Hi there.
It's Sue.
And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day.
These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and
things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.
If you'd like to submit a topic,
DME over on Instagram at gift biz unwrapped,
before we get into the show today,
I want to make sure that you know about the newest
thing happening over here.
It's called the gift biz bash a zoom party that turns
into a podcast episode.
Several weeks later,
the party consists of a short training with Q and a
from yours truly.
And then an opportunity for you to give a shout out
about your business.
You can tell us about a promotion you currently have going
on or share a collaboration that you're considering so that you
can find a perfect partner for the event.
A little bit of learning and visibility for your business.
What could be better?
There is a catch though spots are limited to keep the
party to about 45 minutes or so.
That means you should grab your spot right away.
It's totally free to make sure you're included.
Why not do that right now?
Pause this episode,
go to gift biz,
unwrapped.com forward slash bash to sign up and then come back
and listen to the show.
I'll see you at the bash.
As I'm recording this,
there is the most wonderful event happening right outside my window.
It's spring,
construction time,
all around the Robins in the Midwest are out and about
building new nests to lay their eggs.
We have a front and center view to a set of
Robbins who take up residency most years,
clearly visible from our kitchen window and just right above our
outdoor patio table.
One of the downspouts curves ever so slightly at the junction
where the downspout meets the wood siding of our house.
A familiar pair at this very moment are busy at work,
fixing up and making everything perfect for their new little babies
of the season.
My heart jumped a little bit yesterday.
When I looked out my upstairs window and saw a red
breasted Robin,
which is the daddy looking in at me.
Could it be,
are they moving back again this year?
I never take this gift for granted being able to observe
from a distance,
the miracles in nature,
I could swear to you that he was saying,
hi, we're back.
And you see,
I wasn't sure if they would be besides being missing last
spring, the winter winds and snow did a number on their
old nest.
It was pretty much demolished,
nothing left,
but a mess of sticks all flattened down with no resemblance
of a nest shape at all.
Most of the siding of the nest was blown away too.
Would they ever come back and rebuild almost from scratch or
would they decide now's the time to permanently relocate?
Meaning we'd lose our ability to observe at such a close
level. I was sad to think we'd miss out on this
special viewing.
Once I saw the Robyn,
I ran down to the kitchen and sure enough,
the nest was being built again.
I guess the location hasn't lost its value.
And this time they're using the Matta down remnants from the
previous nest as a foundation,
I actually think it's going to make for a more stable,
insulated and soft platform for this new home.
I can't put into words how special it is to watch
the progress,
to see the mother Robin,
sit on her eggs when the time comes and the father
bring the worms to the newly hatched babies.
It's a huge topic in our house and puts things in
perspective, given all that's happening around the world these days.
All right,
besides just sharing this as a feel,
good story,
I want to relate it to business.
It is tips and talk day after all the rabbits got
me thinking about seasons in our business and how easy it
would be to just do the same thing over and over
again. Especially if you've been in business for several years now.
I mean the same holidays roll around similar colors and products
are traditional and popular in different seasons.
And we'll probably do various promotions for different holidays.
Of course.
Here's my question for you because you've done this before perhaps
many times,
are you continuing with the same old,
same old,
and is this the best you can?
Do you see here's the deal repeating what you've done in
the past may or may not be the most lucrative or
beneficial thing for growing your sales?
I'll be it.
It's the easiest plan.
Is it possible?
Your customers are growing tired of seeing the same messaging and
offers. Did your plan even work last year or is it
tired, old or a copy of what everyone else is doing
with each new season,
new opportunities present themselves.
And I'm suggesting that instead of going into the default mode
of activity from the past,
do what my Robbins are doing.
They recommitted the nest location,
took what was still usable from a past year and did
some remodeling to make an even better and more secure nest.
Okay. Major side note here,
this new version of the nest has much higher sides than
any Robin's nest I've ever seen.
I'm thinking they kept building up and up because it's been
an extremely cold spring.
So this way the eggs and the mom will have more
protection. That's my theory.
Anyway, you know what?
I'll put up some photos in my Instagram stories at gift
biz on wrapped.
So you can see it and watch along with our little
Robin journey.
Oh, okay.
Getting back on topic here.
How does the Robin theory apply to you?
Well, as each season rolls around again,
think back about the promotions that you did from the prior
year. What worked well,
what still relevant,
what could be improved or,
and I know this is dramatic,
but should the promotion even be repeated at all?
Consider my coaching client who has switched her focus from direct
to consumer purchases to a corporate initiative while she still has
a few father's day gifts as solutions for her new corporate
accounts. She's not putting in the time and effort for father's
day like she did last year because her business has shifted
towards a new target customer.
Doing what she did last year would be counterproductive.
And quite honestly,
confusing changes like this will happen as your business grows and
develops the transition into another season.
Or you could even say just doing this by calendar quarter
is a perfect time to refresh and revise.
So you stay in alignment with your current focus or strategy.
If you're interested in hearing in more detail,
how to analyze your promotions,
jump over to episode number 1 37 of this podcast,
where I give you a step-by-step system.
So your promotions keep getting better and better each and every
year. That is it for me today.
I'm going back to some Robin watching.
That's a wrap.
I'm a get to the point kind of girl.
And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek
sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream
of yours.
Share your handmade products with us.
We want them,
and they bring us both so much happiness.