General Category > General Discussion
Managing your customers expectations.
The Bowler Hatted Turner:
I am enjoying this thread immensely, well done Bryan for suggesting it.
How about turning the question round and asking what are your customer's expectations? Put this way does price play a part in the answer?
Regards
John BHT
bodrighywood:
The cynical side of me says that the customer expects a much as possible for as little as possible but that isn't strictly true. I think what the sort of customer I aim for wants value for money, how he/she deems value can be different though. Those who appreciate the work and thought that goes into hand crafted work be it turning or embroidery, will be prepared to pay a decent price for quality work if they can afford to. Those who simply want something that they think looks good or is practical will possibly balk and end up going for mass produced work which is a lot lower in price. Most of all the customer wants to be able to trust the craftsman, know that there is comeback if there is a problem and feels that the crafts person is trustworthy. I suspect that many of us judge customers unfairly by trying to sell the wrong type of thing to the wrong people. As has been said the most important thing is to know your market. Key rings are not really suitable for a gallery and sculptural pieces, except perhaps as eye catchers, are not the thign to try ansd sell in the local market. Perhaps turners who sell, hobbyist or professional, could all do with lessons in marketing, I know I could
Pete
Les Symonds:
Pete...I just read your latest addition to this thread and I agree with you, especially with regard to the concept of not selling key-rings in a gallery, or sculptural pieces in a market - concepts that I'm sure few of us would disagree with. Indeed, the problems start in the common ground somewhere between the two! Several weeks ago I visited an arts and crafts centre at a busy location close by to a reservoir and RSPB centre in Mid Wales. The main gallery/shop at the location had 30 or 40 pieces of turned wood there and I guess that they were pitching their produce at a market somewhere mid-point between the two examples that you have just given us. The problem (for me) was that the designs were uninspiring, the amount of tool-marks left in the wood was frankly shocking and the finishes were abysmal - wax finishes had been flecked with pock-marks where they had (presumably) been splashed with a few rain-drops and the finish had generally dulled to a matt finish which did nothing to highlight grain patterns that a more professional finish might well have highlighted. Turning this back to Bryan's initial question about liaising with customers about their protestations, I tentatively picked up a piece and asked the lady at the sales counter whether the indicated price was fixed or not, especially given the poor state of the finish, and her response was to say that this is a shop, not an auction-house!
I have no idea whether or not the shop sells much of its wood-turning stock, but I do hope that they read this forum!
woodndesign:
Reading the good sense from Mark & Pete highlights it's more Marketing .. and John's as to what customer's expect ... I think it's safe to say that it would be something turned from wood .. with a commission they'd have a design, some idea of the timber they'd like to be used .. the rest is to work out the feasibility given the size of the form, the chosen timber, finish and your time .. plus the other overheading.
If it's just in making whatever comes to mind and a market to sell it .. then it's as has been mentioned, who too and where .. to that point .. would you buy the piece or any of them yourself, given as you've made them ..
We are all shoppers of a kind .. the need is to eat & drink .. there are so many stores .. why Asda and the likes or the extreme M&S .. service, food or price .. what is their marketing that makes Us shop there .. I've heard it said some drive miles to a store .. just for the free parking .. then go an shop in the town .. given the price of parking .. it's like the buses or train keep putting the price up and less use them ... I'm going off the topic a bit ..
What marketing makes you spent your money, is it just in the name .. turn it round and it's how we can have others spend their's with Us or on turned stuff Art ..
Interesting prices on not only Ray & Dave's work .. Hmmmm sand up a whole blank for a chopping block .. what've I got ...
Les, you highlight the saddest part of marketing for woodturning, it is hoped and the aim of this Forum is to aid and help all with an interest in turning to get and be better .. if only they'd use here and we all be constructive with our comments.
Cheers David
Mark Sanger:
--- Quote from: woodndesign on July 13, 2013, 11:35:03 PM ---
If it's just in making whatever comes to mind and a market to sell it .. then it's as has been mentioned, who too and where .. to that point .. would you buy the piece or any of them yourself, given as you've made them ..
Interesting prices on not only Ray & Dave's work .. Hmmmm sand up a whole blank for a chopping block .. what've I got ...
--- End quote ---
Hi Dave
Yes I would purchase my own pieces if I had the money, but I could not afford my prices, just like I could not afford a Ferrari. :)
It is always an interesting subject. One point that comes across to me again and again with woodturners is what you have said with regards to 'interesting prices' on Ray and Dave's work for a chopping board.
Marketing and selling has nothing to do with the cost price or process time of materials, saying that aside the prices on the David Mellor site I believe are reasonable, seeing that you have respected makers producing items which are then purchased by a business for onward selling and being sold to discerning customers.
The issue that most woodturners sell items for pence because they have no understanding of running business from turning nor what constitutes good design or finishing only undermines what we do as makers. So if we can make quality items as with any other business we have to aim it at the high end market.
Les's example of the market in which the RSPB are selling wooden items. The issue here is they are only interested in making money for birds, which is fine, but they have no concern about the items they are selling and are best placed to sell items from China to maximize their profit for the charity, that makes good business sense.
This in itself would tell me it would be the wrong place to try and sell top quality work and I would look for another outlet. However if people are happy to make less for their work and want to sell it at this price is also fine, we all sell our work at the price we choose.
Yesterday I went to a BBQ for a family birthday. One of the people attending I had not met before and found out that he was a cabinet maker for a high end company in the South West. The type of clients they had send £70,000 on a single piece of furniture without asking for the price before commissioning the work. Kitchens of £250,000, I saw pictures of the work, amazing and worth the money.
But knocking up a few cabinets and turning a few bits and piece, glue it together, what's the fuss. :) do it in an afternoon. :)
In relation to who and where I sell my work, some in galleries but more often than not now it is word of mouth or being contacted via the internet. There are loads of good mixed media galleries in the UK to sell from. Unfortunately very few of them will accept wood turned items with the reason being that it is of too poor quality and has a stigma attached to it that the gallery owners do not want to include within their outlet.
It is a shame but this is the experience I have had in the past when approaching them and sadly I have to say I learnt a long time ago never to say initially that I am a woodturner.
Apologies to Bryan if this is going off the initial question but I believe it is all interlinked. If you disagree jut tell me to bxxxxr off and I will shut up. :)
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