Consignment Sales for Laser Makers - The

There is a delicate balance between business and friendship when it comes to selling your laser items in a consignment setting. This balance can be easily accomplished if you set yourself up for success from the beginning and the success can be felt by all involved!

Being overly friendly with your consignee may feel right but there is a delicate balance in maintaining a healthy business relationship and cultivating a friendship. The ultimate goal is to have your items sell, to be visible and to be paid on time, the goal is not to have a friendship where you expect special treatment or where the consignee expects to have leeway in paying you in a timely manner, or placing someone else’s items in a more favorable position than yours. A healthy business relationship can be friendly but you must always remember that you are in business and so are they.

When thinking about consigning your items there are three key areas on which to focus: pursuing and nurturing the relationship, compensation (yours and theirs) and visibility or merchandising.

Relationship Management

For many of us relationships are easy and natural, but for others they can prove to be a barrier to success, especially in the maker space. Relationships in consignment come down to several simple actions: doing the research, making the introduction, closing the “sale” and nurturing the relationship. When looking for places to consign your items it can be as simple as visiting local stores and checking out what they offer. If the store has items that would be a good fit for your work then they should go on your list. This doesn’t mean that if you make cutting boards that they have to carry cutting boards, however the store might carry other home decor or kitchen items, or gifts. I suggest creating a spreadsheet, having a notebook, or opening a note on your phone to document places you are interested in and want to pursue.

The next step is having the conversation and it can start as simply as “Do you offer local artists the opportunity to consign in your store?”. Once you have started the relationship it’s as simple as continuing the conversation, remember this is a business conversation but it’s ok to be friendly and find out what they are looking to achieve. Do they want similar products or something completely different? Maybe they have an idea that you can fulfill, remember this is just a conversation.

Once you have determined if the relationship is a good fit you can start the process of getting your items in the door! As a way to stay in touch and keep a pulse on my consignee’s I like to visit at least once a month, and not just on the day I collect a check. This allows me to have a personal touch point as well as check on things like inventory, merchandising and overall health of the store. This doesn’t need to be formal and should feel natural, almost like you just popped in to say ‘hi’ but this is your way of nurturing the relationship.