Sourcing Local Leads Ft. Mahoney Woodworks 

 

“Because you’re still very new in this space, I want to help you and serve you and, at the same time, serve the Woodpreneur community. So why don’t you tell me what’s the challenge right now, what do you think you need to do, and how can I help you grow your business?”

 

• Steve Larosiliere

 

“I can create a product, I have a certain skill set, and many people seem to be interested in my style and product. Now I’m just focusing on creating a customer base and getting word of mouth and, more specifically, commissioned pieces. I’m paying for all the products you see myself and making them without a buyer on hand. A lot of it is expensive. Each project takes 20-30 hours and maybe $100 in materials, so it really does add up. So getting that customer base is really what I’m focusing on right now.”

 

• John Mahoney

 

 

 

Leverage Locality

 

Steve notes that John lives in Philadelphia, which is a major U.S. city. Since he has access to a large population center and doesn’t need to reach too far to access a large market, John can focus on that one zone exclusively.

 

Additionally, because John’s work speaks for itself with its craftsmanship and attention to detail, Steve suggests that John review the price point for his cheapest product. Currently, he charges about $120 per board, which Steve suggests bumping up slightly.

 

“I like that price, especially if you can batch make those. But I would get your price point up to $200. Period. If you make five or six of them throughout the week, and if you can get them up to that price point, you’re bringing like $1000 a week. Bring your price point up, and show your face and your process more on your socials. 

 

I’m also going to give you something that’s going to make you money now. I just went to Redfin.com, and I searched Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can sort by open houses this week. Start by making a list of 10 different open houses this weekend, bring three to five different boards, walk up to the realtor and say, “Hey, do you need closing gifts? Hey, do you need Christmas gifts for your top clients this year? I will give you a great price.”

 

Keep a cheap board that looks good that you can give them right then and there. That would be even better. Give away five to ten boards and say, “I’d love to give you closing gifts for this holiday season.” Because they work with other realtors, there’s the network effect right there.”

 

• Steve Larosiliere

 

 

 

 

Working with your Community

 

Another suggestion that Steve makes to bolster John’s sales is personalizing his charcuterie boards and targeting higher-end open houses. In his Redfin search, Steve found 14 homes in John’s area valued at over $400,000 hosting open houses on one weekend alone. This market opens up even better opportunities when John meets with those realtors.

 

“Let’s say $500,000 is the minimum. So now you’re looking at a house between $600,000-$800,000. To me, that indicates a high-end realtor right there, and your work looks high-end. Go to them and say, “Listen, I make high-end serving boards. And I would love to provide you with closing gifts.” These realtors probably sell a couple of homes a month. So if you make that offer three times, you’re probably selling like 30 boards a month.”

 

• Steve Larosiliere

 

Another tip that Steve provides John is to make introductions through other social situations. John explains that he networks through the Boy Scouts and his daughter’s dance classes, which gets people interested but has not necessarily created customers. 

 

This proactive approach is a highly effective way to get the attention of potential customers that might not otherwise come across your products. Steve then takes it one step further by suggesting that John leverage his personal Facebook page as an additional way to access more customers. 

 

 

 

 

Creating an Audience with Purpose

 

One of the hurdles for John is keeping up with social media, and he is reluctant to dive heavily into Facebook as he already feels somewhat overwhelmed with Instagram. He adds that he doesn’t show as much of the creation process on his page because he feels Instagram is already flooded with that type of content. Ultimately, he doesn’t want to bore people with what he perceives to be overdone.

 

“Remember, it’s overdone in the woodworking community, but most of the people that are going to buy your products are not woodworkers, so you need to speak to them. When I did my pours, people would be like, “Oh my god, I’m in love. I love that you’re doing this. This is amazing!” 

 

You can’t talk to woodworkers because woodworkers are never going to give you money. They’re looking at you because they want to learn, and for you to make money off of woodworkers, you need to provide a tremendous amount of value. You’ve got to come up with something so innovative that, for the moment, I would recommend you stay away from that.

 

I mean, you want to make money. You don’t want to be an influencer. Once you get to a certain size and a certain level of engagement, maybe think about it, but for now, run a business. That’s what you need to focus on.”

 

• Steve Larosiliere