Always Test Products First :
Purchase smaller quantities of ANY product first before you decide to purchase in bulk for reduced costs. What good is it to order 50 of one item to get the best price only to find out that the product does not sell well for you?  It is wise to purchase 5 or 10 each of this item before you jump in.

IMPORTANT ! 

Don't start out offering every single product available.
Certain products work better in different environments.

That's why we stress that you test in small quantities. Many before you have made this mistake and occasionally you will too. You may see a certain art background or product that you think is an absolute winner, then you will order them only to  find that the public isn't as impressed as you were. 

To the contrary -

 DON'T KEEP YOURSELF FROM ART BACKGROUNDS OR PRODUCTS BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE THEM !  

Chances are you will be wrong every time. In time, the public will let you know what they like.Your personal opinion represents a tiny molecule of the general publics opinion. The people that make up this world are all unique and different. If everyone liked or disliked things exactly like you and I did, then our world would be a pretty boring place.

Further, if you purchase products that only you like, you will end up selling only to people who are like you. Operating your business like this is not smart and if you do, you will narrow your own market !

We cannot tell you how many calls we have received from customers
 stating the following - 

"I just purchased a product that you have carried for years,I was not impressed with it, but I decided to try it and it's
turned out to be my # 1 seller. I sure wish I would have tried
this out long ago"

These kinds of calls are exactly what I am talking about.

Here is the lesson to be learned.

What you think is pretty, another person thinks is ugly.What you think is ugly, another person thinks is pretty. Think about it like ice cream. You might love vanilla ice cream. Your partner, children or friends cannot stomach vanilla ice cream. If the dairy companies only produced Vanilla because you like it, how many customers would they be losing ? It really is as simple as that. If you want to stifle yourself, then only purchase products you like. If you want to make more money, you might think about carrying more than just vanilla.

Remember the Pet Rock ?

How many people said "Look at those ugly rocks" and " I can't understand why people are buying rocks"

There really is no explanation why MILLIONS of "Pet Rocks" were sold.It just goes to show you . . . different strokes for different folks. I sure wish I would have been selling "Pet Rocks" back in those days but . . . . I thought they were ugly :-(

I urge you not to use your personal feelings alone as your guide.

Again, one thing that sets All About Names apart from our competitors is the fact that we have actually sold this product on a retail level on a consistent basis.We actually use the first name software. Our competitors only assume that their products sell. Like I said before, we have been "down in the trenches" and that experience is the reason why we remain # 1 in our industry.

We have provided already for you, a wide variety of winners that work and that have proven themselves successful across the globe. You may want to try some things on your own, but just be careful and heed my advice . . . . Test - Test - Test. 

Offer Incentives 
(Don't be greedy!) - All of these products can be add on sales. 

Offer a special package deal like;
Buy 2 name meaning certificates and get one free - Your cost is only an average of 
.50 cents, but your take for three sheets of art is @ $16.00 + up. So you just made your customer feel like he/she got a deal and you made a nice profit (Win/Win)

Buy 2 mugs and get a free first name meanings print.

Buy three key chains , get one free

Buy a Jewelry box , get a free can cooler

Buy a T-shirt , get a free coffee mug

You get the idea ? Everyone loves the "FREE" word. We suggest that you add signs like this to your display. Always give away a product that costs you next to nothing in exchange for a bigger sale.

Use your imagination and you will come up with many of your own ideas. Test products out a little bit at a time. If one looks like an adequate mover, then keep it , if it looks like an inventory waster, let it go.Keep in mind that some products do move slower than the others.

Don't eliminate them entirely for that reason ! You will want to have a few of them for the hard to please customers. Don't let products go too soon either. It doesnt hurt you to have small quantities on hand. It takes time to gather this information.

In retail , EVERY DAY is different, each customer will respond differently to each product. This, I promise you !

T shirts and ceramic mugs are a very exciting feature of your first name software. But, before you get too excited , this feature also can be EXPENSIVE and does not necessarily mean more sales.

In order to produce them you need additional equipment. You need a special printer called a Thermal Transfer Printer. You also need a T-shirt press, mug press , T-Shirts , ceramic mugs and plenty of room to produce them. If you do decide to sell these , they could move nicely for you but the start up costs and space requirements are something to consider.

As you can see, there are so many things that you can do.We encourage you to send us ideas of your own for future additions to The Learning Center. If you still need help, do not hesitate to give us a call and we will be glad to assist you in any way that we can.