To advertise or not???? Need your opinions please

[Coldin Callous]

I have been a SASS shooter for little over 2 years now. I quickly realized this game was expensive! I've always been a pretty meticulous guy and enjoy making and designing things. As you all know this game keeps you wanting for better, be it guns, leather, clothing, and the like. I found myself wanting to try out different leather configurations from cross draw, straight drop, forward cant and the like to see what worked best for me. I knew nothing of leather construction about a year ago and have been extremely blessed to live close to an extremely accomplished leather craftsman who was willing to show me the trade over the past year. I have slowly put together a website with my works from the past year and am looking for you advice. I am purely a custom builder and don't put together masses of rigs to show as at SASS events as a vendor. I am considering a small advertisement in the Chronicle and would like any and all advice from the Pards here. If you would do me the favor of looking at my site and telling me if you think my work would represent what you or new shooters to this sport are looking for and if you think paying for the advertising space may benifit me at all. I am currently lucky to get a rig or 2 a month to build so the advertisement would have to pay off for me to be beneficial.

JSCustomleather.com

Thanks in advance,
Coldin Callous
SASS # 87019
Fort White Cowboy Cavalry

[rbertalotto]

Beautiful work! "You learned well pilgrim!"

I'd certainly throw an ad in the Chronicle and here on this site.

[outrider]

Coldin,

Very nice work..indeed  well done

As far as advertising...that's your call... but I would like to add that I have been doing SASS leather as a custom maker since I joined in 1992...11+ years...and quite honestly if you are anticipating making a full time living out of just the SASS stuff...you are in for a rough time...this sport has been become saturated with leather workers..most are very competent and some are down right awful..but none the less I have found that in order for me to make a go of it I have to reduce the offerings and start to specialize in certain markets...one of which is the concealed carry arena.  You are also going to be faced with the fact that SASS has become a speed oriented sport and the leather has become more of the skeletinized..metal lined speed rigs...period correct stuff..although still being requested is kind of falling behind (except in the NCOWS genre).

Anyway...what ever your decision...good luck...welcome to the world of what I refer to as "Cowboy Combat Shooting"

[LoneRider]

Word of Mouth is best! Right now I'm hemorrhaging Advertising Money with little business to show for it!!
And as to The SASS Chronicle, I keep up with where my customers found me and very very few say The Chronicle. And at $28 a month for a 1"x1" ad it ain't worth it!

[Dalton Masterson]

I think your work looks worthy of an ad, yes, but is an ad worth your work?

I tend to feel that word of mouth works best for me. But I am not a production shop either. I handsew everything right now, and have a full time+ city government job and a 2 year old boy. I have enough work at all times to keep me busy whenever a "free" moment is at hand. I m really thinking about not taking any new orders for a little while, just so I can catch up on previous orders and "household duties". And I dont advertise.

You might try an ad for a month or two and see what you get for hits. Money wise, it would not be worth it to me.
DM

[Massive]

So you are saying you can make more than 2 a month, just don't get the call? 

In the retail biz LL Bean is one large outfit that even people in different sectors like computers will model to get their game in gear.  I once read what percent of their business was local, and I remember being shocked.  It was something like 80 percent.  I thought with all their recognized excellence in mail order, that surely the walk-in trade would be a small portion of it.  Another overlooked factor is how much of your sales can come from your existing book of past customers.  It isn't that you will necessarily sell them another rig, but they may open out another sale.  Delicate area to figure out how to deal with, and the key may be asking yourself what would be in it for them.  Often fairly oblique stuff like validation they get from being asked their opinion about new business, or validating their choice.  I wouldn't overlook the obvious before reaching out to the ether.  Keep in mind that as a custom maker, a lot of the value is the experience of dealing with you, that you immediately reduce the moment you take yourself for the most part out of the picture.

That said there are today people whose businesses are built almost entirely on the web, but again, the ones I see being successful are often ones who somehow manage to engage people.

[Slowhand Bob]

I try to get as many people steered here and to those who do work I admire but I really am not sure of how much good it does,  feedback is not forthcoming so?  It must also be remembered that we are trying to make a living offering retreads to an already well supplied group.  I think the day of large influxes of new shooters needing equipment has passed and I do not think we have figured out the secret to restarting that growth again.   Pick your niche, decide who the established competition there is and have at them.  Just remember, they didn't reach the position your after because they were  not competitive and talented business people, as well as good leather workers!

[Trailrider]

I've been doing custom leather since 1975, full-time since 1989. Before the Internet, I tried advertising in the major gun magazines. The costs were horrendous...then they got worse!  At that time, I was making primarily leather for handgun hunters, with a few Old West rigs. A 2-column by 1-1/2" high ad was breaking me, but not getting much in the way of business. But I kept at it for awhile...long enough to establish myself among the narrow niche of shooters. The thing was that you faced the neccesity of doing repeat ads. Why? Because someone would see the first ad, intend to at least order a catalog, but then misplace the magazine. A second ad would get them back, but it was more expensive than the business it brought in.  Then the costs kept going up. And there was a three-month lag time between submittal of the ad and publication.

When the internet started, as well as CAS, I had a website created on the Gunfighter Zone, which is where you will find it today. There are now a bunch of leather craftsman advertising in the Chronicle. I'd get lost in there, and at this time I have about as much business as I can handle.

Your website is very well done. I'd see what it brings in.  You may want to advertise in the Chronicle, just to get yourself known.  Best of luck, Pard!

[Slowhand Bob]

This is where simple links to ones web site on forum boards would help tremendously but some recognized it as an untappable resource and blocked it.

[Coldin Callous]

Thanks all for the replies to this point. I have no dilusions of competing with the Kirkpatricks and Mernicles of our sport but could stand a few more jobs a month to keep me busy. I can comfortably produce 3 to 4 rigs a month with my other obligations ( real job, wife, and daughter  and am looking for avenues to get to that point. I agree that the chronicle is loaded with leather builders but was hoping my work with exotic leathers may spark a little interest. I'm thinking at this point I will continue to rely on the old tried and true method of making those that have given me an opportunity extremely happy and hope they will tell one or two folks.

Thanks!

[Ned Buckshot]

When I was doing leather work full time I tried a few print ads and none of them did anything for my business.

The best approach for me was to show a few items at shoots so people could see my work and then order what they wanted.

Then I bought a tent and did as many annual shoots as I could get to and my business really took off after that, just get out and show off your work! You don't need alot of inventory just enough to show examples of your work.

Another thing that kept the cash rolling was to have some items that were more generic like loading strips, badge holders, purses etc. The first shoot I showed my loading strips I had 25 in stock and sold out the first day!

Also hand out business cards to anyone that will take one, often got calls months after with some nice orders.

Hope this helps a little.


Ned

[outrider]

Ned,

Nice to see you...how have you been?

[Ned Buckshot]

Howdy Outrider, I'm gettin' by. Thanks for asking.

I'm working on a line of kitchen knives right now, gonna try and do a couple craft fairs this spring if health holds out.

Ya'll take care.

Ned

[theshoer]

I wasn't going to post anything but after reading Neds, thought I should. Here is my 2 cents and a little story to go with it. I went to horseshoeing school in Colorado 20 years ago and practiced horseshoeing out there for a couple years. Then I came back to California where I am from and tried to start a business. What I did was make fliers and post them in barns and feed stores then  advertised in any kind of local papers or Magazine. Did that for about a year till my name was out there where other Farriers and people knew who I was. I Built a successful business that I ran up until a couple years ago, had a reputation for doing every rank horse there was too. After a couple of injurys  that I am have a hard time recovering from I cut way back on my horseshoeing and am trying to retire from it, but my phone keeps ringing (so I must have done something right).

BEST advertising is word of mouth, you have to get your name out there

If you just want to do this part time DO NOT waste your money or time advertising

If you want to turn this into a full time business, find a nich and advertise for it but don't limit yourself to that one thing and do what Ned did, I like Neds way

[Coldin Callous]

Thanks again to all!

[GunClick Rick]

Here is some word of mouth..

NED BUCKSHOT DOES VERY VERY FINE WORK,I WOULD NOT GIVE UP WHAT I HAVE FROM HIM FOR NOTHIN! HIS STUFF WILL OUT LIVE THE OWNERS~