Teesdale Glass Engravers

Local Business Succeeds
01833 640 545
www.teesdaleglassengravers.co.uk

Joan Staley first came to the Teesdale Enterprise Agency in January 2000 with the idea of setting up a business to promote her husband’s work. Lawrence had for thirty years been a Dry Stone Waller, however, Lawrence had also for eighteen years been developing a surprisingly delicate hobby as an artist of calligraphy and glass engraving.

Joan says, “Working with the team at the Enterprise Agency gave me the confidence and practical help I needed to set up my own business. This support has continued as different challenges have come along. In particular, the specialist marketing knowledge provided by Charlotte O’Byrne continues to be invaluable to my business, things like establishing a pricing policy that enables flexible and quick response times to customer enquiries, developing the company’s brand identity, website and printed marketing materials, being able to bounce ideas, accessing grants and sourcing information. The Agency might not always know everything, but they know ‘a man or woman who does’, they have a great network and are always willing to help.”

In the early days most of Joan’s sales were generated through attending a network of fairs and shows. This method of selling direct to customers, coupled with her approach to customer service and unique product has lead to a high level of repeat business and a high conversion rate from enquiry to sale.

Last year, in response to requests from customers and a realisation that the opportunity was too great to miss, Joan sourced a content management system from local web company Britnett (www.britnett.co.uk). She re-branded the business and created a website that enabled her to update their portfolio of work online and market the business to a much wider audience.

“For the equivalent cost to placing a couple of targeted adverts in specialist magazines, which are not guaranteed to make a return, I have created a marketing tool for my business which continues to generate new business. There is an ongoing cost involved in owning a website but it is very small compared to most peoples’ marketing budgets for any type of promotional activity. Also, as my web system is totally content managed, this means I have control over all text and images in the site and can update them myself.”

Previously a computer novice, Joan attended basic computing skills training at Enterprise House and now updates the site herself on a daily basis and uses e marketing techniques to maintain a dialogue with her customer base.

She has created an opportunity for the business to hold a local exhibition, which opens to the public three times a year. This was the first time the business had gone out on its own in this way and the response was incredibly positive.

Her latest successes have been to secure positions in the Bowes Museum and Barnard Castle School where some of Lawrence’s work is now on display. Her increasing confidence and ability to promote the business has meant that she has managed to realise real value in their work and this is being recognised by others.

“I constantly try to monitor customer feedback” Joan says, “by asking customers how they found the business and what they thought of the website. One particular client said that he just typed ‘Glass Engraving’ into a search engine and although he found many results, he felt that our site was more ‘human’ than many of the other glass engraving websites he looked at.”

Including details of prices for each item and repeated encouragement to the customer to make an enquiry via email are some of the techniques Joan uses on her website.

Investing in a website was a big decision for Joan, but from making the website live in October last year, officially launching it for Christmas 2003, the business now receives on average three orders a week through the site from new customers not previously known to the business, this is as well as general enquiries for specific quotations.

This may not sound like a great number, but for this type of business which is both artistic and unique, the key is quality not quantity. Customers looking for a large volume production run will go to an engraving firm using machine and sand blasting techniques. Teesdale Glass Engravers are totally hand designed and engraved.

The biggest advantage has been that all customers can be referred to the website in order to select their piece of glass for engraving and for inspiration and ideas. This has overcome the previous issue of expensive production of a paper based, glossy brochure.

There are still customers who do not have internet access, these are serviced through regular exhibitions held by the company, but more often than not even if someone does not have internet access themselves, they can view the site through relatives and friends, at work or the library.

“I still find it exciting that I get orders from people I’ve never met, on the basis of seeing the website. Previously, the only way to get orders was to have face to face contact with prospective customers at craft fairs and shows. I still do this, but it is now no longer my only source of generating new business. I haven’t found the need to pay for advertising in the press, which can be very expensive and not necessarily effective for my business. Engraved Glass is not an impulse buy, customers are purchasing in advance for a special occasion and more often than not customers come back year on year for different gifts”.

An interesting email enquiry came recently from a French lady in London, who wanted an inscription in French on a crystal clock for her sister. She was so delighted when she received the finished item, she telephoned saying that she could find nothing in London like this.

Not only was she thrilled with the clock and the inscription, but she had requested a subtle design with snowdrops, which had been interpreted by engraving on the back of the piece with just a little snowdrop on the front. Only a hand engraver could do this.

Another enquiry came from a student who came over from Pennsylvania, America to work in Cumbria, he visited a TGE exhibition in Barnard Castle with a picture of his parents house in America ‘Glen Oaks’ which was engraved onto a plate and presented to them as a gift. They sent a wonderful email thanking us and saying how delighted they were and that we’d hear from them in the future.