spot and they are being booked up fast!
Thoughts on expos
Posted by: | CommentsLast weekend, I exhibited the Business Mums Magazine at a business expo in Melbourne. Expo’s are funny things, generally, you pay a lot of money for a stand, and you may not get the sales you need that weekend to cover the cost of the stand, let alone your parking, lunch and so on. The key is the follow up.
Make sure you have some way of collecting people’s details - it may be a competition entry form, box for people to put in their business cards, or something else. This way you can follow up after the expo. Be sure to track those post expo sales so you know where they’ve come from. This will help you evaluate the success of the expo.
If people hand you their business cards, take a few moments to write on the card what you talked about, then you’ll be able to follow up with the information they were interested in.
So, how did I go on the weekend? I will let you know in a few months based on the post expo results.
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