are you worried if it will sell or not?

Dan Gray

Dan Gray

Joined
Jun 25, 2001
Messages
8,474
if they sell they sell.. :p
the knife has an owner out there, you just have to fine him...believe that..

with that attitude you don't feel bad if they hang around for a while, ..
and you don't worry about having to haggle with price.

a friend and a Maker that has been making for about as long as I have told me once,,
they will sell in time,,,,

if you have a good reasonable price on them, reasonable for you and the customer for the work done on them..they will sell.

believing you have to sell it and dickering too hard shows the buyer your desperate, and that can put him in the back up mode. place a price margin on a knife that you can live with for the dickers on the one of a kinds, they want a deal,
for the reg models ( more than one of the same ) , hold true on the price, others that have bought them from you at a higher price, and then see you've marked them down will get upset with you.. you need repeat buyers.
I also believe if a customer wants a deal when buying more that one at a time , that is OK too, if you want to give him a brake but just don't brake yourself, remember they will sell.
keeping in mind at all times..
it's 10 times harder to get a new customer than it is to keep an old customer..
so keep him happy..you don't have to give him better deals money wise but you can
pay real good attention to him..doing other things for him, like getting that new order he made with you out a little faster for him..hey, same money, you got the money faster and you both are a happy camper..matches made in haven..

I got an e-mail this morning from a Friend that I got in to knife making this morning
and he said he just got 2 more orders in the last two days and that made 3 this week and he said with no advertising.. :eek: NOT,,, some how some way advertising got him those orders..something or someone pointed them in his direction, someone saw his work, or someone had him in the back of their mine because they heard of him or saw his work else where.. just the knife it self is advertising, put your name on it...

What's working for you.. :) or not working ??? :confused:
 
My main focus is to make knifes that I personally like. The more I am "into" a project, the better it turns out. I figure I am a knife fan, and if I can look and make something that thrills me, it surely will thrill someone else. The customers I want are the customers who share a taste similar to mine....at least at this point! I try to attempt something new on each knife at this point...Then slowly stack those options...I am still a new maker but feel confidence when I put something I just finished in my hand and say "Man, if only I could afford to own my own knives"...heeeheee! Anyone else not own a sale-quality knife of their own? Mine are all seconds...
 
sunfishman said:
Good info Dan and well said,
I can't think of much to add except get your name out there and "don't you make no ugly knife" :p

Don Hanson lllsunfishforge.com
Click to expand...


No ugly knives eh? Damn. ;)

Good info Dan. I used to move down my prices if something didn't sell quick enough, but Buxton set me straight on that one.

TikTock -- Doing knives you personally like is a good idea as you will be more "into" making it and it will show in the end.
 
I always prefer to make what I liek,but sometimes ya gotta make one you dont like(gotta pay the bills) these are always harder for me to make.If the design is just way to outta this world for you though it is better to turn it down,always someone out there that will like to make it for the customer.better to turn one down than have something you dont like and doesnt show your best work because of this than just get the money.Customers do understand this and will come back with a design you like if they really want you to make them a knife.

If I have something that sits on the shelf for very long I will put it in the drawer,outta site outta mind,as if I get very many setting I start not wanting to make any more as I need to recoupe my money,it is a mind game I know,but with them outta site I dont get that feeling and keep on making.

I agree that every knife has a home to go to sooner or later,and have to remind myself of this sometimes instead of looking at it and wondering what is wrong with it.

The knife on my hip is usually my biggest advertiser for the local market.I used to only carry my seconds,then one day I asked myself why I was showing off a second and having to tell people that is waht it was :eek: believe me you are better off to make yourself a really nice clean knife to carry and use,shows they are not all show to the public this way,you are not telling people that it is a second but that it is what you make all the time,You will actually be prowder of it when you show it off,and you can wright it off as advertising expense :D :D .So when the one I carry starts getting to beat up or is showing signs of to many quick sharpenings on the grinder,I make myself a new one,something I want.You would be suprised how much more business you can generte this way as opposed to showing a second,which you wouldnt let out of the shop to sell to a customer anyway...does this make sense?

Bruce
 
Mr. Evans,
I agree with you completely. I carry a knife that is so pretty that i almost hate to use it, but it serves well as advertising. I work as a D.O.D. training contractor, mormally in the middle east, thus am constantly around soldiers and ex soldiers. I made a really pretty medium size fighter/general use knife originally intended for sale but the buyer backed out and I took it for my own use, almost as an after thought. I have had offers for the knife, for far more than i had originally priced it, and have thus far refused, but have taken several orders for similar ones.
By the way, the spine of the knife is decorated with vine file work that I learned to do from your tutorials. I have learned so much from you over the past several years and respect you greatly. Your tutorials are always clear and concise and are a great help not only to me, but to any other knife maker who comes in contact with them. thank you sir
 
Well said Dan. I've found a niche in the outdoor user market. I use my own outdoor and hunting experience to make knives for that type of user. Internet interaction has helped me unbelieveably. I try to stay on the forums as much as time permits. These days with my work load increasing, I can't hang on the computer as much.
Scott
 
Well said guys. Dan, I learned the lesson to stick to your price from two people who have been very influential for me. The first is the knife dealer who convinced me to start making again; he seldom dickers on knife prices and is willing to hold a knife for a couple of years if that's what it takes to move it at his price. And they move eventually. The second was Bruce Evans, who also told me to set a reasonable price and stick to it - the owner will eventually come and get his knife. Bruce was right.

As to only keeping your seconds - I too used to do that but finally found myself with one that a customer didn't take and started carrying it like tarantula2097 did. Lo, before I knew it I had orders tripping over each other and I was way into a long list to work through. I'm still cussing myself for that! :D I find that constantly doing orders weighs on me, because there are many projects that I want to do but having made promises on the orders do not have time to work on them. If I were a more dedicated maker I could meet my deadlines and work a few of my own projects in between, but I'm just too slow. It's hard enough for me to get knives done for my customers sometime in the same year I promised them.

If this happens to you, that you find yourself in the position you're not going to be able to deliver a knife when promised, do everyone a favor and let your customer know well before he's looking for his knife. I've found that people will adjust their expectations much better if you give them time than if you just hit them with a delay when your delivery date rolls around. Like Dan said, keeping your customers happy is one of the best advertisements...
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Every piece of art is an expression of your eye.

There is an owner for every thing you create.
 
Does this change for a new maker? I have only been selling my knives for about 5 -6 months when they reached a point when I was comfortable with how they were coming out.

As a new maker, i feel its important to get as many knives out there as possible (of course, of the best quality possible)...if one isnt selling for whateve reason, should I be lowering my price and consider it part of the startup cost as a new maker, or should I be pricing and sticking to my guns?

I think pricing is that hardest part of knifemaking for me. I had a knife recently that I consider to be my best yet, and don't know how to price it at all. its very difficult to compare prices since reputation plays such a big factor in a knife's worth. Everyone says a knife is worth what someone is willing to pay, but no one wants to spend 6 months finding out what that amount is, ya know?

When do you know to stick to your guns, and when your price might just be a little too high?
 
Set your prices and the orders will come to you. I wish I could make the knives quicker, but I can't. I am in a unique position here. I am well known by a lot of locals and circulate a lot, seeing many of them often. My orders come via word of mouth. In fact, I have stopped taking orders until I get caught up somewhat. I have a customer in Kentucky that has 2 of the three knives still not finished. I delivered one to him and informed him I am sending a gut zipper to him as a gift for being such a good customer and fella. He has sent a lot of additional business my way, and I would like to return the favor. I also carry a quick sharpner with me at work and put a quick field edge on knives for folks at work, free. That gets my name out there, too. It's not unusual to do 2 or 3 sharpenings per week at work, and only takes a minute or two to do one. The Edgemaker Pro has created a lot of good will with folks on the installation. I have folks that bring me knives at work that have the blade points broken off, and ask me to fix. I do this for free, and it only takes a minute or two. I like doing it, and it makes another happy person that will mention your name when conversations involve knives.
 
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