August 2009 www.homebusinessnetwork.co.uk 15
PrOfiLE :: wEST COUNTrY GALLEriES
Rachel
Elnaugh
mArkETiNG ON A SHOESTriNG PT 2
FOLLOWING on from last all the people you could
months’ article, here are three incentivise to help promote
more ideas for you to use to your product in return for
help market your business on a a commission. These could
shoestring budget: be your existing customers,
communicate
the suppliers you buy from
I am constantly amazed at
who may have a vested
how many businesses just
interest in your success, even
don’t bother to spend any
competitors in a similar but
time communicating with
not directly competing field
their customers! Some don’t
who could potentially generate
even keep client details on a
extra income by promoting you
database, let alone have any
to their database.
data on who has ordered what
Or it could be a special
and when.
and exclusive offer tailored
No matter how small your
directly into their client base.
business, developing the
This kind of joint venture or
habit of somehow recording
affiliate marketing is becoming
contact details for each and
increasingly huge - and is
every client and then regularly
an amazing way instantly to
keeping in contact with them
piggy back the momentum of
with news and offers and
someone else’s business.
information is key to building
a loyal customer base. It takes
use the law of attraction
far less effort to re-sell or
This is something of a curved
up-sell to an existing customer
ball but I’m going to throw it
than it does to find a new one.
in here anyway. If you’ve ever
I’ll give you
seen or read
an example.
The Secret
A month ago
❝
It takes far less effort you will
we received a
to re-sell or up-sell to an
know that
flyer through
existing customer than it
the Law of
the door
Attraction is
from a local
does to find a new one.
❞
an amazingly
gardener.
powerful way
It was just what we needed
of attracting all the right people
so I called and had two of his
/ customers / opportunities to
Jacqui Yeoell: Family and freedom
men in for a week to clear all
develop your business.
the undergrowth. A couple of
It all stems from the power
Jacqui’s found a crafty way to do business
weeks later I decided to get
of positive thinking - and using
him back to do some more
the mind to visualise a busy,
By Jane Adkins levels did not embrace the more their managing director has set
work but couldn’t find his
successful, profitable business.
sensitive side of interior design.” up the company so that any of
details anywhere – no phone
The problem is, we humans
AT home we can choose to It was not only that which them can work from home if they
number, no flyer, no obvious
have a tendency to focus on
surround ourselves with beautiful prompted Jacqui to make the choose and one of them has a
way to get in touch. So we
what we perceive to be current
things – maybe a favourite move. “I realised that I was purpose built office in the garden
found another local gardener
reality, so if business isn’t
painting or some unusual pottery spending more and more of my – complete with pool table!”
- who has now taken it upon
booming we focus on the fact
– and we can have as much of time at work, or with my head Jacqui’s typical day starts
himself to turn up at the house
the phone isn’t ringing or that
it around us as we like. Jacqui in that space and I was missing at 6am when she checks for
every time it is a bit sunny to
we’ve got an empty shop.
Yeoell lives in Somerset and has precious time with my daughter.” orders and new pictures from
see if there are any more bits
And whatever you focus on
taken this idea a stage further. artists. She then does the family
he could do, and every time
means you get more of the
Two years ago Jacqui and breakfast followed by the school
we say yes. Yet that original
same. So simply spending
her business partner Barbara run and an essential walk for
gardener still hasn’t thought
10 minutes at the start and
Barnwell created West Country
❝
I love the freedom that
Henry, her scruffy Westie.
to get in touch. Keeping in
end of each day visualising
Galleries, an online ecommerce
working for myself brings –
She then settles back down to
contact with customers, even
a busy vibrant business with
business that not only supports work until it is time for the school
if just to say ‘hello’ is a very
phones ringing off the hook
even if I am working longer
artists who live and work in the run again and more domestic
powerful way to generate tons
and money pouring in could
hours they are hours which I
West Country, but also provided duties. Evening time sees Jacqui
more business!
be enough to reverse your
her with the ideal business to run
work around my family.
❞
fortunes. But you need to do
back at her computer processing
Incentivise referrals it consistently and faithfully
from home. orders and making final checks.
Following on from the last every day. Try it out and see
What’s more it has resulted She explains that she was able Jacqui adds: “It’s not all
point, start brainstorming what happens!
in the creation of another new to combine her interest in art upsides, my husband and
business, Hand Made Life, that is and craft with her ability to don daughter will tell you that ‘I’ll be
Rachel Elnaugh is the award-winning entrepreneur who created
about to take on a similar role - a geek’s anorak and role out a right there’ can sometimes mean
the experiences company Red Letter Days. She also appeared
supporting crafters in the UK. website which supports artists an hour’s delay while I deal with
on the first two series of BBC TV’s Dragons’ Den. She has just
Jacqui explains: “The site will and crafters by giving them an urgent problem, but these
launched an online business coaching and training forum at
provide crafters with their own somewhere to show and sell become fewer as the business
www.rachelelnaugh.me aimed at inspiring, motivating and helping
gallery, which in future they will their work to customers – “it was settles and, on balance, the
entrepreneurs achieve business success.
be able to brand in any way they my ‘Eureka’ moment, a way to occasional rushed task is more
like. We have positioned the site balance family life and work.” than offset by the joy of seeing
as something between Not on Despite the current climate, an order for artwork for an artist
the High Street and EBay – quite West Country Galleries has that you’ve grown to know or
“My wife runs a ladies clothes business, selling mainly at
simply it is built especially for maintained a steady sales rate seeing talented work uploaded to
charity fairs, shows and house parties. The skirts, which
crafters to sell direct to lovers of as people continue to love the the site by a new crafter.
have been selling well this past three years, have not been
beautiful craft.” West Country and its amazing “I love the freedom that
discounted. We see no need to discount a garment when
Her passion for beautiful craft views. Jacqui points out that she working for myself brings – even
was not something that Jacqui had help with developing both if I am working longer hours they

t
I
P
it is selling well. Many of our peers keep on analysing their
pricing to the point that they have no confidence in what
was able to indulge when she websites from a brilliant team of are hours which I work around
t
O
P
they are selling and the price they are asking for it. We say
worked in an all male office as a developers - Digital Morphosis, my family.”
be confident about your products and that will come across
director of a busy IT consultancy. based in Cardiff.
to the consumers.”
“Perhaps the politest way of She says: “They also embrace
www.westcountrygalleries.co.uk
putting it is the testosterone the home working philosophy and www.handmadelife.co.uk
russell Taylor, Consultant
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