Making it as an entrepreneur

[cheryl]

RE: rejection of products or services ... I knew a woman whose products were good, but there was room for improvement in her customer service. I bought from her and after the 2nd time doing so, stopped because I was fed up with not being sent exactly what I paid for. It may have seemed minor to her, but changing an accent colour or small pieces of the item wasn't acceptable to me. I wanted what I saw, not a variation. There's another Black woman seller I was going to buy some items from, but the photo of the item was a far cry from the item I'd bought. The colours were SIGNIFICANTLY duller than pictured -- I'm talking several shades off the photo, something that isn't explained away by monitor differences -- and it wasn't even the same item. It was similar, but not exactly the same. What's more, her craftsmanship was a bit shoddy ... sloppily sewn and sewn with a colour thread that was too obvious. I won't be buying from her again. Why don't some of us just give the customer what she bought instead of changing it or sending something else?

Another issue is lack of follow-up. Or is it? Should one ask a customer how she is finding the product or just leave her alone? One thing that does annoy me as a customer is not hearing a word from the seller after I've bought an item. No notification that the item has been shipped, no 'thank you', nothing. That discourages me from buying again, and I don't unless it's necessary. Perhaps I'm too fussy, but that's how I am. Good customer service is important to me.

Of course, I'm not infallible, which is why I offer a lifetime guarantee for my products. Within reason (as in it wasn't mishandled or burnt, etc.), if something goes wrong, I'll fix it.

RE rejection though, I am aware of other factors such as the inability to market, create hype around a product, etc. I wish I had the money to market my goods properly.

If ppl aren't buying your product, isn't that because there's room for improvement?