Woodworkers often say they rely on “word of mouth for sales,” but they could benefit from more sophisticated marketing, especially in these tumultuous times. Will Sampson, editor of FDMC magazine and Woodworking Network, interviews Christian Smedberg, marketing specialist for Weinig USA, about ways to measure and improve marketing for woodworking manufacturers.
The Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge has become the premier competition for creative woodworking in the world. With thousands of dollars in prize money, the competition honors the best veneer woodworking in furniture, cabinets, architectural millwork, and specialty products. There are even categories for first-time entrants and student work. In the interest of promoting veneer as a beautiful, natural, and sustainable product, the competition also honors not only creators of fine work but also the distributors and sales people who supplied the veneer. The deadline for entries is June 1, so don’t delay.
Woodworking Network is a home for professional woodworkers, presenting technology, supplies, education, inspiration, and community, from small business entrepreneurs to corporate managers at large automated plants.
Intro music courtesy of Anthony Monson.
Welcome to the Woodworking Network Podcast where we explore the business of woodworking and what it takes to succeed. I’m Will Sampson.
This episode is sponsored by the Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge.
Today, we’ll be talking to Christian Smedberg about the role marketing plays in a successful business and tips to improve your marketing. But first, let’s talk about “Sharpening your tools.”
Probably the most common business model for small to medium size woodworking businesses starts with an owner or founder who loves making things out of wood. What starts as a hobby begins to morph into a business when real people start offering real money for what the woodworker makes. Once the woodworker gets over the surprise that people would actually pay for it, the woodworking starts to be more than just making stuff. It starts to be about making money, too.
Of course, the problem with this popular model is that, no matter how well trained or accomplished as a woodworker, that business owner has to have some business smarts, too, just to stay in business. Have you heard the joke about the woodworker who won the big prize in the lottery? They asked him what he was going to do with all that money. His answer: “Well, I guess I’ll just keep working until the money runs out.” Sure, it’s funny, but it’s all too true.
All those people who like to tell young people, “Do what you love; the money will come,” have likely never tried it themselves. And they certainly never did it while trying to run a woodshop. So, what does a woodworker do who has bought into the concept of trying to make a living with a woodworking business. The first step has to be treating the business the same way you treat woodworking. That’s as a craft. When you first started woodworking, you had to learn the craft. You had to learn to use tools, to understand wood grain and how wood moves when the moisture content changes. As a business owner, you need to be just as enthusiastic about learning the craft of business, including sales, marketing, accounting, and managing people, or at least you need to be able know enough to hire good people to do those things for you.
In visiting hundreds of businesses over the years, I’ve learned that can be the trickiest issue and the one that truly shapes the destiny of a business. In small woodworking operations, I’ve seen shops reach a crisis point typically when they get to about four employees. That’s when the challenge of managing the people, the business, and production all at once gets just too much for the owner. He or she realizes they either have to hire a foreman to run the shop so they can move to the front office or they have to hire a business manager to run the front office so they can continue to work in the shop. Lots of woodworking business owners can’t successfully resolve that choice, and the business stagnates or even fails because of it. But others do make the transition and prosper.
I’ve met woodworkers who think it’s somehow unethical or wrong to care about anything other than making beautiful woodwork. I guess they think the value of their product should be self-evident, and it should sell itself. Customers will magically come to buy their work and then spread the word far and wide. Good luck with that.
If you want to cut precise joinery, you need sharp tools and careful measurement. If you want your business to succeed, you need to sharpen your business skills.
Before we get to Christian Smedberg, let’s pause for a word from our sponsor. The Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge has become the premier competition for creative woodworking in the world. With thousands of dollars in prize money, the competition honors the best veneer woodworking in furniture, cabinets, architectural millwork, and specialty products. There are even categories for first-time entrants and student work. In the interest of promoting veneer as a beautiful, natural, and sustainable product, the competition also honors not only creators of fine work but also the distributors and sales people who supplied the veneer. The deadline for entries is June 1, so don’t delay. Go to woodworkingnetwork dot com slash challenge and enter today.