LatherandLight Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Does anyone have any good ideas for me?I have been running my small business nearly 4 yrs now, it does minimul(sp?) sales. We have had the occasional wholesale orders and a little sales here and there for normal sales.www.latherandlight.netWe make our own candles, bathsalts, and i make mp soap. We also carry a B&B line, plus bath puffs.Need some advice please.I'm on webrings already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindsaycb Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Do you base your business on website alone? Or do you do shows/markets too? Home parties? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epheme Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 2nd, I can't imagine running an online business w/o some kind of face time with real customers.p.s. - your site looks nice, but I'd stick with a left-justified setup. I have to scroll over to read the end of some sentences. Nitpicky? maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindy5140 Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Have you gone to businesses around you and give them some samples of your products??Like Spas, Hair Salons, Craft Shops, Real estate agents, Welcome Wagons, or anywhere with a lot of employees??Mindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystical_angel1219 Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 I think you site looks nice and your labels and use of color on your bath and body products looks smashing. I would change the weight, it looks like you are getting less than 1 oz when I think you are offering a 9 oz product. I could be wrong. I saw 0.09 on there and to me thats less than 1 oz.I would try home parties, online parties and straight word of mouth. Do an open house and hand out samples. They go far in business. Also get your name out there. Do brochures, flyers, pass out business cards everywhere you go. Do a little cold calling to salons, tanning places and beauty shops to see if they are interested in wholesale. Then the ones that seem interested, drop them off some wholesale literature and sample of something. Its a minimal investment of your time and money~ plus it could land u a new acct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharyl55 Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Do you have a local Farmers Market? Its a good way for a variety of people to see your products. Do local groups have fund raisers? Maybe you could donate a gift basket. Usually they list everyone who donates. Are there any local stores that would allow you to set up a display of your products? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cable_stacy Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Mystical Angel you said online parties? I havent heard about these at all. Could you explain this a little bit? It sounds interesting. Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clonefan80 Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 To get your name out there and move into more wholesale accts you gotta start doing trade shows. Yes they are expensive but thats where you pick up wholesale accts and thats where the retailers go to buy for their stores. The best shows are usually Jan/Aug. Here's a list of just a few of the showshttp://www.giftbusiness.com/indexes/tradeshows.html Good luck.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindsaycb Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 I have to say that on your soaps, you need pictures of the soaps versus the molds and descriptions of the soaps & fragrances would help out a lot too.The site is very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrealh1975 Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 I have to say that on your soaps, you need pictures of the soaps versus the molds and descriptions of the soaps & fragrances would help out a lot too.The site is very nice!Also on the ornamental and pillar pages, I would exchange the pics that include molds with ones that just show the finished product. You are selling the candle, not the mold. Otherwise I think the site looks pretty good. As for getting more sales, here are some thoughts... - Give your card/brochure to any and everyone you meet. - Do as many shows as possible. - When you do shows, like a candle or two and use that fragrance to lure people to your table. - If you know anyone that's doing a raffle or any event where donations are needed, donate a basket with some of your items in it. - If you need to give a gift, give something from your line, if they like it they will reorder!! - Leave a few cards/brochures at the grocery store, nail shop, hair dresser, cleaners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatherandLight Posted February 13, 2006 Author Share Posted February 13, 2006 Thanks soo much. I will write down all of your advice and talk with dh about it.Thank you for the compliments on the site. We have done farmers markets before, need to find another one here since we just moved here a couple months ago.I will try to get pics of my products to replace the ones with molds included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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