July 3, 2009
Issue #018 – Selling Handmade Crafts: 5 Steps To Success

Welcome to this issue of Craft Selling Party News - I hope you enjoy reading it!

Every issue Craft Selling Party News brings you new tips and information related to all aspects of selling your crafts at home parties, as well as updating you on what's new at Craft-Selling-Parties.com.

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You CAN sell your handmade crafts. A simple home business is possible. Follow the five steps below and watch your craft sales soar.

Step #1 - PASSION. Passion drives a person. Passion shines through in your work. Passion keeps you keeping on when all others have given up. You don't just like making your craft. You have a fire-in-the-belly passion. You love making this craft so much that you can't stop making it no matter what.

If you don't have passion for your handmade craft, don't make it for selling. Without passion you will give up on your home business andcraft too soon. You will produce an item of so-so quality and you will learn to hate this craft and be unhappy. And THAT will show in your work. Have PASSION for your handmade craft or don't sell.

Step #2 - QUALITY. Not just good quality, but superb quality. Take your craft a step farther. Make it better than the rest. People recognize quality and will pay more. Sure they'll buy the cheap ones, but they will be disappointed and buy quality the next time. It may cost more to produce but what you gain in reputation is well worth the extra money.

If you want your home business in it for the long haul, reputation is EVERYTHING! Soon a handmade craft with your name on it will command better prices than any others similar to it. Nothing beats QUALITY.

Step #3 - UNIQUENESS. You are a unique individual and your handmade craft should have a little touch of your personality. Study the work of top artists in your craft to see their uniqueness and you will find a way to add your style. Never do exactly what others are doing. Don't make it so different that "bizarre" comes to mind when they see your craft because most people don't want weird. Just add your own curve here, or a different color there, make it brighter or darker, etc.

Are you a happy person? Studious? Meticulous? What part of you goes into your work? Find a way to let people know it's your creation. Make your home business and craft stand out with UNIQUENESS.

Step #4 - TARGETING. Research, research, research until you identify and understand your target market. This is the hardest step but once you know your customers, you will save yourself a lot of time and grief. People, who are not interested in your craft, are not going to buy.

Millions of people search ebay and you can look there to see if your craft item sells. But don't get discouraged if you don't see it there. Lots of items sell well offline but not online. And bargain hunters abound on ebay. You might not get a fair price for your handmade craft item. Use ebay as a marketing research tool. It's great for testing the waters and sometimes you actually get a great price for your craft.

Search out that target market at every opportunity. Your localcommunity probably has more opportunities than you could ever imagine for your home business. TARGETING makes selling so much easier.

Step #5 - PERSISTENCE. Be relentless. If you do the first four steps, persistence will pay off. Always keep moving forward. Learn more about your craft than anyone else (passion really keeps you going here) and keep searching for those targeted customers.

Persevere through rejections. Learn from them, adjust, and make steady progress. This is why passion is step #1 for your home business to succeed. If your passion wanes, your persistence will, too. Without PERSISTENCE, selling your handmade craft will be a very short term endeavor.

Now that you have Passion, Quality, Uniqueness, Targeting, and Persistence for your home business, you can start counting the money from the sale of your handmade craft. Good luck and happy crafting.

Debby McCandless produces handmade craft items for sale from alpaca fleece from alpacas raised on her farm. She has learned what it takes to make a home business of handmade crafts work. Visit her website at [http://www.owning-alpaca.com]http://www.owning-alpaca.com.

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