My first real outing with collars & leads as well as dog coats. This was in the canteen at Brightstar in Crewe where I currently work as a “Technical Adviser” and where I was kindly offered the opportunity to promote my Bone Dry business as shown below.
I should explain that I now trade as Bone Dry as well as Bone Dry Dog Coats. the reason for this is that over the next few weeks I intent to add other products to my range and so I need a less specific trading title. Obviously collars & leads are now in the line up and I shall shortly be adding specialist soaps and shampoos for dogs, closely followed, I hope, by a range of highly desirable, military styled shoulder bags.
As for results on the 30th, the response from Brightstar employees was very positive and the products well received with, I am confident, sales later down the track. Sales on the day, however, were disappointing. one actual sale and one order.
So, what is my analysis of the results. Could it be the dog coats and or the collars & leads themselves? Definitely not! I am absolutely sure that my products are of the very highest quality. My prices? Again, definitely not! After extensive research I am confident that my pricing is both reasonable and competitive. So could it be the venue? Well, no. Other vendors, kindly invited in by Brightstar (sellers of books, confectionery, perfumes and ceramics), come back month after month so presumably they are doing well enough out of the venue.
After much though I have come to the conclusion that dog coats and the collars & leads are not on any one’s every day shopping list, as books (for Christmas presents), confectionery and perfumes may be: moreover my products are relatively high ticket items, even with a generous 20% discount, for spur of the moment expenditure. Consequently my conclusion is that continuing to expose the range will result in purchases at some point later down the track. So, head down and carry on. I will be back in the Brightstar canteen, as planned, on the 21st of December.
