primalmommy on mon 7 aug 06
Wow, everywhere you step, there's a toe! ;0)
Tony, I suspect insurance sales is like everything else -- folks get out
of it what they put in. My dad has been in the insurance business for
almost 50 years. He went from selling insurance to managing salesmen, to
his own agency, to owning his own company, now he's a financial advisor
and owns homes in three states. Since you seem to notice cars, he drives
those big black mafia-looking lincoln continentals (a white one for
Florida.) (A jeep for deer hunting, and the family van.)
His one trade secret is "work your ass off" -- something a lot of
potters understand quite well, whether they are making a living at it or
"just" making a life of it.
I'm riding along with your wheel of retail notion, and understand your
point -- except the part where one approach is "higher" than another.
Wheels are not ladders. Making more money is nice, but it's a choice,
not an obligation.
My family of origin is pretty well off, but Jeff and I chose a different
path. A small house on an unfashionable street in a rust belt town, kids
sharing bedrooms, shopping resale, cooking from scratch and living
simply allows us the life we want. We're that disappearing
impossibility, a one income family. We have no credit card debt. I quit
a university teaching job to stay home with my babies, and can
homeschool. We have a very low stress lifestyle, with time for family,
camping and canoeing, long games of scrabble and afternoons in the
hammock.
There's a catalog called Northern Sun with some great bumper stickers.
There's a series that says, "How dare you assume I would rather be...."
(Thin. or Young. or Straight. or Married.) I'm waiting for one that
says, "How dare you assume I would rather be rich".
We live in a culture where materialism is almost a religion, and a lot
of people go deep into debt rather than look poor. I have sort of quit
caring about who might assess me, rummaging through goodwill for kids
clothes, but if I had a chance for a disclaimer to the world, it would
be, "I am a perfectly bright, hard working person. I have a couple of
college degrees. If money was my goal, you'd better believe I would have
it. Don't assume I am too stupid, or too lazy, to play the money game
and drive the car that impresses you."
A lot of it is about quality of life. Mel having tea on the deck with
his neighbor customers might bring him more pleasure than a fleet of
BMWs. Another personality might thrive on the pressure of making it work
on the studio alone, selling the pots and keeping the bills paid. It's
all good.
It's not that I don't understand the importance of money. I'm looking at
four monthly payments for my EMU fall tuition, three of which I can
cover by teaching a class at the guild -- the fourth is going to have to
be pot sales. I love a challenge.
And I love the diversity of potters on clayart. Just be gentle with each
other, OK? There's no one right way, just like there is no one right
tool for all the jobs that need doing.
Yours
Kelly in Ohio
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Overall's on tue 8 aug 06
Tony,
At our recent Marketing Committee meeting,
thank you cards were brought up.
The guild used to send them handwritten and all
and then slacked off.
Coinkydink so did sales; but then the country's
economy did, too.
Do you and Sheila send thank you cards to every
client?
Or to a general sales total?
Kim in Houston
http://www.houstonpotters.com
--- clennell wrote:
> Kelly wrote:
>
> > Tony, I suspect insurance sales is like everything
> else -- folks get out
> > of it what they put in. My dad has been in the
> insurance business for
> > almost 50 years. He went from selling insurance to
> managing salesmen, to
> > his own agency, to owning his own company, now
> he's a financial advisor
> > and owns homes in three states. Since you seem to
> notice cars, he drives
> > those big black mafia-looking lincoln continentals
> (a white one for
> > Florida.) (A jeep for deer hunting, and the family
> van.)
> >
> > His one trade secret is "work your ass off" --
> something a lot of
> > potters understand quite well, whether they are
> making a living at it or
> > "just" making a life of it.
>
>
> Kelly: I never did understand the insurance
> business. You bet with the
> salesperson you are going to die and they bet you
> ain't gonna. They have
> worked the odds and make a lot of money. As for your
> dad's "work your ass
> off theory" that only works if you work hard and
> know what you're doing.
> Attack an old oak tree with a paring knife and
> your're gonna be working
> your ass off.
> Pottery retailing is something I do try to
> understand. I owe much of what I
> know and do to my aunt and uncle who before me ran a
> showroom/studio for 50
> years.
> My whole take on Marketing pottery has to do with
> perception. Tell people ya
> crank out bowls in 5 minutes- perception. have an
> old Ford parked on the
> lawn of your house- perception.
> Use old gracery bags-perception. Play loud rock and
> roll in your showroom-
> perception. Plaster the walls with Soldner posters-
> perception. Have a
> beautiful flower garden, have a decent car. blah,
> blah, blah.
> Sheila just went to our local Action Print to get
> labels and stationary
> supplies- they gave her an old grocery bag. She will
> not go back. She said
> How do i know the bag didn't contain chicken or
> garlic sausage. Under 3cents
> to supply a new one.
> I made a lot of money on Family Dollar stocks some
> 20 years ago.They
> located in poor neighbourhoods, cash only, self
> serve, inexpenive goods. I
> saw a lot of them on my travels in the US in 2006.
> Located in the burbs and
> I will bet offering higher priced items and more
> services that no doubt
> include - credit cards. This is "the Wheel of
> Retailing". another store will
> pick up the business that they leave behind in the
> poor neighbourhoods.
> My career has followed the likes of Family Dollar
> and The Wheel of
> Retailing- taught community classes at the high
> school, sold at unjuried
> craft shows, held pot parties, sold at Nancy's
> Knibbles and Knits. It would
> seem to me logical that if a potter works daily at
> their craft it gets
> better and therefore probably a little pricier. That
> will require diffferent
> and more sophisicated marketing. I now teach at a
> craft and design school,
> sell at a juried craft show, sell at galleries and
> no longer smoke pot (just
> kidding).
> The product is better and the Marketing is a bit
> more savvy!
> Ask your Dad about perception. A financial advisor
> driving a Lincoln-
> perception, a financial advisor driving a Ford
> Escort- perception, a F/A
> gives you your "investment" in an old used
> envelope-perception, the F/A has
> garlic sausage breath- perception.
> It's what you do when you don't have to that makes
> the difference. That was
> my father's advice. He never owned much.
> Best,
> Tony
>
>
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>
http://www.houstonpotters.com
clennell on tue 8 aug 06
Kelly wrote:
> Tony, I suspect insurance sales is like everything else -- folks get out
> of it what they put in. My dad has been in the insurance business for
> almost 50 years. He went from selling insurance to managing salesmen, to
> his own agency, to owning his own company, now he's a financial advisor
> and owns homes in three states. Since you seem to notice cars, he drives
> those big black mafia-looking lincoln continentals (a white one for
> Florida.) (A jeep for deer hunting, and the family van.)
>
> His one trade secret is "work your ass off" -- something a lot of
> potters understand quite well, whether they are making a living at it or
> "just" making a life of it.
Kelly: I never did understand the insurance business. You bet with the
salesperson you are going to die and they bet you ain't gonna. They have
worked the odds and make a lot of money. As for your dad's "work your ass
off theory" that only works if you work hard and know what you're doing.
Attack an old oak tree with a paring knife and your're gonna be working
your ass off.
Pottery retailing is something I do try to understand. I owe much of what I
know and do to my aunt and uncle who before me ran a showroom/studio for 50
years.
My whole take on Marketing pottery has to do with perception. Tell people ya
crank out bowls in 5 minutes- perception. have an old Ford parked on the
lawn of your house- perception.
Use old gracery bags-perception. Play loud rock and roll in your showroom-
perception. Plaster the walls with Soldner posters- perception. Have a
beautiful flower garden, have a decent car. blah, blah, blah.
Sheila just went to our local Action Print to get labels and stationary
supplies- they gave her an old grocery bag. She will not go back. She said
How do i know the bag didn't contain chicken or garlic sausage. Under 3cents
to supply a new one.
I made a lot of money on Family Dollar stocks some 20 years ago.They
located in poor neighbourhoods, cash only, self serve, inexpenive goods. I
saw a lot of them on my travels in the US in 2006. Located in the burbs and
I will bet offering higher priced items and more services that no doubt
include - credit cards. This is "the Wheel of Retailing". another store will
pick up the business that they leave behind in the poor neighbourhoods.
My career has followed the likes of Family Dollar and The Wheel of
Retailing- taught community classes at the high school, sold at unjuried
craft shows, held pot parties, sold at Nancy's Knibbles and Knits. It would
seem to me logical that if a potter works daily at their craft it gets
better and therefore probably a little pricier. That will require diffferent
and more sophisicated marketing. I now teach at a craft and design school,
sell at a juried craft show, sell at galleries and no longer smoke pot (just
kidding).
The product is better and the Marketing is a bit more savvy!
Ask your Dad about perception. A financial advisor driving a Lincoln-
perception, a financial advisor driving a Ford Escort- perception, a F/A
gives you your "investment" in an old used envelope-perception, the F/A has
garlic sausage breath- perception.
It's what you do when you don't have to that makes the difference. That was
my father's advice. He never owned much.
Best,
Tony
Lee Love on thu 10 aug 06
On 8/9/06, Overall's wrote:
>sales; but then the country's
> economy did, too.
> Do you and Sheila send thank you cards to every
> client?
> Or to a general sales total?
These are manditory for show sales in Japan.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
http://potters.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
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