Guerrilla Marketing
I remember seeing a book in my Dad’s office titled ‘Guerrilla Marketing' and thinking, “You don't have to know what you're talking about in order to write a book telling other people what to do, and make a profit selling it, you just have to make people THINK you know what you're talking about.”
In all fairness, I haven't read that book so I can't say whether it has good ideas or not. However, there are plenty of TED Talks, Youtube videos, and pep talks from self-proclaimed professionals and armchair-experts out there willing to tell somebody else how they should run their life and business.
Most are well intentioned, but clueless. Sometimes, even those who have accomplished something similar to what they are giving you advice on have had their methods outdated, which brings me to illustrate my experiences:
You would think that going to knife shows would be a good way to sell knives, get your business name out, and get a following. I did at least, until I tried it.
I went to four different knife shows during 2022 in order to get things going for Bookcliff Knives, and I didn't even make expenses at a single one.
High gas and travel expenses, low numbers of traffic, and lots of competition all combined against me at the knife shows. I know big-name knifemakers who got their start in the business by hitting shows, but most of them did it before internet shopping was the norm. The one I know of who got started with shows during the time of the internet was able to do so because he was already attending shows all around the country to promote his families saddle business. If I understand the story right, he just took his knives along to the saddle shows, and the same crowds that were there also attended knife shows. Folks liked his knives at both places, so he got a smooth start and transition.
Along with knife shows, I thought outdoor/hunting stores would be a good place to sell wholesale. A few stores bought my knives, but I couldn't let my knives go at the 50% off that most stores required for wholesale purchases. At that rate, I would only make expenses, and no profit.
I started a website, thinking that would get my business name out there. But, without people knowing what to look for, they didn't find me. I posted on Facebook here and there, and got a few sales from time to time, but I needed a lot more. I put videos on YouTube and those helped a tiny bit.
I still needed more sales. I found that farmers markets, county fairs, and parking lots gave the highest yield for the lowest cost. I found that I could set up a couple tables at the local park on a summer day and do leatherwork where people could see me and would come over for a closer look. I made sales that way, with no entry fee required. I set up outside a couple stores on Black Fridays and did pretty well! Knives sold at local tire and doughnut shops. I began to hand out a lot more business cards, and my website views have begun to climb.
Those small, locally owned mom-and-pop shops that already have traffic and who are willing to help another small business owner get started are greatly appreciated, and I try to put out a good word for them. I hope to pay it forward someday.
Dinosaur, a tiny town in Colorado, put on their first town event in years, and invited my business to participate. I didn't expect much from it, but wanted to support them. It was a short drive, so I attended. It turned out to be the highest paying event I’d ever participated in!
I continue to look into different possibilities for selling knives, and I continue to be surprised at what does and doesn't work!