Advice on Sales!!

Gah! We need our own forums lol

When I was first learning to build, my partner used to say that every day after work he was afraid to log on because everyday our little SL world was different haha...you never knew when the house would be gone....

I never thought about the etiquette of leaving a mall...and I'm glad I read these posts before I forgot to say goodbye/thanks to someone! I almost left a mall last week and really never thought about it, I was just going to take my prims and go when my rent ran out. Now I will make sure to say something if I decide to leave (although I'm not leaving that mall now, I may be a tiny bit in the hole there but I realized that there was more than monetary value to that space!).

Sculpties! I downloaded sculptypaint a while back...and me being me, I was like "Screw the tutorials...full speed ahead" then later "maybe I better do a tutorial". I just opened it whenever I was bored and virtually tortured prims but never made anything I could use. Just lately, I have actually figured out how to make some things, not much but I can make a few things, nothing hard, just like bell sleeves and pant legs but hey it's a start

And the freebie people are still streaming into the store hehe

Ok I think that's all the active topics if I missed one let me know

The first time I got an invite to a mall I got all excited, I thought they really liked my stuff...so we tp'd over there to look around and I realized they just wanted to fill space and probably sent invites to a lot of people. So no....

And I did get a note asking to donate something for an auction with copy/transfer, I sent a note back and said I would be happy to send one with transfer only and would include a note that the buyer could come back and exchange it for copy/mod and never heard back from them. Nice little scam there, I wonder how many people they fool with that one.

I go through my transaction list, at least once a week, and send a "thank you" to each of them, no matter how small the item. It's also an opportunity to tell them I am sending a group invite.

If the transaction comes in while I'm online, and I see it up in the corner....they get a "thank you" right then, while they are still wandering around the store. They always say "thank you" back. Judging from our experiences....and judging from the reactions I get......sounds like it probably shocks the hell out of them. In a good way.

I don't worry about missing one or two......the reward for thanking as many as you can.....will pay off. Most marketing experts say it's more profitable to retain a customer than to find a new one. You've already spent the marketing dollars to get that person to your store....a "thank you" is free....and it's time better spent on keeping a customer....than spending that time on trying to create a customer.

I know that things move fast here....and you may not keep them for a year.....but keep them for 30 days. An SL Lifetime

ah I am part of the "purchase the sculpt maps" crowd

I tried the sculpt thing, and did not do so well.

so... I just buy them, and then add to them to make them uniquely mine

some are a bit over priced and I am learning to walk away from those, no matter how nice, because the chances of making your money back is slim

especially with shoes

heh

I say, no more than 1K for a sculptmap (be it shoes, boots, clothing parts, furniture bits, or whatever) and that 1K depends on how detailed and how well done it is.

I stick to the under 500L ones now

lol.. yes ! exactly !
Also ..I don't want to hurt mall owners ..but I really don't like to be always asked to give free items for events .. as grand opening, hunt or else. I really don't agree to pay the rent AND to have to give free items. If the rent tier is very low (max 200$L aweeK), I may abe ok ... over that, no way. I,m actually in a mall with a 2500$L/week rent and they ask for free items to give their mall group ... completely silly !

do you send the thank you as an im or as a notecard? do you include a gift with it?

oh yeah I remember one place I was going to rent, because a friend told me about it, until I talked to the owner, and she wanted a copy transfer item for the lucky chair. it was not an option, you HAD to give the item along with pay the rent, to rent there, needless to say I told her no
she said ok, then just pay the rent for the spot

so I did, because as I said a friend recommended it, and they were new trying to get started, and you guessed it, no sales, no traffic

It wasnt somuch the not telling me. It was when i IMed to confirm theyhad left the spot i was ignored. That miffed me. I dont like to assume someoone has left only to find they were actually just redesigning their layout. Although I do think a quick IM to pay i wont be renewing this week (or hell even just clicking the terminating thing on the hippo boxes,,,, which tells the owner you arent renewing) is good communication. It isnt mandatory, but it sets you apart is what i am saying

As for the notecards. i have only ever dropped one on someone becuase i genuinely did love her products and I still do. Her clothing is beautifully styled and exactly my taste. However it actually was personal with a comment about what I loved about her creations etc. Heheheh anywayhe rented.

I think the distinction is are they genuine about loving your stuff?? If they have well theywould have purchased somethign etc. Those kind of notecards are nice and genuine compliments and whether you take them up or not wel they are nice to hear.

As for the donating to an auction. Well if it was genuine then hell ya i would go for it even if they were bull chitting about having ever been to my store hehe. Because in short it is free exposure for you and your products. *Shrugs* but then again i tend to hand out loads of my items. I liking seeing things sell, but im not too fussed.... i think i get more excited by 20 people in my store who only pick up a freebie than a sale. They make me smile


Anyway tis 4 am... im off to bed... night folks

If we had our own forums how many would use it? Would it have to be on the SL forums? If not, and the regulars in this thread would use it, I would gladly set one up, however, if we moved off of here, we would lose a lot of potential new folks, and a lot of potential good ideas

Just guessing- but I think she meant like the Texture area, and the build area within the forum.

I agree, if they genuinely like your stuff, make a purchase THEN solicite me for joining their mall.

As for the donating to an auction, I would be ok with that, but... not when they want copy AND transfer. If they want a single transfer item sure I will do that

That was why I asked, specifically would it have to be on the SL forums heh

I dunno what it would be called... business and marketing discussions maybe? heh
or maybe just marketing discussions

You know I had never thought of thanking all my customers before now, if I have been at the store while they make a purchase, then yes, I have thanked them. IF I were to sell on onrez and SLX and someone left a review, I would thank them, I have only ever received a few thank you's from store owners/creators after I have made a purchase. My favourite thank you was just yesterday after I bought a new house and left areview on SLX (bought it inworld, only way to leave a reveiw was where they also sold). The lady got back to me the next day, thanking me for the nice review. She sent my lindens back to me!!! I sent it right back with "its a pleasure" sort of thing. I then proceeded to visit her store again, not only to add to my picks but to buy 2 more of her houses!!

i will definately try to remember to thank my customers from now on though, they are so few I shouldn't have a problem remembering!

ok one last thing before bed

In respect to this.... Free items for events are of much mroe benefit to you than they are the mall owner. Other thn traffic, unless we have a store on the site then we are not getting a lot for th time it takes to create a hunt (and trust me it takes hours upon hours).

Hunts, events, fashion shows etc are signs of good mall owners who are taking the time to ensure you have good traffic to your space.

(hhehe mind you my mall spaces range from 100 to 190L a week... so maybe it is a bit different people dont mind giving for them as much?). Hmmm and we never asked for copy/trans versions... was like a real trasure hunt... once the item was found by one person thats it.... so we had an outfit donated that ne person could win...not everyone found the box s they get it

We invite people in our mall to become sponsers for events we have, invite them to prticipate in hunts (well a hunt... i have only done one so far but damn it was fun) etc. There is of course no requirement to. But these things to help get your name out there and get you noticed.


And Rha... i dont blame you for not handing out a copy/trans copy of one of your items O.o hell even my partner in doesnt have that.

I read their profile....I like to know what my customer's style is....I also like to see the groups and stores they frequent. If they mention something about IM's being capped....I send a notecard.....otherwise I send an IM.

I follow with the group invite....if they join, then they get a gift box with quite a few trinkets in it. Many of these people have come right back. It works.....and it's time well spent.

I'm going to work my group list heavy duty this week. Last night, I sent them all a new sectional sofa to review. I told them to please send back feedback....and if they did....I would send them the remaining items that go with the set. I had quite a bit of feedback this morning, that will help me tweak it....then designed the end tables and fireplace and vases that will match.....and those that took time with feedback will get all those in a gift box tonight.

I don't mind giving stuff away. I want it in people's homes....so that people see it. Being new....I'm not into hoarding my designs right now.....I want them out there, and this is an opportunity. I also want to become known as the best gift giver....to keep my store name in their profile.

that exists on SL Exchannge forum with "Merchants Discussion"

no I was just talking out my bum cause of trying to answer 5 topics in one post lol

I agree we need to be here so people who come to the forums and who are in the same boat need to have a place to turn to for advice, and I have learned a lot since this thread started. A LOT!

well. Can I ask you how many customer you have per day or per week?

I just sent out two full-perm unpacker scripts to the group, so if you sometimes don't get group notices, make sure you check past notices for them

Just to add some to the store rent discussion....I rent stores, carts etc. I also teach marketing. I cant tell you how many store renters have told me that they dont need to do ANY marketing...because their stuff is so good people will just "find" them. Then they leave after a period of time because they say they had no sales in my store...HELLOOOOO. I dont care what mall or plot of land your store is in..if you dont market yourself, the reason you have no sales is that you dont do your work.

I will work with my renters to help them improve their stores in the same way we are doing in this forum. I will make signs for them, help them with positioning things, tell them all i know about marketing etc. But in the end, it is whether or not they do those things that makes a difference in their sales.

Now, if i have done all those things, checked in with them to offer help and THEN they leave and dont even tell me...yeah i get miffed lol. I never tell them that, but at least do me the courtesy of telling me you plan to leave so that I can fill the space. I have people come by all the time that say...oh, if THAT space opens up, let me know! Then by the time I find out the space is open because someone is leaving, they have rented elsewhere.

And for donating items to hunts etc...to me that goes to help all the renters in the area..it really does not help me the landlord much because it adds a ton of work. But i know how important it is to bring people in so I am willing to put it all together. I COULD put in freebie crap in the hunts, but my choice would be to use the products of the people in more stores to get them more exposure.

And yes...it is STILLLLL raining here in tropical storm Fay land...grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Skell...maybe im dense...but is there a reason why people dont just set the sale boxes to give the contents so it arrives in someone's inventory in a folder? I suppose this script is for when you are using some vendor system, but im just curious. I wish more people would actually do that, set it to give contents...it is wayyyy simpler than unpacking and deleting boxes in my opinion.

My traffic is only 66 today....but there were about 10 sales out of that, since early am....it varies quite a bit from day to day....weekends are good....Wednesdays suck....so I'll do something special on Wednesday next week. So....although I get frustrated with small traffic....I'm cool with what happens with that traffic.

Not breaking records by any means......I'm really only about 2 weeks into doing the store thing right....for the last few months, it was really just a workshop and warehouse, with a store sign on the front door. Keeping up with the suggestions in this thread is making a huge difference....sales have doubled since then.

Haven't seen the script and even if I had I proly wouldn't know what it does I am script impaired you see... but- Jojo- you mean I could have the things unpack automatically!??? OMG-That would be cool! I didn't know that

it being an option is cool, That I have no issue with and will be donating and sponsoring some of your events

It is when it is a must, it is part of the rental agreement that I tend to say, nope and walk away

SL exchange, I rarely check there on the forums, I was meaning on the SL official forums (these ones) heh

I doubt most of us want to try to restart this thread elsewhere, I for one don't