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Hi there.

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It's Sue.

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And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day.

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These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and

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things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.

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If you'd like to submit a topic,

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DME, over on Instagram at gift biz unwrapped,

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if you started a business around your handmade product,

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you plan to have people buy it,

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right, obviously,

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but here lies a potential problem and common mistake.

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I see people make just because your creations are perfection in

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terms of style and workmanship.

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And you've gotten compliments from friends,

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family, and beyond that,

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doesn't automatically mean that people will pull out their credit cards

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and buy it's.

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For this reason that I was thrilled.

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When I saw Doreen post a photo in gift biz breeze

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for a new holiday product she's made.

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And she asked for feedback on whether we think it's going

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to sell.

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I'm happy because she's asking the question.

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Most people don't.

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The common mistake is to assume people will buy it's the,

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if I make it,

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they will buy field of dreams,

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mentality. Then a lot of inventory is made,

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which as we all know is an investment of time and

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money into materials and production,

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of course,

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but it's all done before you even know if it's going

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to sell.

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So what's the solution.

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How do you determine a sales winner?

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The hard answer is at first,

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you don't,

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especially when you're brand new,

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still getting a feel for your market.

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You don't know for sure about product interest,

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not to mention the best sizes,

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flavors and colors that your specific audience will want.

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This all comes with time,

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but fear not.

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When you ask the question and validate your product first,

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you'll save yourself a lot of axed.

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It's also in this beginning stage that adjustments are really easy

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still, and you're not stuck with a lot of unsaleable product.

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You can make the necessary tweaks to your product that do

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interest your customers and entice them to place those orders.

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Or you switch out the product entirely because as adorable as

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it is,

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nobody actually really wants it.

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Specially, if they have to pay for it,

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gosh, that's a hard pill to swallow.

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Isn't it.

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But way better to know this early on,

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than later in the game,

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the best way to approach product validation is at a live

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show. Whether it's a craft show,

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holiday church,

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Bazaar, or farmer's market,

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getting in front of people with your product is the golden

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research ticket.

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You have the opportunity to see how they behave when first

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seen your products.

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And you also have the ability to ask questions,

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questions to yourself,

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and then also for your customers directly,

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things that you'll think about in your own mind and ask,

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as you're observing are of all the products I'm showing,

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which ones are people gravitating to most?

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Do they know what it is and how to use it?

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Don't laugh.

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This is important because I've seen some products out there where

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people really aren't quite sure what it is.

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Here's another question.

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How are people interacting with my products?

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Do they pick up the shells and test to see how

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soft they are?

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Do they open a candle jar to smell the scent?

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Do they check out the weight of your largest earrings side

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note here?

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When someone picks up your products,

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take note,

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not only of which ones they're reaching for,

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but what you think it is.

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They're trying to discover by picking it up.

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All of this observation is valuable unto itself,

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but interacting in hearing from your customers directly is another way

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to learn how people are responding to your creations,

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ask them about how they think they'll use it.

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Is it for themselves or a gift,

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or maybe you've been thinking of adding in more sense.

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So give them some options of some of the sense you're

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considering and listen to what they suggest and what they would

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like best.

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There are so many ways to interact with questions.

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Where are you planning on hanging your new painting?

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Have you already decided where in your home,

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this new Afghan will go?

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Are you buying this necklace for a special event?

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Things like that.

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It gives you great ideas for social posts.

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In addition to educating you with what goes on in your

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customer's head,

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plus it starts establishing a relationship between you and your potential

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customer. So back to the main point here today,

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how do you know if something will sell?

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If it's a version of a product that you already have,

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you should be able to gauge sales success for that product

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based on projections,

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off of your own experience and sales numbers.

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Or if you have a friend who makes a similar product,

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they live maybe three states away or so.

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And they see that it's really taking off.

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That could be a good indication that it might work for

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you as well.

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But notice I said might because every market is just a

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little bit different.

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However, the odds in this case are stacked in your favor.

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But if your product has never been seen before,

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you'll have to try it out to see you won't know

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until you do.

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So. The answer to the question,

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how do I know if my product will sell or not?

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You won't until you test,

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but when you do test the market and validate that there

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are customers who are willing to buy what you make,

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you've just shortcut your path to growth and can go full

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steam ahead,

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not through wishful thinking,

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but through testing and real Results.

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That's a wrap.

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I'm a get to the point kind of girl.

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And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek

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sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream

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of yours,

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share your handmade products with them.

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We get to the point and they bring us both.

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And this is what you can expect from these quick sessions.

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Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream of

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yours. Share your handmade products with us.

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We want them and they bring us both so much happiness.<inaudible>.