Of Course They Frame My Notecards

I don’t know how to write this article without perhaps ruffling feathers so if you’re one of them, perhaps you should just not read this and avoid all the preening you’ll have to do after.

I’ve noticed a drop in revenue for my business over the past three weeks. Anyone who does this for a living knows that we can fool ourselves into thinking there are clear-cut patterns and ways to figure out why a certain event is a big earner for you, but the truth is that there isn’t a lot that can help troubleshoot something like this. There are some basic things you can check, I’m sure I’ll get around to writing about what I look for pretty soon.

I was looking over my sales book last night, after having 5 straight $100 or less earned days in a row, trying to divine the reasons why. I noticed that I’m still writing down plenty of transactions, but the average amount for each one has dropped. That means that the same number of people are buying something from me, but they’re spending less.

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I think this means (one or more may apply):

1. My cheaper stuff is too cheap.
2. My more expensive items don’t convey quality.
3. I need to bring the cheaper stuff further into my booth.
4. People can be cheap.

I sell notecards 1 for $3 or 2 for $5, other than the stickers, they’re the least expensive thing I sell. However, a lot of people tell their friends in hushed voices that they buy them to frame them. Some even proudly tell me that’s what they do. Here’s the part that drives me nuts about it: those cards are in a bin right next to a bin filled with 5×7 signed, matted prints at $5 each; they are easily framed and look awesome! The notecards are an odd size and look horrible framed unless you got a custom cut matte.

I’m selling quite a few notecards, but because of their price-point, I have to sell at a crazy volume to actually make money for the day. Right now the only solutions I can see for this reduced revenue/profit with regards to this one product type is to:

1. Stop selling them altogether
2. Stop selling them individually
3. Offer bundles of 5 or 6 cards in addition to the individual ones
4. Charge more per individual card (and raise the matted print prices)
5. Put more focus on my more expensive items via marketing/booth layout/sales pitch.

It’s going to take a little time to work whatever solution(s) I try into my daily operation for sure, but something has to be done. Do I mind that people cheap out to frame my notecards, yes, a little. I also understand that many people think there is always merit in that mindset when buying anything. I would argue that no, the Walmart/flea market consumerism of the hypercapitalist American society is not always the best mindset when buying things, especially artisan-scale goods and art.

Lesson: Pay attention. Try to remain objective. Understand that people will be people. Know your worth and be willing to pivot to ensure you don’t sacrifice your authenticity.