As professionals, networking is key to helping your business grow. I’ve found it immensely important and belong to several groups of varying sizes. Many of us belong to a quilt guild filled with both professionals and everyday quilters. This type of group is valuable for the leads it might generate, as well as the inspiration we get each month.

Beyond this, though, we need to find groups of like-minded professionals. This could be a group of longarm quilters or art quilters who appreciate each others’ businesses on a deeper level and can offer support and guidance. These groups can be locally based or regional groups of larger organizations, such as the local SAQA chapters. I recently attended the local longarm networking group as a guest, and I regularly attend meetings of the Mason-Dixon Quilt Professionals Network. We all share information and experiences and learn from each other.

On an even smaller level is your mastermind group, a gathering of two or more people who help each other focus on goals, provide support and encourage each other to stretch, both personally and professionally. I belong to a very small group; it’s just two of us. My mastermind partner is a quilter, though that is not her business; it’s just a nice coincidence. We used to meet informally for tea periodically and found that we were sharing marketing and business ideas for our respective businesses. At some point last year we decided to make our meetings more formal, and our group has evolved over time. The mastermind works with the idea that two or more heads are better than one and that really big things can happen when you bounce ideas off each other. I’ve become more focused in my approach, and I know some of my business growth could be attributed to this. I also like the accountability this requires: Are my actions taking me closer to my goals? Am I meeting my goal deadlines? And, it’s great to have an extra cheerleader for my successes.

The Professional Quilter has had several articles over the years on networking. The most recent is “Networking: In Praise of Small Groups” by Mary Kerr in Issue 100. Mary is in a mastermind group with two other quilters and shares their experiences.

If you want to set up your own mastermind group, here are some tips:

1. Keep it small. Our group is just two, though we have talked about adding people. Anything up to six is workable.

2. Determine your goals, personally and for your group. When we started our mastermind group, I was first to share where I was in my business and what my goals were. I have that as a backdrop to my actions. I like to think of this as my annual goal setting meeting. We also outlined what we wanted the mastermind to accomplish for us as a group; this continues to evolve.

3. Meet regularly. We talk on the phone once a week sharing our successes, challenges and our agenda/goals for the rest of the week. We limit this to half an hour. We also e-mail once a week, closing the loop on what we discussed earlier in the week. This helps each of us stay on track and lets the other know if we have challenges to work through.

4. Treat the mastermind group seriously. It’s not a coffee klatsch or social gathering. The more serious you are about this group, the more each of you has to gain.

5. Hold each other accountable. Ask: “Does that get you closer to your goal?” “When will you get this done?” Verbalizing your intention really does help me.

I’d love to hear from anyone who is in a small mastermind group. Please share by commenting right here.

I’m giving my lecture “Boost Your Business With Internet Marketing” on May 14 at International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh. We are introducing a new Internet marketing product and have created a special on that product just for lecture attendees. We’ll also have a few other show specials in the booth. We’re in Booth 1524. Here’s a link for more information:  International Quilt Festival.

Cynthia Tomaszewski
Martingale & Co.; $24.95

Are you looking for a whimsical quilt to make for the child in your life? Cynthia Tomaszewski offers patterns for seven pieced and/or appliqued quilts. The bright quilts with their fun motifs will delight you. I loved the mermaids swimming amidst the seaweed and the rabbit popping out of a top hat surrounded by stars. Let’s Pretend includes basic quiltmaking instructions and an introduction to appliqué as well as tips for fine hand appliqué.

If you’d like to add this book to you quilt library, here’s a link.

I’m giving my lecture “Boost Your Quilt Business With Internet Marketing” on May 14 at International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh. We also have a booth – No. 1524. Here’s a link for more information: International Quilt Festival. I’ll look for you there.  Be sure to stop by!

Join us in the PQ Café on Thursday, May 21, for our class Create Your Perfect Quilting Space with Lois Hallock, author of Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space (Martingale Publications). During our class Lois will cover ideas to make over your sewing room regardless of space and budget, how to use a graph paper plan to organize your and ideas for maximizing efficiency.

The teleclass is scheduled for Thursday, May 21 at 8 pm, Eastern Standard Time. Registration includes both the teleclass and the MP3 downloadable recording, so if you can’t come to the class, you’ll get the recording to listen to at a time that works for you. Here are details.

For 23 years The Professional Quilter has recognized outstanding quilt teachers with our Teacher of the Year award. This year’s recipient is Margie Engel from Satellite Beach, Fla. One of our goals as quilters is to see that young people are introduced to quilting, and Margie created a program just to do that. Here’s a portion of our interview with Margie:

What standards of workmanship do you require of your students and what do you do if they don’t attain them?
I believe standards of workmanship are to be encouraged rather than required; each individual needs to establish her own personal level of quality acceptance and expectations. Along this line, not all students see workmanship quality in the beginning so they also need to be taught to see the differences. To do this, at the outset of a class, I show them variations of quality and explain that I will show them how to accomplish their best, but they have to decide just how precise they want to be. Since we quilt for enjoyment, some students prefer not to worry about exactness; others definitely enjoy seeing just how fine their best is. When working one-on-one in the class, I point out places that need better work, but I “sandwich” this between compliments on what they are doing well. I also make suggestions with a “have you considered…?” comment to help the student look at her work and the possibilities for improvement. Improving one’s quality is part of the learning process.

How do you encourage creativity in your students?
Creativity is encouraged first by an atmosphere of freedom and relaxation; then it increases as students observe a variety of samples. I offer project options at the outset and encourage students to rely on their intuition and ideas. To get them thinking, I always show various ideas and uses of color, then suggest that they continually ask the “what if” question: What if I change this? Move that? Alter this shape, line or color, etc.? I take flannel-backed tablecloths with me and a small design board that I use on a tripod to encourage visual answers to our “what ifs.” I also use a projector to show variations of projects, especially color changes, as a springboard into classes. My class topics vary from appliqué to design to mixed technique quilts to quilting. All of those topics are conducive to having students add their own touches and experiment in any way they choose.

Creativity is the underlying topic in one semi-regular class titled “Quilters’ Workshop.” (The title grew out of the desire to foster experimentation.) Recently, I tossed in a “secret” workshop, telling the students only to bring scissors and pins as tools. They learned to create landscapes, realistic or abstract, looking first at pictures, then turning to pencil and blank sheet of paper. The creativity sprang from seeing the samples and waking up the images in our brains – had I handed them a blank sheet of paper at the outset, the response would have been less positive.

What do you feel is your greatest contribution to the field of quilting?
Oh my goodness, my greatest contribution to the field of quilting? A sharing attitude. Enthusiasm and passion are meant be shared, both in professional, paid teaching venues and in volunteer efforts. I think that EduQuilters and the kids’ program is the best example. In 2000, I began The Kids Quilt Project in the local schools and enlisted and taught volunteers to teach kids. We provide everything needed from fabrics to sewing machines, so I secure grant funding and sponsor support for this. The school quilts are group projects, and the quilts are given to local children’s charities, thereby teaching the children to look beyond themselves. Hundreds of students are involved in KQP. We also hold summer camps in which each camper makes a personal quilt. Because many campers return each year, I have to keep increasing the numbers of groups (set by level of a student’s experience) and the number of options. Student interaction is greater now that we have the new student guild.

Teaching the next generation of quilters not only gives the students new interests and increased self-esteem; it also highlights quilting in the community and supports and contributes to the continuity of our quilting world.

The Professional Quilter includes articles to help you grow your quilt business. If your subscription is not current and you need to renew, or you want to start a new subscription, here’s a link to our order page.     

Ann Hazelwood
American Quilters Society; $12.95

This terrific little collection of tips is broken into sections for the quilter as a student, tools, designing and working styles, stash savvy, techniques, quilting, finishing touches and show etiquette. You’ll find something to use or pass along. But the best advice, as Zena Thorp says, is “remember that it is YOUR quilt.”  Here’s a link if you’d like to add it to your library.

I’m curious. How many of you view the summer months as a time to
kick back, relax, and do just enough business to get by? Is it
by choice…or is it because you find your business slows down in
the summer months?

I ask because I’m intrigued by the new teleclass Millionaire
Entrepreneurial Coach Ali Brown is hosting. It’s called “Ali’s
Top 10 Recommendations to Kick-Up Your Revenues This Summer!”

Ali believes it doesn’t matter what else is happening in the
world around you, if you want to grow your business, you will.
In fact, it was over a summer when she took her business from
the low 6-figures to breaking 7-figures.

Here’s the link if you want to check out her teleclass and sign
up.

I’m definitely registered. I’ve been a big Ali fan for years, and
she’s helped me grow my business. I know I’ll get something to
use from this call.

But don’t forget to leave a comment. I really want to know – are
you planning on growing your business this summer, worried you
won’t be able to grow your business, or are you planning on
taking it easy?

Defining your product is key to creating a good marketing plan. To define your product, you consider both its features and its benefits. One of the keys to marketing is to sell the benefits not the features. How do you know the difference?

Features characterize the product; benefits are why we buy the product. Features are easy to describe. Examples could include size, color, design, hours of business, fabric content, years of business experience.

Benefits are more difficult to define. They do, however, answer your customer’s question, “What’s in it for me?” When you buy products, you don’t buy because of a feature; you buy because of a benefit. Benefit is the value attributed to the feature of the product; in other words, it’s the result of the feature. Benefits are not as easy to describe and are often intangible. The most compelling benefits are those that deliver emotional or financial rewards. Emotional rewards let the buyer feel good. Examples could be shopping at an online retailer who donates a percentage of your purchase to a charity you choose or sending a quilt to someone to let you express love. Products that offer financial rewards usually save time or money, offer convenience or make you money.

How do you determine the benefits of your product or service? Start by knowing who your customers are and then look at your product from their point of view. Who are your customers? Are they baby boomers with expendable income? Are they Gen Xers? Are they teens and tweens? Are they working mothers with little free time? You might be trying to reach a variety of groups and need to consider benefits for each of them. Consider also who has purchased your product or service in the past. What does your customer profile tell you about your product? For example, do you sell your product to customers who might be retired and have extra time for long-range projects? Do you sell your product to working mothers who want something quick and easy? Do most of your store’s customers shop after 5 p.m. and on weekends? Ask your customers to help identify your product’s benefits. You could do this informally or with a survey. Your customers might even identify benefits you didn’t consider.

Developing your benefits statement is an ongoing process. As you continue to market your product, be aware of additional benefits. You might ask your customers for suggestions to your product or service. Pay attention to complaints or unsolicited comments about your product. Also, consider what your competition is doing. Additionally, consider how you’ll package your product. You might find a benefit there.

Once you’ve established your benefits statements, you will be able to describe your products in ways that are important to your customer. You will do this in all aspects of promotion, whether that is in creating your marketing collateral, advertising your product, writing articles or speaking one-on-one to customers about your product. You will also be able to differentiate your product from that of your competitors. You will be able to provide a benefit to your customers that your competition cannot. Now you’re on your way to a successful marketing strategy.

The Professional Quilter includes articles to help you grow your quilt business. If your subscription is not current and you need to renew, or you want to start a new subscription, here’s a link to our order page