671. "I sell well in-person, but I struggle to convert online visitors into buyers- help!" | Coaching Session

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Product Boss Podcast – Episode 671 Title: "I sell well in-person, but I struggle to convert online visitors into buyers – help!" | Coaching Session
Host: Jacqueline Snyder
Guest: Lindsay, Handcrafted Jewelry Designer
Release Date: March 6, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 671 of The Product Boss Podcast, host Jacqueline Snyder engages in a deep-dive coaching session with Lindsay, a talented jewelry designer specializing in handcrafted polymer clay earrings with a unique dark aesthetic. Lindsay excels in in-person sales but faces challenges in converting online visitors into buyers. She aims to transition more of her sales from physical markets to online platforms and expand her wholesale presence.

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Guest Background and Challenges

Lindsay's Current Success and Struggles
Lindsay has carved a niche for herself within the competitive market of polymer clay jewelry. Her in-person sales at local markets and smaller events, such as a bakery in Dallas, have been promising. For instance, she mentioned earning $500 at a show, although she aspires for higher returns (04:00). Despite positive feedback and steady in-person income, Lindsay struggles with online conversions. She receives substantial website traffic and email ad responses but sees very few actual sales. Additionally, Lindsay is keen on expanding her wholesale channels but is uncertain about strategic approaches.

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Evaluating and Enhancing Online Presence

Website and Platform Assessment
Jacqueline reviewed Lindsay's website hosted on Wix and commended its cleanliness and user-friendly navigation (04:30). However, to better cater to e-commerce needs and scalability, she suggested considering a switch to Shopify. Lindsay expressed reservations due to her lack of experience with Shopify, to which Jacqueline assured that comprehensive training on Shopify would be available through the Product Boss Academy.

Improving Visual Branding and Customer Connection
A significant portion of the discussion centered around enhancing Lindsay's online presence to better resonate with her ideal customers. Jacqueline emphasized the importance of brand positioning and storytelling:

• Brand Consistency: Maintaining a cohesive visual identity that reflects the brand's ethos helps customers immediately recognize and relate to the products (06:12).

• Emotional Connection: Online customers miss the tactile and personal interaction available in in-person sales. Therefore, creating an online experience that emotionally connects with customers is crucial for conversions.

• Ideal Customer Profiling: Understanding and defining the ideal customer allows for tailored marketing strategies. Jacqueline encouraged Lindsay to visualize her ideal customer's lifestyle, preferences, and aesthetic to better align her products and branding (15:07).

Notable Quote:
"If you create an experience for your customers that shows them why they need your products and not someone else's, you'll convert them to buyers." – Jacqueline Snyder [07:26]

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Strategizing Wholesale Expansion

Current Wholesale Efforts and Success Rates
Lindsay has successfully onboarded smaller stores, such as Made in Oregon, by directly reaching out via email with product photos and samples. She reported a conversion rate of about 10%, which Jacqueline identified as a strong start (34:38).

Targeted Outreach and Proactive Strategies
Jacqueline advised Lindsay to:

• Identify Complementary Brands: Seek out stores that align with her brand’s aesthetic, such as alternative clothing or witchcraft-themed shops.

• Utilize Visual Platforms: Leverage Pinterest to create boards that reflect Lindsay's brand collections, aiding in outreach and pitch presentations.

• Consistent Follow-Ups: Maintain regular communication with potential wholesale partners to build relationships and increase conversion rates.

Notable Quote:
"Nobody's thinking about your business. You gotta get in front of them. You gotta find them, pitch to them, and follow up consistently." – Jacqueline Snyder [35:08]

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Planning and Organizing Collections

Importance of Structured Product Development
Lindsay admitted feeling overwhelmed by the lack of planning in her product development, often creating items on the fly without a cohesive strategy (38:11). Jacqueline introduced a structured approach:

1. Vision Boards: Create inspiration boards to visualize and plan seasonal collections.
2. Collection Themes: Develop thematic collections for each season (spring, summer, fall, winter) to maintain consistency and appeal to the target audience.
3. Detailed Documentation: Keep thorough records of designs, color palettes, and production processes to streamline future creations and maintain brand consistency.

Notable Quote:
"Stop making all the things without planning. Define your ideal customer and how you serve them each season." – Jacqueline Snyder [38:32]

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Key Takeaways

1. Brand Positioning is Crucial: A well-defined brand that resonates with the ideal customer can significantly improve online conversions.
2. Proactive Wholesale Strategies: Actively seeking and targeting the right wholesale partners can open additional revenue streams.
3. Structured Product Development: Planning collections ahead of time through vision boards and themed releases ensures consistency and aligns with customer expectations.
4. Emotional Connection Online: Creating an online experience that emotionally engages customers is essential for converting visits into sales.

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Conclusion

By the end of the session, Lindsay gained clarity on the importance of brand consistency, strategic planning, and proactive wholesale outreach. Jacqueline emphasized that organizing her approach and staying focused on her ideal customer would pave the way for sustainable growth and increased online sales. Lindsay expressed newfound confidence and a commitment to implementing these strategies to enhance her business operations.

Final Quote:
"You have to think through what your customer needs and how you can meet them with your product so that they will exchange their hard-earned cash for your earrings." – Jacqueline Snyder [41:28]

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Join the Product Boss Academy

For listeners seeking to refine their brand, develop strategic sales channels, and organize their product development, The Product Boss Academy offers comprehensive training and support. Click the link in the show notes to learn more and elevate your product-based business to the next level.

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Connect with Lindsay:

• Website: elandesignsllc.com
• Etsy: Elgan Designs
• Maker's Place: Michael's
• Social Media: El Gan Designs

Transcript

[A]

Hi, I'm Jacqueline Snyder and this is the Product Boss podcast. I've helped launch and grow thousands of product based businesses, even one of my own. And over the last 20 years, I've seen behind the scenes of businesses just like yours. Whether they are makers, manufacturers, artists or food and beverage businesses. I have spent so many hours studying it all. I've discovered what makes them successful, what mistakes they could have avoided, how did they turn their ideas into successful business, and what are the strategies that they have used to make more sales and be discovered by more customers. And this is what this show is all about. Whether you're just starting out or you're looking to become a million dollar product boss, I'm here to give you the permission to chase your dreams, no matter how big or small. All you need is the right mindset, a little courage, strategy and support, and you too can be the next million dollar product boss. Let's do this. Hey, hey, product Boss. And welcome back to another coaching session where I get to coach product bosses and you get to come behind the scenes and hear some of the things that are so similar between so many of your businesses and also hear strategies that are different, strategies that maybe you could pick up a gem or jewel on in these sessions. And today I'm coaching Lindsay. Now, Lindsay is a talented jewelry designer who creates handcrafted polymer clay earrings with a unique dark aesthetic. Now, her main goal is to stand out in a crowded market. And while she sells well in person, she does struggle to convert her online visitors into buyers. In fact, she'd really like to move out of all of the in person markets and really start to think, how can I get more people to know about my business, to come to my website and to buy from me? Right? It's a little less effort when you get to start to start, grow, build an online business. She also wants to expand her wholesale presence because that too, that multiple stream of revenue, that extra sales engine is going to be something that helps her grow without her having to do everything. Am I right? But she's not exactly sure how to hit that and do it strategically. So if you've ever felt like you're competing with too many other similar businesses and you haven't yet figured out how to get those consistent online sales, then this episode is for you. All right, my friends, let's dive in. Oh my goodness. Friends, if you are anything like me, you probably spend more time running errands than running your business, am I right? Like, everything needs something, we gotta run around. And I knew that this Was like, a major issue for me back in the day, which is why I decided to get help where I could. And I decided to let Instacart handle all of my grocery shopping, so I no longer had to worry about running all the errands and having to run out and get more almond milk for my latches. Rather, I was like, you know what? We're just gonna let Instacart handle that. So I want you to imagine skipping the store and getting back to designing packaging, orders, making, or maybe actually taking a break, even a nap. Remember those? Okay? So with Instacart, you can get groceries and essentials delivered in as fast as an hour. So you can focus on growing your business without sacrificing a meal. Plus, less stress and more focus. And here's a tip. I've actually used Instacart before to order gifts from my daughter's friend's birthday parties because I haven't had time to run out and get presents. And I've been able to get the packaging, like the gift bag and the gift, like. Like, hello, Sephora. Delivered to my house while I was in the middle of coaching sessions so that I could have the present right. It's like having a personal assistant without having a personal assistant. So if you want to do what I do and get the help where you can, you can try it now. If you head to the productboss.com Instacart.

[B]

Earrings are my best sellers, but I've also noticed that the more kind of almost gothic alternative style are the ones that, number one, I prefer to bake and. And that seem to sell better. Or at least I've found that they sell better in certain groups. I sell most of my stuff in. In person. They. I think my photos probably aren't strong enough online, and I know that's something I really need to work on. Um, I do have a website net se page and several other platforms that I'm on, but definitely in person is the most.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. And I remember auditing your. Your website. So you've already updated a bit. Yeah, a little bit.

[B]

Yeah. Some of the suggestions you had.

[A]

Yeah, it looks. It looks good. It's like, it's much cleaner. I can see your dropdowns. It's like, shop earrings. You've done a really good job actually here. And even your homepage, like, even though your template is not necessarily like, I know the way I showed it to you, it's still very clear. So it's like shop floral design, shop fall designs. It makes it very easy for me as a customer and my user experience to be able to get to where I want to go.

[B]

So I'm through the WIX platform. So I think maybe if I moved over to Shopify it would be better. But I don't, I've, I don't have any experience with Shopify, so I'm not sure.

[A]

Okay. And I think we're going to be building that into the academy, the prad class academy. We're actually going to be. We have some experts coming in to actually teach how to start from scratch on Shopify and build your site so you'll have access to that. But right now it is what it is. Like, I haven't ever really gone full platform, platform specific because I know everyone's on different platforms, but I do know that Shopify, for example, is built for E comm and they're very much thinking through like, how do we make it that the small business can exist on this platform to millions and millions and millions of dollars, like where they don't have to build a custom platform. Like, it'll grow with you. So. But it's still to me clean and feels much easier. And then I know you said your photos, but you've done a really good job since I last looked at this.

[B]

Well then I don't know what doesn't convert them over when they see everything online, it doesn't convert them to sales.

[A]

It's. We'll get into that. Okay. Because it's, it's, it's not as easy as like I'm putting this in front of someone and they're, they should just buy it. Right. Like if sales happen, like that would be awesome and I would sleep more. But you know. Yeah, it's not. Yeah. But your product photos are clean. There's you wearing them. So I'm glad you have a face in them. And long term, you know, you could think because photos on people represent the ideal customer. So we want customers to see themselves in the photo. So that's why if you ever look at like Nordstrom's or you look at a certain brand like Kendra Scott or who, whomever, even the, the look of the model is. So it's asp to the ideal customer who they're trying to pull forward.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But more like it's the positioning, it's the pose, it's the, it's what they're styled in. So I've coached. One of my masterminders is selling jewelry and the jewelry could always be perceived as like a summer holiday, like a summer collection. So how would that masterminder sell their products during the fall when it could always feel kind of beachy and summery? So we were talking about ways, even just when they do the photo shoot, to even dress the model in a turtleneck, like a suede jacket or something like that. That felt more fall, like, to still be able to wear this kind of jewelry with it. So there's all these, like, subtle clues in branding that help your marketing and then eventually your sales conversion. So you're good. You're good for now. Because this is so much more improved. And that I can see it on your face means I can see the size of it. I can see what it would look like. Like, even right now, looking at you with your earrings, I could see, like, how long that dangle is. So that, in general is really important. And then long term, we can get into the rest of it. So getting into what you want to cover today, you said your biggest struggle is there's so many clay artists out there, and it's hard to stand out against them. You think you have a strong, beautiful product, which I do. Think your stuff is beautiful and your talent is there, but how do you separate yourself? And you sell well in person, but struggle with converting on your website and Etsy visits into actual sales?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Definitely. Yeah. In person. I get tons of compliments and I make good. I mean, to me, I make good sales. If I make $500 at a show, that, to me, was a good show. You know, I'd much rather it be like 5,000, but.

[A]

Yeah, but so when you're doing these shows, so you're in Oregon, are they just. Are they local to your neighborhood or. Tell me about the shows and the customers that show up there.

[B]

Some of them are local. I. I try not to stay in Tillamook because I just don't think that's really my demographic of people. I do more like out in Salem or I'm trying to get into some out in Portland. I just did one this weekend in Dallas, which is like 20 minutes from Salem, and that was just at a little bakery, and I actually did better at that than I have at some of the bigger shows. So some of the bigger shows where you have two or 300 people or two or 300 booths, you've got so much more competition. And this was just a little one in a bakery with like 10 people, so. So it did really well.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, and we're also looking at the season. So it's a holiday season. People are looking to buy gifts so people have their wallets out more. So the more you're in front of people, especially in a season like this, the more likely they're going to buy. I think even though you said it was a little bit more dark in terms of, you know, the polymer clay jewelry, also seasonally, the jewel tones, the darker kind of colors, it's also very on trend with the season that we're currently in. Right. So it seems like the stars aligned in a lot of ways for that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, so the two topics you want to cover. The first topic I talk about is how to stand out when there's so many people out there selling the same earrings and figuring out what you need to do to make your customer want to buy your products versus buying from another clay artist.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then how to get your products in front of the right people. So if you want to kind of go a little deeper into that.

[B]

So I'd really like to expand more into wholesale. I have my. My products in made of. Made in Oregon, which is. I think they have five or six stores in Oregon. And I've sold to a few local places in Tillamook and a couple out in Salem. But I really would like to extend that further. I'm on fair, but I really haven't seen much of anything from that. The biggest thing is me just reaching out to stores and asking if they want to buy. I like selling in person to a certain degree. I'm not exactly an extrovert, so I would almost like to step away from the shows. But that's where I need my. My website to actually be converting to sales. And even if I, you know, pay for ads, I get lots of visits. But no actual sales. Well, I shouldn't say none, but I get very few.

[A]

Yeah. You know, if we think about the reason why people go to markets, it's because they're looking to discover that's the same reason why places like Home goods, TJ Maxx, Ross. Places where. A place of. Well, I'm gonna say TJ Maxx. Let's just go with that as an example. It's a place of discovery. So when you go there, it's not like the shelf. It's like when you go to Target and you walk up to, I don't know, the Joanna Gaines section. Right. The magnolia section. It's like they've got 10 candles of the same candle stacked or 10 vases stacked. Right. Like, you can just. Like I'm buying one of the ten vases on the. That is. Yes, there's discovery, but it's like we know it's mass produced. The thing that the reason why TJ Maxx did so well and has continued to do well is it's a place where people go walk around and see what they're gonna discover. It's not a shelf with all the same stuff. It's like, oh, I'm going to the picture frame shelf and there's really like one of every picture frame and I pick it and if I don't take it, it's gonna be gone potentially the next time I go. So there's this thing of, of that feeling that people get when they're shopping. They. It's basically being mimicked from when we would go to a market like these shows that you go to, where if I am a customer and I'm like, I'm gonna go to the local farmer's market, I'm gonna go to the local art fair, I'm gonna go to this, you know, pop up gift show. I'm going to discover with a hope and intention that I'm gonna find something to buy, whether it's for myself or gifts or whatever. Same concept of a mall. When someone goes to a mall, sure, they might be going to walk around, but they're thinking, what, what am I gonna discover that I can buy? So you've just got a better customer, a more warmed up customer at these in person markets that they're looking to purchase something, discover something. And that's the point of discovery, right. The harder part is online is online we find our way somewhere is because we are looking for something. So we're typing in. We've either established a brand, meaning I am aware of a brand like Nike, and I'm like, I need another pair of Nike tennis shoes. I go on to nike.com and I'm just scrolling around to find the shoes I want and the color I want. For example, same thing with like a store, a bigger jewelry company where maybe you've seen someone wear something and you're like, oh, that's. I'll just go to Kendra Scott. Because we talk about them a lot. You know, Kendra Scott necklace, you're looking to buy Kendra Scott whatever. You go to Kendra Scott. What does she have right now? The discovery of new companies online of looking up earrings. Let's say you write an earrings or clay earrings or I actually don't think your customers would probably write polymer clay earrings. Right.

[B]

A lot of people don't understand even know what the polymer part is exactly.

[A]

They just see them as handcrafted, like pieces of art that are in the shape of earrings that are made out of, let's say clay. But the polymer, they don't. And we, it's, we know it's lighter weight than, you know, putting a chunk of clay on your ear, but they're not, look, they're not googling that. So the discovery is different online. So what it takes for you online to get people to your website is the awareness that you exist. So the first part is the brand development and you're in the product boss academy. So you're going to be going through the brand at section which is going to be establishing your brand, which I love that you're coming to this kind of. It's not goth, but, but it's, it's not the. And if anyone listening is thinking like, oh, she's talking about me. But I'm just gonna say like when I first saw a lot of these clay earrings come out, they were in the upside down U shape. Modern, millennial ish.

[B]

Like I like to embellish mine to make them, I don't know, just to make them stand out more. And the floral designs are a big thing for me.

[A]

Yeah, your stuff is more ornate, but the shaping of it is a more modern, I don't know, like trendy kind of. Yeah, like people have arches in their houses now and they've got arch shaped bookcases and you know, there's a lot of that. So the brand establishment of it is really honing into your ideal customer and what she's looking for and how it's going to meet her needs. And so this particular customer might like darker tones, richer color looks. You know, whether or not you do skulls or don't do skulls, that's a whole other conversation. But it's. She likes the craftsmanship of something. Maybe if you go into her house, she has old vintage mirrors or you know, like a brush that she saved from her grandmother that's like really ornate. Right. Like her house is less modern, minimalist and more ornate. And so we really have to understand the customer and what her home would look like, what her clothes would look like. She doesn't have to be goth to like black and red.

[B]

Yeah, I guess I look at myself as it's kind of more just an alternative. Like I like dark colors. I work for a city, so I can't really dress, you know, completely out there. But my earrings are one thing that I can accentuate. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And you might even think like, what would her wedding ring look like? You know what? Because if you think about, like, a wedding ring or what would her dress look like? Was she wearing vintage to her wedding? You know, like, you think about all the purchases that she would make and the choices she makes, and they might be alternative. Right. She's never going to shop at X store. But, like, she might really like anthropology because of the way that anthropology has, like, bedding that looks a different way. Right. So you start to kind of find your ideal customer. Where else you would exist in this world and what other choices you would make. And the brand that's established around that is pulling forward, like, really stand. The way you stand out is that you develop a brand that when people see it, they're able to say, that's a what. Okay, so staying consistent with looks and feels doesn't mean that you always have to do black and red. I'm not saying it has to be a certain color palette. But we would do this. We would never do this. We'd never do an upside down you.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And just black or white. Right. Maybe we do an upside down you if it was covered in, like, beautiful handcrafted roses. But. So that's the part that you start to establish from a brand perspective. And that's how, when customers see it, a romantic, like, you use the dark romance collection, it's like, romantic. And then the customer starts to recognize it and say, oh, yeah, Like, I. I relate to this. Whether it's they buy it one time because it matches a holiday dress they have, or it matches all the time because it's how they live in their existence. And that's really this concept of nailing the ideal customer and calling them forward and them feeling really connected to your brand. I feel like you're getting closer.

[B]

Yeah, I feel better now that I've kind of veered off into that direction. I actually got a really nice couple this weekend from somebody that bought a pair, and she said that when she wore them, she felt like herself and. Yeah, and that was just that. Well, moved me.

[A]

Yeah, it was really nice.

[B]

So that's what I want. I want people to feel like they're. They may not be able to dress how they want all the time, but maybe they can accentuate something and just feel like there's a piece of them there.

[A]

Yes. So I think. I think you're getting close to that. So if I just go back to, like, the deer, Are there little foxes?

[B]

Foxes.

[A]

The owls, maybe, but the. You know, it depends. How did you do the foxes selling those?

[B]

They did okay. I think I sold a couple pairs.

[A]

They might be too Cutesy. Right. And like the bees and the honey, that's where you're kind of. So this is where the brand goes off. And I know you're finding your way through this, so I'm just scrolling your Instagram, so I'm going to old stuff too. But I want you to think about is like, if she had a tattoo, what kind of tattoo would she have? So it looks closer to me with the butterfly ornate butterflies that you've done, or the sparrows versus the cute bee and honey and cute fox. They're cute. But maybe she's not cute. She's more romantic even. You don't have to have a romance collection to just always offer romantic pieces.

[B]

Right? Yeah. I think a lot of that was everybody telling me what I needed to make, so I was okay, well, I'll try this and, oh, this person sells this really well and.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But it just. It doesn't work for me. And. And I even look at it and see that, you know, maybe my heart wasn't in it, you know, completely when I made those because they don't look as well as some of my other stuff.

[A]

Yeah, like you have a whole TikTok on designs I thought I would sell but didn't, you know, and it's like a little as techie or so if you can even create for yourself because some of these pieces are nailing it. We want to catch what we figured out. So Lindsay knows her products are beautiful. They really are. And she's so talented. Her artistry is just incredible. But she's really struggling to differentiate herself in a market flooded with other polymer clay jewelry brands. And so in person, she does get a ton of compliments and she makes sales, but when people land on her website, they just kind of leave before purchasing anything. And I'll bet some of you out there can relate. And if you do relate to this, don't worry, because there are solutions. Just like I told Lindsay, it all comes down to her brand positioning. Why? Because when you sell online, customers don't get to experience the. The being in person with your products, touching your products, trying them on, chatting with you at market, all of the things that bond with them more than the actual product. So what they really need online is they do need to create an experience for their customers. They do need clear visual branding and a brand story that they can immediately relate to. So I want you to think about how you can create an experience for your customers that will actually show them why they need your products and not someone else's. In the same Niche. We really have to find the ideal customer and stick to it. Now, figuring out your differentiating factor and creating a cohesive brand that can be recognized anywh is the first step in really getting customers to purchase from you, especially online. So now let's dig a little bit deeper into the power of brand storytelling when it comes to selling online. So if you created even this. Okay, so this is the counter to that. So we've got dark, like here dark and moody. And then we have white and. And kind of girly. So we have like this dark moody with like a rich, dark rose color rose on it. And then we have the back.

[B]

What those two are actually my best sellers, the white one and the black one.

[A]

So there it is. So if you have these counter options of your light, kind of more feminine. They're still feminine, but they're these lighter versions of this. And then you have the darker version that's a little bit richer. Could be like what she wears at night, or maybe for a woman who is a little bit more. It's not gothic, but it's more moody. I think if you started with, you took those two pictures, you put them on two different boards, and you built out your collections around that. And so when you drop new seasons or new collections, it was like, I'm. Either. There's either like the feminine, girly, floral this or this. Not every piece has to have both. Right. Like, we don't have to double. You don't do the snake in white and the snake in black. This could have just been it for the snake. And that could have been part of this dark, romantic collection.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So this could be like the romantic, dark feel. And this is more of like the feminine.

[B]

Okay, I like that.

[A]

And then you're classifying them into that. So when you're building your collections black and bows, but she can also do really light pink. And we're thinking she's still the same customer. It's two sides of the same coin.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Right. And so I. I imagine as you're trying to think, how do I stand out? I think one, it's just defining you as the designer and as the creator of this, where you're starting to just pull together inspiration boards of how you want to build out your collections, and then when you drop them, meaning, like, you announce them to your customers, you have little collections that are built together. They're thematic.

[B]

Okay. That is one thing I'm really bad about. I don't. I don't plan anything. I just kind of wing it.

[A]

Totally. You and Everybody else, but as a fashion designer, for me, like, I had a four. I had to have foresight on the season. So it's like we're designing spring, summer, 2025, or we're designing fall, winter 2025. Great. What's the palette? What's the mood? What's the look we're going to come out with? When I worked at big companies, we didn't just come out with one thing, and that was it. It was like we had the. Maybe there was one that was like, in this is. I'm just thinking back to specific collections I designed for this one swim Art company. It was like, aboriginal original art. Was this inspiration for one. So the prints we were looking at were these dot prints from, like, Australia, and the colors were oranges and blues. But then we were also doing. We had, like, a leopard collection, and the leopard prints were never in, like, true leopard, but it was yellow and blue, and then there was, like, a pink and blue.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So the prints could hit two different kinds of customers. Women ultimately will always buy black. They'll always buy pink. They'll always buy white. But you meet. Some people may never buy pink, but they'll buy black or white. Some people may never buy purple. But you're giving them these options. So I want you to start to think through and say, what am I going to do for spring?

[B]

Okay.

[A]

What would my Valentine's Day collection look like? And ideate, like, five pieces that would be your Valentine. Valentine's Day collection. Or maybe it's five or, like five. Or let's say there's eight to 10 total pieces that you come out with. Maybe there's three that could almost be in either collection. And then you have your kind of darker goth look and then your romantic look, and they still go together, but they're separate.

[B]

Okay. Yeah. My. I'm always feeling like I'm behind, so it's a rush to get those collections together. So, you know, even Christmas, I threw some Christmas stuff together, which I really hate doing, you know, specific holiday ones. So I think that's one thing that I need to realize that I don't have to do that.

[A]

Nope. But, yeah, you just have to be seasonal. Not. Not. It doesn't have to be Christmas. It's just seasonal. So if I'm going to be wearing. I know that when I design for the winter, typically I'm looking for jewel tones and darker tones. So jewel tones people will wear during the holidays and darker more. Like when we go into fall or when we go into the blues, we use are different. The reds that we use are different. If it feels too much like spring, she's less likely to buy it in the fall.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So it doesn't have to have a Christmas tree on it to be holiday. It's just. Even the colorways that you use are different.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. I need to get past that mindset. I think that I have to do a holiday or I have to do it this way, because that's what other clay artists are doing.

[A]

I'd rather you look to jewelry companies than clay artists. Clay artists, they're just like a. They're just like. They're just people who knows what their coaches look like, who knows what programs are into, who knows how successful they are. And some people are, because they've been doing this for a long time. But I want you to drive yourself more into the way that a jewelry company would design. Where you're thinking. If you just thought through, you do not need to come out with a new collection every month. But if you thought in spring, summer, fall, winter, that's it. And you thought, what do I want to launch for spring? Even if you came up with 20 new ideas and you kind of did your whole palette on it and, like, you thought through, like, what you wanted to look like, you were inspired, you start. You start looking up old costume design from, I don't know, let's say Bridgerton was your inspiration.

[B]

Bridgerton.

[A]

What?

[B]

I love Bridgerton.

[A]

Okay, so think, if these ladies existed today, what would they wear? And you could like, make the, you know, the Countess wears different things and, like, and the girls wear different things from each other in different colors and stuff. So if you think about that as customers and you're like, what would Bridgerton wear in the spring? Okay, but you can be inspired by stuff. And then you do your research and you look up costume and you look up things that are happening. And it can be so much more fun and creative than just sitting down and making it for you. It might be more in that ideation side where you're ideating your collections and then you're going into developing. And we're going to talk about this inside of the Product Boss Academy. But so what happens is people design, they just start to make it and they try and sell it. But you need to get into the thinking through, what am I going to come out with? What is the product development process going to look like? So design, thinking it through, putting a collection together, making the samples, doing photos, and then we get into production down the line, once we're selling It.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It's okay. I went to school for many, many years to learn this process. You all are creatives that started making it, and that's why, like, the product boss has been what the product boss is, because it's like, all right, we just need to build systems and structure and foundational steps inside that we didn't do. Because a lot of us are creatives. I just want to make beautiful things and sell them well.

[B]

It's fun. I never thought of myself as a creative because I. I didn't do art. I didn't. I. At one point, I actually wanted to do fashion. But. Well, number one, I don't know how to sew, so that's not going to get me real far. And I can't draw, so I don't know what I thought I was going to do. But then when I found this, it just. I don't know, it just ignited something that I didn't know existed.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, you are creative. I mean, listen, I would never do what you're doing, so. And I didn't know how to sew when I went to school. I just knew how to design and ideate products that would sell and that were beautiful. And then I learned to draw better. I learned, you know, in fashion design, you learn how to just really were like, architects for clothing. So we're drawing CAD drawings on how you actually manufacture, like, make and manufacture a product. There's only a very small percentage that's like, the fun designing, like, fashion drawings. Okay. So for you and moving forward, I think this branding side of it is you're getting much closer to it. So lean in. Because me just visually looking at your product, I see it very clearly. So you're starting to get closer to it. Just keep yourself within guardrails. Okay.

[B]

Do you think I should go back and, like, delete some of the Instagram stuff that is kind of the older, not really the same.

[A]

You could. You can clean it up.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Make it feel a purpose and take.

[B]

Some of the products down that are like the owl and the fox and stuff.

[A]

Yeah. It's not going to hurt anything. It's just going to one. If I do land on your page, if you do start to grow it, then I'm like, oh, I see what. I see what this place is. Right. We want people to just know what this brand stands for.

[B]

Right.

[A]

That's how you start to stand out. You're develop, you know very clearly who your ideal customer is, and you know very clearly what they're looking for and the brand you're creating. And everything you create around it is in meeting the need of that customer. They feel seen, they feel represented. Like you said, that woman was like, I feel like me. We need more of that.

[B]

Yes, Yes, I would love to have more of that.

[A]

It does not have to be everybody, but when you know it, you know it. And you're like, it's for me or it's not for me or it's for my daughter. So I'm still going to buy for it. Spend a lot of money, not for me, but I'm a mother. I'm a woman in a family that makes decisions. Okay. So that's how you start to stand out. You nail the brand and you stay clear on that. And we repel people who are not our customers, and we attract the right one. Are you sensing a theme here? Okay, so one of the biggest reasons Lindsay sells well in person, but not online, is that markets allow people to see, touch, and connect with your products in real life, but online, potential customers don't just stumble upon your brand the same way. You actually have to do the work to not only get them to your website. Right. We have to figure out how to get them to know you exist, then we need to get them into your website, and then we actually have to convert them to buy. So how do you do this? Well, part of it is by having a strong brand, something that does stand out, something that really relates to who the customer is that you're selling to. You need to know your ideal customer and your product. I don't care whether you. Whether it's jewelry or pottery or food or a book or a wall sign or anything. Your product, they're not buying the product. They're buying the brand. They're buying something that makes them feel a certain way. And when I say I don't care, what I mean by that is that each and every product out there meets a need, want, desire, or solves a problem. And sometimes it does a lot of those things. So when you're able to connect with your ideal customer and really figure out how to connect emotionally to that ideal customer, how to get them to realize that your product is going to make them feel a certain way, that is how you convert them to a customer. And so much of this comes from more than just what you're selling. That's really the key here. Okay, so now let's discuss Lindsay's next way of selling right now, which I know she wants to jump into wholesale. Hey, friends. Okay, so I don't know if you wrote anything like me. But sometimes it feels like my self care routine is slipping through the cracks because when I'm juggling and wearing all the hats in my business and doing all the things, I mean the last thing I have to do is like, like really fulfill that self care routine that my daughter's talking about. She's like, mom. So listen. So when it comes to running a successful business, you can't really pour from an empty cup. And a lot of times that self care is like one of the first things to get yourself recalibrated. So that's why I want you to meet Glossy. Now Glossy is my favorite daily beauty supplement designed to transform your skin and gut health from the inside out. And I'm actually an investor in this business because I so believe in this idea of science backed ingredients for digestion and skin hydration. And Glossy makes it really easy to look and feel your best without that whole 10 step routine in the mirror. The thing I don't actually have time for, all I have to do is simply mix a stick into my water and I'm good to go. So if you want to try this, because I so believe in this business, I think it's amazing. It's done so many wonders for my skin and my gut, which are two things that I need help with. And you want to simplify your wellness and your beauty. All you have to do is click in the show notes and you can use the code Jaclyn Snyder. So it's my full name. Use the code Jaclyn Snyder and I'm hooking you up with 15% off your order. So cheers to glowing skin and a thriving business. Hey friends, Are you unsure of what to say on social media or what to even send in your weekly emails? Well, what if creating content could be easy? Would you be looking for a shortcut to creating consistent content? Yes. Yes, consistent content. Because you know, consistency is key. Well, let me tell you, you are not alone when you feel like you're struggling on what to post or what to write in emails. And we know that you have that product part of your business down. But as you're listening to this podcast, you probably already know that to get more people to your products, to buy your products, you need to create great content. Oh, I know, I see. I keep saying content and that's the dreaded C word. And we can't tell you how many product boxes tell us that they want to create great content for their audience and their customers, but they don't know what to say or they are so busy they can't find the time, or they really, really, really don't want to be the face of their brand. Well, no worries, because that's exactly why we created A Year of Content. It is your shortcut to creating consistent content that resonates with your audience and brings more loyal customers who can't wait to buy your products. If you want to see how easy this is and how easy it is to create content for your audience and your customers, head to www.ayear of content.com.

[B]

Do you think sticking with the name of Elgan Designs will work, or should I? Because when I started it, obviously I had no clue what to name myself. So that's. It was just throw it together, and that's all I could come up with.

[A]

You're like, what's my name? Okay, got it.

[B]

We're just gonna go with that.

[A]

I'm designing. These are my. My last name, doing it. Whether I think long term for the stickiness of a brand. You know, the reason why Gwyneth Paltrow picked the word goop was she knew the sound ooh was that's like Google. Ooh was a very memorable sound. So she took her. Her initials, gmp and put two O's in between. And so I think long term as a brand. Yeah. We think about the stickiness of a brand name and think about, you know, whether it's the person's school name, like Kendra Scott. But if Kendra Scott ever gets bought out, she can never use her name again. This is what happened for Kate Spade when she sold her brand. She actually did come out with another company that was a totally different name, and we had no idea that it was associated. So I'm not saying you have to worry about that yet, but you can think later. But that's not necessarily standing in the way of you selling right now.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah. Next thing I want to say to you because you. You're asking me questions about social media. When I looked at your social, you did have one bit of content that had way more plays than others. And it's like there it's. Watch me make feather earrings.

[B]

Yeah. I have no idea why that one took off, so.

[A]

Because people like to watch things be made.

[B]

Yeah. But I've done other. Watch me make these, and they got very little.

[A]

I think with your stuff, there can be the watch how it's made. But even if I watch how it's made doesn't mean that I'm the ideal customer.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So if you. If you look, I think there's other ways around social I don't think you need it to grow your business so.

[B]

Hard time even finding time to do it. So.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And. And I think that's why mine looks so kind of discombobulated. It's just me throwing in a video as quick as I can.

[A]

So let's get into the things that would have bigger impact than social media because we can talk about it, but you don't love it. It's not. You could make a ton. You could. We could clean it up. You could still post there. If you really start to think about the brand and who the woman is that would be following you and what she wants to see, she probably wants to see. You know, even if you had like a little set that you built up that was like lace. And if you just thought about what would make it more beautiful, more impactful, if it really resonated with the brand, even just this being more images that were of brand of. I obsessed with Bridgerton. And I also want to see it happen here because there's the behind the scenes. If you're doing the photo shoot which has like the pomfron, like more modern look, it's not your customer. The Marvel background, the white, like fuzzy florals, whatever those are. Yeah. You might want to just again think. I think the more successful one for you or the way that it looks is the. The one where you have the background of the black writing. Like it looks like old script.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So even your stuff on old vintage books or you know, just thinking through that. So just visually you can clean it up, but don't. It's not necessarily. This is. And you can keep doing your. How it's like the making. People like to watch the making. Maybe just pause on that because for you the next question is wholesale and that might be a faster play to making more money. Okay, do you want to dig into that next?

[B]

Yeah, that's fine. Like I said, the biggest wholesale place that I'm working with so far is made in Oregon.

[A]

So tell me what you are doing from wholesale perspective. Like because you said you've been reaching out and people aren't responding. So tell me about your process that.

[B]

There mostly it's been either walking into the store and talking to the store owner or emailing, which is how I got made in Oregon. I sent them an email with some photos and they emailed me back and asked for some samples. So I sent those off to them. I have gotten a couple other stores that responded, but you know, for every 10 that I send, maybe one response.

[A]

So one responds and what do they respond with that?

[B]

They love my products and they'd love to see more.

[A]

And then do they buy?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, usually.

[A]

Okay, so one in ten is great. Like ten conversion is huge.

[B]

But it's also, it's. They're small stores. Right. So I've been reaching out more towards like alternative clothing and almost like a witchy, like witchcraft stores.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And both of those are the ones that have responded back. Or those kinds of stores.

[A]

Okay. So great. So you just find. You can find more of those. Okay. I'm on. Just on Pinterest, because Pinterest could be another place that you play with. So I just googled romantic feminine style. Right. And then you could even create boards for yourself. But you've got like your romantic girly feminine, where you're like, my floral earrings that are. The white with the rose would look really great with, I don't know, a woman who would wear this.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Or a woman who would wear this. So if you could start to create those. Those palettes and those was that version. And you've got stuff to sell for that. Like a woman who would wear a lace Converse maybe. Okay. Then you have the. You called it witchy.

[B]

Yeah, Kind. I mean, it's like oddity stores and alternative stores and witchcraft and so like a little goth.

[A]

A little. Yeah. Romantic. So same idea. So you kind of like, for example, this is a. This is a great example for you to see of maybe she. Like, these boots are very witchy.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But they're vintage. Feeling it looks like she's wearing vintage jewelry. She's stacking. This might be how she dresses every day or it might be that she doesn't. So even if you created like palette, this would be really cool for you to do long term, since you wanted to be a fashion designer. So now I'm turning you into a stylist. If you created Pinterest posts or Instagrams that were like curating outfits for your ideal customer and using your jewelry.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

That also is like something like this is kind of cool. But again, you kind of look through. Because Moons and Stars might work really well.

[B]

That's been a big seller too, is Moons.

[A]

Yeah. And so again, you kind of position who it is. And then as you start to outreach stores. So as soon as you start to nail the brand look and feel, you can find other brands that would be selling to your customer that would be dressing her in different ways either other not only other earring lines, dresses, shoes, handbags. So she's already done a great job of Landing a few wholesale accounts, including a larger retailer in Oregon. But just like most product bosses out there, she does want to continue scaling and growing and getting into more stores. So just like I told Lindsay, when it comes to wholesale, you really need to be proactive, since the stores won't just come to you. Not sure if you sense a theme there, but nobody's thinking about your businesses. You gotta get in front of them. You gotta go find them. It's like fishing. The fish are not gonna jump into your debt. They're not gonna jump into your boat. You gotta hook, line, and synchro them. Sinker. Sync, hook, line, and sync them. That's what you gotta do, right? You need to find them, you need to pitch to them. You need to follow up with them consistently. And if you're going to make it work, listen, that's the way to do it. So Lindsey already has had a great conversion rate with her wholesale customer. She knows how to get in front of them. She's starting to do it. So can we just repeat this process? Can we repeat the sales engine? I'd love to see her dig deeper into wholesale and understand how to have have minimum orders and how to pitch the right stores. Like, meaning stores that already have their ideal customer shopping at their store, and then how can they be that, too? So she's definitely on the right track. And remember, if you want to lean into wholesale, make it easy for sources. Say yes to you and your products. All right, now let's wrap this up.

[B]

I feel overwhelmed.

[A]

Let's clean it up for you, though.

[B]

I just feel like I don't have enough time in the day for everything. You know, I work full time. I say I have kids, but they're all adults now, so I can't really use that as an excuse anymore. But I have a husband and animals, so we'll use them.

[A]

Okay, so step one is you stop making all the things without planning. Okay. Definitely said there.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So we can get creative. But I want you to get creative first off of, who is my ideal customer and how do I serve them in each season? So that's your first step. You're going to say, who's my ideal customer? How do I serve them in each season, and what am I feeling like I want to bring to market? That is my position in fashion of. I'm really inspired by roses and dark and da da. Because you could have the moon and sun collection come out in spring, and things that are bestsellers can stay in the collection. Right. They can always live there. And then you'll have collections come in and out.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Moon and sun are in for spring, and then they're done. And then by fall, it's another collection that's coming up. So I want you to just hone in on your ideal customer and think about how you can serve them. And maybe you visually, you're looking up on Pinterest, you're creating cutout boards, whatever you need to do, but you're able to visually look at something and say, oh, yeah, am I on track or off track? Lindsay, are you on track or off track? You know, oh, that. That fox doesn't fit in with that board. I'm not going to do the fox. Okay.

[B]

Yeah, I can definitely see where I need to plan better.

[A]

So how do you think you can plan better? Like, what would you execute to plan better?

[B]

Like, you were talking about having vision boards and actually planning out the collection instead of just going in and winging it for the day.

[A]

So you have a beautiful little office. So, like, you could also put some poster board up or foam core. And every time you get inspired, like, add it to a. A vision board of. When I say vision, but it's really a creative creative board. This is how designers work. You're starting to think through what you want these collections to look like. It doesn't mean you have to say, go on it it, but you're starting to kind of ideate, and then you're developing the look and feel of that collection.

[B]

Yeah, no, I definitely see that because I'll see things that inspire me now, but I'm in the middle of work or whatever, so, you know, I'll screenshot it or something, then I forget about it later.

[A]

Yeah, you can also keep yourself, like a hidden Pinterest board that you can just like automatically pin it up for you. You can just create an album for yourself and your photos. You just move to album. So just think through what's the. I have so many screen grabs and so many things. So just for you, think about where you want it to live. And then when you sit down and you have a day of design and ideation and creative day, instead of going straight to making, go to the boards. Yeah, start to design. Start to think there. Okay, I'm going to do a floral collection, but I really want to put gold in it. And that's a lot of the front end work as a fashion designer. I started designing a year before it would ever be at market. So that's. Right now. Everything that we're going to see a year from now is is being designed.

[B]

That's what I need to work on here.

[A]

You don't have as big of a business, so you can pivot and move quickly, but I just don't want you to just make something today and try and sell it tomorrow.

[B]

Which is what I've been doing for the last two years.

[A]

Yeah. Which is okay. And. But you're making more than selling. You're more, you're more excited about the making and design process and it's costing you. You're like, I don't have a lot of time. Well, it's either a hobby and you're getting crafty or we're thinking through what does my customer need and how can I meet them with this product so that they will exchange their, their, their earned hard cash for my earrings.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. So that's like that ideated phase, which leads you into the make it phase. So make it is how are we going to make this stuff? So the first part of this is product development, which is you. You come up with these ideas, you have these boards, maybe you've got sketches, and now you're going to bring it to life. Life. And you're gonna start to just kind of. You've got the collections. You're like, okay, I'm gonna sit down and make six pairs of earrings. I'm just gonna ideate and design through it. Get inspired, Create. Look at the collection in front of you and say, what does this look like? Does it look like a well rounded collection? Oh, maybe I need some studs. Maybe I need some longer earrings. Maybe it feels good.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Once you've done that, you can then say that's where you can take photos of it. You could price it out. Like, that's when you're starting to get into. You could document the recipe. How is this made? When I say recipe, it's like, I.

[B]

Agree, I'm not good at, at writing it down. And a lot of times I'll go back and try to figure out how I came up with that color to begin with. So writing it down would be very good.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. Pinch of this, measure that. Right. So. So if you can do that part, then at least the design phase and that making it phase is handled. So then you get into the fun part. So you. We've just talked about branding. I think you just need also maybe you have images up of, like, who she is and what she would dress like. Like, again, I want you to kind of go back to. So we're going into foundational stuff right now versus scaling because if we can hone you back in, everything you do is the intention of selling this product to your ideal customer. And that's the brand, which I think you're actually nailing the brand a much better. You're just gonna clean it up and tighten it up where you're like, is it for her? Okay, it's not for her. I'm not doing it. Marketing is what it is. You're gonna keep doing whatever processes you wanna do there. We're gonna jump to selling it. So if you want to sell wholesale, what you're gonna do is you're gonna come up with these ideas and then you're take photos and then whether you're posting it on fair, whether you're reaching out to these stores, because what you're doing wholesale is working. So what really is more important than you making stuff every day is you come up with the ideas, you take it, then you actually try and get the stores to order from you. And then for you, right now, you're probably doing production against those orders. So you're going to give yourself a certain amount of time to fulfill them until we get you to that next level where you get orders, you've got to product, you've got time before you have to ship it. But right now you might be working more in an immediate mode. And so what is working, what is going to make you money is the way that you've been doing it. You've been finding the stores, you've been contacting them. One out of every ten have been buying from you. You're going to set yourself minimums, okay? And you're going to know what you're selling and you're in order. And you'll say, great, we'll get this to you. And you have to think, is it two weeks, Is it four weeks? That's not my coaching for everybody, but that's going to be my coaching for you right now.

[B]

Okay, Should I stick with in person markets for a while too? Because. Because that's definitely where I sell the majority. Okay.

[A]

So your two ways of selling right now could be in person and wholesale. So the part where it's gonna matter about your website being built well or your Instagram is gonna be. When people see you out in the wild or someone refers them, they're gonna go to one or two places. Most likely. Now they go to Instagram. So let's say Instagram or your website. And that's why that part matters from a visual perspective, because they've seen it and now they're Curious and then they're going to land on that page. So that's kind of how I want your cycle, your cycle to go. And so I know you felt overwhelmed, but it's actually quite simple. It's just kind of pulling it together.

[B]

Yeah, it's, it sounds like it's simplifying it quite a bit. I just need to be more organized.

[A]

Okay, so to wrap it up, how can people follow you, shop from you and support you?

[B]

Okay, you can find me online at Elgan Designs, which the AA. The website address is elandesignsllc.com I'm also on Etsy, Michael's maker place Go Imagine and on social media as El Gan Designs.

[A]

Amazing. Thank you. Lindsay, I'm so excited to see what happens and like how you create this new beautiful line because I think I can see it so clearly for you and I'm, I'm excited to see you discover and make it what it's going to be.

[B]

Yeah, I really appreciate your time. You've actually made stuff much, much more organized and clear for me.

[A]

So I appreciate it. I had a great time coaching Lindsay. In fact, I've worked with her in my programs and other sorts of capacities and so I was familiar with her brand. Now I cannot wait though to see what she does after this coaching session. Now, Lindsay's student in many of my programs and so I know with that support that she has inside of the programs and with a little bit of this fun, you know, one on one coaching that she can really figure out how she refines and can grow her business. Now the main theme here is that if she wants to stand out in a crowded market and convert more people online, then she's going to need to define her brand better. She's going to need an know how to connect with her ideal customer. She's going to want to plan ahead and I think wholesale is a really great sales engine to add to her business. So if she can implement what we discussed, I know she's going to be able to build sustainably and scale her jewelry business. So my friends, if you are struggling with the same things as Lindsay, then you do need to figure out and clearly define your brand, really understand who your ideal customer is and to really connect the two. This is exactly what we do because so many people have these great ideas and they want to sell them, but they don't know all the bits in between. So this is what we do inside of the Product Boss academy and that's something that I want to share with you. So if it's something that you're interested in, you can click the link in the show notes because inside of the Product Boss Academy, we take you all the way from come up with the idea, learn how to make it, figure out how to build a brand, market it, and sell online. Okay, that's all inside of the Product Boss Academy. So if you want to learn more, just click the link in the show notes. Remember, my friends, you have got this and I will see you in the next episode.