Impressions - Embroidery Today 2024 - 14

Part of ensuring quality is not cutting corners. If
a particular job requires you to change out the
thread you're using, just do it. Happy customers
are customers who will keep coming back for more.
Photo by DC Studio - stock.adobe.com
When it comes to pricing, don't undervalue the products
and/or services you're providing, even when just starting
out. Photo by mavoimages - stock.adobe.com
Granted, for people just getting started, it can be hard turning away
new business. However, it's better in the long run to price your work
correctly right out of the gate as opposed to spending hours of your
time on orders that are going to do nothing to help you grow your
bottom line. Th is is especially true, Glenn says, given the fact those
same clients obsessed with driving prices down all too often end up
being the highest-maintenance clients as well. " Even if you get the
order, it's going to be a client who's never going to be happy with what
you're doing. Filter them out as quickly as possible because time is
fi nite, " he says.
Along these same lines, those same startups that justify being the
cheapest in the beginning in the interest of building up their business
may fi nd themselves stuck with the same barebones pricing they started
up with further down the line as well. Why? Because clients interested
in price and price alone will immediately move on if they think they
can fi nd another cheaper shop elsewhere. Low prices can also create
the perception of low quality and deprive you of the funds you require
to invest in expanding or even just maintaining your shop's current
production capacity.
No. 5 REFUSE TO WORK
WITH DIFFICULT
CUSTOMERS
Over time, every shop will fi nd itself facing a situation in which the
client makes a mistake in their ordering and blames the embroiderer.
Typically, the fi rst time this happens, you acquiesce. Th en it happens
again-and again.
To avoid these kinds of problems, Glenn recommends documenting
everything you do, with newer clients especially. " We don't like taking
telephone orders. We tell people to send an email, " he says. In response
his shop will reply with e-mail including a quote for the client to sign.
No signature, no embroidery.
" We never stitch anything until they've approved it, " he says. " In some
cases, we'll do a sample. If there's any doubt in their mind, we'll stitch
it out...and take a photo so they can see the size and the orientation. "
Similarly, Rob Dubow, CEO of Dubow Textile (dubowtextile.com),
a company that generates a fair bit of revenue engaging in contract
decoration, says, " Th ere are times we've turned down a job when I felt
the customer's expectations were above and beyond. Th is scares me,
because as a contract decorator our exposure is signifi cant. "
NO. 6 CALCULATE HOW
MUCH YOURMACHINE
MAKES PER HOUR
When thinking about the way you run your business, a key piece of
information you'll need in your quest to maximize profi tability is knowing
how much money each of your machines can generate. " Th e question
you have to ask is how much money are you trying to make per machine
per hour? " says Marshall Atkinson, principal of Atkinson Consulting
(atkinsontshirt.com).
" On average, how many embroidery runs can you get out (over a
14
http://stock.adobe.com http://stock.adobe.com http://www.dubowtextile.com http://www.atkinsontshirt.com
Impressions - Embroidery Today 2024

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