Advice on Sales!!

What is interesting as well is that he is following the same business strategy that I have used over the years. so what worked for me 4 - 5 years ago is working for him today, except he's earning allot more than i was after 6 months!

Excellent point. Not all of us who have stores are out to make what would be considered "big money." In my case, when I get to the point that I cover tier and have some extra L to spend and don't put RL dollars into SL, I will consider that successful. I've said before I never in my wildest imagination thought I would be creating anything and certainly not selling it if I did when I began SL. It was strictly a social venue for me.

I was getting stressed a few weeks ago trying to keep up with every jot and tittle in this thread as well as taking classes, teaching classes, RL issues...AND...for me - my No. 1 priority in SL is my Partner. He is most supportive of my business venture, but I realized that we had stopped doing the fun things we enjoyed doing in SL because of the business.

I am on temporary hiatus from working on my permanent location and keeping tabs basically on my satellite locale atm and it feels GREAT to take a breath and go dancing again.

So, what would be "rich" in SL varies greatly. The people who can pull RL money out of their SL ventures...I think that is great! I would love that money too, BUT, I'm not willing to put the same amount of time and effort those folks do into it, mainly due to other aspects of SL I enjoy and again, time with my Partner trumps everything. So, I will reap what I *do* put into it.

Regardless, when I relax and just "enjoy" creating/selling and learning helpful techniques to advertise my business...it really is fun!

Surreal, I only have a normal group, but will likely change to a Subscribe O Matic or HippoGroup soon. Out of curiosity, why do you have both types of groups? Do you use them in different ways? Thanks.

Excellent post, Czari. I was just talking to someone about that. Different people have different aims and, as long as the aim is fulfilled, it's successful. At one end, some people aim at making a good amount of money from their businesses, and at the other end, some people would consider the success complete if *one* person thought enough of what s/he made to buy it. Most people are somewhere in between - paying tier is many people's success line. Even simply enjoying the chase, which is what this whole thread is about, is success. As long as it's enjoyable, it's successful.

Miles : I have both as some people dont have the space for another group so i offer the subscribe o matic. I use them the same way to send out notices and gifts. So you only join one group, not both. But the only problem is if i offer a discount on the vendors it wont work for the subscribe o matic people, so i will have to figure out a different plan for them.

Czari that is exactly my view- I am not going to let it take me over.
I have been here reading in the forum - trading IM's and drawing in Gimp. I am going inworld now. In a couple hours I will meet bf and we will go play or dance or explore whatever. Later he will leave and I will either go straight to bed or meet others or draw or whatever. Point is as fun as seeing my store succeed is, the people in my life are more important.
Hip, hip and all that, to those rolling in it- if it pleases you knock your self out-
Said it before and will say it again- the money is just a wa to keep score and I am playing against myself. Rock on.

hehe. I hope that doesn't hurt It won't. There are a *lot* more people in SL now than there were 4-5 years ago - a *lot* more potential customers.

I completely agree that if it isnt fun to you, dont do it!

As for the group thing...I have had great success with adding a paragraph to each group notice, forum post, event notice, etc. about joining my group to get free stuff. My group numbers have more than doubled since i began doing that.

I also had the dilemma of how to set my group gift box if i had a group outside the normal SL ones. I tell people to wear their group tag to get the gifts. The idea is they come into my store to get them. if i have groups outside sl on the other types, then i guess i would have to send the group gifts out which to me is not the goal.

Also, to me, having a my group name in someone's profile or above their head is also free advertising for me, as well as helping with the rank order in search. So using the other group thingy's wont help me with those things either.

so true, when it starts feeling like work thats when i stop and do something else. So far we have built a spooky haunted place, and did a youtube horror story

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=OkejMvHtZZM

we also have a movie we are making, and of course my partner is a musician, so at least i get out to hear him play. I work up to 60hours in real life, so sl is my down time. I love creating so of course sl gives me that outlet.

but if your in sl, go check out our spooky place, just click on my profile, and go to picks

and definetly go check out the you tube link, im the star, lol!

I watched your clip, that was cute
a bit jerky and twitchy, which obviously fits well with the theme of the clip

would have been cool if you had a sort of bent forwards, hands on knees stand for when you would stop running, as though out of breath, and would fit the sound effects

over all it was cute

heheh yeah the twitching was unfortunate, but did go well the box kept pushing me, but all the music were done by my partner, he put all the sounds to gether too. Just gives us an out from all the drama I guess

nice, the music worked out well for the theme too

I tried doing a small amount of filming in SL, just for my own stuff, put it on you tube... never really tried again

Wow this thread goes fast

Rhia I hope all works out for you, and you can come back soon I hope you have your stuff up for sale on xstreet/onrez cause you can earn money while you aren't here if so, and come back to a nice surprise

Regarding making money, there is no 'never' and 'always' Remember the T/F testing in school...if 'never' or 'always' are included, it is (probably) false! I usually make enough to cover tier and my monthly premium (but that is relative because my tier is minimal) and my mall rentals (which I consider an advertising expense). I haven't taken any money out, but I haven't brought any in either. I don't buy much of anything on SL (except I sometimes buy certain scripts/products/programs to use in creating my own product) so most of my 'fun money' goes to tips

I am looking for that Give to Group Only script I read reference of here- who was that tht had it? And was it a give or buy? Don't ming paying for it of course.

I put out a rather nice boxed collection of things for my group and would like to be able to insure only they can get it. Thanks guys.

have any of you ever made something that you poured your heart into it, and thought for sure that others would like it just as much as you do

and it doesn't sell?

(maybe I need to drop the price)
*shrug*

Constantly! I have stuff that hasn't sold even one of in all the time the store has been open- Don't worry.. some one with equally spectacular taste will come along eventually and snap one up. I always figure my genius just hasn't been discovered yet

I have made things that I thought were pure genius and when I got them uploaded bleh...didn't look as good in world as I thought

and yes, sometimes I make something and I think OMG they will be lining up for this and they don't Then I make something that kind of just falls together on its own and it is popular, so go figure.

Amar, I have the script, and it's a freebie (from LSL). I'm not in game now, but if I don't send it tomorrow give me a poke cause I forgot. If I remember I will send it out over the Biz Network so anyone who wants it can get it.

Umm, how much time do you have for me to list the examples? lol Absolutely, Rhaorth, and it's not always clear how to best deal with it. Clear the item and make room for new stuff? Lower the price? (pricing is a very difficult subject worthy of its own thread) Or, as I read in Arminasx Saiman's blog, RAISE the price! He claims to have had pretty good luck doing that and it's certainly an option.

Coming in at a close second is when you spend hours (or days) on a project, reach the 90% completion phase and realize that no matter how much tweaking/retexturing/rescripting/etc... you do, it's just not good

Update on SLX/XstreetSL listing enhancements - I've seen a steady uptick in shop visitors and SLX/XstreetSL sales since paying for the two enhanced ads. I don't have a reliable way to know for certain that there is a direct correlation but it seems pretty obvious based on the timing. Assuming this is true, the enhancements have already paid for themselves and I will definitely continue to use them.

Klyks

hmm maybe I will try the raise the price thing... announce to my group that until such and such date they are at this price then the price goes up

that is something I have never tried in the two years of doing this heh
I always end up dropping the price, or just removing and deleting the item

the items in question are the new jewelry pieces I put out...

I love miniatures in RL so took that RL passion and transferred it into jewelry... thought for sure they would sell (especially the bone ones being so close to Halloween)

*shrug* what do I know LOL

I always get excited putting a new dress in, and think , yep its just as good as some i see and then it doesnt sell but i like the commment that your genius just hasnt been discovered yet, i think i can understand that.

Well, since we're on the subject and I have a very difficult time judging the market.....I've been thinking of doing a tabletop fireworks display, everything in miniature. Maybe 1.5 to 2 meters area complete with cute, high pitched "mini me" sound effect. When I've come up with this kind of thing in the past and run it past good friends I get "what are you smoking?" So am I the only one who finds this kind of SL stuff totally worthwhile - the NPIRL stuff (not possible in RL)? I think I could make it work but it would take days so..... market worthy item or total folly? Don't want to get off track here but couldn't resist taking advantage of a little "groupthink." Klyks

sounds awesome, better hurry or someone else will think of it

I was advised that I had my items priced too low by a friend who sells crafts at SCA events. He said that it is almost as bad (or worse) to price things too low than too high because if they are priced too low there is the thought on the part of the customer that it must not be worth much.

I'll have to give that a try too.

And it always fascinates me the items of mine that people like and which ones don't sell that I thought would. I've mentioned before that my "Amazing Dressing Closet" is probably my top seller - and it is a totally fun item rather than useful or practical. The Asian shelf probably comes in a close second and since I made them the Leaf chair & Mushroom Ottoman. I even had someone come to the satellite store after I removed it, and IM'd me asking if I didn't sell it anymore as she wanted one.

On the other hand, I saw a small trunk with lid that open and shut when I was first in SL and thought that was the coolest thing. I wanted to purchase one then but was low on lindens and my partner didn't seem as excited about it as I was. So I learned to make one and I would have thought it would be a seller, but I don't think it has sold at all (although I got an IM this week from another customer and in the IM mentioned she was interested in the Hope Chest.

Ralektra, did you send the group only script out on the Biz Network? I would like one as well please. I don't recall a notice on it (and not inworld atm to check) but then my mind has been really scattered lately.

Thank you very much in advance

I'd say go for it! If my best seller is a closet people enter and go through various animations, coming out doing a little jig over say a convertible futon or what I think is a pretty jewelry set....yours sounds like a go