Southwest Crafters was created by Janna and Kristan who are local manufacture reps supporting the independent retailers in the Southwest and helping to promote and educate crafters about the lines we represent

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Lessons From The Fall of Giants

Lessons From The Fall Of Giants
4 lessons to be learned from the crash and burn of industry leaders.

The most important thing for any entrepreneur is learning from mistakes, and nobody says they have to be yours. Most small businesses can't afford errors. Luckily the recent recession provides many mistakes from which to learn; and at a current cost of $3 trillion, somebody should be getting something out of this.

1. Avoid Complacency
The downturn proves there's no such thing as "safe." Chrysler and General Motors: some of the biggest names in the auto business have been bailed out or bankrupted over the past few months. It's easy to blame the credit crisis or oil prices, but the real reason is pure complacency, a risk shared by even the smallest business. When your work starts paying off and you're turning a profit, it's all too easy to forget--or refuse to believe--that the situation can change.

We have the right plan for GM, driven by great products, building strong brands, fuel-economy technology leadership and taking full advantage of global growth opportunities.--Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors, Aug. 1, 2008.

GM is announcing today that Rick Wagoner is stepping aside as chairman and CEO.-- President Barack Obama, June 1, 2009.

The latest and greatest example of collapsed complacency is, of course, General Motors, whose supremely confident chief executive officer was forced to resign within a year of the above quote. Forced to resign by the president of the United States, in fact, after losing more than $1 billion a month for three quarters in a row while insisting that everything was fine.

The Lesson: No matter how long you've operated or how much money you've made, the market is always changing; ignoring the problem doesn't help.

2.Know Your Market
It sounds unfair, but your love of--and dedication to--your business can become a weakness. For example, as founder of a widget-selling website, you might know everything there is to know about Z-rated widget-confabulators, but the average customer doesn't. Even if you stay in touch as your business grows, it can be hard to keep touch with exactly what it does at the ground level.

We seem to forget that a cloistered executive, whose only social contacts are with similar executives who make $500,000 a year, and who has not really bought a car the way a customer has in years, has no basis to judge public taste.--John DeLorean, 1979; On A Clear Day You Can See General Motors

That might sound like an all-too-nice problem to have, but lessons learned from semi-millionaire wages are easily applicable to everyday office life. Whether or not you're distracted by six-figure sums, it's easy to be buried by the growing responsibilities of hiring, accounting, advertising and everything except what your business actually does. And when you're not on the ground floor actually interacting with those who make, sell or buy from your business, it's all too easy to make strategic mistakes.

The Lesson: By success, responsibility or simple experience you will become a different person from your market. Make sure to remember what you customers want, and act accordingly.

3. Move With The Times
It's a fact of life that industries are always altered by breakthroughs--the best horse breeders in the world were wiped out by the internal combustion engine, and businesses based on the telegraph were once the fastest-moving commerce in the world. These days technology surges ahead about once a week, and avid entrepreneurs must stay on top of the wave, especially if their business is based on an online model.

So readers could now get free news not only on newspaper websites, but also from portals and aggregators that had a chance to monetize the content, most of which was created and financed by the newspaper industry.-- Walter E. Hussman Jr., Publisher; Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 2007.

This is an extraordinary statement about a traditional news publishers being crushed under the weight of progress. A smart analyst will see that Hussman correctly identifies the problem and the solution that other people are using to monetize the new medium. He also points out that newspapers and websites are very different mediums. Instead of giving away content for free and depending on pageviews for revenue, the paid subscription model is likely more lucrative for online publishing.

The Lesson: Adapt with the times or face extinction. It's not enough to know that your product/service works--you have to stay aware of what other people are offering.

4. Accept Responsibility

If you can't think of anything that's your fault, you're paranoid.--unknown

It's an old quote, but it rings truer for entrepreneurs than anyone else. When all your efforts go wrong, or something threatens to derail your investment, it's easy to blame anything and everything else.

Every business has its bogeymen where it should instead have educational experiences. General Motors famously blamed cheap import vehicles for a declining market share, instead of focusing on building cars that could compete in a changing market. Many magazines and print publications blame the internet for their demise, instead of engineering online solutions while their surviving competitors embraced the new. It's a warning sign when anyone blames external factors, because what entrepreneur isn't aware of things he wishes he'd done differently?

Which is, of course, why you should learn from others to begin with.

The Lesson: If you find yourself blaming someone else for your troubles, ask yourself, "What are they doing that I'm not?"

Sunday, August 23, 2009

CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST!


We have a very "SPOOKY" contest in store for you !!!!!
You can advertise this in your store or on your website/blog and get your customers to join in on the SPOOKTACULAR fun.
Dates: Beginning right now August 23, 2009, ending midnight September 14, 2009

To qualify: There are two ways to earn tickets !!!!!
Count them 1 - 2

1) For every $100 minimum order of Spooky Town product, you will earn a ticket with your name and it will go into the witch’s cauldron.



2) For every finished project (must consist of 90% Spooky Town product) you post online you will earn a ticket with your name and it will go into the witch's cauldron. You must email Janna or Kristan a link to the project/layout. These projects can be posted on your blog and/or website and must reference
"IMAGINISCE SPOOKY TOWN".

The projects can also be posted on customers blogs as long as they link back to your website or blog.

This will not only help you to increase your sales but it will also increase your chances to win a fabulous collection of IMAGINISCE products. Plus, it will get your customers excited and thinking about the upcoming holiday season.
Just remember - the more times your name goes into the cauldron, the more chances you have to win –scary huh?!
*** The small print: orders must be able to ship by September 14, 2009 and all projects must be posted by midnight September 14, 2009. Don’t come Boooo Hooooing to us if you miss the deadline! ***
You'll get by with a little help from your friends . . .

Next week we are going to be sending out a link to a flyer that has a picture and instructions for a project using Spooky Town, the product used will be listed on one side. So you will want to make sure you have it in stock. If not email Kristan or Janna with your re-order ASAP. You can print these flyers and make them available in your store. For each customer that completes the project and posts a link with a picture (on a blog or website) you get another ticket in the cauldron !!!

So let's get this party started!!!! I wanna hear a WOOOO HOOOOO and no BOOO HOOOO's. Let us know if you are going to join in the fun !!!!

Need another look at the complete SPOOKY TOWN collection ? Click {HERE}

In Store Demo's

Have you purchased any new tools from any of our manufactures ?

For instance
The i-top from Imaginisce
or how about any of the new WE R MEMORY KEEPERS cutting tools
or how about MEMORY MIXER digital software ?

If so, we would love to come and schedule a demo day at your store. Demo days have proven to increase sales at local stores and bring in new customers. Contact us today to schedule a demo day at your store . . . .

Kristan at cpaolacci@cox.net or Janna at janna467@aol.com

We are excited to help your business grow.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Phone Tips From Wiz Bang Training

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Ten Telephone Tips

You and your staff CAN give the very best customer service on the phone. Like so many other things in life, it's the little details that make the biggest difference.

** Focus on the phone call you are about to take. Make a conscious mental shift from your last customer, task, or conversation. Don't answer the phone while you are still talking to someone else.

** Take a deep breath, exhale and SMILE before you answer the phone. Your smile will come through in your voice even though your caller cant see you.

** Put a mirror by the phone if possible to remind yourself to smile and sit or stand straight.

** Always give your business name and your name when you answer. The caller wants to know they have reached the right place and who they are talking to.

** Speak slowly and articulate your words especially your greeting. Make sure it doesn't sound like, WhizBangTrainingthisissusan.

** Use proper English and avoid slang. Youre not addressing your buddies, but your business contacts.

** Be sure to say, "thank you" at the end of every call. There's always a reason to thank a customer for making the effort to contact your company.

** The Goodbye is as important as the Hello. Make sure your caller has finished with everything they want to say before you hang up. Wait for them to say goodbye and hang up before you replace the receiver.

** If you are leaving a message on a customers (or vendors, or anyone's) answering machine its especially important that you say your name and the company name clearly. You may even want to spell it if there is any question.

** When leaving an answering machine message, leave your return phone number even if you think they already have it. Make sure you say the number distinctly and SLOWLY. Remember, they are writing this number down and it is annoying to have to rewind the message several times to get it. Another good trick is to repeat your name, company name, and telephone number at the very end of your message.

We'd love to hear your favorite telephone success stories or your telephone nightmare stories! Send them to tips@whizbangtraining.com and we'll pass along your great ideas.

TIP*********TIP*********TIP*********TIP*********TIP*******TIP

Monday, August 10, 2009

Now Representing Jillibean Soup




About Us

So why do you scrap?


I’ve asked myself this question several times and my only explanation is that I love it. I’m completely obsessed. Not only is it a creative outlet but it gives me great joy when I’m crafting. Also, I get to buy some oh-so very cute, yummy, scrumptious papers and embellishments. Yes, I’m a collector of scrapbook stuff. Plain and simple, I have way too much and keep buying more. Like you, I LOVE this hobby. I’ve never had so much passion for anything in my life – with the exception of my family.


After numerous discussions with my hubby, lots of research and lots of prayer, I decided I had the guts and gusto to try out my own line of scrapbooking materials. With the recent return of kraft paper into the craft industry I decided that my first line would be designed and printed on kraft paper and I love it. It’s different, it’s fun, and it can be used for all types of paper crafting! It was difficult to find kraft paper that is acid free and lignin free in a folio size, so we custom manufactured our kraft paper – it’s one of a kind and it’s made from 100% recycled stock.


So why “Jillibean Soup”? “Jillibean” was a nickname that a childhood neighbor called me. “Soup” just sounded good with Jillibean. It has allowed me to do some creative naming of products, packaging, and original marketing.


Jillibean Soup products are manufactured with close attention to color, detail and design. Jillibean Soup offers you fresh, innovative products of the best quality. We pride ourselves in finding the best ingredients and creating fun designs you can use forever. We hope you love them as much as we do!


Jill Yegerlehner, founder and owner of Jillibean Soup


Jillibean Soup started as a concept in the fall of 2007 and became a reality in the spring of 2008. After lots of research, salt, pepper and sugar (he,he), Jillibean Soup launched it's first products in the summer of 2008. It's products are custom manufactured with close attention to color, detail and design. We hope you love them as much as we do!
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