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Saturday, May 31, 2008

How to Sell More Jewelry at Home Shows




By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kristie_Leong]Kristie Leong

Home parties are a great way to sell your handmade jewelry designs! Why? Because you have a captive audience. There are no competing jewelry booths to steal your sales like you would find at a jewelry or craft show. In addition, you don’t have to compete with the work of other jewelry designers as you do when you display in boutiques and galleries. Everyone attending the show is there to see your exclusive line of jewelry. Now, that's a big advantage! Don't you think?

Once you have a home party scheduled, you need to prepare yourself to sell jewelry. . There are a variety of simple strategies you can use to increase the amount of jewelry you sell at home jewelry shows. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Encourage each attendee to bring along a friend.

It's simple! The more people who attend your home jewelry party, the more jewelry you're going to sell. Contact each person who plans to attend your jewelry party and invite her to bring a friend. Offer a small discount on her purchase if a friend attends the party and purchases your jewelry designs. You can essentially double the size of your home jewelry party just be using this technique. Wouldn't doubling your sales be satisfying?

2. Break the ice early on in the party.

Your home party attendees will be in a more receptive mood to buy if they are made to feel comfortable and relaxed. Always address them warmly and sincerely when they come in the door and thank them for attending. Once everyone is seated, play a few quick games to help everyone relax and get to know one another. You'd be surprised at what a difference this simple little strategy can make.

3. Actively encourage people to try on your jewelry.

The worse thing you can do is give the impression your jewelry is untouchable. Encourage your party attendees to handle and try on the jewelry. When someone puts on a piece of jewelry, it's like magic. The simple act of touching and trying on a necklace or bracelet creates an emotional connection between your potential customer and the jewelry piece. What's the result? Your chances of selling that particular piece of jewelry

4. Mirrors, mirrors, everywhere

Don't skimp on the mirrors. People want to see what they look like wearing your jewelry designs. Bring as many mirrors as you can without cluttering up your display. Have you ever been in a woman’s clothing store like T.J. Max where there weren’t a lot of mirrors? Being unable to see how an item look is enough to drive some buyers away.. Make it easy on your potential customer.

5. Offer discounts for volume purchases.

Entice your home party attendees with enticing discounts such as:

$10.00 worth of free jewelry with a purchase of $50.00 or more.

Purchase a necklace and get the earrings at half price.

Buy three pairs of earrings and get one free.

I'm sure you can think of a lot more variations. Your goal is to increase sales volume and these strategies work.

6. Offer helpful suggestions.

Most people feel a little insecure when they're purchasing jewelry for themselves or someone else. Offer suggestions to your prospective customers on how to wear a particular piece or suggest a piece of jewelry that might look good on them. Do this with care and moderation. You don't want to be too pushy.

7. Get their contact information before they leave.

As each person leaves your home party, have them sign a guest book with their name, address, phone number, and email address. This will give you the opportunity to market to them in the future and potentially sell more jewelry.

8. Don't forget the power of a thank you.

Always thank your home party attendees for taking the time to attend your party. Let them know you're available to host parties for them if they're interested in making extra money and earning free jewelry. A sincere thank you is always appreciated.

Give these jewelry home party tips a try and I'll think you'll be rewarded with increased jewelry sales.

If you want to create an avalanche of jewelry sales, visit http://www.jewelry-marketing.com for little known secrets to selling handmade jewelry. Kristie Leong M.D. is committed to helping you be successful in your own handmade jewelry business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristie_Leong http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Sell-More-Jewelry-at-Home-Shows&id=759737

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Monday, May 5, 2008

Types of Beads

Jewelry submitted by Brooke Brimm





rBy [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Felicity_Walker]Felicity Walker

Walking into a bead shop can be a wonderful experience - so many colors, shapes and designs. It's almost impossible not to get incredibly inspired, and it's just as hard to walk out without having spent more than you intended! But when you're confronted with so many beads, it can be helpful to have some idea of what the different types of beads are, and how they're used. That way you can choose the right sort for your project.

Seed Beads

Probably the most widely used beads, seed beads are small, round or shaped, and can be made from almost anything. The most common seed beads are made of glass or plastic, but you can also get them in wood, pearl, jet, metal and so on. There are a huge variety of sizes and shapes available, which is very confusing. The smallest seed beads are often referred to a size 10 or 12, and slightly chunkier ones are size 8. Because they're so small, they're great for decorating garments, using in almost any type of jewelry design and in most types of sewing and embroidery.

Bugle Beads

A bugle bead is a long tube shaped bead, made from plastic, glass or metal. They can be anything from 2mm (1/16") to 5cm (2") long. The most popular is a size 2 bugle bead, which is around 5 to 6mm (1/4") long. These are also great for sewing projects, and can be very effective in certain types of jewelry as well. They're often used as flower stems in sewing projects, or can be used to lengthen a fringe.

Sequins

Although not exactly a bead, sequins are often used together with beads in sewing projects. They are round pieces of plastic or metal, and either have a hole in the center or to one side. They can also be either flat or cupped. The most common sequin style is a 6mm (1/4") cup sequin. Generally sequins are used as decorations for garments and sewn items. The ones with center holes are sewn in rows or individually for the right effect, and the sequins with a hole on the side can be used to form clusters that hang or in fringe work.

Center Beads

A center bead is used as a feature bead in the middle of a jewelry piece, a sewing design (such as a flower), the end of a dangle, or to complete a row of beads. Basically almost any bead that doesn't fit into another category and is larger than standard beads can be loosely classified as a center bead. They come in plastic as well as glass and metal, but if you're using one as a feature, it may be better to go with glass or even crystal, because they last longer and are more beautiful to look at then plastic.

Oval or Rice Beads

Named because of their oval shape, these beads are generally used as a spacer in dangles or as a feature in sewing. They can produce some interesting effects when used in jewelry. The most common size is 1cm (1/2") long, and they come in all sorts of colors and materials.

This is only a quick look at the main categories of beads. Once you start exploring a bead shop you'll realize there's far too many types of beads available to fit them into a few categories. Still, this guide should at least help you get an idea for what types of beads are available, particularly if you have a project you're planning to make which asks for a specific type of bead. Have a great time beading!

If you want to learn more about beading, click over to Felicity's site at http://www.beading-is-fun.info To read Felicity's Ultimate Bead Lover's Guide, go to http://www.ultimatebeadloversguide.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Felicity_Walker http://EzineArticles.com/?Types-of-Beads&id=327578
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