Setting Goals

[Former_Member]

Thought I'd spark a discussion. I've been thinking about what my goals are for my first year and I've decided that my overall goal is 10 sales for the year. 10 sales and I'll consider this adventure a success. (Of course if I hit the lottery and sold everything I have in stock [which is more than what is currently listed, just waiting on my model to free up] I would be deliriously happy and do a dance I should be ashamed of.) So I'd like to ask:

What are your goals for this year?

What were your goals when you first started?

[Former_Member]

like yourself this is my first year in business.after reading article a few weeks back on esty i decided to set jan.viewings at 100hits.well i managed to get 80.so i am pleased with that.now i have had no direct sales from esty but have managed to get some work from the viewings.which is positive i think.so for feb.my goal is to keep the 80hits but also see if i can increase and hope for some sales also increase stocks in shop.i also want to get my photos better.

[Former_Member]

this is my first year as well. I would like to get a few sales this year. But mostly I want to stock up my shop and improve on the overall look of it.

[AmandaDoster]

This is my first full year (I opened October of last year, so I've already got a start on establishing my shop). My goals are to have 150 items listed and 100 sales by the end of 2013.

[windydayz21]

This is my first year as well. My immediate goal is to add at least 30 more items to my shop, and clean up my photos.

[Former_Member]

I'm worried that moving in the middle of the year is going to interfere with my ability to meet my goals so I might have to change them. This week my goal is to get together with my model and get my fingerless gloves up!

[Former_Member]

Christina, submit your shop for a critique in the Shop Critique team. I can see several areas that could use tweaking. You have no policies set up and that is VERY important. Look at other successful sites and see what policies they have in place. It would also help to have shop sections and assign your items to a section. I have more suggestions if you are interested. I have been in retail management for 30 years so I know retail. Also, I have been on Etsy only 2 months and I have hundreds of views, and 11 sales with another scheduled in the next few days.

[Former_Member]

okay, thanks. How do I submit my shop for a critique? And I will take any advice you can give.

[Former_Member]

There is a team called Etsy Shop Critique. Watch the video that is on there at the moment and you will pick up lots of good advice.

[Former_Member]

I just have a question about what you would write under shop announcements. Is this just for sales?

[Former_Member]

Also for payment options, is it enough that I accept paypal?

[Former_Member]

I'd also accept Direct Checkout/gift cards. The cost isn't much different between the PayPal fees and the DC fees.

As for the shop announcement, I just put a welcome for now but other shops announce sales, new patterns, new designs, etc.

[Former_Member]

Christina, announcements is for just about anything. You can use it to make announcements about new listings, coupons, sales you may be running, etc. Or just use it to introduce yourself and your shop. Give a quick idea of what you make and why. Say something to intrigue the buyer to enter your shop. Let people know that what you have is unique, rare, unusual, or something like that. Change it up every so often so it doesn't get stale. Use it to excite, intrigue, interest, notify, etc.

[Former_Member]

Christina, yes you should accept more than PayPal. Not everyone has a PayPal account. Look into the Etsy Direct Checkout. Also you can, if you wish, accept checks and money orders, etc. But then in your policies you must make it clear that you will not ship until the funds are received. Make it easy for the buyer to buy from you. Yes, there are fees attached, but does that warrant loosing sales?

[Former_Member]

Amanda, do you pay a model to show your gloves? If so, why not buy a pair of mannequin hands? You only need to lay out the money once and then you have them forever.

[Former_Member]

Amanda, your shop needs inventory! Rework your banner to liven it up. Be more enthusiastic in your shop title and explain more about what you do, what you make, and why. Do you do custom work? Can you offer variations in the items you offer? Can people convo you if they wish to buy more than one set? Do you even have more than one set of each? In the descriptions of my items I include the work "customizable". Can you offer a mixed set if the buyer wishes? Look at other shops and their policies, announcements, etc. for good ideas. I recommend that you also look at the video in the Etsy Shop Critique team. It is about other shops but includes great advice that applies to everyone. Beverly should have another video up in one or two days.

[Former_Member]

Michy, this question may sound silly, but when I'm in the payment options part of my shop, I don't see the option for direct billing. Is this the direct bank transfer? Also for accepting Etsy coupons I don't see that option either.

[Former_Member]

Michy -

I have an inventory of gloves that should be going up over the next couple of weeks. My model is doing all of the modeling for a pair of the gloves herself (got to love bartering!) and I may consider mannequin hands after I move this summer but I find them a bit creepy. I like being able to have a model that can do different things like hold a camera, a mug, a phone, or something else.

I do accept custom orders as it states in my policies and on the listings. Maybe I should add it to the front page of my shop but because most shoppers get to your shop from an item that they see or search for, they're more likely to see the option of a custom order in the listing. Because the beads available at the local bead shop are ever changing, it's hard to offer anything that sounds like a guarantee about variations available. Each set of stitch markers currently listed is a one off unless the bead shop has more when I go back. I've found a site that sells animal beads in bulk that I may consider ordering from in the future.

As for my banner, thank you for your critique but I like it being clean and simple. It's just the style that's me.

[Former_Member]

Hey, Christina!
Under "Shop Settings" is Shipping & Payment, from there, under the "Payment Methods" tab is where you can check what you accept. The Direct Checkout is the credit card option. Hope this helps!

[Former_Member]

Thanks Amanda, I tried that but it's only asking me which credit card I want to use to pay my bill with Etsy.

[Former_Member]

This is a good thread. I needed to be reminded to reset my goal. First goal was to sell anything! Now that I have reached that minimal goal, I need to think bigger. I currently only have 1 page of inventory. Goal is 3 pages by summer.

[Former_Member]

Congratulations, K Tallman! How many pieces do you make a week?

[Former_Member]

thanks, amanda. i originally had a goal of making one piece a day - the rest of life soon modified that goal to a minimal of one a week; a realistic goal now is 3 a week.