Giving up

[JanR]

Good morning all

I have been reading all your supportive answers to Teresa (Chickenscratch quilting) because I am in the same boat. I don't want to give up, but one customer in a year is not good for business. :-( I am trying a number of things you all have suggested to Teresa, but it seems that everyone wants a flyer or brochure. I can quilt, and I am very pleased with that (THANKYOU Darlene Epp!!!) but I have no skills what-so-ever when it comes to creating something like a flyer. I waas wondering if anyone can guide me thru the process of creating a flyer. What do you say? What would be a creative 'catch' line? Do I put a picture of the machine? Would anybody be willing to let me see their flyer? I will not be business competition as I live in Northern Ontario. I am getting desperate. I have been applying for jobs as DH isn't so D at this time. :-)

Thankyou

Jan

[The Crafty Unicorn]

Good morning Jan,

I'd be happy to send you one of my flyers. I can send it snail mail or include it in an e-mail. I'm hoping to make it "downloadable" from my website, but that is still a work in progress

With a great name like Northern Lights Quilting, I think you should use some type of swirling colourful graphic on the front cover to get their attention. The you can wow them with a few pictures of your quilting on the inside. A few basic prices and an invitation to contact you for a consultation "For quilts as breathtaking as the Northern Lights"

You can e-mail me directly at leslie@thecraftyunicorn.com I'd be happy to give you some help.

Leslie

[chickenscratch]

Jan, I can send you one of mine to look at, or I will make one up for you that you can copy. It is really very simple, if you have Microsoft word or Office on your computer. There is a template in there for a trifold brochure or flyer. That is what I used. I just typed in the information, pasted the pictures and printed it out. Then I got 100 made at a color copier place.

Let me know what I can do to help. I know EXACTLY how you feel with only 1 customer all year. But, I'm not giving up quite yet. And I won't let you do it either. One thing I plan to do is mail a simple 1 page notice to all the churches, adult daycares, and rest homes in a 100 mile area. Just something telling them I'm here and giving them a special first time price on any quilt up to 60 x 60 with a simple meandering design.

I have also entered two contests in the last month. Hopefully one of those quilts will be accepted to hang at competition. I don't care if I win, I just want to be heard of.

[Mary Beth]

Jan,

Good morning. I am sorry to hear that you are having a struggle with this. I don't want to see anyone quit, even though the thought has crossed my mind. I have been busy lately and I am thankful for that. It just takes building a customer base. I have brochures and I can send you one of mine if you would like, however, I have only given out a few brochures since I started so I am not sure that is the answer. Do you have a program such as Microsoft Publisher? If so, creating a brochure can be very easy. I would be happy to help you if I can. The only place I have given out my brochures was at a craft sale where I was showing my t-shirt quilts. A few women took my brochure, and I have only heard from one of those individuals. She is a friend of one of my regular customers.

I have found that the best place to meet customers is by taking quilting classes at your local quilt store. Even if you already know how to piece, take a class for beginners and let them know you are a machine quilter. We can all learn new techniques and brush up on our skills. Sometimes it is just fun to take a class. Hand out business cards in that class. Usually your fellow classemates will ask for one.

This is just something that has worked for me. I know not everything works for everyone.

Let me know if I can help you,

Mary Beth

[quiltaholi_518]

Jan, I emailed you my brochure, and a couple suggestions. Hope it helps...

[Bekah]

I can tell you as one who has not even got to stitch yet, that there are days when I am ready to give up before I ever start, but the encouragement from everyone here keeps me hopeful.

Jan, HANG IN THERE. I think that Theresa's idea of contacting adult care centers and rest homes sounds like a good way to go along with taking classes at a LQS. Know that we are all pulling for you along with everyone else struggling and just starting out.

Bekah

Shepherd's Garden Quilting

APQS Millenium

[Myrna Ficken]

Hi Teresa or anyone that this may feel it is worth a try.

One thing I wanted to suggest to you ther other day is to call one of the ladies that sent quilts for simple meandering and as ask if she would mind if you did something more custom at no extra charge. Pick out the quilt or piecer that you think may be the best candidate for it. Sometime they just don't know what it will look like or what to have done. When you send her the invoice put what it would have cost (for real) then the amount you are charging her for the simple meandering. It may just get her really excited to have more and to show your work around. Now I am not suggesting that you do this to all just pick one to try it out.

PS: ff you are interested in taking classes in Nashville after the show give me a call.

Myrna

[Susanri]

I have to say I am so glad I bought a used machine that I could pay cash for it. The only problem with that is I am not being aggresive in getting customers since i don't have any bills to pay. My one repeat customer just bought the pfaff set up:), anyway, my problem is that I have been very cautious about stepping on other longarmers terratory, my state is so small, and there are so many longarmers I only found two when doing my research, now there is over ten. I don't care what any rep says this business is getting over saturated and you have to be more creative everyday in how you market yourself.

You have to decide if this is the business you want and then really sit down and write out some action steps to your success. I suggest you get the book a referal of a lifetime by tim templeton. It takes less than two hours to read and it will change the way you think about referals and how to use them. To make this business work today it is hard work and alot of networking.

All the classes and clubs I joined already had a longarmer attending so I don't get customers there. When my cellar is redone I figure I can have my own club or guild meetings. Its not an easy business and somehow you will have to find your niche. Look in the unexpected! for example a high end baby store might consign your quilts, I once went to a restaraunt where a lady was showing her quilts, Our city hall has art displays each month, Office buildings use to have budget for Art, have a quilt class at the local library, or be a guest at your local highschool or community center, this way you can make your own customers. Host a small quilt show as a fundraiser for a worthy cause, great way to meet quilters! Those are just few things you can do to create new customers for yourself.

Good luck on what ever you decide! But I hope you will give it another chance!

[Giftedhands]

I too have emailed a copy of my brochure. However, a brochure is a magnet for your competition. All of mine would disappear out of the shops, but I would have no calls. So I leave cards that I order at vistaprint.com they are CHEAP. Also, talk to the people at your fabric stores (my best references come from Joann's) and your sewing centers...their customers sew, and you can always loan them a sample to display.

Cynthia

[JanR]

Thankyou all for taking the time to answer!! I would love to see any flyers that anybody is willing to share. Being creative with fabrics is second nature. Being creative with the written or spoken word is just not within my abilities. But my husband and I are spreading out all your responses on our kitchen table to see what we can come up with. I will not copy anyones work, but these sure do help with ideas. Thankyou all so very much.

Jan

[JanR]

I have to add here, my one customer was so excited and thrilled at her quilt. She was going home for another quilt for me to do and calling her friend to have her bring her quilts over. Then we never heard anything else from her. She just dissapeared. No baby quilt, no friends quilts. We haven't contacted her and just don't know if we should or not. But so far, that was my only customer.

Jan

[Mary Beth]

Jan,

I think that happens and is not uncommon for people to say they will be back and then whatever happens, happens. I have had customers seem very happy with their quilts and tell me the same things, and I never see them again. Sometimes it just takes a while to get another quilt ready, or for them to finally get around to haing another one quilted.

You may have already done this, but you can search the internet for other machine quilters and read their web sites for wording. I do that all the time. You don't have to say word for word what they say, but it can give you "inspiration" - something might strike a cord with you and you can change it up a little and make it your own.

Good luck with whatever you do.

Mary Beth

[The Crafty Unicorn]

I've had the same experience with lots of "tire kickers". A lady called looking for information on doing a big quilt for her daughter's senior class to raffle off. The other local quilter only does pantos and she really wants custom... I was thrilled, lots of exposure, a chance to really show off, she said she would be in the area in a couple of days, so I waited... nothing. That was 4 months ago. Last week she walked in with the quilt, her life had gotten crazy just like ours do so often... The good news is the quilt is gorgeous, I have lots of ideas and will probably ask the forum for more, the bad news is it needs to be done by Sept 1st . YIKES! I guess the moral is patience I know it's hard sometimes, but once you get one out there, and they tell 2 friends and they tell 2 friends...

Sorry to go on so long, I'm at my icky job and would rather be quilting!!!

Leslie

[quiltbuddy]

If you have the Microsoft Word program it works great, I used it to make up a map of our Quilt Walk program. Another place that you could drum up business is at your Fall Fair, or local quilt show.

Janet

[Judi]

Oh Jan - I hope things will turn around for you soon! Christmas is coming

so hopefully you will get some business. I am starting to get in Christmas

quilts now. Must be a baby explosion around here, been doing mostly little

baby quilts, but better than nothing. I have had slow times too, but use

that time to do your quilts~! You just might get busy and not have the time

later! We can only hope, right?! I am not over-busy, and just took a week

to do somethings for me. The fair is in town this weekend, and I just took

3 quilts down there. That is one way to get your name around too.

Good Luck - we are all pulling for you!

[chickenscratch]

I still have not received any phone calls from the customers at the quilt shop where I went for the "interview". I know they just finished up a class this past Saturday, so I figured some people would want their Santa BOM quilts done. Maybe somebody will call soon. I also haven't heard anything from any of the churches or nursing homes. I guess I may have to make some follow up phone calls to those places. I have two of my 4 quilts done that were mailed to me. I will finish the other two this weekend, then it's back to working on my own things and waiting for customers.

[quiltaholi_518]

How about trying your hand at selling your services on Ebay? I know of someone who does it. She works cheap, but she works ALOT. They all seem to make a couple of bucks extra on shipping. Whne I ship to someone it never costs more than $7.

Here's a link...........http://tinyurl.com/qbsl7

Good luck!

[jakrnsewing]

I have to add a comment about e-bay many quilters are doing work for close to nothing...I did a few auctions and did get some customers out of it all pretty nice to work with but again I was quilting for 3x less than what I would have wanted and they all say the same thing too oh I love the quilt I am going to recommend you to my friends and you never get any other contact from them...one woman on ebay is quilting baby quilts for $15.00 and she is selling auctions like hotcakes,....also does alot of quilts for 25.00 to me not worth it....the most I made on a quilt on ebay was $65.00 and I did a custom quilt for the lady and let me say she was super to work with but again her promises of more work feel short also....What I am trying to say is ebay frustrated me more than not having any business at all....and for quilt shops the one I did some quilting for tells you one thing and does another...I really feel for you...I have my machine paid for so waiting for the good customers is not a problem but if I had payments that would be another story...I hope things start to go your way...I just recently decided not to persue any quilting jobs and someone called me the other day to do two quilts for her..Yah.....but she has cancelled both times she was suppose to drop them off......Jackie

[chickenscratch]

Jackie, I can totally relate to that cancelled appointment thing. I have had so many people call and keep me on the phone for 15 or 20 minutes while I answered all their questions, gave them ideas about prices, threads, etc.

They then schedule an appointment to bring their quilt to me for final decisions and signing paperwork, then they don't show up. I have had 4 people do this to me. I'm thinking about not discussing things over the phone, but making them come to me for their consultation, but that would probably turn off some people.

[Myrna Ficken]

I tell potential customers that I need to see their quilt to give them a better idea about prices, threads, etc. I just state the starting price depending on what I doing. If they are interested it will get them in my door. At that point, I can look at the quilt and get some information from them about the quilt, how it is to be used, etc. Then go into some options and prices. At that point I have an opportunity to show them some of my work. Entice them to choose a bit more custom work or whatever. Looking a person in the eye and being excited about working on their quilt is a big plus in my mind. And it will save me time on the phone when they are just brain picking. Just my thoughts:)

PS: if they don?t want to come to my place of business then I would offer to send a broacher. One could meet at a willing quilt store also.

Myrna

[mrsbishwit]

After reading Caron's post and following the link to e-bay, doing some # crunching, I think I have found a way to make e-bay work (esp. if customers are hard to come by for some of you out there).

Here is what my plan would be if I would sell my LA services on e-bay~

1) Use only the "buy it now" feature instead of actually using the auction feature.

2) Break down the sizes of quilts into catagories & each catagory would be featured by itself with it's own price.

a) SMALL(up to 60" square) $50.00

MEDIUM (up to 90" square) $100.00

c) Large (up to 120" square) $150.00

3) Keep the quilting very simple (no custom) only edge to edge/ simple pantos and limit it to 3-4 choices (show samples of each in the picture area). Such as

a) Ink Blot

Popcorn

c) Steam

d) Deb's Swirl's

4) Have the customer provide backing & batting 8"-10" (4"-5" per side)larger than their quilt top.

5) Charge the customer $10-$15 for shiping depending on the siz of the quilt

6) Have your turn around time be 4 weeks from the time it is received (call or e- mail customer when it is received). This allows life to happen and if you have local customers it helps eveything fall into place.

7) Before shipping it back to customer send them a bill through the Pay-Pal feature stating that once payment is received then the quilt will be mailed out. You can also e-mail them a pic of the quilt that you took with a digital camera.

8) I would also state that thread color will be a neuatral/ color matching for top & to match the back of the quilt.

This pricing isn't too far off, than what I normally charge with my 25% off promo that I run with my pantos about 6 mos per year. But with limiting the panto choices to the most easiest I have I would be able to do the e-bay quilts in less time than the more complicated pantos. Plus I would be bringing in more business to help pay the bills during the lean months or while waiting to build up more local business.

Also another thing to think about is only do e-bay if or when you need a little more $ for your business and then not if your client base is steady and strong.

Well that's my plan if I ever decide to go the e-bay way.

Joann

[Judi]

Joann -

Those are pretty good prices and ideas, but remember that both ebay and

Paypal take their cut of the money too. I have sold things before, never did

quilting - and don't think I will, but you have to be sure to add in the extra

couple of bucks on the shipping end to help cover charges and such.

[Guest Linda S]

Wow - maybe I should send my quilts to Joann! Her prices are certainly better than mine. I won't load even the smallest quilt on my machine for under $50. Of course, there's a lot of quilting business in my neck of the woods, so maybe I can charge a little more. Just don't sell yourselves short, quilters. Your time is valuable! As one of my friends says, "It is not my responsibility to make the customer's hobby affordable!"

Linda

[mrsbishwit]

I have plenty of quilters in my area as well (I don't intend to do e-bay) but what I was saying is if people are not able to make ends meet financially and they wanted to or needed to pay their machine off there is a way to do it on e-bay without giving away your skill for free. I wouldn't piece the quilt top and then quilt it for those prices (& I wouldn't provide them with batting or backing the customer would have to provide their own with their own quilt top), but a simple easy panto that I mentioned in my other post I can do fairly quickly (the king sz quilt I could get done in a few hours that would average about $50 per hour even after the e-bay/paypal fees, which are not that much per transaction and is figured into the shipping cost).

I charge my clients that come for appointments;

1) LxWx .015 for pantograghs (which is my Basic)

2) LxWx .020 for pantograghs with 1 border design (which is my Basic Plus)

3) LxWx .030 for custom ( no formal feathers, no trapunto,etc..) just stitch in the ditch, background fills multiple borders, basic block designs & such

These prices are standard in my area.

I offer several promotions through out the year which are;

December, January, February, June, July & August 25% off my Basic & Basic plus quilting no speciality threads, custom, backing, batting or other services included (usually ends up being about 20-30 dollars off only) This tends to be slow months do to holidays and summer vacation expenses. But with the promo I still maitain a steady stream of clients that also bring me their quilts in the other months that I don't offer the 25% off promo.

March, April, May, Sept, Oct. & Nov. I give 1 free custom embroidered quilt label away with every quilt order a $15. value just because I want to do something nice for my customers.

I want to be able to provide quality, afordable LA quilting to every quilter not just to the ones that can afford top $. For the clients that I have which money is no object, they have me do custom, specialty threads, binding, & quilt label.

Joann

[Susanri]

The prices on Ebay I have seen have always seem to be around $45.00 for a queen, and imagine getting a PITA you could never sell again on ebay. Lindas right don't work for free.