All the financial investment, embroidery equipment, and skills in the world don’t mean a thing if you don’t have orders. And while you may have some luck generating orders through word-of-mouth, the best way to attract business is, without a doubt, from sales and marketing.

“Some decorators instantly shy away from the thought of sales and marketing,” says Phil Morris, national sales manager, home division, The Embroidery Store. “‘I’m not an obnoxious, in-your-face, Type A personality. I don’t want to pester people,’” they say. 'I just want to produce beautiful embroidery.' Others are intimidated, figuring that putting together a marketing campaign is beyond their abilities.”

The truth is, sales and marketing isn’t all about fliers and posters and radio ads. It’s about spreading the word, letting people know what you do. “It’s about doing things that are often as simple and low-key as wearing an embroidered shirt with your company’s name on it. That’s not so tough, right?” says Morris.

Go With What You Know

Your first step in launching your sales and marketing efforts is to target the people you already have relationships with, whether it’s a club, church, school, friends, or neighbors. Open your eyes to the opportunities around you, from the plumber to your pastor.

“Start your marketing efforts by tapping into your existing network of contacts who represent low-hanging fruit,” Morris advises. “Because you already have a relationship with these people, they’re likely to be receptive when you tell them that you have an embroidery company, and they should contact you when they have decorating needs.”

This kind of targeted marketing approach works much better than a shotgun approach, where you simply blast out advertising materials and hope that someone — anyone — responds. “While the shotgun approach may get results, the return on your investment of time and money will be much lower than if you define your target,” says Morris. “As a business owner, you have many responsibilities and limited time, so you want to get the biggest bang for your buck — which means you must aim carefully.”

Your target audience depends partly on your equipment, location, time, and resources. For instance, if you have a singlehead machine in your house and no employees or contract relationships, you’re probably not going to target high-quantity orders from large companies.

Making Contact

“The way in which you approach your network of contacts and your target audience really depends on your personality,” says Morris. “If you’re comfortable chatting up people, just strike up a conversation and tell them about your business. If you’re on the shy side, print business cards that you can hand out. Again, don’t be intimidated by the notion. Just hand them a card and let them know that you’re available whenever they need embroidery — simple as that.”

In any case, you definitely should promote your services via decorated apparel. Make your kid a great band shirt, and watch how quickly you get an order from his school. Give your husband an embroidered shirt that he wears to work, and see if you don’t get an order from his company too. Naturally, you should wear embroidered apparel too.

“Other easy, low-confrontation marketing materials include magnetic signs, window decals, and bumper stickers, all of which you could put on your family’s vehicles—and maybe those of your friends, too, if they’re willing,” suggests Morris.  

Keeping Track

As you make contacts for your business, it’s a good idea to collect their contact information. Again, this doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Just jot down the name and phone number or e-mail address of the person you spoke with, the date, and the outcome of the conversation. For instance, an entry might say, “Jane Doe, jane@aol.com, Jan. 27, 2008, interested in embroidery for her pet store, call in two months.”

“You can use computer software such as Microsoft Excel or Outlook to track your contacts, or if you want to keep things really simple at first, you could just write down your notes in a ledger,” says Morris. If you’re a techie type and use a PDA — a personal digital assistant, such as a Blackberry — you could enter the person’s contact information right on the spot, when you’re talking with him.

“However you track the information, the point is that you really need to do it. You’ll be meeting lots of people with lots of different needs and timelines, and there’s simply no way you’re going to be able to keep it all in your head,” says Morris.

Building A List

There are more ways to build a list of business contacts besides getting out there and pressing flesh. “Giveaways are a great way to get names and numbers,” says Morris. "For example, you could have a drawing at church or a craft fair for a free embroidered shirt; all they have to do to win is fill out a slip of paper with their contact information. They get the opportunity to get free apparel, and you get more names for your marketing list.”

As you are collecting contact information, be sure to request e-mail addresses too. You have to be careful with e-mail blasts, but as long as you don’t abuse the medium, it’s a great way to send promotional information to potential clients.

The Next Level

By this point in your marketing efforts, you will have developed a solid list of contacts and business prospects. You’ve probably built up your confidence and comfort, too, and are ready to approach the business community via avenues such as the local Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Club.

“Some embroiderers will never feel comfortable going this route for new clients, and that’s fine,” says Morris. “All of the efforts you’ve done in the previous steps are likely to generate plenty of work for your shop. However, if you are comfortable becoming active in the community and in local civic groups, that’s all the better for your business.” Remember, too, that groups such as the Chamber of Commerce are designed to help businesses promote their services. Everyone at the meetings will be handing out cards, so you don’t need to feel awkward or intimidated about pitching your services too — that’s what it’s for.

Using Your List

Now that you’ve gathered contacts and captured them in either software or a notebook, you’re ready to use it. “Your initial mailing doesn’t necessarily have to be a sale; it could just be a postcard telling people again about your services, reminding them that you’re available for their embroidery needs,” suggests Morris. “These kinds of reminders are extremely helpful, as people may not remember having met you in person several weeks or months ago.”

Mail can be fairly expensive, so you’ll probably want to send postcards, which are a fairly economical option. Continue sending mailers fairly regularly — perhaps quarterly — so that you stay top of mind. You could include promotions, seasonal sales, pricing, decorating ideas, information about new items — anything that reminds the recipient that you’re available for embroidery.

Sophisticated marketing efforts for larger shops include mechanisms for tracking the success of the campaign. “Your tracking efforts are really as simple as seeing if you get a bump in business from the mailers,” notes Morris. “When customers place orders, ask where they heard about you. Is it b