Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged daily operations, resale shopkeeping, small business | 8 Comments

8 Responses

1. on January 10, 2013 at 2:26 pm jan

   I relate to the post about facebook, the free part, but I have increased my business so much by doing the paid advertising on facebook…promote your post through friends of friends etc…the more likes you get the better and it speeds it up ..and facebook is the best value…

   
   
2. on January 10, 2013 at 2:15 pm Pat Stang

   Well, first, Kate … I owe you more than a sincere apology. While I once may have thought that a lot of information shared in your books could be found for free online, I have since become a TGTBT fan. I read your blog just about every day and I have, sincerely, gained such insight and inspiration from you. Can you ever forgive me?

   Secondly, this is a great little piece. Since I have a resale shoppe that is almost a year old, I have spent a lot of time over the last many months promoting my business not only through FB but through CraigsList ads as well. I would venture to say that I probably spend a couple of hours a day just writing and updating posts, and it’s a lot for just one person to do sometimes. I have even thought about hiring someone to do it for me, but then my OCD kicks in … will there be misspellings, will it get done the way I want it to get done? I don’t know … but yeah, I think I spend a lot of time at my computer, at my desk, and I should probably figure out some way to get out in the world, but I have to run the shoppe to. Thanks for everything you do, Kate. I have eaten my well deserved bowl of crow and seriously hope that we can start afresh in this new year with a new-found mutual respect.

   
   
   • on January 10, 2013 at 2:33 pm Auntie Kate

     Hi Pat, well yes, everything CAN be found online, right? If you have days and weeks to find it, sort it out, apply it to your particular industry. Somewhere on the Internet is the secret to everlasting life, we all believe. It’s FINDING and APPLYING it (not to mention recognizing it when we see it!) that’s the bitch.
     Of course, we all have limited time available, and time is, ahem, money, to coin a phrase (and a pun). I am happy that I have been able to add to the hours of your life by filtering the universe down to ideas and tips and hints that might help you. How much is an hour or a day or a week of life worth?
     My particular talent is not only finding/ applying information to my peers in the resale industry, but also taking my experience to spin things so that they result in better, well, better everything. Shops that are easier and more fun to run, shops that are an asset to their communities and their owners, shops which actually MAKE money and save the earth promote shopping local and all that good stuff. A lot of this spin comes from evaluating what shops of all sorts do well… and do lousy. Believe me, I have seen both and spend MY life struggling to help others recognize the good, bad, and just plain ugly 😉
     Nice to see that you’re still out there plugging. Apology accepted.

     
     
3. on January 10, 2013 at 2:07 pm Eileen

   Wow! That’s per a day right? I always engage with my customers in my store…they come first! BUT…I would not have half those customers if I didn’t post pictures of incoming on facebook and the website and post ads to my county for sale site on facebook. Could I advertise other ways? Yes! BUT, the way I do it is free and I like free. Also, people in my area recognize me. People call me by name because they see my face beside every ad…I am not the stranger that runs that store. I think that people do recognize me so often they associate me with a human being and not just with a store…they tolerate not so perfect pictures because I am not perfect and they’re more understanding if I have to take a sick day.

   
   
4. on January 10, 2013 at 1:03 pm Debmcd

   Interesting and makes me think I’m spending too much time at my desk!

   
   
   • on January 10, 2013 at 1:18 pm Auntie Kate

     It is a temptation we never used to have, to engage online and let those real folks who are in the shop, fend for themselves. Kinda like the post I did about the shop manager concerned with pricers spending 20 minutes “researching” to change an item’s price by a few bucks. ROI! ROI! (No, that’s not me yapping, that’s me reminding folks to consider your Return on Investment!)

     
     
5. on January 10, 2013 at 12:58 pm Nancy K.

   Thanks for this information, Kate–very useful and illuminating. I have to say, I spend more hours per week on web marketing. Don’t know whether that is good or bad, but I think besides sales it’s my most useful activity as I grow my business.

   
   
   • on January 10, 2013 at 1:11 pm Auntie Kate

     Hi Nancy, yes, I see your FB posts all the time and enjoy them. But you DO need to contact HowToConsign.com to complete your Treasured Sponsorship: you could have your FB address and your blog there at http://howtoconsign.com/find.htm#Maryland (and here on AuntieKate as well!) so that you not only can draw more attention to your on-line presence, but to improve your SEO too! There, another thing for your to-do list! 🙂

     
     

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