How do you...???

[Smitty37]

Many of you are selling a lot of pens...let me ask you, where/how do you find the customers.

 

[rjwolfe3]

Word of mouth and Internet!

 

[TellicoTurning]

same here, word of mouth, internet and I do craft shows.

 

[Great Googly Moogly]

I have found that if you make a pen for someone as a gift...that person will tell everyone he/she knows and that is the simplest form of advertising. My experience...I made one pen for someone and that has turned into 20-30 customers.

 

[gvanweerd]

I have found that if you make a pen for someone as a gift...that person will tell everyone he/she knows and that is the simplest form of advertising. My experience...I made one pen for someone and that has turned into 20-30 customers.

Same Here. Word of mouth for me works very well. One high quality pen is very good advertising.

 

[Robert Taylor]

i must not be doing it right. i have given many pens away and have not had a single request from any perspective customers. i have done eight craft shows in the past two years and only sold sixteen pens total. the $1,000 income from those however helps support my addiction to turning.

 

[gwisher]

i must not be doing it right. i have given many pens away and have not had a single request from any perspective customers. i have done eight craft shows in the past two years and only sold sixteen pens total. the $1,000 income from those however helps support my addiction to turning.

I have been giving away pens for about 2 weeks now to some people at work and family. So far I have 3 sales from the ones I have given away at work. And as for family goes thats a whole different ball park. I gave one of my very first ones to my dad and it was cracked. He showed it to one of his friends and he is interested in an order of 200 slim lines!!!! I just have to get a portfolio together and show him what I can do. I am just about done with that as of thursday.

So I am hopeful :biggrin:

 

[Scotchman-Turner]

I keep a display case at a local high end antique and gift shop, also did 2 shows in 09.

 

[JimB]

i must not be doing it right. i have given many pens away and have not had a single request from any perspective customers. i have done eight craft shows in the past two years and only sold sixteen pens total. the $1,000 income from those however helps support my addiction to turning.

Who you give them to can be important. If you have given away several to coworkers then other coworkers may just be waiting for their free pen.

Also, the people you give them to need to be showing them to people who can afford to buy one of your pens. If the person receiving your free pen is showing it to friends, family and coworkers who can barely afford to put food on the table then you are not going to get sales.

 

[gwisher]

Who you give them to can be important. If you have given away several to coworkers then other coworkers may just be waiting for their free pen.

Also, the people you give them to need to be showing them to people who can afford to buy one of your pens. If the person receiving your free pen is showing it to friends, family and coworkers who can barely afford to put food on the table then you are not going to get sales.

I agree, you need to give them to the right people. For my co-workers I only gave the pens to the people I have a close working relationship with. If I were going to give them a christmas gift anyways I'd give them a pen instead. They all said "you should sell these" and I replied "I do and I'll give you a commission if you make a sale for me" Instantly they were talking to pens up to anyone who asked about them.

 

[JohnU]

What everyone else said and.... I try to get the attention of certain intrest groups. Antler and feather pens work well with outdoorsmen and the local chapters of Pheasants Forever, Whitetails Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, and the Wild Life Turkey Federation. Corncob pens go well in diners where the local farmers eat. Colorful acrylics work at almost any office, hospital or school especially when you can coordinate the right color with them. Lable Casting pens with names and icons on them work well with Businesses, Cops, Firemen, and Nurses. I give a lot of pens away but I try to get them to people that deal with people. Other than that, its just word of mouth. As said above, when I give one away, I ask them to let me know if anyone they know wants one and try to kick back an extra something to them when it works outs. I also make antler trades with local hunters for making pens with their antler.

 

[jfoh]

Never carry a ugly pen. Several times I have had people ask where I got my great looking pen. Easy to sell them one after they ask if they can get one like it. Offer to make one like it and give them a price. We tend to carry our failures when we should be carry our very best as a salesman sample.

One high dollar hair and body salon ended up being over 100 pen sales. I have gotten back all the money my wife and daughter spent in the shop plus some. Owner put my pens in her displays and sold them for top dollar. She knows her clients and that they have money for impulse buys. If I suggested a $50 or $75 selling price she raised it to $75 - 100. Before she put the pens in her shop she looked over each of them and made sure they were in fact perfect. Not just fit and finish but they overall eye appeal. Going back in a few weeks and drop off a collection for springtime. Hard to sell springtime pens when it is cold a heck outside.

Sales are where you find them.

 

[Smitty37]

Thanks

Thank you all...I have done craft shows (no sales). Given tons away. Sold some at the eBay $.99 no reserve auctions. I sold 7 teacher's pens to a principal to give as rewards to teachers who did something special. A collector bought about 15 from my eBay store. I have sold a few matched sets to folks who wanted them as gifts. I do show some pens that have mistakes but won't sell them, I tell folks that I can make one similar for them.

I guess I just have to wait. I have had sales of a hundred or so pens and have given away about the same number... Of course my pens have been getting better as I learn more about wood and finishing.

 

[Daniel]

I agree with giving them to the right people. Doctors hang with the right sort of crowed but seldom if ever will have the time to tell anyone about your product. other business people will run hot and cold on that subject. Attourneys, real estate people, Car salesmen type people. Basically anyone that Image is a primary concern or topic in their profession are good candidates. I also found a few what I call sleeper promoters. My Niece is a nail salon tech and works in one of the better salons in our area. I gave her a pen and she keeps it at her table for customers to use. Since she is in an upper end salon she gets lots of upper income customers. they seem to have a lot of friends that pens make great gifts for.
On that note. I find pens sell the best as gifts. I have a few customers that have bought pens just for themselves and it is easiest to sell to someone buying for themselves, but by far my pens are being bought by one person to give to another.

 

[NewLondon88]

I gave a cocobolo pencil to the woman at the local Cable office and she loved it. Every
time I saw her, she was talking about it.. but she wouldn't use it. I told her it was
meant to use. Then I made her a matching pen.
She'll talk it up but keeps them in the box and won't use them at all.
I keep trying to explain that they're not knick knacks .. they're meant to use, but she
insists that they're too nice to risk damaging. (they're OK, but not THAT nice!)
Friday she told me that her granddaughter wants them when she passes on.. so she's
actually putting these two slimlines in her will.
Go figure..

 

[gwisher]

I gave a cocobolo pencil to the woman at the local Cable office and she loved it. Every
time I saw her, she was talking about it.. but she wouldn't use it. I told her it was
meant to use. Then I made her a matching pen.
She'll talk it up but keeps them in the box and won't use them at all.
I keep trying to explain that they're not knick knacks .. they're meant to use, but she
insists that they're too nice to risk damaging. (they're OK, but not THAT nice!)
Friday she told me that her granddaughter wants them when she passes on.. so she's
actually putting these two slimlines in her will.
Go figure..

I gave a set of Euros to my aunt and uncle (his and her set) for christmas. They were in awe over them. My aunt who is a nurse said she uses a pen at work most often and knows people who would want one but she too was affraid to use it at work. She said it was too nice to bang around. So I also gave her a Slim that she can use at work and show off. She said she knows a lot of Dr's that like a nice pen. So hopefully that works out as well.