Advice on Sales!!

Oh, I don't know. The solo girl model got a tip not long ago

Well see there? If furniture ever gets dull...

ah, I got one last week from a store I visited during the hunt. I was a little ticked because it told me if I didn't want to receive any more notices I actually had to go there and click a board...I was all "WTF" and AR'd them.

I have very little patience with that sort of thing, and I'm the same way IRL, ask any salesman who has had the temerity to knock on my door despite the 'no salesmen' sign I know some people put those up because they have a hard time saying no, and I also know that they train salesmen to ignore those signs...but that's their problem, not mine

I was talking to a girl customer a few weeks ago who wanted to set up a pleasure center for noobs together, using bots on beds. It didn't interest me at all, but I'm sure it could be done.

If I did it in the store, I could call the whole thing Bits n Bobs (Bots In The Store n Bots On Beds) The bots in the store being the demo ones on the cuddle sofa

Same thing happened to me with two groups. And I couldn't tell from the messages whether the messages were originating from a HippoGroup, Subscribe-O-Matic group, or something else.

The messages listed the locations of the objects that sent the messages, but the objects were not in the same location as the sign I needed to touch to get out of the groups. The objects were in locations that barred me from access! There was absolutely no clear way for me to get out of either group. I IMed the owners of both businesses who were spamming me; one took my name out of her group, the other ignored several messages. I FINALLY found the sign in her shop to get out of the group. Had I not found it, my next step was going to be to AR the owner.

By the way, according to one of the people with Subscribe-O-Matic, it is against LL's TOS to add residents to a group. You can convert your membership of an inworld group to a different kind of group, like SOM or HippoGroups, but adding names is not acceptable. I did not check the TOS and have no first-hand knowledge whether this is accurate, but it's worth checking if anyone is considering doing this.

My advice: don't do anything like this. You'll add some customers to your group, but at the expense of alienating customers who will never go back to your shop. If they liked your items enough to purchase: great! Don't do something that will make them change their minds.

I do not recall a way for the subscribe o matic to allow folks to be added without them clicking the sign

so if you get a msg from a group and you do not recall joining it, chances are it is hippo (or something similar)

when I put the hunt together I used a hippo group to send out notices as not everyone could join the in world group. However, folks were told I would be adding them to the mailing list, so it was not a blind add.

I think the next hunt type event I put together I will only use the hippo group and the inworld one will be there for folks who want to join as a way to contact me (or see when I was last online)

That is all I use my inworld store group for hehe

OK- so I have a question...

Relating back to Rha's question about the notices sent to members thru ~Cheap Peeps~,

While I realize everyone has reasons for joining or not joining the new group, as Designers and Creators-

How do you feel individually about sending notices to your members to join a group that may or may not include some of your competition?

Do you feel it will hurt your business if your customers are exposed to other Designer/Creators?

Do you agree with the vision of accumulated exposure can only benefit you (and the customer) in the long run?

I would like to know if I am swimming against the tide here or if there are others seeing it the way I do- 'cause honestly it isn't easy maintaining my store, my products my social life and organizing ~Cheap Peeps~ if no one else is on the same page-

Opinions please

heh you already know mine

Also I have found that the 2 freebie groups tend to bring in the same folks, so kinda reduntant.
Fashcon seems to bring in a few different folks.
The only decision I need to make now is, which of the freebie groups to drop.

Just so you do not misunderstand me, I am all for a new group to expose my store to, however the request to invite my store group members just kinda rubbed me the wrong way. It is almost like saying, come to this group and send me those who shop at your store.

I dunno, hard to explain...

I guess set yourself outside of the box for a moment and reverse the roles...

how would it look to you, if I made a new group, then asked everyone to join it, and invite their store group members to join it, so that the designers/creators on the new group can advertise to your store group members?

Not trying to diss your idea of a new group Amar, it is hard to explain how the request rubbed me the wrong way, and I might be the only one that feels this way... hopefully some folks will step forward and voice their opinion.

I noticed a few pages back you asked about how to promote a group, I wish I knew

I think it runs hand in hand with how to promote our businesses.

I would probably find a way to notify new users about the group, get new fresh faces in there, make it worth everyone's time that is in the group.

Just went to your store and wondering if I didn't see the slave bracelet or if that wasn't the new product. I saw something called "Chains" - which isn't what I was thinking of, but is that what you were referring to?

@ Rha- well- I did send the notice to all of my members - close to 300 now - so it's not like I am a) hurting for exposure or b) not introducing them to the others that join- - but OK- I respect your wishes and understand why you will not join or why you will leave it if you did join by mistake.

How about the rest of you guys? I realize we have to be on the honor system here and trust that each member really will uphold their end and invite their people- is it worth it to you? Do you trust your fellow biz folk - or is it really every man for himself?

@ Czari- it's on the table in the center aisle, where the shoes are- Chains is undies

I feel the same way. I liked the Hippo groups to begin with because they did not take up a group slot. But because they're so easy to join, sometimes I forget the Hippo groups I'm in *until* they send out a notice and it is part of chat instead of a drop down box like in groups. Most of the Hippo groups I was in I joined way back and don't even go to those places anymore but just ignored the occasional chat. Until all the Halloween hunts started and all that chat spam was annoying the heck out of me.

So over the last few days, I hunted down all those Hippo groups and unsubscribed - which in some cases took a bit of a hunt to find the board and in two cases I had to IM the business owners to ask to be removed.

Now I'll just stick to groups that I can see in my profile and easily join or leave without traveling all around.

Ok ..here is my opinion ... finally same as Rha...

The customers in my group (around 750 actually) have choose to be there. They choose to join it to know about my new releases or special sales or event. I don't think they would appreciate otherskind of information as joining another group.

As Rha mentionned, some groups actually exist for that kind of advertissment (2 freebies group and fashcon that drove sometimes same people sometimes different folks)

It's not a question to know if sending a notice to my group member will hurt my business or not. I,m sure that it will be no effect at all. It's simply I have to respect my group members with sending only notices they agreed to receive from me.

I was one of the people a bit upset when Bizzowner group was using by some people to advert they shop ... when I joined this group, it was not to receive that kind of notice.

And finally .. accumulated exposure is good ..but doing things reduntant is not the best to do ...

That's was just my 2 cents ...

Ooh I made the Armillary and steampunk stuff. Yay! Thank you.

The sphere is in my home and I gifted the clock

Thanks for buying the clock, Amara. The whole mall doesn't belong to me, though; Daros and I co-own it. Daros made the armillary that you bought

I should make it clear (and I should have done this a long time ago) that Daros and I are partners in everything. So when I say 'my store' or 'the mall' I actually mean 'our stores' and 'our mall'. The different stores in the mall are more like themes for our different types of creations.

I think it has to do with personality style a lot as well. I honestly would not feel comfortable doing this but Amar is having success with it and I know other store owners who do as well. Since I don't personally feel comfortable with it, it probably comes across that way, even over the net.

It goes back to finding what approach works for what person/shop. For example. I dropped by a friend's shop the other day who makes jewelry and was surprised to see her sitting at a cute little work table making jewelry in the store. She had just advertised a dollarbie and I sat down as she worked and watched people come in. She greeted each person and then let them take the lead if they wanted to talk more or not. A few came over and we had a great conversation. Others said nothing, took the dollarbie and tp'd out. Still others thanked her for the dollarbie, looked around a bit and left. (I don't know if she made other sales, obviously.)

Now that is something I would feel comfortable doing and will try out once I get my permanent location done.

I declined the invitation to join the Cheep Peeps group for several reasons, one of which was the groups thing. I've no idea how many people are in my store group, and I rarely send a notice out, but I see no good reason for me to point the members of it (my customers) to my competitors. I would see it differently if there were no competitors in Cheep Peeps, but that's not what the group is about.

THANK YOU!! Just did a global block and was able to see the Hippo group I am still in! Really appreciate you sharing this - much easier than the way I was trying to do it...lol.

you are welcome

was waiting a bit to see if you saw the post, and if not I would have posted again with a quote of your comments about having to go to all the stores

I find a lot of folks are not aware of how useful the hippo groups website is

I guess I misunderstood the point of the ~Cheap Peeps~ Group, Amar. I thought it was another group for designers to announce freebies/dollarbies/specials, etc. I either missed it or misunderstood that one of the prerequisites of joining was to invite other people.

As far as my shop group, I have a sum total of 1 person in it now, besides me and my partner. I'm still working on the permanent shop thing (I know...it takes me awhile to get things going...major procrastinator...lol - plus perfectionist.) I have no trouble mentioning the group to my friends (however, I don't have a ton of those either as I mainly hang with my partner). I tend to find new groups I may be interested in joining or interesting places to go by reading profiles which I do wherever I am. So I figure some people at least will see the group in my profile and join it - and then some word of mouth from that person maybe.

It has nothing to do with me not trusting my fellow designers. I don't feel like I'm in competition with anyone and there are plenty of shoppers spread all over the SL map to have business for everyone who makes some effort on advertising. Even *if* I had a lot of people in my shop group, I'm so appreciative that they are using one of their 25 group slots for my store that then saying..."Ok, now make sure you join this group" doesn't feel right to me either.

If that is the prerequisite for being in the group, I'm really sorry I misunderstood, Amar, and will leave if you wish.

Re: the bracelet...Ohhhhhhhhh....never thought of looking on the table. Plus I just made the leap from my old CRT monitor to a 19" LCD and I'm struggling with everything looking different which is bugging me, so I probably just walked right by it while futzing with the monitor brightness/contrast controls.

QFT! I'm glad Jojo stepped in on that one and hopefully that will stop.

I especially disliked the "Hey, I have a new store so I need to make money, so come by my stuff" (paraphrased).

Ummm...well, I think we could all say that.

No, Czari - not a prerequisite exactly - especially if you don't actually have a group

On the same premise that the already existing large networks, i.e. Fashcon, et al, el would have expanded our outreach - for all of us.

Don't feel you need to leave, Czari because of it- although I imagine the point is moot anyway. I will contact the group owner and see if she wishes to continue. Myself, I don't til at windmills.

Thanks guys for participating in the experiment.

Um, yeah, hey. I kept telling myself I'd read and participate in this thread, but the days went by and the posts kept increasing, till now I'll asceered to read the whole thread. Can anyone give a little synopsis, and can I come play?

Hey, Oryx...the discussion topic on this thread tends to morph and change regularly so jump right in and welcome!