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Published Articles Authors Note: The following article was written in 1983, this was long before PC's and home computers. Since you are reading this article from my web site, this serves as an interesting example of how staying flexible with your approach to running a business needs to change with the times. While the concepts in the following article are still valid many of the suggested approaches will seem archaic, they were however state of the art at the time. The Crafts Report, March 1983 Projecting a Professional Image is the Foundation for a Lasting Crafts Career By Robert Compton with Tom McKone, Bristol, Vermont I recently put an addition on my workshop it reminded me how far I have come in the past ten years. In 1972 when I graduated from the University of Vermont and began selling pottery, my workshop was just the spare bedroom in my apartment; today it is a renovated barn with two kilns, separate rooms for throwing, drying and glazing, and other rooms for storing materials, shipping supplies and finished pieces. My workshop is not all that has grown over the years; so have my business and the size of my pieces. Though I started by making traditional dinnerware, I soon moved into larger original works, including aquariums and fountains. One reason from my success as a businessman has been all the effort I put into projecting a professional image. That image is created and maintained in many ways; from a high quality catalogue and sharp looking shipping labels, to efficient communications and services, and a handsome logo. GOOD BUSINESS NAME In my case, a good business name has also been important. When I began selling pottery I picked a good folksy name that suited the times: Mad River Pottery. People liked the name, but it was hard for them to contact me, since the telephone was listed under my personal name and many people did not know it. The times changed and so did my business. I realized I needed a more professional sounding name that would offer businesses, retailers and the retail customers more psychological security. After all, my pieces began at $140 and climb into the thousands, and many of my customers are exclusive galleries, so " The Mad River Pottery" somehow seemed out of place. An easy transition to "Robert Compton Ltd." solved my identity problem, gave buyers more confidence about what they were purchasing, and made it easier for me to deal with service businesses. Financial stability and growth are, of course, essential to remain self-employed. I have marketed my work by several avenues and tried to avoid becoming overly dependent on any single market. MANY WAYS TO SELL While getting established, I spent a lot of time traveling to shops and galleries, and participated in small retail shows. Later I began attending trade shows and gradually built up a wholesale market. Currently, I sell to about 300 shops and galleries around the country. I still do one or two large shows each year, sell thorough showrooms in The World Trade Center in New York, and though ads in national magazines. Attending fewer craft shows does not mean I spend less time selling, only less time traveling. I have found that a full time secretary, who handles the book keeping, correspondence, and telephone calls, is more important to me than help in the shop. My secretary and I spend much time making and maintaining contacts, and keeping the business aspect of my craft in smooth running order. By answering the phone "Hello, Robert Compton Ltd." And providing an answering machine for when we are away, we make the caller feel secure. Often our only contact with the client is over the phone, so how we come across is vitally, important. We strive to reassure our clients and be as friendly, honest and informative as possible. The easier you make your record keeping -an important part of any successful operation- the less likely you are to procrastinate, so I have tried to keep the procedure as simple as possible. I do a great deal of correspondence and depend heavily on two carefully selected forms- an invoice and a message/reply form. The invoice has six self-carboned parts. The pages are: 1) the client's bill; 2) a second bill; 3) a copy for the customer's file; 4) an office copy that is filed by invoice number; 5) a packing list; and 6) an order verification. The order verification is mailed as soon as a telephone order comes in, so that any errors or mix-ups will be detected before the shipment is sent. The packing list has the price section of the form blacked out, as I save retailers paperwork and reduce packing and shipping expenses by shipping orders directly to their customers (drop ship). Having everything in writing avoids misunderstandings and the three-part message reply form I use is appropriate for about 90 percent of regular correspondence. After writing a message on the self-carboned form, I put one copy in the client's file folder and send the other to him. He puts his reply on the same form and has a copy for himself and one to return to me. In addition to giving all the parties copies, and the recipient a quick method of reply, it serves as a reminder, when I have not heard from a client in some time, of what our last transactions were about. For special contacts and correspondence, I have quality stationary with my, name, address and logo on it. A few other points on correspondence: window envelopes are inexpensive and save office time: weatherproof. Pressure-sensitive labels give packages a professional appearance: many mail order printing houses will print your name address and logo on stationery, invoices, and labels at very reasonable prices. LOTS OF LISTS Because I do business with hundreds of retailers and I attend only a limited number of trade shows, I use bulk mailing to help maintain contacts. Since not every mailing is appropriate for everyone I deal with, I divide my list into several sections; retail sales, retail inquires, wholesale sales, wholesale inquires, shops and people I contact, and friends. Bulk mailing is fairly inexpensive. In the past year I have simplified the process by hiring a local computer service to feed the lists of names and addresses into its computer and print them on labels in correct zip code order whenever I need them. This saves countless hours, including the many it used to take to sort mail by zip code, as required by the post office for bulk mailings. The most impressive item I mail is my brochure. I tried to make it versatile, and interesting and attractive enough so it is less likely to be discarded. The brochure measures 17" by 22", and folds to a quarter of that size. One side of the fully opened brochure is a poster with photographs of a variety of pieces I make. The reverse side is divided into four sections which include: retail prices; ordering information; a photograph and autobiographical sketch that can be displayed with my work; and a panel for mailing, with my address, logo and other mailing information on it. It is printed on heavy cover stock, and thus needs no envelope. Designing the catalogue for retail sales makes it easy for retailers to display it. Along with it I send them a separate sheet of wholesale terms. As any craftsman would guess, I did not pick up my business experience in school; it has been a gradual; trial-and-error process, and I am still learning. I had to learn on my own, for instance how important a role the comparatively simple thing like packing and shipping play in customer relations. The extra money I now spend on packing materials (plastic peanuts and double boxing) pays off in buyer confidence and reduced breakage; it saves money and makes friends. Similarly, I have learned that the long-term benefits of trade shows and other good exposure to buyers may not be apparent until months or even years later. The hardest part of being a self-employed craftsman is the pressure of operating a business, so I try to alleviate that pressure whenever I can. To me the bottom line is whether I am enjoying myself or not, for being self-employed is just not worth it if it takes the fun out of life. I am a craftsman first and by choice, a businessman second and only by necessity. I have found that good customer relations and perseverance in the promotion of one's self are the real foundations for a lasting career in crafts.
Robert Compton
Pottery
02/16/08 |
