Marketing handmade soap is a great way to start a home based business. It’s easy to get started and costs nearly nothing. There’s one way to start that works fast and easy. Do it right, and you can sell soap without even leaving home. Here’s what I mean and how to get it done.
There are many, many ways to sell soap. If you try to sell soap a few bars here and a few bars there, you may spend all your time and money and not sell much soap. Another way to go is to try to sell a lot of soap in a hurry. That’s possible at an event. Examples are festivals or fairs, or craft shows. There’s more to face to face selling than meets the eye though. There’s a trick. Here’s the deal.
A hidden secret is “the list.” It’s your customer list. Building a list means your customers become an asset that you can use to make future sales. That does not mean at all that you are in any way taking advantage of your wonderful customers in any way at all. It just means staying in touch with users of your handmade soap and other craft items so they have a chance to buy again.
That’s where the easy money is. Really!
See, what you do is always follow up with your customers. It’s way easier to make a sale to a satisfied customer than to a stranger. They know you. They know your goods. All you have to do is give them a chance to reorder. And in many cases that is exactly what they will do… order again and be glad to do it since you have what they want and need and they already know that to be the case too.
That’s easy. Get a simple brochure in their hands or, better yet, a little catalog. Then mail that to your customers and ask for an order. Keep a customer list with names and addresses. If nothing else, just collect the names from checks. That doesn’t get everybody, but it’s a start. Then just mail a few of your better customers a catalog from time to time. If your products are good and you have a nice little brochure, they’ll buy.
We mailed a little soap catalog and about 10 to 20 percent ordered. That’s a huge response, and it happened every time. Every time. It’s the list. Your customers will buy if you give them a chance.
Your customer list is the easiest way to make money if you’re marketing handmade soap. Mail to customers and they will order. Try it just on a small scale and you’ll be amazed. At least we were. It should not be surprising at all though since this is just a very basic marketing tactic, staying in touch with customers who already have proven to be interested in what you have. Follow-up with customers is far easier than constantly having to sell to those who know nothing of what you do and who you are.
Read more tips for building a soap business at another of our articles.
If you’re merely studying about starting or growing a soap making business, please take a look at this article.