I was totally energized after walking out of Copperfield’s Bookstore in Petaluma this afternoon. I met with Yvette Bird, card buyer. From a marketing standpoint, I thought it might be smart to get a few different card buyers view points on not only my work, but how they purchase cards and other pertinent info such as UPC codes, price range to target, cards in sleeves or no, vertical vs horizontal or both ok? etc….before I go to print. Yvette was very open about what works for them, card wise, and even provided the name of the card rep that keeps their racks full. Yeah!!!! One of my skills honed over many years of being a Sales Queen is Networking. I can’t wait to call this person and ask questions regarding distribution, reps, etc….I’m so grateful for the rep information. But most importantly, grateful for the enthusiasm Yvette showed when it came to my card line. I could tell she genuinely liked my artwork and the words paired with it.
I skipped out into the cool afternoon sunshine and thought that this little dream of mine just may become the big reality I’m planning for it!! Also encouraged by the fact that Yvette didn’t have a problem with my subject matter consisting of mainly florals. She even suggested I target floral shops. I agreed and told her I had already planned on targeting Botanical Garden Gift Shops. I’ve decided I can use my niche to an advantage, rather than considering it a hindrance.
Thanks Yvette for your generous time and comments!!
Tomorrow I plan to write about “Stepping into a New Life at Midlife”, as I’ve been calling this venture of mine (well there’s more to it than just this venture but that’s for another time!).