Handmadeology University

Day 5 – Time Management Tips

tim adam in 5 Day Course

I can’t believe the last day of class is finally here!  And just so you know… Today was originally going to be about Analytics. But thanks to all of your comments, today is going to be about time management.

I’m actually really glad you asked about this… this is something that I was forced to get good at. From all of my research, I’ve learned some AWESOME time management skills, which I’ve included in today’s lesson.

And just to end on a really great note, I’ve included another one of those **astounding** marketing tips… This one will teach you why MORE products will actually lead to LESS sales. (I know… it sounds crazy. But wait until you read the tip before making any judgments.)

Ok… let’s dive into Day 5…

Let me just say that A LOT of people waste HOURS online. They’ll go to post pictures of their newest product… and wind up searching for old friends on Facebook for 45 minutes. And nothing gets done.

When I was working two jobs and trying to do Etsy stuff on the side, I didn’t have time to mess around. Every minute was precious. I had to learn ways to get all of my online stuff done in the shortest time possible.  So here are three quick tips that will save you at LEAST an hour each day:

First – STOP MULTITASKING!! So if you’re reading this email and listening to music, turn off the music. Or the TV. Or the instant messenger. Multitasking does NOT work. There are too many things that can distract you.

Did you know that if you are 100% focused on a task and you get interrupted, it can take over 30 minutes to get back to that level of focus?

It’s really easy to fall into the trap of multitasking. The best way I found to stop is by creating a specific list of things to do before you ever turn on your computer. Put the list on a Post-It note and stick it to your monitor. Don’t do anything else online until that list is completed. Don’t look at Facebook. Don’t check your email. Don’t browse the forums or window shop on Etsy. The checklist takes priority over EVERYTHING else.

Second – Use “Parkinson’s Law” to your advantage. Parkinson’s law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

Essentially, it’s telling us that we are naturally prone to procrastination. By human nature, we want to wait until the last minute to get things done.

Now that you know this, you can use it to your advantage. The next time you set a goal with a deadline for a task to be completed, cut that timeframe in half. It’ll be possible to get finished; you’ll just have to make sure you focus on reaching it instead of playing on Facebook.

This piece of info was HUGE for me. Since I learned this tip, I never set a goal without having a deadline… And almost every deadline I create is shorter than most people would set it.  This forces me to focus on the task at hand.

That tip alone has helped me cut most project times in half.

Lastly – The “Pareto Principle” (also know as the 80/20 rule) states that “roughly 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes.“

Think of this as how it applies to your Etsy store… I’m willing to bet that roughly 80% of your sales come from 20% of the items you have listed. Go through your store and analyze what products create the most income for you. Those will be the products that you’ll want to focus on marketing. They’re the most profitable, most popular, and most likely to be bought by the people you’re marketing to.

I focus on marketing my jewelry trees and cameras. I have found that these are my most popular items, that bring the most views and sales… This way I don’t waste time marketing products that people won’t buy.

Since we’ve went over Facebook, blogs, and Twitter over the last three days, I’m going to show you the process I use when listing a new item on Etsy…

Lets start with your listing.Make sure you have key words in the title.  In the case below I have neckalce as a key word though our the listing.

Make sure you use all five pictures and all 14 tags.

Also you will notice the stars a the bottom of the listing…. This will give your shopper another incentive to navigate back to the shop home page, and help keep your shopper in your shop.

After you list your item, write a blog post about it…

In your blog post make sure you put a link to back to your Etsy shop and the item.  To spend the least amount of time on this use the same pictures you used for the listing and copy and paste your description.  You can write a blog post (like the one below) in 5 minutes.

Twitter Time

After you listing your item head to your Twitter channel and Tweet something that will engage your followers.   Ask them what they think of the new item that you just added to your shop.  This will give your followers a chance to engage in a conversation with you.  Make sure that you respond to all of your followers!  Conversation is always King on Twitter.  It is what will help spread the word about your items.

Later in the day you can Tweet about the blog you just wrote! Again make sure it is interactive…

Facebook

There are many ways to promote your itemon Facebook… I am going to cover the  3 quickest way that are the most effective.

1. Post a link on thr wall of your fan page:

Here is where you pic your picture.  This is a must! Pictures make items more clickable.

Once your wall post is up you can comment, like and share this post.  When you like the post it will show on your profile wall that you like this link…
When you share the post the entire post with the picture will show up on your profile wall…. This will allow you to promote your item in places in just a few minuets.

2. Promote your item on other fan pages and groups:

Groups:  Etsy sellers group

Fan pages:

Since you now have a fan page…. you know where to promote!  Here is a shot from the Etsy fan page.

Whenever I really want to promote a new item, that is the exact process I use.  If you stay focused on doing each step, it shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to do.

One last thing about time management.  If you’re ever having trouble focusing, do this:  PAUSE… Take a DEEP breath… and recite this to yourself, “Sloth is the language of the poor.“

Remember that those people who are lazily wasting time online without focusing on a task are also the people who “can’t find enough time to get everything done.“

Lastly, because this is the last day of the course… I wanted to leave you with another hidden marketing *gem*.   (I didn’t even believe this one until I experimented with it.)

It starts off with a study that was conducted a number of years ago….   A researcher decided to try and sell jams from a local grocery store.  The first day he setup his booth with thirty different flavors of jam.  He wanted to make sure that he had a jam that suited EVERYONE’S taste.  At the end of this experiment, the researcher had a 3% conversion rate.  So for every 100 people that stopped to taste his jam, three people would buy.  Not bad, eh?  (Think if you sold three items for every 100 that saw your store…)
Well… this researcher is a curious guy.  So he decided to go back the next week.  Same store.  Same booth.  Same everything.  Except this time, he limited his supply of jams to six different flavors instead of thirty.  Can you guess what happened to his conversion rate?

His conversion rate skyrocketed from 3% to 30%!!!

And he did nothing different… Except limit the options.

There is a VERY IMPORTANT lesson here.   Consumers think they want more options… but they don’t.  A confused consumer will never buy.

I didn’t believe this when I first read it.  So I started researching the necklaces that I offer.  I was offering sixteen necklaces at the time.  When I measured my sales, it turned out that over 80% of my sales came from only four of the necklaces!  Can you believe that?!

Why should I waste time promoting the 12 necklaces that rarely sell?  If people really like those four necklaces, the other 12 are only confusing the consumer.  I’m MUCH better off only offering four to six necklaces that have a proven track record of success.

So what is the lesson here? Limit your items Figure out a product or two that sell really well, and then only offer 3-5 other options in that category.   (Note:  This is category specific.  I’m not telling you to limit the number of items you sell; only to limit the number of SIMILAR items you sell.  This tip might not be for everyone… but if you analyze your past sales, I’d bet that you’d see a similar trend.)

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Well… that is it for the 5 Day Handmadeology University  Course.  In the last five days, we have covered everything from time management to the mindset you must have to be successful to three different tools that can literally double or triple your traffic.  I really hope that you have learned something new from this. (Judging by all the comments and emails, there are many of you who are already seeing success so far. )

Some of you have told me about bigger sales,  more traffic, more followers, and just learning about new tools and skills to grow your business.   I love hearing the stories of success… so if some tip majorly impacted you this week, please email me at support@handmadeology.biz and tell me your story.

In reality, these first five days are only the tip of the iceberg. There is plenty more to learn, especially if you are serious about taking your sales to the next level.   Handmadeology University has some of the brightest Etsy sellers I know.  It also has some “Etsy newbies” who are looking to build their Etsy shop as quickly as possible.

All members instantly get access to:

• HMU Guide to Facebook (Value = $21)
• HMU Guide to Twitter (Value = $21)
• HMU Guide to Blogging (Value = $21)
• HMU Guide to Time Management (Value = $17)
• HMU Guide to Google Analytics (Value = $17)

You will also get access to:

• Monthly coaching calls
• Podcasts with uber successful Etsy sellers
• Critiques of HMU members Etsy shops
• A members only forum where you can connect with other passionate sellers

As with everything I do, there’s 100% money-back guarantee.  I give everyone a 30 day risk-free trial.  Cancel in the first 30 days, ask for a refund and you’ll get your money back.  No questions asked.  Period. I care much more about my reputation and relationships with customers than I do about making a quick dollar.

So if you’re ready to dive a little bit deeper into the world of selling handmade products online, sign up right here. We’ll work together to build your business.