Asking for Help
Hello all. It's been another quick week filled with the usual stuff. It seems we're always in a hurry and it seems my brain can always put more things on my to-do list than I can ever get done. This week we've had the added challenge of a very sick dog and waiting for test results that will ultimately determine his fate.... not a fun week at all. Keep your fingers crossed for him.
What's going on with the web site this week? Nothing for the last three days but I did manage to make a nice chunk of progress last weekend.... with a little help.
I'm pretty excited about having some help. I've been trying for a long time to figure out who, what, when and where. I have fears of putting the wrong picture with something or sending something out there without a price.... you know, little stuff...:-) I guess maybe there's a control freak hiding inside somewhere, huh?
So, here's what I finally did. I have one part of this whole process that I stink at and it brings the whole process to a grinding halt. It's the part where I have to go dig up those cute little marketing descriptions that are all gooey and fluffy and make you want to buy something. I can't make them all up on my own so I have to go look at the vendor's info on the web or otherwise.... usually the web. They don't care if we use it as long as we are a dealer. Since we seem to carry everything under the sun, we're good there.
Besides the fluff, there is always a certain amount of technical information a buyer will need to make an educated purchase. Yes, technical information about yarn.... who would have thunk it?
One of the coolest things about our partnership is the fit. Carol is FABULOUS at merchandising and marketing (she'll do backflips if that's what it takes). I'm always amazed when I walk into our store to see how Carol has displayed the never ending arrivals of merchandise. I, on the other hand, am somewhat proficient (depending on what day it is) at the background stuff.... keeping backups, some accounting, upgrades to software, purchasing (Carol hates purchasing... loves to shop, hates purchasing). I also get to do the web site, just in case I might get bored.
Have you figured it out yet? I've drafted Carol to fill in the marketing info for one item in a set. Let's say we have 12 colors of a given yarn, she only has to fill in the info for one. Then I can work my PDG Commerce download/edit/upload magic and copy that info to the other eleven. I also get to harvest the pics (from vendor sites), edit as required and upload them to the server. I also add the keywords for each product. This all goes pretty fast now that I'm getting the hang of it.
Carol thinks her part is a breeze and I think it's ick.... perfect fit once again. Finally asking for and getting help has lifted a ton off my shoulders and adding new products is going a little faster. We're taking advantage of the typical slow summer days we experience in this business. Other than tourism (we love tourists), things start picking up when vacations are over, kids are back in school and that first cool day reminds us that winter will be here soon and we must have an indoor project. We still have a few weeks to take advantage of here.
Better go get some work done.
Till next time,
Sandy
