Sometimes when it seems almost impossible for you to move forward, it's because something is blocking your way. And sometimes, you aren't even aware of the road block.
Case in point: I've had a generous return policy for years. Hardly ever needed it, and it seemed like a nice benefit to offer new stores who weren't sure if my art would work for them or not. Although my policy stated returns for exchanges only, and for credit only against future orders, within 10 days of purchase, in reality I often "freshened stock" a few items at a time up to a year of the invoice date. That is, if a store had some things that just weren't working for them, I took them back and exchanged them for items that would, regardless of how long the store had had them.
But then hard economic times hit. And suddenly, I was swamped with returns. And because my policy had been so loose, I felt forced to accept items that were damaged, tarnished, or were so out of date I couldn't sell them anymore.
I was bewildered. It felt like no one wanted my work anymore (though what felt like a "flood" of returns was still a very small part of my sales. Also, it only involved my wholesale customers. I've never had a retail customer call me and say, "Ya know, this piece just isn't working for me anymore. Can I return it?"
It was my husband who pointed out, "What does that tell you about the store?" I quavered, "Their customers don't like my work?'
"No, it means they're hard up for cash and their cashing out with YOU."
Hmmmmmm.......
It was my fault for leaving the door open, and now it was time to close that door. I realized I had never ordered any merchandise I hadn't paid for in advance. And no store I knew of accepted returns two years after purchase. And I'd certainly never returned items I had damaged. Time for more tough love!
I beefed up my returns policy last year, but a few more slipped in recently. I held off addressing the issue with these stores. It was the first time I had to hang tough with my customers, and I hesitated.
Then I realized I wasn't following up on new leads from a recent wholesale show. I dreaded making the phone calls. I knew what I was SUPPOSED to do, but I just wasn't doing it. WHY???
It took awhile, but I finally realized why.
It didn't seem right to take on potential new accounts when I hadn't dealt with the problems with these two existing accounts. I needed to resolve the issues so I could move on.
I spent the morning coming up with compromises for these last few exchanges. Hopefully the proposals leave the stores with items that will work better for them, but not leave me at a total disadvantage. I used the No/But/If strategy to propose a deal that doesn't have me giving away the farm, and makes these stores qualify themselves as better customers.
I hope it works out. At least now I feel free to move on to those new accounts with a clear conscience. And I have a better understanding of what BOTH sides need to make this art/business thing work.
The next time you feel really, truly stuck, look again. What's stopping you? Exactly what is in your way? The answer may surprise you....
