The Buyers Market of American Craft (BMAC) starts exactly one week from today. I'm feeling calm and optimistic. Something might be wrong with me. Last year at this time, I was shivering through a power outage and digging through feet of snow. Right now, there are no such emergencies to worry about. And I'm done with my show prep a week early! My pots are packed into boxes, and my trusty red document case is stocked with order forms and pricelists. I've already gotten two orders, so I'm off to a good start.
I guess what's really causing my optimism is that in the past two years, even though the economy was in the toilet, I still got plenty of orders at this show. Last year, I probably took one or two more orders than I should have. It's not healthy to work seven days a week. Plus, one my conclusions from The Hourly Earnings Project from last year is that I should do less wholesale work and more retail shows. Given that the economy is gaining strength these days, I feel confident that I will meet my sales goals. Or at least come pretty close.
And I want to make another important change to my wholesale philosophy: to treat my existing customers better than my new customers. You know, the opposite of the way cell phone and cable tv companies treat their customers. This means leaving space in my schedule to take reorders from galleries who are selling my pots really fast. And higher minimums for new accounts.
We'll see in about 10 days if my confidence is justified.
I guess what's really causing my optimism is that in the past two years, even though the economy was in the toilet, I still got plenty of orders at this show. Last year, I probably took one or two more orders than I should have. It's not healthy to work seven days a week. Plus, one my conclusions from The Hourly Earnings Project from last year is that I should do less wholesale work and more retail shows. Given that the economy is gaining strength these days, I feel confident that I will meet my sales goals. Or at least come pretty close.
And I want to make another important change to my wholesale philosophy: to treat my existing customers better than my new customers. You know, the opposite of the way cell phone and cable tv companies treat their customers. This means leaving space in my schedule to take reorders from galleries who are selling my pots really fast. And higher minimums for new accounts.
We'll see in about 10 days if my confidence is justified.
RSS Feed
