Advice on Sales!!

I hope everyone doesn't mind, but I've spent a bit of time combing this thread and putting everything together - all the useful tips and links, and the info from merchants asking for help - into a document that everyone can reference, here:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfz3dk33_0d2dvsbgx&hl=en

If I've missed anyone out, please let me know. I know that I did miss at least one name out (Jojogirl Bailey) but that's because I'm not inworld right now and can't search for your store, Jojogirl. If you can give the SLurl out, then I'll add it to the list.

Also, if any of you have additional info (SLX/onrez webstore links, inworld locations, blog URLs etc) that aren't on the page, please let me know here and I'll amend your section on the page.

I thought this might be a good chance for all of us to see what others are doing to promote their work, so if you can see someone has a blog and you don't have one, you might want to create one, etc.

Secondly, I can't remember who suggested it, but there was mention of promoting each others' work, followed by mention of being confused by that kind of thing happening in another store, so here is my suggestion for that:

Has anyone visited Lemon Island recently? It's where Bewitched Hair and many other stores are. Each store on the island sends out a regular notecard newsletter to its groups, wherein *all* the designers on the island write about their latest creations and include SLurls and images.

Many of us haven't created a group for our customers, but I wonder about creating our own kiosk (doesn't need to be anything fancy; just a one-prim kiosk design with a notecard-giver script in it) that each of us can place at our stores. Inside it we could place a similar newsletter kind of notecard to the one used by the Lemon Island group, wherein all of us in this group write about and include images of our latest creations. The frequency would need to be decided upon (I'd go with every other week, or even monthly).

Thoughts and further suggestions on that?

Also, the notecarding idea I had earlier (glad you all like it! *g*) can be used to archive full-perm versions of your designs, either for saving in your own inventory or sending off to a mule alt as backup (or both).

Finally, as an inworld group, I wonder if it might be an idea to create a wiki for our reviews. Each of our stores can have its own page on the wiki, and whenever one of us visits another's store we can edit the wiki page to include our reviews. There are several online wikis out there that allow editing only by specified people (usually by login name) so it's another thought. Wikis are a fluid thing, many of them have pages like the front page on Wikipedia, where updates can be given and latest edits highlighted, so we could all check out who's been where and said what.

Right, It's 3pm and I've not even eaten today. I need coffee and food. Back later!

Skell- we have a new started - see my notes of the meeting above- I am willing to add that to my land - also- may I add your info to my blog - this that you just posted I mean? Thanks

Please feel free to add it, Amara

Thank you Skell- done!

Wow, Skell...that was very nice of you! I was trying to figure out a simple way to compile everything....but you took care of that. If I knew how to make gift cards.....I would send you one. lol Maybe a project, for this week.

I love your kiosk idea, with the notecard. I had planned on setting up a display area in the store, with a board of store logos with landmarks.....your idea would compliment that, if they were offered a notecard that listed all stores. Awesome idea. It would also help all of us, as a simple way to go back and visit each store....I'm having to weed through the whole thread, to get to each store.....a shopper would need the same ease.

For instance....if they visited the logo/landmark part of my store....and TPd to just one of those stores....then they missed the others, and aren't coming back to the board to get them. So a notecard, they would have with them, with all stores, and could just go through the list.

I like your wiki or blog idea, too. Would be nice to have a place where the reviews are in one spot, and be able to contribute to them. Also, when someone takes the advice, and tweaks something....would be nice to see their updates, and learn from them.

And for lessons. I need to get a grasp on that permission thing....on designing logos.....on making gift cards.....on forming a group....on notecard giving....you name it.....would be nice to have a lesson notecard on each aspect. If each person could do a notecard on their area of expertise.....and consolidate all the tips....that would be awesome.

Since quite a few people stopped by to see the store....traffic increased for a few days....since traffic is so important.....I was going to suggest that we all pick a day of the week, to visit each store....have a look around....and add to someone's traffic count, as a favor. If all the stores were on a notecard, this would make it easy. I use a visitor list device....so if you've been to my store....I'm going to return the favor, and visit yours....I do have to stop purchasing so much....so it will be just as a traffic count favor...

Great Ideas, Skell.

I like the visiting each other on a regular basis- Mickey- And yes- if we could all do the notecard thing for the group members (Come on - if you haven't joined - do it now!) We can help each other out a long way! OK_ I want notecards from every one- I will set u a thing tonight or as immediately as possible

And if one of us already knows how to build this thing- please donate it to the members so we can each add our cards- our- maybe one person could volunteer to do them and hand the kiosk out to all members?

Have some of you thought to pool your resources a bit and advertise as a group? I mean, make a plaza of your own, with all your own shops on your own parcels, but pool your advertising money together to make a higher priced classified or magazine ad? It would require a bit of coordination but if you have related businesses (clothes and accessories go hand in hand) then it may be worth doing.

I had thought as our little consortium got stronger- we could possibly take up a donation among the members and make one great adv- maybe feature different business together with all the members paying for each other? It would take coordination- but I feel it could be done.

Ha ha good point. But even with your example I think people are more likely to come in and look around if there is a huge collection of jars than if there are only 10 to choose from.



I agree with this but it doesn't really negate my contention that more items for sale means more sales.

The clothes in my store are all meant to fill a desire I think some people have for more "normal" looking clothes. All my items really are more dowdy than a lot of people would ever want to wear.

But in the almost two years I've been in business it has unmistakably been the case that the more items I have for sale the more people tend to come in and look around and the more sales I have.

I make more money and spend more time on other SL projects, but when I do have time to spend on my clothing business I think the best way to spend it is on making new items to put up for sale.

However big or small a shop is and however many items are for sale I do think it is important that the boxes be as big as possible so that they are easy to see and the store looks full.



The first time mine went off they stayed off for a while before I realized it was an option. It was good for me to realize that not everyone was going to see the descriptions for my stuff.

I'll be happy to build the kiosk, but multiple notecards would be harder to do. The standard notecard-giving script only gives out one card, so it would be better to have the kiosk containing just one notecard that has all our locations in it (we could even have notecards within the notecard).

This would be easier to update, too, if a new member joined the network. If one person holds responsibility for keeping the kiosk notecard updated they could simply send the new version out to the group and say, "Please replace your current kiosk notecard with this version, which includes BlaBlaBla New Store".

Does the Biz Owner Network have a logo yet, that can go on the kiosk? If not, then I shall dig around in Photoshop and see what I can come up with. Any ideas for it? Simple text works fine, but we should really have some kind of image too, if possible. Maybe a business-oriented image, like a graph, or something like a handshake to denote helpfulness and agreement?

I was thinking, too, more along the lines of the kiosk giving out a newsletter for the customers, not for us (as we already have the group for that). When I get inworld I'll join the group (bad me, not done that yet!) and if all members can send out notices I'll send out a sample card that Lemon Island does, so you can see what I'm getting at. It's kind of hard to explain without seeing an example! It could easily be put together: one person again does the card, and each store sends that person a notecard featuring their latest creations. Once the notecard is compiled, it gets sent to the whole group, to be put in their kiosks.

I'm trying to wrap my brain around this traffic thing. Some days it will hover around 50 or 60, which isn't good.....some days it gets up to 300....currently hovering around 150....when does the count change? Weekly? or Daily? I'm sure there is a thread on this....I'll do my research....maybe I could help with a notecard that explains all that, except for the moment, I am clueless.

When it gets beyond 150....the sales double. Above 300, and they triple....gotta grasp this.

I want to increase it without bots....even thought of handing out freebies at the welcome centers....to get them into the store, for more hits.

Also....on the notecard that lists all of our stores....would love to hand that out to everyone on my friends list, and to the newbies I run into....think of the numbers involved in that, if every one of your friends passed it on to their friends.





Excellent. Totally with you on that.

Good ideas and agreed on the notecard- one is easiest- I can do if someone else does not volunteer- I am very happy to help us get rolling. As for a graphic- i like the handshake- but am thinking something that may have the concept of unified- something that shows many - no clue- i know what i mean but am having problems illustrating.

That's not hard - all you need do is mod a give all contents script. I can't log in but I have one and that's pretty easy to do.

Thank you for taking time to make this resource, Skell. Here's my info for SLX and OnRez:

http://slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=62743

http://shop.onrez.com/Miles_Beck

Another experiment I'm doing is buying advertising on SLX. 100k impressions for about 3499L. So far, I have had about 500 people look at it and 2 clicks. It's not terrible for web advertising, but the important thing is to build consciousness I guess. We'll see how it goes.

Cristalle- is that the banner ads we see when we get to their pages?

Yes. You can buy different packages. I'm trying out the lowest one for now, and seeing how long it lasts. I'll consider a different package later.

I was encouraged by Mickey to jump into this thread and participate, and I admit I haven't read it all yet, just got started in fact, and I promise I will read it all, but I wanted to say something first. My first store was in a mall, but it was a heavily advertised mall. It had good traffic, and my sales were great there, but I had a unique product at the time. The sales I made at that little mall were enough for me to soon move into a free standing store, and I kept the little mall store til the owner decided it wasn't profitable enough to hold onto it. Bottom line I suppose is, advertise + unique product = sales.

Summer sales are slow, everyone says so, from pet makers to furniture makers to land agents, the summer is slow in SL, so don't despair.

I will tell you one thing a mogul told me early on, "People won't buy what they can't see." So get your things visible, and make sure your store name is easily seen.

Welcome Penny- look inworld for the group- the more members the more we can help each other.

OK- I will work on what I have garnered from all this advice first then may look at the adverts. Thanks Cristalle.

OMG! So much to catch up on, I tried, but I have to do the RL and work for my food. What an awesome bunch of brainstormers you all are!

I don't mind coming to work, but that eight hour wait to go home is a bastard!

Thanks a lot you devils, I just had to open two windows of this thread...one for reading, one for writing because I want to post as suggestions strike me. One other thing I can suggest is build up your inventory before you open your store. I think I had about 20 dogs and 5 cats when I opened. Now, I have over 70 breeds of dogs, 30 cats and countless species of wildlife, but I had a varied selection before I did the mall opening...and just be darned glad you aren't dealing with vendors -- they are my personal Vietnam.

Miles, I've added your onrez and SLX info to the webpage

Penney- that's an awful lot of poop to scoop!...

Early on Michael said not to rely on Onrez. I have to agree. Although I have dogs and cats and assorted animated wildlife listed on both, I don't make enough sales through Onrez to matter. I will have spurts with Slex...several sales there a day, then nothing for days.

No shit! LOL