First of all, I'll begin by saying that as a jewelry maker, physically making the product is the most satisfying part of the equation. If that's all it took to sell a piece of jewelry I would be as happy as a pig in mud and rolling in dough. But that's crazy talk, because we all know that the real work begins after you've made your design. Now there are many avenues for sales that you can travel down, such as online marketplaces (for me it's Etsy), craft shows and markets, consigning your goods to a store etc etc; but for myself, my main stream of revenue (90%) comes from Home Jewelry Parties.
Women enjoy the social aspect of the home jewelry party for good reasons. It allows friends and acquaintances to meet together, catch up, share a glass of wine and some appetizers and of course look at shiny, pretty things, in a relaxed environment. Rule of thumb: When women are happy, sales increase - it's that simple.
I want to share with you my do's and don'ts for a successful Jewelry party. Also, I'll share some photos of what you will require to successfully display your jewelry to it's best advantage. I have hosted dozens of jewelry parties in the last couple of years and I have learned what works and what doesn't. Of course these are not hard and fast rules, but I hope to be helpful in providing a few tips, especially if you have never hosted a jewelry party before.
PRE-PARTY ORGANIZATION:
Here's what I do a week before my party:
1. Call my hostess to confirm the date (believe it or not, they can forget or even change their minds without letting you know!) Check how many people are coming in order to know how much stock to bring. I suggest to my hostesses a minimum of 10 women to make it profitable for them and for me - so I encourage them to invite at least 20 women. I Confirm their address and my arrival time for setup and the end time when I will pack up.
2. Look at the items I have in stock and make a list of what I still need to make in order to give a variety of products to my customers and I then use that week to concentrate on getting those designs finished.
3. Check to make sure that my items are priced clearly (see promotional items below) along with a concise description of what materials the item is made from.
4. Make note of the promotional items I have run out of and make sure that I have purchased them (this should be an ongoing process as some items can take weeks to be shipped to you).
5. Check my displays and make sure they are undamaged, clean and free from lint.
6. The day of my party, I will pack everything up into tote boxes, making sure I run through a checklist of additional items I will need at the party such as: business cards, sales receipt book, packaging supplies (bags, boxes), tools, lint roller, etc.
PROMOTIONAL ITEMS TO TAKE ALONG
Business Cards:
It's really a great thing to be able to promote your hand-crafted jewelry to everyone you meet. An easy way to do this is by having some business cards printed - this will always be a staple (and cost-effective) part of your advertising and self-promotion. Don't forget the business card holders - you can get them cheap from the dollar store.
Jewelry Party Invitations:
I give these to my hostesses when they book a party with me and generally tell them to send/give them to their invitees two weeks before the party. The concise size enables them to carry them in their wallets and hand them to store clerks, school moms, general aquaintances, etc.
Door Prize:
I use this clear glass vase with a sign that says "Door Prize" on it. Very simple and easy to do. I have small printed sheets of paper (see "Follow Up" section for a great promotional tip) that the ladies fill out with their name, email address and phone number and drop into the vase. I run two door prize draws during the evening and I ask my hostess to pick the winners. I also get the ladies involved in a fun guessing game and the winner also gets a prize - it is usually a pair of earrings around the $5 range. I package my prizes up in cute organza bags and let them take their pick of the three.
Sales Receipt Labels:
These are just a pretty way to add an extra touch of professionalism to your sale.
Fridge Magnets:
These magnets are great because everytime your customer opens their fridge, they are seeing your name and business. It's a great way to keep your products fresh in their mind.
Coupons:
Everyone loves coupons, so usually I will give these out at the end of the jewelry party as a way of saying thank you for purchasing. My coupons are for use at my online store only. Of course, I have taken advantage of the back of the coupon to promote the benefits of hosting a jewelry party.
Personally I use Vistaprint for all my promotional items; they're an online printing service that has a variety of different design templates which can be easily modified to suit your requirements through use of their advance editing tools. You can even upload your own photos and logos.
PACKAGING SUPPLIES:
I use a variety of packaging items including:
Pricing Labels.
These really are an essential. They are self-adhesive and easy to use and remove. They present well and have just enough room for a price on one side and a brief description on the other. You can also purchase these in a gold tone.
Clear self adhesive bags in various sizes.
This helps me to keep items seperate from each other and avoid them getting tangled in the bag.
Organza bags in a variety of sizes.
These purple ones match the theme colour of my other promotional items and my customers are always thrilled to have a pretty bag to take home their goodies!
Gift boxes.
Some of the items purchased at your Jewelry party will be as gifts so it's always a good idea to have a few boxes in different sizes to package them up. I offer this as a complimentary service to my customers.
Carry bags.
If your customer has purchased items that are bulky or are packaged in gift boxes, it's a good idea to give them something to carry it all home in. You can purchase these bags (as well as the self-adhesive clear bags and the organza bags) from packaging supply companies - They may also give you the option of having them printed with your logo, but for me, in order to keep my costs down I simply put one of my sales receipt labels at the top.
SETTING UP YOUR DISPLAY:
Here is a sample of the displays I use to showcase my designs. Of course you will probably need three times the amount of displays pictured here, but this is just an example of what you can use.
Use necklace, bracelet and ring stands, bracelet and ring trays, jewelry trees and earring stands. It's a good idea to make some product pricing signs if you have multiple items grouped together in the same price range.
CUSTOMER PR:
Unfortunately for some of us (including me) this can be the really hard part. You may be shy, not sure what to say about your designs, or just not a people person. It's okay - I was the same when I started. It gets easier with time. The best advice I can give to you is: Smile. Smiling will break the ice and get people chatting with you. You can simply say "If you have any questions about my designs, feel free to ask me".
As you get more comfortable talking with new clients, you can start each party with a brief speech about your work. Make it short, maybe 2-3 minutes long. For example: You can explain a few key points about your work such as what your items are made from i.e. semi-precious stones, copper etc. Explain why and when you started making jewelry and what your favourite thing is about making jewelry. (This will give it a more personal feel). Tell them you offer free gift packaging if needed (They love the free add-ons). Point out to them any specials or promotions you are running - it helps sales if you tell them the offer is only available at your parties and not online etc - (that is an extra incentive for them to purchase today). And never forget to talk about the incentives for hosting their own jewelry party i.e. Free Jewelry! (I also hand out a flyer to everyone with the incentives). My speech is an ever evolving list that I am constantly adding to and refining.
Be sure that you are always polite and courteous, no matter how small or big the sale is. You never know where it may lead at a future point. Case in point: I sold a single pair of earrings to a blind lady at a jewelry party. I made a point of talking to her about myself and my jewelry and at the end of the night, she booked a party where almost 20 ladies attended!
The lesson is, everyone has the power to increase your sales. Just sprinkle your "seeds" in all situations, because you never know where they will land and how big they will grow.
FOLLOW UP:
It's a good idea to either phone your hostess within a week after hosting your jewelry party or to send a thankyou note to them. They may book another party in the future and your thoughtfulness may be an extra incentive for them to do that.
Also, remember the door prize entries? You will have the contact details of all your clients which you can then use to send them monthly emails outlining your current promotions and offers.
Now, if you are a newbie to the party side of selling,it may seem a bit intimidating when you add up all the time involved as well as the cost of the displays, but you need to think of it as an investment. Start with a few inexpensive displays and work yourself up to more elaborate/expensive displays after a few parties. If your work is well made and beautiful, it will still sell without the fanciest of displays.
The same goes for promotional items. I held my first jewelry party with do-it-yourself printable business cards, 4 necklace displays and some black velvet and it was still a really profitable night.
Start off with what you can afford, be creative and above all, enthusiastic about your work and the rest will come with time.
I hope to have given you some helpful tips and tricks which will showcase your beautiful handmade jewelry or craft and help you to get to the next level in your business. If you found this article helpful or you have a question, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
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