What to Do When Your Handmade Jewelry Isn't Selling

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• Do your customers know about your product?
  People perceive things according to their standards and what they know about your product. The more you let customers know about your handmade bead jewelry the more they will pay for it. If your jewelry design is a difficult and time consuming process and therefore warrants a higher price tag then let your customers know this by simply attaching an explanatory card to each piece, stating the process involved in the production of the item.
  
  Does it have a story or history behind it or made for a particular purpose? Again let your customers know.
  
  This is what separates your jewelry from mass marketed jewelry. Let your customers know about you, the designer and why your designs are so special. Establish a connection with your customer and you'll make your customer feel much more comfortable buying from you.

• Is your product a fad that has fizzled?
  If the handmade jewelry you make are a fad, don't make a large supply even if it is selling very quickly. You don't know when the fad suddenly will die. While you are making this item, look for other ideas so that you will be ready to switch to a new item when this one is no longer popular. On the other hand, if you are right in the middle of a fad, take advantage of it by trying to incorporate some of these designs into your pieces, if moons and stars are big use them in your design, if roses or pansies are popular use them. Just be careful not to produce too many in case the fad dies quickly.

• Is your product attractively packaged?
  Packaging not only helps protect your handmade bead jewelry but when they are attractively packaged, they are more likely to be purchased as gifts. Also by packaging your products as a set may help to influence the buyer to purchase more than just a single item, especially when customers see how nice your products look together as a set.

• Does your display grab attention?
  The display and presentation of your jewelry is a critical factor in getting customers to stop and look at your work. If you fail to attract the consumer's attention they may walk by your work — no matter how good it is. A good display must create interest and desire to motivate the customer to stop and browse at the merchandise for sale in it.

• Do you provide quality customer service?
  Not only does your handmade bead jewelry have to be of high quality to sell but so does your business have to show high quality in customer service.
  
  No matter how beautiful and unique your designs are or how well your jewelry is made, if the customer isn't happy with your service they will take their business elsewhere.
  
  Studies have shown that 60% to 80% of a business' sales are from repeat customers, this is why it is so important not to worry so much about making a sale, but to create customers. You must therefore treat each prospective customer with enthusiasm, courtesy and consideration.
  
  Be friendly and attentive to their needs at all times. They may not buy much from you on the first sale, but if they are impressed with your service, you can be guaranteed that they will be back, and with no doubt, pass your name on to other prospective customers.

• Pay attention to detail.
  Take a good look at your jewelry. Maybe some of your pieces needs that extra little touch, that special little detail to take it from mediocre to outstanding. On the other hand, does it have any detail that may take away from the overall design, that little extra something that over does it.

• Is your handmade jewelry unique?
  This is probably one of the most important questions to ask yourself. Is your jewelry different? Is it original, unusual, distinctive? People buy craft products not only because of the better quality, but also because they are unique, something that is not found mass produced in stores, something that they can be proud to own. The product itself or its function doesn't have to be so unique but its design should be. It should be creative and imaginative, something that stands out from the rest.

It is important to stand back and look at your handmade jewelry critically and be honest with yourself, is it time to make some changes? One word of warning, don't make more than one change at a time. Start with one simple change and test your market to see how it responds. You need to be able to identify which change brought the results. •

© 2008 by Gloria-Jean Browne. All rights reserved.

Gloria-Jean Browne's Beading Design Jewelry offers hundreds of ideas and tips to inspire you to design and create unique bead jewelry designs that will give you an edge in the market place. More »

8/12/08