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Are there too many machine quilting businesses in my area?
By Chuck Smith
Recently, I received a question from one of the
QuiltingBusiness.com community about determining if her local
market was over-saturated with machine quilting businesses
(name withheld). Here is the question (which I've
paraphrased for brevity):
"While inquiring about the need for a long-arm quilter in our
area in a local quilt shop, I was told (in a not-to-friendly tone),
"There are 13 home-based quilters in our area and that's
enough!" I have been very excited about starting my own
business after my Gammill demo and she sure took the wind
out of my sails. How do I go about doing market feasabilty
without scaring my competitors?"
Here's my take on how to go about doing a market feasibility
study for the machine quilting business in your area.
First, make some phone calls to the 13 other machine quilters
in your area. You can get these numbers from the phone book
or from the local quilt shop (you may want to have a friend get
the contact info from the quilt shop so they don't know it's you
asking).
When you get them on the phone, tell them that you have a
quilt top you'd like quilted, and want to know:
* What is the pricing?
* What is the turnaround time?
* Do you have an references?
* Do you know of other machine quilters (if they can't handle
the job quickly - gives you more names to call)?
If you find out that most of the machine quilters in your area
have very long turnaround time, then this could mean a very
active quilting market. If most of the machine quilters are not
busy, then perhaps the market is over-saturated.
If you do find that the competitors are very busy, and they
cannot deliver in a timely manner, then this could be a great
opportunity for you to come into the market and dazzle the
customers. That is, if you can turn the quilts around for
customers sooner than your competitors.
Assuming you can, then the first thing to do would be to try
and get some publicity for your new business. Push the angle
of the over-demand for machine quilting in your area, and that
as a new machine quilter, you can do their quilting job much
quicker than your competitors.
In addition, you should hold an open house where you
demonstrate the techniques and materials that you will use if
you are chosen for a quilting job. Make it very informal -
coffee, cookies, etc. - but also very informative. Talk about the
quality of your quilting machine, the techniques that you use,
etc.
You may also want to differentiate yourself with some kind of
marketing spin. Perhaps you can offer a 100% money-back
guarantee. Or, you can guarantee that the quilt job will be
done in 1 week or less, or you save 20%. Anything that will
set you apart.
You should also strive to make your business as professional
and inviting as possible. Don't go overboard, but have some
nice cards printed and prepare your price lists and other
business handouts with an eye for your potential customer.
Quilters are artistic, so your materials should look great
(again, without overspending).
As you gain some customers, ask them for referrals and
recommendations. Also, find out where your customers
congregate - is there a local quilt guild you could visit or join
to discuss your machine quilting business?
There are a lot of different things you can do for marketing as
your business grows, including Yellow Page advertising,
newspaper advertising, postcards, direct mail, etc. But first
and foremost, focus on customer service and customer
referrals - these are money in the bank.
Good luck with your research,
Chuck
If you have any questions about your quilting business -
whether just starting out or looking for a boost with some
solid marketing or business advice - feel free to send me an
email at chuck@quiltingbusiness.com.
About the Author
Chuck Smith is the owner of QuiltingBusiness.com, the web's only site dedicated to helping you make money with your quilting. Visit QuiltingBusiness.com today to sign up for the FREE email mini-course: "7 Unique Ways to Make Money with Your Quilting.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/8636.html
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