Welcome to the official AH VISION blog! Here you will be given an inside look into my business life. The Question is often asked how do you build a successfully brand. Yes, selling t-shirts is a great way to make money but your products have to be the canvas for your message. I like to be as transparent as possible, so this next statement might shock you. If you're not ready to work hard, loose sleep, make major sacrifices then go find yourself a job and keep working.
Here are 5 tips and some advice to get your first sale
1.Mindset is everything, you're selling a message, not a product or service. Your message has to be powerful, people want to feel like they are apart of a movement or cause that's worth fighting for. Your customer is buying the message, the story and the physical product or service is something they ultimately will leave with once that connection is made.
2. A Powerful Design that stands on it's own without any explanation needed. Create something that could sale without a pitch. Were looking for thought provoking, conversation starting products. The design needs to speak to the consumer right where they currently are in life.
3. Let's take the apparel niche for example you need products (t-shirts, hats, etc.) to sell. There are a couple routes that you can go print on demand (this option is almost hands free. You upload the design and products will be shipped only after a purchase is made. Option #2 find a good wholesaler this way you can get quality blank t-shirts as low as $3 vs up to $7 from retailers.
4. A Good Printing Company, whether it's a local printer in your city or an Online Custom Print Shop. It needs to be a company that works specifically with fashion brands. There are so many print applications and processes for color picking. From DTG (direct to garment), Screen printing and Heat Transfer Vinyl. You need someone who knows what they're doing, a specialist in that field.5. An easy to use website.
5. You will need a Website that flows. preverbally with a black and white color scheme. Make it easy for the customer to navigate and place orders at check out. Don't make it difficult to view the products by having so many different pages to click. Simple is the best way to go it often leads to more sales.
I Know 5 tips are what you came for but here's a couple more on the house. Make it a habit of giving more to your consumer than you receive in return, usually I under sell and over deliver.
6. Build brand awareness and trust. Always request a photo or video review from your customers. In the beginning you may need to give products away to build your following but always get a photo / review either on the spot or within a couple of days. Everybody wants to know that someone else has purchased from you before and were satisfied with the products and or services.
7. You need to be relentless on social media, and locally around town promoting the brand and sparking a movement even when sales may not be coming in. There's a quote that I got from one of my mentors, it reads like this: All work, works either on you or for you. Success will be hard to come by but it's worth it. Remain focused on the goal push forward with a never quit mentality. On those days when you feel like throwing in the towel, just remember why you started in the first place and march forward.
Consistency is the name of the game. The 7 tips that you just received are useless if they're not applied. Keep learning your industry and convert learned knowledge to applicable wisdom. Find someone in your field that's crushing it and follow them. Let other people failures and successes lay a path for you to win. Shop with us and Support the movement @ ahvision.net