Customer Service in a Fast Paced World

In just a few short weeks many cities will be inundated with Fall Craft Shows and Fall/Holiday Festivals. Patrons will scurry from place to place, looking for just the right gifts and packages; checking their lists and marking thru names. Halls and shops will be filled with floral designs, jewelry, food vendors, wood workers, potpourri and candles, embroidery and crocheted items ….all these artists and craftsmen have worked hard over the summer building a Fall/Holiday inventory for the buying public. It occurred to me yesterday at the first show of the season, that Custom Service is the ‘Brake or Make’ of a business. So, here are a few tips for great customer service.

·Always have a smile and pleasant attitude, Grumpy never sold anything. Greet customers with a “Hello and Welcome to ‘X’ and a warm smile. Don’t rush or push the customer or make them feel ‘boxed in’, allow them to move among your tables and through your booth. Be enthusiastic and Love what you do, it will show through to your customers!
·Let them know of any discounts or specials you might be offering for that show. Customers like to know where to get the best deals, especially in today’s economy.
·Be knowledgeable about your products. Tell a story of how you came to have a particular item, (especially if it is humorous). I have gemstones, so if a customer is looking at a particular piece I’ll let them know what stone it is, where it’s mined (if I know) or how I got it, and how the piece was designed. The last thing a customer wants to hear is ‘I don’t know, just something I thought was cute and picked up.’
·If I don’t carry a particular item, but I know of a fellow artist that does, I’ll refer the customer to that person. I want my customers to be happy and my fellow artists to be successful too!
·Chat with your customers, get to know them, give them the personal touch....find out what they like, what they don’t like, what they prefer and what they look for in gifts. Know them and the people they buy for. I’ll often ask a repeat customer “how did so-and-so like the gift you bought last time?” This also gives me feedback on how I’m doing as a business, how my jewelry is accepted and what I need to do differently or better.
·Lastly, always, always include your business card. I always add and mention my business card to every customer. I let them know about my websites and not just a ‘buying site’ either. I tell them on my blog there is useful information such as industry news, calendar dates and show discounts, and a spotlight on a new gem or jewelry design.

Find your ‘Nitch’, go with it and enjoy what you do and it will show to everyone!

From Studio Creative Desk to Finished Jewelry Designs

Many ask ‘How do you create these designs?’ Well, many designs come from the inspiration of the stones themselves. Here is a picture from my studio design desk, where I design all the jewelry. You can see that it is a mass of ribbon cord, wire, tools, a design board, stones, and much more. This particular set of stones I’m working with was hand-picked and purchased at the Tucson International Gem Show this past February. They are an array of gemstone pendants from Green Seraphine, Pink Peruvian Opal, Blue Peruvian Opal, Icy Opalite, Agates, and Jaspers.
I create and design whatever comes to mind as I shape and mold the wire with the gemstone pendants. Sometimes the designs are just wire and sometimes I add accents in other stones, crystals, or metal beads. These particular gemstone pendants are then hung from coordinating ribbon cords, ranging from 16” (41cm) to 22” (56cm). Each pendant bail is made large enough to remove and wear on another style necklace or put one your own pendants on the ribbon cord. You are actually getting a multi-functional necklace with these designs.



Once completed, I then photograph with different backgrounds and props; download to the computer and crop; list into my inventory and then put in my Etsy shop, available for purchase!

Another Pulse Check on Fall Color Trends 2008

I let my fingers do the research through the Net and magazines for more Fall 2008 color trends in jewelry.

So far, the colors are still staying in Earthy tones, with a splash of red, orange, yellow and gray, for spice. Other hot colors that I saw emerging are tropical shades of blue, turquoise, purple, chocolate, and pinks. Interesting choices, as these are usually traditional spring to summer trends. Though turquoise is always a good standby and goes with just about any season. Of course, the basic black is always ever still present, so better dry-clean that ‘little black dress’!

Jewelry fashions ran the range from bold and chunky to simple and classic; so pretty much anything goes this season. Though what I did see was more of the natural gemstones verses the almighty precious gems; more inline with those earthy color tones.

Natural stones that I saw the most….onyx, agates, jaspers, corals, turquoise, smoky quartz, and rose quartz, and lots of crystals and glass; all accented in silver, gold, copper, or brass metals.

So whatever that occasion you’re looking to highlight your wardrobe, remember you can’t go wrong from big, bold and chunky or simple, classy, and stylish – you’ll always be in style this year!

For more jewelry designs, visit my Etsy store.

Featured Artist from BNR on Etsy

Looking for awesome pottery? Look no further than the great shop of PotteryPeddler from our etsy BNR.

PotteryPeedler, a/k/a Norine, hails from the beaches of Pembroke Pines, Florida which lies between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, on the east coast of south Florida.
Nornie got started when she first admired the pottery work of the local potters. She signed up for an adult education class and was drawn to the feel of the clay, the process and the results. She enjoys starting with a ball of clay, molding, forming and manipulating it until it becomes a functional piece of art. Favorite materials to work with are clay and stoneware clay.

So, why the need to make things, we asked her….”At my day job I do not produce a tangible product; the sense of accomplishment is difficult to share and fleeting; even a job well done, needs to be done again tomorrow. With pottery, the results are tangible, and permanent; sometimes more permanent than I would like. A finish a bowl, pot or cup can be used again and again.”

She doesn’t really have a favorite word, but while thinking about our interview question, she remembered something from the great (in TD’s opinion) George Carlin about the versatility of a “4 letter word” …I’ll let y’all use your imagination with that! However, her favorite colors are earth tones, with a huge love for the combination of blues and browns.
How are the five senses good to her; Touch – obviously important to FEEL the clay; Sight – to admire your finished project; Taste – this one gets me in trouble – too many favorite foods! Smell – helps me control the previous sense – taste! Hearing lets me know when someone appreciates my work.

At the moment her most ambition project is a special order of Cali Lilly Plant spikes for a wedding favor. The Bride is not sure how many are needed yet, but between 75 and 120! Good thing she has until February to get them all done, but that’s a tall order! And then there’s her most non-creative pet addiction Starbucks; “I know it can be an expensive addiction, but I found a way to justify my daily fix. I limit myself to one regular coffee or an ice tea a day – no frills, no extras and no sweet treats. I justify it by sitting outside in the sun while– absorbing my daily dose of vitamin D.” And I’ll agree to that…passing her the Sunscreen!

When not at Starbucks you can find at….
PotteryPeddler Etsy shop
BNR to see her latest promotional sale

The Labor Day Holiday

Labor Day…..Its ‘official’, school has started, and football games are underway…..this is usually the last day for families and friends to gather together and enjoy the outdoors. The right of passage, many say, as the transition from Summer to Fall happens over this holiday. Soon the colors of pink, blue, yellow, and green will be replaced with the wonderful colors of brown, yellow, red and burgundy. Labor Day leads to Halloween, leading to Thanksgiving, and then Christmas…and then New Year’s….where we start all over again welcoming the many seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

New Fall Designs!

I’ve been busy in my studio creating for fall. From Turquoise to Jasper to Agate and everything else in between!

Some of the new designs are a bolder and chunky look, some with charms and others with more wire sculpture.

I’ll be adding new pieces through-out the next month in my shop. Stop by often to browse, see what’s new and start early on your Christmas shopping list!