Archive for October, 2008
Pay It Forward - bumping it up
Posted by: | CommentsA couple of weeks ago, I posted about Pay It Forward.
This post is just a reminder - if you would like to have a surprise gift, be one of the first 3 people to reply and I’ll put something special in the mail for you. 
Customer service - again!
Posted by: | CommentsLast weekend I went shopping with my Mum. After a while we were hungry and headed to the food court for lunch. We thought it would be nice to share a burrito and the trimmings. At Chadstone, we do this often, however this was a different shopping centre.
We went to the Mexican place & ordered a burrito either cut in half or with a knife so we could cut it - only to be told it couldn’t be done. So, we walked away and ordered some chinese that we could share.
Both of us commented that the guy at the Mexican stand had just lost a sale simply because he wouldn’t cut a burrito in half!
So, do you offer your customers little extras that don’t cost you any time or money to help with customer service, or do you rigidly stick to what you’ve always done? A simple act of cutting a burrito in half would have got him a sale of not only the food, but also two drinks, and, coming back to that shopping centre again we would most likely have gone back there!
Marketing Monday - Surprise Freebies
Posted by: | CommentsThere is nothing nicer than receiving a package of something you ordered and finding a surprise freebie inside. (well, maybe there is, but that’s not really the point!)
Elena from EP Designs once commented that she’d ordered some chocolate soaps from Funky Soaps and found a real chocolate inside. I once bought a gift for Christmas and it came with a candy cane.
Surprise freebies don’t need to be anything large. It could be as small and simple as a candy cane for Christmas, a sample of one of your other products you think the client would like to try or anything really. These little touches help your customers feel special and go a long way to increasing word of mouth referrals.
Have you ever given a surprise freebie away? If so, what was it?
Friday Five - Christmas ideas
Posted by: | CommentsI know, it’s only October, but a good/organised business Mum should be turning her thoughts to Christmas and making sure she’s ready for it.
Here are five ideas for Christmas promotions:
- Free gift wrapping - this may be something you already offer, however if you don’t, the lead up to Christmas might be a good time to start. This way if your customers want you to send a gift to a friend or family member directly, then it is already wrapped.
- Christmas packaging - depending on what you make, you may want to invest in some Christmas packaging for your customers.
- Christmas cards - send Christmas cards to some of your biggest clients, suppliers and supporters. This lets them know you appreciate them and are thinking of them. It’s also another chance to contact them.
- Gift with purchase -encourage your customers to do the bulk of their Christmas shopping with you by offering a gift with every purchase over a certain amount.
- Special Christmas range - you may want to introduce some special Christmas products to your range to make the holidays festive. These could include ornaments, Christmas clothes and cards, and so on.
These are just a few ideas to help promote your business for Christmas. Also remember that not everyone celebrates Christmas, so to stand out from the crowd, you may want to introduce some items for the other holidays, such as Hannukah, that are celebrated in December.
Thursday Tips - Use facebook to promote your blog
Posted by: | CommentsThis morning I was asked by a friend to confirm she is the owner of her blog on Facebook, so I confirmed her and added this blog. I didn’t realise there was a blogging community on Facebook.
You can invite people to become fans, rate your blog, add comments and more. This could be a geat way to get extra readers to your blog and promote your business, especially if you have a business blog.
The fan page for this blog can be found here. I will keep you updated with how this goes. If you have a fan page for your blog, please post the link so we can all become fans too.
Suzie Eisfelder - Suz’s Space
Posted by: | CommentsNumber of children & their ages:
2 teenagers
URL:
How people can contact you?
People can email me on suzie@suzs-space.com or ring me on 0407 829 777
When did you start your business?
Suz’s Space has been running for three years with a dedicated website for 2 years.
Where are you based?
In Murrumbeena, Melbourne
Background information:
I started selling on eBay, actually I fell into selling on eBay. I was totally bored, having trouble getting a job that fitted the hours I needed and somehow I started browsing on eBay. I sold my old electronic diary, the auction did much better than I had hoped and I was just browsing for no particular reason when I found some magazines selling very well. They were the ABC delicious magazine and I had them from the very first issue. I looked at them and thought “What do I want most? The magazines or the money?” I started selling them and was totally hooked after that. I gradually increased my selling until I opened a store there and eventually, when they changed the rules I started my own website.
What products/services do you sell?
Mostly pre-loved books. I do have some bathmats and cushion covers, but they are clearance items and won’t be back instock. I also have a small number of video tapes I’ve been given by my family.
What are some of your achievements?
None, yet
What advice would you give to other Mums who wanted to start their own business?
Do your research first. It doesn’t matter how much research you do it’s always possible to do more and you will find you won’t have done enough. If you’re talking about selling books, then you can never stop learning about books.
What has been your biggest challenge so far, and how have you overcome it?
I love buying books in bulk. The larger the amount of books, the happier I am. Unfortunately I do not have the space or the ability to deal with them. When I say bulk, I mean in the thousands. I once won an auction on eBay for 2,000+ books, when I got there to pick them up I found about 4,500 books. I was in seventh heaven, it was wonderful, but I was also frozen. There were so many books I couldn’t get a starting point. About 18 months later I managed to sell 2,200 to someone who was planning on starting her own bookshop and this helped. I overcome this prediliction for buying extremely large amounts of books by looking at the wholesale book lots on eBay
What is the best thing about being a Business Mum?
Having a flexible timetable. I am able to be around when my kids need me and have a relaxed attitude when they’re in the middle of exams, yet still have something useful to do when they don’t want me. I am able to schedule medical appointments at a time suitable to the doctor rather than suitable to work place.
Business Mums Magazine - Issue 13 available for pre-order
Posted by: | Comments
Issue 13 of the Business Mums Magazine is now available for pre-order. The theme this issue is “Using Technology to Grow Your Business”.
There are many great articles, including our regular columns, Reality Bites, Starting out, Marketing & Promotions, Kids and Business, and many more.
You can pre-order Issue 13 for only $4 by clicking here. This is a limited offer, so place your order quickly.
Friday Five - Expo survival tips
Posted by: | CommentsWith the Pregnancy, Baby & Children’s expo on this weekend in Melbourne, I thought I’d share five tips to help you get through an expo.
- Bottle of water - this is essential on your stand. Standing under the lights of your stand and talking to people will leave you dehydrated. Make sure you bring a bottle or two of water to keep on your stand and take a drink whenever you need to.
- Comfortable shoes - Being on your feet all day is tiring and hard on the feet. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes so you can get through the whole expo on your feet. If you will be standing behind a counter, you may get away with slippers or bare feet, however this is not always the best idea.
- Something to eat - having lollies on your stand for visitors is great, however there is a temptation to eat them all yourself. Have some snacks behind your stand to keep your blood sugar up. Dried fruit and nuts is a good option because they are small and don’t leave crumbs, they can also be eaten quickly.
- Bandaids, safety pins, panadol and other emergency supplies - you never know when you may get a blister, paper cut, headache, something falls off your stand or a button on your shirt pop off. Be read for these sorts of emergencies with a small packet of bandaids, a couple of panadol or asprin tablets, safety pins, sticky tape, and so on. You may find that you don’t need them, but a fellow stall holder may!
- Helpers - you may think you can be super Business Mum and do the expo yourself, however if the expo is on for more than a few hours, you will need some helpers, if nothing else so you can have a lunch break, toilet break, or send them for a coffee!
I hope these tips are useful for you when you do your next expo. If you have any other survival tips, please share them.
Pay It Forward
Posted by: | Comments
A few weeks ago, Elena from EP Designs posted a Pay It Forward on her blog, and I signed up. This is a way of giving away gifts and receiving them.
On Monday, I received a gorgeous gift - see photo. She made it all herself. Isn’t she talented?
Now, it’s my turn. Would you like to take part? It’s so easy. Here is how it works -
- To the first 3 interested bloggers who respond that they would like to be a part of this, I will be sending a gorgeous something to each of them.
- You MUST leave me a comment on this post to let me know you are interested in joining.
- I responded to Elena’s post. Now I hope you will respond to my post! The first three of you who leave a comment on this post here at Business Mums blog will get something from me in the mail.
- Then those first three bloggers who responded to me, promise to pass it along or “Pay It Forward” to the first three who respond to their post…and on and on it goes.
- Your something can be anything you’ve made, bought, found or were given. Keeping in mind that it might be something you would like to receive.
If you want to join the fun…PLEASE leave a comment on this post and then copy/paste this information about the giveaway on your blog. Then send something to the first 3 bloggers who sign up on your post.
OK, Who Wants to join in the FUN and “Pay It Forward”?
Looking forward to hearing from you
Marketing Monday - Product presentation
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s the little things that make a brand, and branding is part of marketing.
I received a parcel today from Elena of EP Designs as part of her Pay It Forward post on her blog (I will blog more about this tomorrow), and the presentation was amazing.
The parcel arrived in a coloured envelope. Opening it up, the package was wrapped in some velvet and done up with a ribbon. There was also an EP Designs postcard with a note. Upon opening the ribbon and velvet, I was greeted with some handmade cards and another, smaller, package done up with lace and a ribbon, containing two gorgeous handmade tassels.
The presentation of this gift struck me. It is not something that I will forget in a hurry and it was all very well thought out by Elena, reflecting her business of recreated treasures beautifully. It also stood out in that most people use tissue paper, however Elena chose to use fabric. If this is any indication of how she packages products she sells, then the presentation must be amazing.
For all of you with online shops, the way you present your products is imporant and an integral part of your brand. Think about how you present your products and stand out from the crowd.
