Turning out quality products: You only have one chance to impress a customer, so I advise you to never let anything go out the door that you are not completely happy with. Too often I have clients that are new to the business and buy an embroidery machine. They are so excited and start taking orders from customers, sometimes even before they get the machine. Be aware that there is a learning curve that comes with embroidery. When we got our machine, it took us several weeks to turn out a consistent product. If you do your own digitizing it can take months to be consistent. Producing the items when you promise them: Delivering your product when you promise is tremendously important. Do not promise something this afternoon if you are not sure you can deliver. I would rather tell a customer that you can’t get to it until Friday and call them to tell them that you completed it early. Finding your niche is important: There are all kinds of sources for customers, you need to identify your customer base. Some examples… sports, public safety, military, motorcycle clubs, schools, Greek organizations, churches, weddings, funerals, children, Christmas, fraternal organizations, monogramming, and the list goes on. You can focus on any one or combination as your customer base. You may want to focus on several groups so if one has a down season the other kicks in. |