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Sew Biz
CONSTANCE HALLINAN LAGAN Continued from page 2 |
| My Problem: | Because I didn’t have opportunities to network with other home-based professional clothiers and had no educational instruction in business techniques, I set my prices too low. I also had a lot to learn about working with people. |
| My Solution: | I educated my clients as to how much time I spent on the phone with them, in fittings, and in actual sewing, and learned to do this tactfully. I began to think more about professional business techniques and less about hobby sewing. Professional clothiers utilize the same skills and possess the same aptitudes as engineers, so I raised my prices as I educated my clients. This resulted in fewer clients, but a few good clients were all I needed. -- Suzanne Adamson, Tulsa, OK |
| My Problem: | Not having investigated my market well, I didn’t charge enough. I hadn’t studied my competition and I didn’t know what they were charging, so I underpriced. |
| My Solution: | I became involved in the Professional Association of Custom Clothiers (PACC) and began to network. I was able to talk to others in the same or similar industries. Everyone in PACC was so open--they shared their expertise and knowledge. I realized I can’t compare my prices to off-the-rack clothes. -- Mary Meyer, Kansas City, MO |
| My Problem: | I charged too little in the very beginning and was making clothes for next to nothing for a couple of years. |
| My Solution: | I simply raised my prices and made a price list. I immediately told the customer the cost, even before they asked. I lost half of my customers as a result, and realized I had to advertise to replace them. I also decided to specialize in bridal. Brides were willing to pay my prices because it was their special day. And their mothers, who had problems with sizes, also were willing to pay my prices. -- Maria Guzman, Rutherford, NJ |
| My Problem: | I was too emotional about pricing and thought I couldn’t combine creativity and “customer satisfaction” with sound business practices. I felt making money somehow undermined the creative process. My reward was seeing a smile on my brides’ faces as they walked down the aisle and money was secondary. I was afraid making money would lead to a loss of creativity. I’d walk out of a room stuttering when I had to state prices, and my customers didn’t take me seriously. I became frustrated and began to feel I was being shortchanged. |
| My Solution: | I learned to remove the emotional component from pricing. I practiced saying the price over and over in front of my bathroom mirror until the emotion was removed. --Susan Khalje, Glenarm, MD |
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