Marketing a Woodworking Business

If you have the capacity to build custom entertainment
cabinets and things like that, market your services to
interior designers, architects and general contractors.
This will lead to bigger and more challenging jobs than
you may be accustomed to and don’t believe it when
anybody tries to tell you to work cheap the first time
because “more work will come and pay better”.

If you want to do the outdoorsy stuff you’ve been doing,
focus on outdoor fairs and garden shows. Try to get
your stuff into local nurseries on consignment.

Selling this kind of stuff is mostly about appealing to women,
so don’t forget that. If you want to do the guy market
make guy stuff like gun racks or whatever.

Getting more sales for your woodworking business can be harder than it is to make the products. Sales is a whole different skill and mind set than creating. It was hard for me in the beginning but I have gotten better at talking to people and making sales.

I do Art and Craft shows to get my product out in the public. I have a flyer, not a business card, with my product pictures. On the bottom of each side of the flyer, I have my website and phone at the bottom of each page. On the back / bottom of each product I make, I rubber stamp my company name, phone and website.
My business card has my website on it (duh). I also have a couple of t shirts that I wear when at the gym, walking the dog and other places that have my website and company name on them in good size letters so you can see them a little ways away.

As far as what is a hot seller, look around. What do you see advertised and what people are buying? At the crafts shows, talk with your visitors about what they like and don’t like. Sometimes it is not finding out what is hot but rather what you can sell. I make and sell personalized puzzles, a very small niche. However, I am able to make a living from selling them. An item that is not a hot seller, but I love making them and selling them. I have found my niche.

-- Jim Beachler, Chief Puzzler, http://www.hollowwoodworks.com