Do you have the right tool for your job?

Having the right tool is essential to any job. From fixing a car to creating art, without the right tool the job can become a frustrating mess.

 

The check engine light in my car is on at the moment.  I was told to check the light flickers and compare codes to find out what was causing it. I did so and I thought it indicated that the O2 sensor had gone bad. So my husband replaced my O2 sensor. Light went off and came right back on! So, last night I took the car to a friend of mine who use to work on cars like mine. He hooked his tools up and read the code. I found out that I was right, it was the O2 sensor. I replaced the wrong one. Had I taken then time to get the right tool and have the OBD code checked, I may have found out that it was indicating the second O2 sensor, not the first. We are scheduled to fix it later this week.

 

So what does that have to do with crafting and selling? Everything! We need the right tools to create our designs. From pliers to needles, hooks, and paintbrushes; without the proper tool we would be lost. So why do we think marketing our products can be done without the right tools. We all have a tendancy to believe (at one point or another) that our work will sell itself. But our work will not sell itself, we need to market it.  

 

For us to properly market and sell our items, we need displays, photography, business cards, websites, blogs, social networking. All these things are tools that we can use to sell. However, if you don't use the tool properly, it can harm you.

 

 If you are constantly pitching your items, people will walk away very fast. On the other hand, if your sales pitch is interspersed between talking about life, goals, ideas, likes/dislikes, ect; people will tune in for more. It is a lot harder than it looks!

 

I have found that right now in my life (both as an individual and as a crafter) my best tool is research. So at this moment, I am reading a new book about selling crafts. I am also mentally taking inventory of the tools I have for marketing. I am looking at where I need to invest in new tools (ie new signs, cards, ect) and where I have exactly the right tool for the job I am trying to accomplish.

 

Do you have the right tool for your job?