How to answer the question "How much is it?"

[Leatherinspire]

Handmade is expensive, so should we give the price right away?

If you are selling your works, you have surely done this more than once:

Reveal the price and the customer runs away....

Handcraft should cost its money, the hours we spend, knowledge and experience that can be seen in the selection of leathers/hardware and finishing details is a valuable value.

So you can't sell works at chain store prices.

The price must stay high - it's a premium product, not for everyone.

When someone asks "How much for that?" - we should give the price right away?

Since most sellers delay responding to the price question, you’ll immediately differentiate yourself by giving the direct response the buyer is requesting.

It also suggests you are unashamed of your prices.

Give the price - but in context.

"It costs X $" - it is not enough.

In addition to the price, you need to interest the customer, encourage him to continue the conversation and, in a way, distract his thoughts from the price itself.

So that he does not consider whether it is worth it or not - he will do it at the end of the conversation.

Here are the 5 simplest techniques for giving a price with a distraction:

1. Price + Benefit: "The preliminary price is $____ with the little story
behind. When someone asks "What's that?" - you will start the story, about joint design, about an idea, about a craftsman. How important is this benefit to you?"
2. Price + Question: "The preliminary price is $____ and that includes choice of leather. Please tell me what criteria, other than price, are most important to make your final decision?"
3. Price + Personalization: "The preliminary price is $____ and we will add something special for you like a guitarist dice pocket. I’m thinking this is the cool additional for you because you play guitar. Let me ask you some additional questions to confirm that I’m on the right track."
4. Price + Budget Check: "The preliminary price is $_____. Tell me how this sounds in terms of your budget and the prices you’ve heard from others."
5. Price + Anchoring Price: "I would compare the ____ I make to premium brand like LV, Fendi, Channel etc. that cost a couple of times more. I use much more expensive veg-tan leather and traditional craftsmanship - yet I have lower prices. Our price is $ _____.

Of course, this will not make literally everyone suddenly buy an expensive handmade product.

But it will make you able to have a longer dialogue with him and present the advantages, benefits and show that it is something more.

If you are struggling with the sale of your work, below you will find 9 ready-made sales texts which show the benefits of leatherworks and convince sales (I study marketing).
And a Card Holder pattern (it's free).
Enjoy it.
https://leatherinspire.subscribemenow.com

P.S. Admin, if this content is not appropriate for this group, please do not add a post and a little feedback 

 

[chuck123wapati]

If thats a pic of your card holder lets see you cut out your pattern with a clicker press just like the one at the chain store. You then sew it on a machine just like the one at the chain store. Then you add some BS story so people will think you did something extra special to sell it for more than its worth? That's not marketing.

Both your last two threads are about BSing the customer. That is unethical business IMO sorry.

[Dwight]

3 hours ago, Leatherinspire said:

Handmade is expensive, so should we give the price right away?



 

 

Go back to Etsy . . .  these are crafters here . . .  not puddle monkeys.

May God bless,

Dwight

[bladegrinder]

Puddle monkey?  Ha, Ha....what the heck is that?

[LeatherLegion]

Welcome to the board . Interesting and helpful read

[GrampaJoel]

On 9/4/2023 at 12:58 PM, chuck123wapati said:

If thats a pic of your card holder lets see you cut out your pattern with a clicker press just like the one at the chain store. You then sew it on a machine just like the one at the chain store. Then you add some BS story so people will think you did something extra special to sell it for more than its worth? That's not marketing.

Both your last two threads are about BSing the customer. That is unethical business IMO sorry.

I believe you are spot on with this poster.
And I agree with you chuck.
The posted posts seem sleazy to me.

Joel

[Doc Reaper]

I give em the answer without blowing smoke to convince em to buy my product. If the customer likes it the first words will be to ask the cost. If it's a belt I'll tell them the price and the type of leather it is and it's expected life expectancy . The used car sales method is not a way to sell quality handmade goods. If you have to force the sale nobody is happy later on!

Edited September 5, 2023 by Doc Reaper

[fredk]

I string the customer along;

How much is it?

Not sure, I really don't sell those

If you did, how much would it be?

Dunno. I'll have to work it out. (pause), mmmm, probably about £xy . You can buy real cheap versions made in China for much less. But mine are quality leather. Hand made

Proper leather? Will you make me one?

Yeah, I reckon I could. It'll take me a while though. I'm a slow worker

Can you have it ready for (choose a month)?

What?! THIS year! mmmm. . . .  I think I can

and so on. . . . .

[Littlef]

I'm only a hobbist, and I'm not selling what I make.  However if I, as a consumer, find something I would like to buy and I ask, How much is it?.... If I don't get a straight answer, with a price, I'm done.  No one likes to be jerked around.  I don't see a problem with adding context of what work went in to making the good, but there needs to be a direct answer with the real price.    --One guys opinion.

[Gezzer]

See this is why I will never make a business man .  I will not justify    MY    price for something    I    made to anyone !   Price = take it or leave it ............. seems so simple   Chances are good that if they know leatherwork  price will make their mind up , if they don't know then  anything I say will fall on  X-Mart ears .

[fredk]

Difference in culture; here buyers like a wee bit of banter as they deal, sometimes with a wee bit of bargaining to boot. If you (I/me) just blurt out the price I'll lose the customer because to them that is just a hard sell and they don't like it

We like chat, banter. We can string out one comment about the weather for a whole afternoon

 

[kgg]

I like @fredk approach as it is not a hard sell but still allows for a profit whereas I find the OP's version more akin to a used car salesmen pitch particularly " how this sounds in terms of your budget ".

kgg

[HandyDave]

I mostly do made to order custom work. So when i get someone asking about making a piece i tell them let me crunch the numbers on there piece and i let them know a hard price within a day or 2. But i give them a ballpark when first speaking. And tell them depending on leather used and detail and hardware used this is the range of price variation. Then of course you get the people who say i seen this online for this cheap price can you make same thing for close to the cheap price. My simple answer is no i cant make it that cheap and want make it that cheap. But i allways tell them once there cheap bought item guves up on them to call me for a quality piece. And i do have alot of regular return customers that do get a little better deal then some cause there allways wanting more stuff. Im not gonna try to compete with the mass produced "handmade" crap that is flooded all over the interwebs. Just cause your hands touch the machines that do all the work doesnt in my opinion make it handmade. 

[fredk]

Years ago I came across a craftsman, who I knew casually, at an out door craft fair. His specialty was/is high quality wood turned items and other wood work using extremely very nice woods

He had printed signs on groups of his items. But he had one price sign that said £2000.

He placed it randomly on his wares. As I watched I saw the sign working for him

Like this;

'Is that really the price?'

'yes it is'

'What, £2000 for that ?'

My friend lifts the price sign, turns it round, looks at it and says 'oops, thats in the wrong place. Those are only £x each'

'oh, thats better, Can I have that one with the dark & light wood?'

My friend then tells the buyer what woods they are, how to look after it, then throws in foc a small tin of special wood polish

See, psychology,  the customer is drawn by the £2000 price sign and even when buying at the lower true price in the back of their mind is the thought they got a big discount bargain, £x instead of £2000 

Edited September 8, 2023 by fredk

[chuck123wapati]

non custom I put my price on it just like the stores do. if someone doesn't buy I say have a nice day thanks for looking. Custom orders when cost comes up i usually say it depends on what you want it to look like, plain , tooled, hand sewn, machine sewn etc., I feel it gives them an idea of what goes into the making of a product and a way to judge the difference in workmanship. If they try i can get it cheaper thing then i usually say then please go buy it there I'm not going to lower my standards or waste my time making cheap products. 

[Gezzer]

5 hours ago, fredk said:

 

See, psychology,  the customer is drawn by the £2000 price sign and even when buying at the lower true price in the back of their mind is the thought they got a big discount bargain, £x instead of £2000 

OH  it works , we have a local store that has a " Going Out of Business Sale " twice a year !!!!!!  When they are not going out of business their prices are about 10 or 15 percent cheaper AND morons still fall for it every time .  

[Hags]

I'm with Handy Dave and Chuck here. I mostly do one off, custom holsters for local customers. It's more a busy hobby for me than a business. I charge what I consider a premium for my work (but not really if you look around). I use only Hermann Oak leather, only pro dyes. I have invested a pretty good amount into my little shop to make it enjoyable for me. I have several customers that have 2-3 holsters of mine. And more that are referred to me. I try to do my best on every one because I want to! I run an add on Craigslist,  I tell the price upfront in my response to enquiries.  If it's too much, I can live with that. Go buy Uncle Mike's, maybe it won't fall out....