Another custom made order

[kmmcrafts]

Someone from a dog show / club contacted me about making a Brittany clock.. She referenced the clock to my pheasant hunting clock.. so I asked about if she wanted the hunting clock with a Brittany in place of the pointer dog.. she said no just a Brittany.. So I made the clock from Harvey's / Iggy's puzzle pattern ( posted on here a couple weeks ago.. I sent her photos and she said that's not what she wanted.. she wanted the hunting clock with a Brittany, LOL.. Lady make up your mind, LOL.. she wanted me to call her to talk about the clock.. so I call and she didn't have anything to say that she hadn't already said..other than she is in charge of the prizes for this organization and has a healthy budget to get Brittany items for the prizes and a raffle.. asked if I had any other ideas for items... Dang.. I tried my hardest to send her to Iggy's web site... as I could tell already she is going to be one of those dreaded customers that has you make all sorts of things then doesn't want anything in the end, LOL

Anyway here is another Brittany themed clock for her... if she frowns on this one I'll send her to anyone here that might like to deal with her  because I'm done after this one..    

BTW I cut this on my old Hawk 220VS and used several different blades to experiment with some different blades.. and I did get some slight burnt ends on some of the pointed spots.. won't use the Olsen Mach Speed for cutting Cherry.. they was cutting good.. and didn't have the saw speed up much.. even turned it down to around less than half speed.. FD-UR did the same for me too.. but the Pegas.. no burnt edges even on high speed.. Gotta love those pegas MG series blades..

[Scrappile]

Nice clock and a good description of why I don't want to get into selling....

[DWSUDEKUM]

Very nicely done.  Thanks for sharing this with  us.

[rjweb]

Very nice, I know what you mean about customers don’t know what they want, I had a custom interior business and every year I would get one, but looked at all the good customers and moved on, RJ 

[blights69]

Kevin said send her to him he deals with that kind of customer all the time (Honest He Did Tell Me That At Some Point  ) . Great job by the way even if it is not what she wants 

[meflick]

Nice work.  I am with you, if she doesn't like this one move on.  Tell her you are already back logged for 6 months, year whatever and really have no time. 

[kmmcrafts]

Thanks everyone for the comments.. I just got a email from her... just as I expected.. It's not exactly what she wants and she wants two slight changes but wants me to call her to hear what they are... this lady can email and normally gets back to me real quick.. yet she's always wanting me to call her.. I'd have to tell her that I'm booked for the year because she doesn't need these until Oct.. LOL.. funny thing is.. showed her the pattern I made.. she okay-ed it.. now that I made it.. she wants changes.. 

I typically get 1-2 customers that are like this every year.. at least this one has given me until Oct..LOL Typically they want it next day or the day before they contacted me.. LOL 

I'll probably call her Monday and depending on what those changes are whether I'll either talk her out of it explaining that I have to make a whole new clock since the clock is already glued to the base and a oil finish has been applied.. or I'll mark up my price to a point she won't want it.. 

On a side note: I don't typically cut a custom made item out until it has been paid for in full with no refunds.. That is stated on my site.. But then.. I always do my best to make the customer satisfied too so we'll see..   

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

It is one of the main reasons I stopped taking custom orders. for the money and the headache it comes down to not worth the effort. Like what I make or move on. I have made that clock before and I usually put a hunters insert in it. That is why I like to use many different inserts. I use to get many from different sources but Wildwood designs is where I usually went for bulk buys because I was able to mix and match. Not sure any more that they merged with Cherry tree. Not even sure what inserts they are selling today.  

[wombatie]

I don't care what she says you have made to very handsome clocks and if she dosen't like them too bad, give her a chose, take them or leave them.  Great work by the way.

Marg

[Scrolling Steve]

Nice, Very nice !

[daveww1]

very nice job

[kmmcrafts]

You know, while this type of customer is annoying.. I've found that in working with them... many times gets a great repeat customer.. 

About 5 years ago I had a customer like this.. but with a larger scale order.. she knew she was a pain in the you know what.. while she didn't say it right away.. she waited until she received her order and messaged me that she was a pain to work with... but a nice thank you note for being patient with her and making the exact piece she wanted etc... This customer orders $500 worth of products every holiday season from me now.. I grew to know what she expected and we grew a online friendship.. 

I have a few other customers the exact same way.. and are now repeat customers that are actually a pleasure to do business with from then on out...

Besides.. we scroll saw for fun right? why not take advantage of getting to saw three or more items to make that "Perfect" gift they envision.. after all.. it is an excuse to make something new right? LOL When you bend over backwards to make a memorable experience for the customer.. They remember that.. and will talk to friends about the experience they got... if it's a bad experience.. then they also run there mouth about that as well..

In selling my work.. while many think it's all about profit.. in the end.. for me.. it's more about making a "perfect" gift for that special customer..When you start making the money the priority is when you loose business.. Yeah I make money.. but in some orders.. I loose money for now.. but many times make it up from that customer or from a friend of that customer later down the road..

 Thank you all for the nice comments   

Edited March 17, 2018 by kmmcrafts

[bobscroll]

Very well done project Kevin even if the customer wasn't quite happy! Thank you for letting us see,

Bob 

[rjR]

Great clock.

 

[new2woodwrk]

I think it's a great looking piece - I know if I ever get to the point of able to sell my stuff, I will never do custom orders, I learned this years ago during my consulting days - no custom anything without payment up front.

Thanks for sharing - love your clocks

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, new2woodwrk said:

I think it's a great looking piece - I know if I ever get to the point of able to sell my stuff, I will never do custom orders, I learned this years ago during my consulting days - no custom anything without payment up front.

Thanks for sharing - love your clocks

About 40% of my business is custom orders.. I have in my store policies that they are to be paid up front with no refund or cancellations once the cutting begins... That said though.. I normally do not enforce that unless it's a personalized something that couldn't be sold to someone else.. The two items I've made so far for this customer are very sell-able to others.. 

I enjoy custom orders.. it's interesting what ideas others have and many of them turn into a product that I offer in my etsy shop..and some are a very hot seller.. so sometimes doing custom work really pays off for me..    

[Woodmaster1]

Awesome clock!

George

Edited March 18, 2018 by Woodmaster1

[Rockytime]

Nice clock. The thing about that clock is it should have wide appeal to many people and should be an easy sell if not to her liking. Thing that are highly personalized are not so. Only the person that refuses it could possibly use it. I had a client many years ago, Jeppesen Sanderson, who published the flight manual found in every commercial airline in the world. I provided all the index tabs for the nine ring binders. I provided hundreds of thousands of them. Always needed extra crews, overtime, etc. The woman buyer was a B..... I had this account for four years and finally tired if her and the account. At the end of the contract for the year I jacked up the contract 50%. It was no longer worth the hassle. She moved to an out of town supplier. I lost a fairly large account but made up for it not having the hassle. You should do likewise.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Kevin I am glad that custom orders work out for you but it is not for everyone. But again not everyone sells on line like you do. If you do craft fairs such as I do custom orders can become a nightmare because you are stuck with orders that do not sell because they have a name or something in them not designed for the project. I too love to scroll but not mistakes. I use to take custom orders when I did consignment stores but got burned a couple times and that was a couple times too many. My time is precious and limited. Not spending it on a phone or typing and and taking photos of designs. I have so many years left on this earth and way too many different projects I want to do. I had a bunch of customer followers throughout the years from show to show and they kept buying from me because they were able to hold in their hands items. That is a plus for doing craft shows and I know you hate the show circuit but it does have its advantages too.  Good luck in your sales. Seems like you have all things figured out and hitting on all cylinders. Who knows maybe things will once again revert back to craft shows being the king of the hill or some format that looks like it. 

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Kevin I am glad that custom orders work out for you but it is not for everyone. But again not everyone sells on line like you do. If you do craft fairs such as I do custom orders can become a nightmare because you are stuck with orders that do not sell because they have a name or something in them not designed for the project. I too love to scroll but not mistakes. I use to take custom orders when I did consignment stores but got burned a couple times and that was a couple times too many. My time is precious and limited. Not spending it on a phone or typing and and taking photos of designs. I have so many years left on this earth and way too many different projects I want to do. I had a bunch of customer followers throughout the years from show to show and they kept buying from me because they were able to hold in their hands items. That is a plus for doing craft shows and I know you hate the show circuit but it does have its advantages too.  Good luck in your sales. Seems like you have all things figured out and hitting on all cylinders. Who knows maybe things will once again revert back to craft shows being the king of the hill or some format that looks like it. 

The ones that are personalized I don't work until I'm paid in full amount.. my store policies state that.. its no work until order is paid in full and no refunds on these type of orders either.. the only refunds issued are for damaged goods by the mail.. and then it's a refund or replacement.. as the insurance covers the refund anyway..

 

I'd like to see all the crafts shows thriving.. but the truth is.. they aren't what they used to be.. not sure if they are dyeing out or just in a slump for the past several years.. 

 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

3 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

The ones that are personalized I don't work until I'm paid in full amount.. my store policies state that.. its no work until order is paid in full and no refunds on these type of orders either.. the only refunds issued are for damaged goods by the mail.. and then it's a refund or replacement.. as the insurance covers the refund anyway..

 

I'd like to see all the crafts shows thriving.. but the truth is.. they aren't what they used to be.. not sure if they are dyeing out or just in a slump for the past several years.. 

 

I can tell you exactly what it is sir. Walmarts, Amazon and internet. Once again people are in this hurry state of mind. Too much trouble to go to stores as well as to craft shows. When craft shows were thriving the internet was not what it is today. anything and everything can be bought on line today. So now what we were dealing with in terms of competition at shows it is now competition on the web and you know yourself it is a rat race and you need to stay one step ahead. For awhile there the driving factor was ABC catalogs, Walmarts of the worlds and now Hobby Lobby bringing in the Chinese goods that mimic our craft projects for alot less. It was a time where people would say hey I can make that and make it cheaper. Todays youth does not understand the handmade mantra. They grew up in a world where you ask and it is at your finger tips. In my era you made things to save money and people found out it is also possible to make a few bucks selling and then shows started popping up to accommodate this and if you look it was some older people starting these shows. Of course this got to be a greedy grab thing and too many shows started showing up and the downfall began.   Oh I can nail it exactly down for you because I lived through it and experienced it first hand. Look at malls and stores closing down. The big box stores have destroyed the Mom and Pop fabrics of the worlds and now the Amazons just may take out the big box stores.  

 

You keep telling us how well you are doing with your sites and your sales and I say good for you but not all people are as fortunate and do not have the internet savvy as you. The computer people are younger generation and they are not into handmade items. You are somewhere in between.  There are still many people here doing well at shows and some of that has to do to location. The more rural you get the more old school you probably are. Not to say that is a bad thing. But in the tristate area I live in the pace is so much faster and things change quickly. People are in a hurry from the time they get up to whenever they go to sleep if they sleep. Won't go into the politics of this because it has no place here but it is human nature. 

There are from what I have read here not many that take this to the heights you have because they do it to pass time and enjoy a hobby. People like you and Iggy have to use as income from what I gather. others like to make aa few bucks here and there to pay for materials which I do. That is all this is for me. And as far as you taking orders this all goes into your business format. You sort of have to so whatever your rules are, is something you spelled out ahead of time. Again if you want to stay that step ahead. You can not do that when doing a show . You actually talk to people face to face and that is what made craft shows more desirable to me anyway. I got to meet different people and get insights right there. I say I was very fortunate to live through the craft show era and say I thrived from it. I can not afford the time and effort to do that all again on the internet. Just not worth it for me. So my choices of not taking on custom orders fits my needs as it probably does others too.

Continued success and ride it out as long as you can. Never know what the next era will bring.  

[kmmcrafts]

You are right JT, and I knew this... I've seen this coming to this.. not just craft shows but everywhere.. I envisioned this happening back in the mid - late 90's.. and it's far from being over..What's next? well in my area there are people grocery shopping online.. we have a few stores doing this.. and they pay a shopper to shop for the list of items on the order.. checkout with it and take it to the persons house.. I have a cousin making a grand a week as a shopper / delivery person.. It's just crazy where this is going.. and this is nothing compared to whats to come.. we've only began this whole internet thing in the last 20- ish years.

What's ahead.. smart refrigerators.. that automatically reorder food that is about gone.. This is only the grocery sector of it.. and most people will be doing any shopping by a smart phone that is by voice. Tell your phone to buy socks.. next day socks are delivered to your door..LOL I don't know where this will lead in to the craft sector of it.. but I can say.. I'm betting another 10 - 20 years.. the craft shows will be a thing of the past...which is why I think it's important for anyone thinking about doing this as income.. should be selling online by now and preferably 5-10-15 years ago.. I do understand that it's not about making money at it for most..  Personal computers will be a thing of the past as well... phones and tablets are hot things now..

There is going to be a big boom in reality type tv shows DYY shows etc etc.... but not on tv.. real armatures doing this online maybe youtube? twitch? vine? who knows.. but the movie stars as we know them.. are about to get a whole lot of life change in the next 20 years. If you know someone that's funny.. and likes making people laugh.. they should be doing this online.. get in on this in the early stages.. There is already lots of people making money doing this.. read about a guy that live streams is video gaming on a site called twitch..he's making like 200,000 playing video games..         

[GPscroller]

Great looking clock Kevin.

Jeff

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Yep Kevin. Generation "X" Amazon will be taking over the world. They are now getting into the food sector of selling. When I was still working I worked on 2 Amazon warehouses in my territory. The product they have is mind blowing. The buildings were massive and more to come. They are tasking the Walmart ideas and taking another step up and now Walmart is trying to keep up by adding food sales to their stores and trying to make things a one stop shopping and now on line sales have increased for them also. The cars of today are just tapping into technology that will be coming from smart cars to flying cars.It is progress but as I said I will not be around long enough to witness many of these changes but I was also glad to live through the craft show era. I am now at the point in my life I make one of a kind items and if I sell them fine and if not I will leave them behind for others to decide where they should wind up. Have a to do list that I want to try that is so long I know will never be completed. My mind continues to create faster than I can produce. It is a fun ride. 

[Dave Monk]

Clock looks great to me.  

I have worked for myself almost my whole life and have had a totally different approach. Very rarely have I asked for even a deposit. Some people are almost shocked. It gives me a real incentive to deliver more than I promise............Works well for me.