ok cheesy title, serious problem...
Came back from hiatus, created a new layout for a store, new products, and brought in some other designers with unique work... December was a bomb, January wasn't good, February was only slightly better and now March is finally what i'd call so-so.
As i've always done, i host events for my niche market for the free advertising. It would seem however though, that i'm wasting my time, the newcomers are already familiar with my store before they come to the events. It's become 'expected' of me to hold these events...and every time i've tried to include a similar RP community/demographic in with mine, they don't support my store, because they aren't really interested in my products- but rather the thousands of lindens i give out in contests. I'm not interested conversely in designing things for their RP- it's not my cup of tea. None of the other designers who i work with host these events, nor do they spend money with me in my shop. While they are very thankful and seemingly grateful for their exposure, it doesn't pay the bills. As a test, i put out a popular item for a low price recently. Within one day several hundreds had been sold...but not much else. The other designers aren't admitting to any major increase in sales either. Everywhere i go i see my low priced product, never do i see my others. In getting to know my customers i've found out that the majority of them are under 20 iRL. They tell me they rarely have any money in SL and they can't afford something as low as 200L.
So here i sit...with a store that people (i hate to even say this) love so much they write me once or twice a week to tell me (very kind of them, but i don't want to sound braggish here) although transaction logs say they didn't buy anything...They just like the ambiance? I almost wish i could just hand it over to someone else who has more time to design because i've created what for all intents and purposes should be HUGELY successful. It's one of the only stores of it's kind, seriously, in SL and gets by on free advertising and word of mouth for the most part. You can't tell by the revenue, but the traffic is good and the group is rapidly growing that's affiliated with it. If i leave it, i will have to allow someone else to run it, or NEVER hear the end of it from my community. Crazy sounding yes, but it's as if i've become mother to hordes of broke kids who really don't care if i turn a profit or not! I honestly feel as though i'm just running an attraction at this point- not a store- and since i can't find anyone to host the events, or be even ten percent as involved as i am with it- it's finally worn me down to a nub again. God i hate burnout..i feel as though i've painted myself into a corner, trapped by my own doings and choices in supporting this group of people, who frankly aren't doing me any favors.
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windswept Mountain
Registered User
Join date: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 13
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03-21-2008 13:18
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3Ring Binder
always smile
Join date: 8 Mar 2007
Posts: 15,028
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03-21-2008 13:37
sounds like you need to choose between doing something you like and not making a profit, or switching to focusing on makin a profit and not doing what you like.
what's more important to you? only you can answer this. _____________________
it was fun while it lasted.
http://2lf.informe.com/ |
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Madhu Maruti
aka Carter Denja
Join date: 6 Dec 2007
Posts: 749
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03-21-2008 13:38
I'm sorry you are feeling burnt out, Windswept.
Your post was kind of vague as to what market you are in, and I'm not in world to go check out your shop - I probably don't know much about the particular RP niche anyhow (because I'm not up on most of those things). I'm sure your stuff is very nice. The one thing that really comes through to me from your post is that you have priced your items out of the market in which they sell. If the community that desires your items is a community that doesn't have a lot of money, you have to either price your items so that they can be afforded, or accept the fact that you won't make a lot of sales. If you get good results when you lower your prices then you probably should do that. One of the nice things about SL that is different from the real world is that once you have designed a product and paid for a place to sell it your costs remain fixed whether you sell 1 unit or 100. So if you sell no items at your current prices but could sell 100 if you lower your prices, why not lower them? _____________________
 Visit Madhu's Cafe - relax with your friends in our lush gardens, dance with someone special, enjoy the sounds of classic Bollywood and Monday Night World Music parties - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Milyang/39/16/701/ |
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Wildefire Walcott
Heartbreaking
Join date: 8 Nov 2005
Posts: 2,156
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03-21-2008 13:41
As a test, i put out a popular item for a low price recently. Within one day several hundreds had been sold...but not much else. The other designers aren't admitting to any major increase in sales either. Everywhere i go i see my low priced product, never do i see my others. You didn't see this as a hint that maybe you charge too much? If you sold hundreds and you see people use it all the time (whatever it is), people must like your work, but maybe it's out of your demographic's price range, or priced higher than competition? Lots of sales at a low price are always better than zero sales at a high one. _____________________
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Nika Talaj
now you see her ...
Join date: 2 Jan 2007
Posts: 5,449
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03-21-2008 13:50
I'm not sure I'm on the "your-products-are-too-high-priced" bandwagon. It may be that you are not holding the kind of events that attract people who have Lindens. Personally, I don't go to events where they give away Lindens ... it attracts people like ... well ... your customers!
It is hard to say anything about what you SHOULD do without knowing anything about what you make. It is hard to say whether, for example, your products simply need improvement without looking at them. It's hard to recommend different types of advertising/events without knowing what your niche is. I checked inworld, and this is clearly an alt designed for maximum anonymity. I don't know how we can help you, without more info. . |
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Cristalle Karami
Lady of the House
Join date: 4 Dec 2006
Posts: 6,222
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03-21-2008 14:12
The key is inside the original post. He does little to no marketing other than word of mouth.
It's one of the only stores of it's kind, seriously, in SL and gets by on free advertising and word of mouth for the most part. Since OP is not willing to put money into marketing it to those who have money, the word of mouth buzz remains among those who do not have the money to make his/her business a success. He's got a great focus group except that its constituents have no money. "It takes money to make money" is a truism. If you are not willing to invest in your business beyond paying tier, you are partly to blame. You must be willing to give it a shot and exploit other avenues. Marketing is a skill that we all have to learn. Example: where is your business in your forum signature? Do you post ads in both the forum classifieds and paid inworld classifieds? Have you optimized your parcel for the new search? Have you tried strategic partnerships with leading roleplay communities to promote your things? Hell, have you bought ad space in clubs and popular malls? There was a great thread a couple of weeks ago on this very subject. If you have legitimate, good traffic you need to make the most of it. Price may be a factor, but marketing is ALWAYS a factor. _____________________
Affordable & beautiful apartments & homes starting at 150L/wk! Waterfront homes, 575L/wk & 300 prims!
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Isabeau Imako
P'tite Poulette
Join date: 13 Sep 2007
Posts: 2,335
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03-21-2008 14:13
Personally (of course - how could I answer for someone else? hehe) I go to events for the event itself, not to shop. I don't particularly enjoy competitions or $L hunts and the like. If you are selling something I really enjoy, I'll join your group so that I'll be notified of new items. Once I've seen and already picked out what I like, I don't see why I would go back (ex. clothes).
The few places I do go back to sell avatars and animals (Grendel's Children and zooby's) 'cause I'm a sucker for those, but even then, there's just so many I can buy before I feel I have enough.No matter how beautiful a sim or shop is, I don't feel it to be my sole responsibility for it to stay open. Depending on what you're selling, I don't think events and RPing is going to influence your sales all that much. It may attract people who've never been to your shop before - new potential customers - but the product is what people BUY. There are a lot of things I find amazing (compliments you receive in IM) but don't wish or need to own. Maybe you should try your hand at creating a different product? _____________________
Just remember what my dear Grammy always says: "F**k 'em!" |
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3Ring Binder
always smile
Join date: 8 Mar 2007
Posts: 15,028
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03-21-2008 14:20
you don't even have your own store in your picks. in fact, you have no profile whatsoever. if you don't even care about advertising your own store, why would anyone else worry over your future.
just sayin'. _____________________
it was fun while it lasted.
http://2lf.informe.com/ |
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Avion Raymaker
Palacio del Emperador!
Join date: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 980
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03-21-2008 14:51
Cristalle gives excellent advice here.
I also agree with Nika. I am an SL business person and a consumer who spends a lot of money in-world. I make my own money in SL, and put RL money into the game when necessary, but I would never spend time at an event because they're giving out Lindens. For me that would be a total waste of time. Market your products toward people like me, not people looking for money give-aways. They are, by definition, trying to take money, not spend it! |
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windswept Mountain
Registered User
Join date: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 13
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03-21-2008 14:56
because this is obviously an alt, as was previously stated..i'm not here to gain attention to my real account or real store by this post, only look for advice....
yes i'm in search, yes i have optimized for the new system and yes occaisionally i do events with no prizes, ads, and the rare sign/ad/vendor elsewhere...none of this helps or works IME. i do sell avatars, and the prices are lower than my competition...my skins sell for 500L or less, most of my products are under 300L. the reduced item was 1L...i can't go into a lot of detail but it was marketed heavily. i used to love it! but who can love something that's not working... in order to regain that love, i'd like to also sometimes make a profit. thanks for all the advice so far, will take everything into deep consideration! perhaps i should mark everything down dramatically and see what happens. i agree with what's been said about events- i'm phasing that out because people who come know me, know my store, and i'm only attracting business for others at these...so it's pointless. also, the busier i am with the events, the less time i have to make new things...so once they've seen it, and there's not many new products being produced, they lose interest in coming back...if i had to guess that's my biggest problem. |
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3Ring Binder
always smile
Join date: 8 Mar 2007
Posts: 15,028
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03-21-2008 14:59
ok cheesy title, serious problem... Came back from hiatus, created a new layout for a store, new products, and brought in some other designers with unique work... December was a bomb, January wasn't good, February was only slightly better and now March is finally what i'd call so-so. As i've always done, i host events for my niche market for the free advertising. It would seem however though, that i'm wasting my time, the newcomers are already familiar with my store before they come to the events. It's become 'expected' of me to hold these events...and every time i've tried to include a similar RP community/demographic in with mine, they don't support my store, because they aren't really interested in my products- but rather the thousands of lindens i give out in contests. I'm not interested conversely in designing things for their RP- it's not my cup of tea. None of the other designers who i work with host these events, nor do they spend money with me in my shop. While they are very thankful and seemingly grateful for their exposure, it doesn't pay the bills. As a test, i put out a popular item for a low price recently. Within one day several hundreds had been sold...but not much else. The other designers aren't admitting to any major increase in sales either. Everywhere i go i see my low priced product, never do i see my others. In getting to know my customers i've found out that the majority of them are under 20 iRL. They tell me they rarely have any money in SL and they can't afford something as low as 200L. So here i sit...with a store that people (i hate to even say this) love so much they write me once or twice a week to tell me (very kind of them, but i don't want to sound braggish here) although transaction logs say they didn't buy anything...They just like the ambiance? I almost wish i could just hand it over to someone else who has more time to design because i've created what for all intents and purposes should be HUGELY successful. It's one of the only stores of it's kind, seriously, in SL and gets by on free advertising and word of mouth for the most part. You can't tell by the revenue, but the traffic is good and the group is rapidly growing that's affiliated with it. If i leave it, i will have to allow someone else to run it, or NEVER hear the end of it from my community. Crazy sounding yes, but it's as if i've become mother to hordes of broke kids who really don't care if i turn a profit or not! I honestly feel as though i'm just running an attraction at this point- not a store- and since i can't find anyone to host the events, or be even ten percent as involved as i am with it- it's finally worn me down to a nub again. God i hate burnout..i feel as though i've painted myself into a corner, trapped by my own doings and choices in supporting this group of people, who frankly aren't doing me any favors. because this is obviously an alt, as was previously stated..i'm not here to gain attention to my real account or real store by this post, only look for advice.... i guess i can't find the part where you say this is an alt. i was going to go to your store and shop in support of you. but, whatever. _____________________
it was fun while it lasted.
http://2lf.informe.com/ |
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Rhaorth Antonelli
Registered User
Join date: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 7,425
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03-21-2008 15:01
So here i sit...with a store that people (i hate to even say this) love so much they write me once or twice a week to tell me (very kind of them, but i don't want to sound braggish here) although transaction logs say they didn't buy anything...They just like the ambiance? I get this a lot too, folks who say omg I love your store, or this or that is so awesome etc but never purchase and never return.... I am clueless as to why sales are slumping as usual and now more than ever I need them, got to replace the PC, and need the spare cash  edited to add that I too can not see where it was stated by the op in post #1 that they are an alt.... _____________________
Morpheus Linden: But then I change avs pretty often too, so often, I look nothing like my avatar.  They are taking away the forums... it could be worse, they could be taking away the forums AND Second Life... |
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windswept Mountain
Registered User
Join date: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 13
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03-21-2008 15:05
i guess i can't find the part where you say this is an alt. i was going to go to your store and shop in support of you. but, whatever. 3ring, frankly, from your attitude you don't impress me as someone who'd even like my store...but i appreciate that you attempted to hunt me down inworld and are digging for where i said that i'm an alt here. you got me! i didn't say it upfront. didn't think it was important to this post |
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3Ring Binder
always smile
Join date: 8 Mar 2007
Posts: 15,028
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03-21-2008 15:07
no, i was going to go shopping. doesn't matter if it's my niche, i was just attempting to support you. so, put your store in this alt's picks so we can at least go see what you've done.
you never know who's alts might be roleplayers.... we have a few here, really.  _____________________
it was fun while it lasted.
http://2lf.informe.com/ |
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Rhaorth Antonelli
Registered User
Join date: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 7,425
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03-21-2008 15:08
because this is obviously an alt, as was previously stated..i'm not here to gain attention to my real account or real store by this post, only look for advice.... I do not see 3ring as having any kind of attitude just pointing out the obvious... that you did not mention an alt, yet in this post you said it is obvious it is an alt...as was previously stated... yet it was not stated anywhere rather confusing to say the least not even sure what your question was... I only commented so you would know you are not alone _____________________
Morpheus Linden: But then I change avs pretty often too, so often, I look nothing like my avatar. They are taking away the forums... it could be worse, they could be taking away the forums AND Second Life... |
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3Ring Binder
always smile
Join date: 8 Mar 2007
Posts: 15,028
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03-21-2008 15:09
you do have a nice store, Rhaorth, and i apologize for not coming back to 'shop'. i haven't been inworld much, but i have spring break next week, and a pretty big Linden account at the moment... and i'm bored with all my outfits, so .....
_____________________
it was fun while it lasted.
http://2lf.informe.com/ |
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Johnnie Carling
Registered User
Join date: 17 Aug 2007
Posts: 174
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03-21-2008 15:10
because this is obviously an alt, as was previously stated..i'm not here to gain attention to my real account or real store by this post, only look for advice.... If you post your store, I'll bet you would get much better advice. just saying ... |
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windswept Mountain
Registered User
Join date: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 13
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03-21-2008 15:12
sigh.
someone said "this is clearly an alt designed for maximum anonymity" so i was referring to that. i wasn't replying to your advice Rhaorth...i was replying to 3ring i love how this is entirely off track now good point Rhaorth, sales are slow! maybe i should ride it out. |
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Rhaorth Antonelli
Registered User
Join date: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 7,425
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03-21-2008 15:13
you do have a nice store, Rhaorth, and i apologize for not coming back to 'shop'. i haven't been inworld much, but i have spring break next week, and a pretty big Linden account at the moment... and i'm bored with all my outfits, so ..... ahhhh I was not pointing fingers, I am guilty of doing it as well life catches up with us and we do not get to do what we want to do it is nice knowing though that ppl like it (and you wait till you see what I been doing, when I get it done) *grin* Dress, totally done by hand and a preview is at the store on the dummy (no not me, the mannequin) I am damn freaking proud of it!!!! _____________________
Morpheus Linden: But then I change avs pretty often too, so often, I look nothing like my avatar. They are taking away the forums... it could be worse, they could be taking away the forums AND Second Life... |
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Rhaorth Antonelli
Registered User
Join date: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 7,425
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03-21-2008 15:15
sigh. someone said "this is clearly an alt designed for maximum anonymity" so i was referring to that. i wasn't replying to your advice Rhaorth...i was replying to 3ring i love how this is entirely off track now good point Rhaorth, sales are slow! maybe i should ride it out. WOOOT we have a friday thread!!! and that was quick and I helped!!! OH YEAH!!! (I am in a good yet silly mood... hope I keep it all weekend, if I do the kids will love it LOL) shoot hoops, toss the ol football and have the 7yr old tell me I throw like a girl, well duh, I am a girl... shoot baskets in the other basketball game thing... (like at the pizza place for kids), just plain simple fun! _____________________
Morpheus Linden: But then I change avs pretty often too, so often, I look nothing like my avatar. They are taking away the forums... it could be worse, they could be taking away the forums AND Second Life... |
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3Ring Binder
always smile
Join date: 8 Mar 2007
Posts: 15,028
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03-21-2008 15:15
 windswept, put your store in your alt's picks. self-sympathy and low-egoed attitude is lost on me. i'm a practicalist and a realist, and blunt as an old axe who's chopped one thousand too many pieces of kindling. the end. _____________________
it was fun while it lasted.
http://2lf.informe.com/ |
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Oni Horan
Registered User
Join date: 11 Jan 2008
Posts: 89
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03-21-2008 15:16
sigh. someone said "this is clearly an alt designed for maximum anonymity" so i was referring to that. i wasn't replying to your advice Rhaorth...i was replying to 3ring i love how this is entirely off track now good point Rhaorth, sales are slow! maybe i should ride it out. maybe if you stopped whining all day youd get somewhere... seriously, keep your once in a lifetime brilliant idea all to yourself, but since you dont trust people here anyway, i dont see why you should trust their advice... |
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Rhaorth Antonelli
Registered User
Join date: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 7,425
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03-21-2008 15:17
sigh. someone said "this is clearly an alt designed for maximum anonymity" so i was referring to that. i wasn't replying to your advice Rhaorth...i was replying to 3ring i love how this is entirely off track now good point Rhaorth, sales are slow! maybe i should ride it out. I am so annoying... totem posting and all but I like to keep the points and rambling separate.... anywho... question... do you like what you do? are you doing it only for the money? if you answer yes to the first and no to the second, then continue and do not sweat the petty stuff... or is that pet the sweaty stuff.. I always get those mixed up... if you answered no to the first and yes to the second, pack it in now, SL is not a get rich quick place hehe if you answered hellifIknow... then figure it out and get back to me when I am sane (good luck on that one) or ... get trout to write up your ads, he sure has a way with words _____________________
Morpheus Linden: But then I change avs pretty often too, so often, I look nothing like my avatar. They are taking away the forums... it could be worse, they could be taking away the forums AND Second Life... |
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windswept Mountain
Registered User
Join date: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 13
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03-21-2008 15:17
If you post your store, I'll bet you would get much better advice. just saying ... hi Johnnie, thanks but no thanks...i'm a very reclusive person who doesn't seek out advice often on the forums, because i've tried to clearly outline my situation (which if you were physically at my store you would only be seeing my products, prices, and layout- which tells you nothing about these events/campaigns i've been doing) without involving the community that i represent (who are also tend to be somewhat sheltered) and potentially hurting their feelings from what i said about their financial situation in SL. i truly appreciate advice from those who read the OP and the honest content therein. |
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Peggy Paperdoll
A Brat
Join date: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 4,383
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03-21-2008 15:31
I do not see 3ring as having any kind of attitude just pointing out the obvious... that you did not mention an alt, yet in this post you said it is obvious it is an alt...as was previously stated... yet it was not stated anywhere rather confusing to say the least not even sure what your question was... I only commented so you would know you are not alone The "previously stated" alt was speculation from Nika Talaj in post number 5. |