Who Depends on Website?

[baileyuph]

Please describe your business and situation if staying in business is dependent on your website.

If you are staying busy and do not have a website, explain why you are succesful.

There are both experiences in business, the purpose of this discussion is analyse the impact of a site and why it is or not significant to have. 

Also, be sure to include if you work in your home or have a formal business.  That could be a major factor.  Age of the business could be another correlation as well as other advertising.

I have read where some have a site and are staying busy but not due  to the site.  Then, others without a site, are doing well, staying busy.  The reasons for the different experiences would be interesting.  This type of discussion should be beneficial to all small business, those thinking about a site or modifying an existing site.

Doyle

[kodydog]

I live in a rural neighborhood and my shop is next to my house. Often I get calls from people who want to drop something off and often, after I give them detailed directions, I never here from them again. I've lost many jobs because of my location but I also don't waist time with people who want me to turn sample book pages for them even though they're not sure if there going to do the job. Something that happened frequently when I had a commercial location.

If my business depended on my website I'd be in big trouble. Most people find me through word of mouth. Second would still be the Yellow Pages. Last week my wife gave an estimate to a lady on the phone. When she was done she told her to look at our work on our website. The lady responded, that's how I got your number. We get one or two jobs a month through e-mails from our site.

Its been said before, any one type of advertising may not be enough to keep you busy but when you combine all the different types of advertising together hopefully you'll get enough work to be successful.

Looking back at last years records, Designers kept us very busy. So next week we go to St Augustine to meet some more.

And more and more new furniture repairs are becoming a good source of income. Spent 8 billable hours at one customers house last month. Gave a 6 hr repair estimate last week. Took me 4 hours. Adjusted my bill and the store owners were very pleased. I'm the only upholsterer they use because I'm fair and honest. And whats nice about working with them is I P/U and Del at their store. They even load it into the van for me. These jobs take zero advertising. :)

[sofadoc]

As I've stated before, I'm a "one-man" shop with no intention of growing beyond that. So I'm already working at maximum output now. So the website hasn't really increased my sales any, but has made life easier by reducing the time I spend (waste) with customers.

And more and more new furniture repairs are becoming a good source of income.
And whats nice about working with them is I P/U and Del at their store.

I've got it even better. The furniture stores bring it to me. There's a large furniture rental chain (the name starts with 2 A's) that brings me repairs from their stores as far away as 110 miles.

Which brings me to what I want to get out of MY website. I would like to use mine to emphasize furniture repairs, since they are quick and profitable. The cheap furniture isn't worth recovering, so you might as well make some easy money fixing it.
And I love doing estimates from e-mail photos. 20 years ago, I'll bet I spent 1-2 extra hours a day just going from house to house looking at furniture.

I know that Kody warned about being too "wordy". People's eyes glaze over when there's a lot to read. And I agree with that advice.
But you do want to include a certain amount of verbage that will turn up when the customer does a search. Phrases such as "Cushion foam replacement", or "Recliner repair". The tricky part is guessing the right keywords that customers are searching for.

[Stephen]

To answer your question:
Please describe your business and situation if staying in business is dependent on your website.
I've been doing upholstery since 1966. Up until 1988 I worked with my dad until he died. Most of that time we had a regular fabric store with an upholstery shop in back. When we learned that Dad had cancer we closed down the shop to work out of his house so that we could take care of him better. Some months later he died. About a year later I got married and  worked with my sister in her garage. We did doing mostly wholesale work for decorators for about 5 years. Then my sister and I started working separately. About the same time we moved to Salem, where I worked out of my house in Salem for about 15 years. About a year ago we moved to Independence (about 8500) and bought the house where we currently live and work.  I still work out of my garage, which is right next to our house.  Since we stopped having a separate shop, I love working at home. For a one man shop it just doesn't make sense to have a separate shop expense.

Since I've had the Winters Sewing website up for about 8 years, and we also advertise in the phone book and in two newspapers it made the move very workable. A large part of our work comes from the website. Many people call or email us to get estimate. We've had people from all over the nation call about the possibility of my doing work for them. Of course, not all of them are economically feasible. But we have done work for people in San Francisco and in Ohio. Having a website is extremely beneficial.

Best Wishes,
Stephen

[baileyuph]

But we have done work for people in San Francisco and in Ohio. Having a website is extremely beneficial.

I wouldn't think that would be the normal type work?

Interesting comments
Doyle

[sofadoc]

For a one man shop it just doesn't make sense to have a separate shop expense.

If I had read that statement 5 years ago, I would've said "You're CRAZY!" But now, thanks to websites, even the home based shops have a "virtual storefront". So the playing field is more level than ever before.

The seperate location has worked very well in my case. I don't have to find work.....work finds me. And when I'm ready to "hang 'em up", I'll sell my building for a lot more than I paid for it. So it's like having money in the bank.

I'm not sure why, but home based upholstery shops never seem to get a foothold around here. They come to town, ask me for a job, I say "No thanks", so they set up shop in their own garage. Within a year, they call me back asking if I want to buy them out.

I hope they don't read any of these threads about marketing with a website. ;)

[Mojo]

My website is a time saver for me. The vast majority of my customers come as referrals off the internet looking for information. I use my website as a way to help educate them. By the time they get to me they have a firm grasp of what I do and what their problems are and what work they need me to do.

By doing it this way it saves me time. I am like Dennis, I am a one man operation and am booked solid. I can ill afford to spend time on the phone half the day explaining things to potential customers. My web site does that. It is bad enough I have to take time to do quotes and answer e-mails. :)

I would say almost all of my communication is done over the internet through my website and
e-mails. And as Dennis stated above, I work from home and my website is my storefront. I am without a commercial location but will never be without a website. Not in todays day and age.

Chris

[Mike]

Me I e had my site fir about 25 years.  Stated in new Hampshire and them when I moved I kept it up do same name ect. I don't depend on it totsly word of mouth is best.  No yellow page adds there too expensive per month.  And I've quit paler ads latly with no I'll effects.  I've had peoplel find be on a search  for there boats localy.  And I've made ca vas for one place in Honduras once shiipex ot off and never met the customer.  K don't really know how many people call ke from it I've stopped asking most peoplelwill say I got your number from so in so.  It's definatly s plus I wouldn't stop.  I've also just been learning about a facebook page and seeing how that goes I understand if someone likes you all there friends will be notifiedof you from them when you update  on it do I've made a link on the site to it and viceveersa. I've also stoped doing theblocal boat show. More for personal resons but it was a drain allot of money and your returns came later while I wasn't doing any work for the whole  time.   

[n01945]

I have a website as well. It is a good tool for new customers who want to see your work. I have it linked on my email as well as my business cards. There is a way to track how many "hits" you receive on your website. I know you can do this through google etc.. Word of mouth is still my best method of getting customers though.

[baileyuph]

Sounds like so far, no one is getting rid of their websites.  

For furniture work, especially, it would be good to know if a web site is pulling furniture work from a distance far from your town?

Do people ship their furniture, couch for example, a longer distance to your house and get it reupholstered?  Then, needless to say, that requires a shipment of some sort back that someone has to manage to do.  I am not sure I could ship my furniture to a website that I never met in person without reservations.

I do not have a website, it would be a deterrent because I am swamped with work as it is.  There are so fewer shops any more I believe a shop with visability just doesn't have competition to speak of from other similar shops.

Another issue some haven't mentioned, if you do furniture and cars and boats in a  non zoned area here, all that has to happen is for one resident call in and you will be shut down.  

Another question, are websites selling materials for you?

Regarding fabric sales,  I do see more and more buying fabrics on the internet,  but I understand it to be coming from bigger distributors.  Am I correct?  I don't sell as much material these days, to offset that, the labor rates have been increased to make for the loss due to customers buying their own fabrics.  In a sense it is a blessing, it takes time to sell fabrics.

Word of mouth and the phone book, plus shop visability on major roadways seems to be working very well for me.  People's time seems to be limited for them and when they come by, they aren't just shopping.  Like I said, where they going to go and find another shop?  Customers don't like to waste their time looking and driving around looking.

Most with their SUV's and small trucks will bring it and pick it up, whether it is for repairs or complete renovation.   This saves them a few bucks and frees the shop from that duty, it does happen often. 

So far in this discussion, what we might be seeing is; a web site and success with it might be harder to define for some, easier for others.

What does help me in marketing is, many customers merely google and find the closet shop in the phone book and then use GPS, or map quest to find the location if they are unsure where it is.

For repairs, customers look for local shop support. I doubt much of that furniture would be shipped long distances for a repair and returned by truck.  That would get expensive.  Am I correct?  I can't imagine me shipping my finish couch and/or chair miles because of a web site I found, customers would be no different. 

Good input, thanks to everyone.

Doyle

[sofadoc]

I do not have a website, it would be a deterrent because I am swamped with work as it is.  There are so fewer shops any more I believe a shop with visability just doesn't have competition to speak of from other similar shops.

Same here (although I DO have a website). It has done little to increase my sales, since I am already operating at maximum capacity.
What it HAS done, is make my life easier in dealing with customers in the store, over the phone, and in their home.
I weed out most of the "tire kickers" through e-mail correspondance at home in the evening while I eat supper, or watch TV. It's helped sales somewhat, since people aren't as prone to argue price through e-mail. Once you shoot them an e-mail quote, it's almost like it's "etched in stone".
I spend much less time answering that age old question "How much do you charge to cover a couch?" ::)

One problem with websites, is that it opens you up for scammers. I got this pic e-mailed to me today:

He wants them done in imitation leather.  The chairs are currently in another state. He needs a price so he can coordinate with the delivery service. And he wants to know if I accept credit cards.