Brochures Can Lead You to a HandShake
Our grandfathers did business on a hand shake. A man (or woman’s) word was enough to seal a deal. At least, that is how they say it went. Maybe that is how I would like to think it was. At any rate, before you convince someone to shake your hand, you have to give them enough reason to even want to meet with you in the first place. What some antique dealers, fashion designers, and vintage clothing enthusiasts neglect is that they people are inundated with so many possibilities that they need a reminder on why they came up and talked to you in the first place.
You might have had a booth at a trade show or an arts and antiques show, and they were attracted to come hither by your items, but so did a lot of other people. Giving someone a brochure is a good way to remind people to call you or make a purchase later on. Business cards get lost or don’t have enough information on them. Sometimes having Brochures made up really fills the need. If you are wary about putting them out only for people to toss them, then hand them out personally to people that you have an interested conversation with.
Right now, VistaPrint has a coupon, where you can get 25 free brochures! It is enough for you to get your feet wet in your practice of using them, or makes a big order just that more thrifty. Remember to use coupon code FreeBrochures08. You can upload your own design, or there is an extremely reasonable creative fee for the talented folks at VistaPrint to design one for you.
Making the Leap
A few of my readers have mentioned that they are also small business owners or aspiring entrepreneurs. Some of you sell vintage clothing, or sell fashion items that you have made yourself. Some use their base of expertise for consulting purposes. It was easy when it was just you, but sometimes success comes with growing pains. What happens when something goes from being a hobby or something that is a one or two person show, into something that catches on and requires a few more hands on deck?
Journyx Timesheet is an Online Time and Expense software that currently is being offered with a 45 day free trial. It may still remain free after that period if you require up to 10 licenses. You can use it for any billing you might do, and to keep track of your workforce whether they be regular employees or pay per play indepedent contractors. It may just be the thing you need to make that leap to the big time in a very productive way. The price is just right for the small business, too!
A Vintage Voice on CNN
Laura Skidmore is the proprietress of the Vintage Fashion Library on the internet, where she sells vintage patterns as well as making reproductions that are geared towards professional and home sewer alike. For some people, they choose to make clothing from vintage patterns in order to not damage their authentic vintage clothing, they proportions are better for them, or they may be even staging a play of a film shoot set back in time.
Recently. Laura left ebay to concentrate on her website, and was interviewed by CNN on the matter. Due to recent changes at ebay in their feedback system and fees, it is very timely.
Read Laura’s thoughts here:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0802/gallery.ex_ebay_sellers.fsb/2.html
You can visit her at VintageFashionLibrary.com. Get your shopping shoes on, and your wallet out and give her some business. There are usually patterns there for all the demographics (ladies, men kids), so no excuse for anyone not to start twelve projects. (And tell her I said hello!)
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