5 ms·

I’ve been making wordclocks as gifts for people. It started as a challenge after seeing a wordclock on hackaday. Since making my first one, lots of people said

I’ve been making wordclocks as gifts for people. It started as a challenge after seeing a wordclock on hackaday. Since making my first one, lots of people said I should sell them. I’ve since refined the design and have recently started promoting them[1]. My wife and I have a goal of selling 1-2 month. So no big hustle yet, but hopefully it will be. A pleasant side effect is that my kids are really excited about making things with me. [1] http://www.finewordclocks.com http://www.finewordclocks.com

pryelluw 7y ago
At $1400/ea. you should really look at how luxury furniture and hone goods are sold. This is not a comment on price or quality. Just an observation from someone with marketing/sales experience.
- matt_the_bass 7y ago
  Thanks for taking the time to look at my clocks! I appreciate your feedback. I have experience with Very expensive, VERY high end yacht stuff at my day job. But no significant experience in this market. There is one other wordclock (that I know of) in this same price range. They are really positioning themselves as a trendy factory product. I’d like to position my clocks as unique art pieces with a connection to the artisan rather than a factory product. All the others I’ve seen are competing on Price/diy. Do you have any specific suggestions your recommend look into? I’d love to hear more about your thoughts.
  - pryelluw 7y ago
    Take any opinion or advice carefully. Look at marketing and sales as a pure function. Input goes in, output goes out. Work on your funnels. Who buys this? Aim the funnel towards them. Good enough > perfect. Luxury cares about the experience and story. You dont tell people about your dollar store socks, but you will talk all day about that expensive piece of art (and the story of how you bought it). Read starterstory.com and dissect each article to learn about the products. Read Jordan Belforts book titled Way of the Wolf. Its the best sales book you can ever read. Quick and easy. Order it after reading this comment. Feel free to reach out my email (in profile). Ill do my best to help another HNer.
    - matt_the_bass 7y ago
      I like your opening sentence. That’s the same advice I give people when they ask me about my domain’s expertise! My wife and I are just starting to define our funnels. Thanks!
WheelsAtLarge 7y ago
When you pay such a large premium for a clock you want a few things to standout the beauty of the product, the story behind the artist and how rare it is. When a buyer shows their home they want to highlight an item so it better have a story they can tell. I've seen crafts people sell their art at a large premium by making limited editions and numbering them. Also market yourself as an artist, be creative. Define your story not the product. The artist story is so much more important. Since the clocks are handmade think about making one of a kind clocks that will sell at a premium.
- matt_the_bass 7y ago
  Thanks for taking the time to look at my clocks and provide some feedback. Yes, the current design is a limited edition. I agree, I’d like to talk more about my story. Thanks for the suggestions!

pryelluw 7y ago

At $1400/ea. you should really look at how luxury furniture and hone goods are sold. This is not a comment on price or quality. Just an observation from someone with marketing/sales experience.

matt_the_bass 7y ago
Thanks for taking the time to look at my clocks! I appreciate your feedback. I have experience with Very expensive, VERY high end yacht stuff at my day job. But no significant experience in this market. There is one other wordclock (that I know of) in this same price range. They are really positioning themselves as a trendy factory product. I’d like to position my clocks as unique art pieces with a connection to the artisan rather than a factory product. All the others I’ve seen are competing on Price/diy. Do you have any specific suggestions your recommend look into? I’d love to hear more about your thoughts.
- pryelluw 7y ago
  Take any opinion or advice carefully. Look at marketing and sales as a pure function. Input goes in, output goes out. Work on your funnels. Who buys this? Aim the funnel towards them. Good enough > perfect. Luxury cares about the experience and story. You dont tell people about your dollar store socks, but you will talk all day about that expensive piece of art (and the story of how you bought it). Read starterstory.com and dissect each article to learn about the products. Read Jordan Belforts book titled Way of the Wolf. Its the best sales book you can ever read. Quick and easy. Order it after reading this comment. Feel free to reach out my email (in profile). Ill do my best to help another HNer.
  - matt_the_bass 7y ago
    I like your opening sentence. That’s the same advice I give people when they ask me about my domain’s expertise! My wife and I are just starting to define our funnels. Thanks!

WheelsAtLarge 7y ago

When you pay such a large premium for a clock you want a few things to standout the beauty of the product, the story behind the artist and how rare it is. When a buyer shows their home they want to highlight an item so it better have a story they can tell. I've seen crafts people sell their art at a large premium by making limited editions and numbering them. Also market yourself as an artist, be creative. Define your story not the product. The artist story is so much more important. Since the clocks are handmade think about making one of a kind clocks that will sell at a premium.

matt_the_bass 7y ago
Thanks for taking the time to look at my clocks and provide some feedback. Yes, the current design is a limited edition. I agree, I’d like to talk more about my story. Thanks for the suggestions!