Marketing 101 for knifemakers

[WhiteH2OWoman]

I love knives and I have a lot of respect for all you hard-working, creative knifemakers...and that's why it makes me sad to see beautiful knives go begging just because the maker didn't know how to market his (or her) creations.

From a marketing standpoint, here are the most common ways I see knifemakers shooting themselves in the foot from a sales standpoing:

1. Cringing when they hear the word "marketing" because they confuse it with a sleazy used-car salesman. I ain't talking about that. Everyone markets whatever they do every day--even people with jobs do it to get a job and to keep it.

2. Failure to maintain a decent website--which means you MUST have a blog! Did you know that a static website (without a blog) will take about 6 to 12 months to even show up in Google...but if you put a blog on it and post every day for the first 30 days and then 3 times a week after that, you can jump your site up into Google within WEEKS? Spend the money, do a good site & blog.

3. Not trying hard enough to make it as easy for the customer to pay as possible. I can't count the times I've run into knifemakers who've somehow stumbled online, yet they won't take the time to set up PayPal and insist on making me drive 18 miles round trip into town to get a money order or cashier's check...and then insist on shipping USPS (which makes us drive into town to pick up packages.) Bottom line--make it as EASY as possible for people to buy from you by giving them MULTIPLE OPTIONS for payment AND delivery!

4. Coming back with something rude when a customer offers you less than the asking price. Three words: just say "no." Being rude runs us off for life. "No," said politely, can keep us coming back.

5. Lack of good social skills. Really, would it kill you to start your emails and phone calls with something like, "Hi, how are you today? I'm emailing you about the xyz knife you asked me about on blade forums." Give details--busy businesspeople like me might be making multiple buys/deals, so be clear about who you are, where you're from, and what you're emailing/calling about.

OK, just had to get that off my chest. Hope it helps.

 

[vikingextreme93]

I think for a lot of the guys here..they make knifes because they enjoy it and sell them as supplemental income. If everyone followed this advise I would have two words for us collectors, SATURATED MARKET just my 2 cents

 

[bladefoolish]

Good advice; however you forgot to mention the biggest impediment to knife sales: the utter reluctance to part with "your" knives.

I used to cringe everytime I had to ship a knife.

 

[WhiteH2OWoman]

OK, despite the heat coming down on me, I will give a few more pieces of advice, based upon the knife I received last week and the delivery method.

1. If you want to sell more knives, offer multiple payment options and multiple delivery methods. Money order only? Someone in the country has to drive all the way to town to get one. PayPal only? Someone might not have credit cards.

2. Offer multiple delivery options--ask your customer how THEY would like to receive the knife. That knife I got last week cost me $225 of my time to receive, since it was shipped USPS Signature Required. I live at the dead-end of a 1.4 mile private road and USPS is too lazy to drive up here...so I had to drive 18 miles round-trip into town on slow country roads, stand in line, and FINALLY sign for a $150 knife. I can understand you may feel you need a signature to receive, but LET THE CUSTOMER KNOW THAT in advance in case it's a problem for them.

3. Consider rounding off sharp edges at the tip of the handle of fixed-blade knives. The one I just received had SHARP corners which dug into my ribs when placed in it's sheath and put on my belt. THINK, people...ergonomics doesn't just mean it fits your hand well. It also means "doesn't dig into the customer's ribs when she or he puts it on their belt."

Again, hope this helps.

 

[babakanoosh45]

Maybe I'm missing somthing here but, I can't ever find one of our knife makers wares for sale they go so quick. If you follow most custom knife makers web sites they don't have anything for sale or are back logged for a year. I'm waiting on a Lee Reeves Double Bit Axe I ordered a year ago... Not complaining in the least he told me it would be this long. My question is how does anything you (The OP) posted here going to assist them in making Custom One of Kind Knives any faster? As long as I have been here I have never seen a thread from a maker asking "Why can't I sell any knives?" I'm a bit confused thats all. Been on the boards for a whole 17 post and you (the OP) have it all figured out...

 

[T.K.C.]

I gotta agree with babakanoosh45. I don't know ANY custom makers that are having trouble selling any of their knives.

 

[Ozy]

I gotta agree with babakanoosh45. I don't know ANY custom makers that are having trouble selling any of their knives.

Absolutely!

 

[knarfeng]

4. Coming back with something rude when a customer offers you less than the asking price. Three words: just say "no." Being rude runs us off for life. "No," said politely, can keep us coming back.

Aside from Baba's comments, with which I agree, I have a hard time with your #4 requirement. Does the knife site say "OBO"? or does it list the price.

If it were I and I had put my skill and sweat into designing an making a knife, I might well be insulted if I said, "the price is x" and some idiot says "No, I want you to sell it to me for less."

The fact that this has apparently happened to you tells me all I need to know about you.

 

[John T Wylie Jr]

OK, despite the heat coming down on me, I will give a few more pieces of advice, based upon the knife I received last week and the delivery method.

1. If you want to sell more knives, offer multiple payment options and multiple delivery methods. Money order only? Someone in the country has to drive all the way to town to get one. PayPal only? Someone might not have credit cards.

Some do not like to use paypal , cant fault them for that , especially when Paypal specifically states:
Prohibited Activities
You may not use the PayPal service for activities that:
#2 relate to sales of (h) certain firearms, firearm parts or accessories, ammunition, weapons or knives.

2. Offer multiple delivery options--ask your customer how THEY would like to receive the knife. That knife I got last week cost me $225 of my time to receive, since it was shipped USPS Signature Required. I live at the dead-end of a 1.4 mile private road and USPS is too lazy to drive up here...so I had to drive 18 miles round-trip into town on slow country roads, stand in line, and FINALLY sign for a $150 knife. I can understand you may feel you need a signature to receive, but LET THE CUSTOMER KNOW THAT in advance in case it's a problem for them.

And do the makers not have to drive to the PO to ship your knife ? or if you require FED EX , do they not have to drive to Fed Ex to ship your knife ? What is their time worth ? Do they charge you for their time to ship ? I don't think they do.

if you need specific shipping , why wouldn't you specify it ? Do you expect the knifemaker to know that you have to drive 18 miles round trip ( 9 miles each way is no biggie even in the city ).

3. Consider rounding off sharp edges at the tip of the handle of fixed-blade knives. The one I just received had SHARP corners which dug into my ribs when placed in it's sheath and put on my belt. THINK, people...ergonomics doesn't just mean it fits your hand well. It also means "doesn't dig into the customer's ribs when she or he puts it on their belt."

Again, hope this helps.

That has nothing to do with marketing at all , that is something that if you are not happy with should be taken up with the maker. Have you done that ?

5. Lack of good social skills. Really, would it kill you to start your emails and phone calls with something like, "Hi, how are you today?

you seem to value your time @ $225 per hour , yet you seem to have high demands for other people time. Lets see , what did that maker earn per hour selling you that $150 knife ? Perhaps $10 / hour ?

Sounds like sour grapes to me.

 

[atakach]

being a man of my word and standing behind my work, i must chime in as the seller of this knife and at the risk of sounding like an attack(it's not) i just want both sides of the story to be heard. i will admit we both should have done things a bit differently. before i continue i want to make note the matter between the buyer and myself was discussed through visitor messaging, and was addressed and ended in an absolutley positive way. i feel she's not attacking me, and i consider the matter a closed case.

here was my response:



"dear ****,

sorry for the inconvience, I regret mailing that way now, I went to ups, but the little local yocal ups place we have in town, isn't much of a place, and the lady there was about 80yrs old, and really making the whole thing complicated, telling me she couldn't guarantee that they would deliver to door.

She told me it would depend on the property / drive way layout, on wether or not they would bring to door, so i went to the us po, and they said if i shipped deliv. conformation, they'd leave a slip in the box with a number that you could call and schedule it to be brought to the door at a time of your convience. I thought that would have worked for you.
Truley I am sorry, and as for the sheath I didn't ask if you were left handed, I stated that I offer sheaths in left or right hand. i have heard of others doing the same thing when carrying a gun, mine's in the small of my back always, so i seldom think of that senerio, unless the buyer points it out.

the sharp corners, well i kinda new they were, but didn't think they were that bad, or i'd have rounded them. i never tried the sheath on my belt, to see how they felt against the body, i just didn't want to take away from the crisp look of the butt of the knife.

for what it's worth im happy through all of this you are pleased with the knife, and hope that we can do business again some time."

sincerely
andrew takach


P.S. IN NO WAY AM I TRYING TO TURN THIS INTO A BATTLE BUT I FEEL THE NEED TO PUT THIS DAMN ISSUE TO REST, I WAS NEVER IGNORANT, NOR WAS I LOW-BALLED ON THE PRICE.

THE KNIFE WAS $150, AND HERE IT IS

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THE FORSALE THREAD CAN BE SEEN AT: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=608315

AND THE AFTER SALE CONVERSATION CAN BE VIEWED IN MY VISITOR MESSAGES WHICH ARE PUBLIC FOR ALL TO VIEW, AS WELL AS MY FEED BACK FROM OTHER BUYERS WHICH I'D URGE YOU TO VIEW IF YOUR GONNA COMMENT ON THIS ISSUE.