Does a Nice Guy Always Finish Last?
by Melissa Coffey
It was definitely a risk. Sending a diaper off to someone who claimed they were sewing their own and just wanted to make sure theirs was right. She DID say she had no intentions of going into business for herself, but still the warning emails came. "Don't do it, she's just trying to steal your design...I wouldn't do that, she just going to tear it apart and use your pattern..." Wonder how this will play out, she thought?
1 year later, Diaper Decisions opened for business! How does this connect?
Susie was the diaper maker, Melissa was the first time diaper seamstress. Although it might have gone the other way, it did not. I decided I really loved cloth diapering, but not sewing them...and had Susie sew a whole stash for me! She also put me in touch with another one of her favorite diaper Moms, Shannon of Green Acre Designs, who also ended up contributing to the diaper stash at my home. How did all this happen? Susie showed me kindness, without taking the time to worry about the what-ifs.
Susie, who is co-owner of Cloth-Diaper-Biz, rarely talks about her own diaper business Lucy Luvs, but it has grown it by leaps and bounds with one quality...kindness. She emailed once and said it's amazing how people miss the marketing opportunities available by just being the "nice guy." She has done hundreds of dollars in business in the past two months just by showing people kindness. A lone post about someone wanting to trade diapers for a sling or diaper bag went unnoticed on one of the diaper message boards. Susie answered it. Did she need a sling or a diaper bag? No, not really, but she did want to see this person switch cloth and agreed to trade items. The trade gal cleaned out her seconds and then had her parents purchase $100 worth of items FOR her from the store!
Locally, Susie has converted 5 people in the past 5 months. She did it neither by nagging, or bragging. She just walks the talk. Her daughter always wears a cloth diaper in public and people ask questions about the "cute diaper cover." Most of her new customers have had the same first reaction "ewwww...not me!" But as they see her again, and again, cloth starts looking a little better each time. After all, if she's still using cloth, it can't be THAT bad? Susie answers questions with a smile and with the compassion she knows she must have when people first start noticing cloth for the first time!
You can't fake kindness. You can't fake loving to cloth diaper. And you can't fake understanding apprehension about using cloth diapers. It has to come naturally. You can't just want the sale; you have to believe that cloth is a really good option for babies and parents, no matter what the circumstances. And this doesn't mean lowering your prices so they can buy a whole stash from you. It starts by telling them how YOU started: How YOU afforded it, got used to cleaning them, started using cloth on the go.
Being a woman in today's society, and especially being a business owner, we tend to think we must always look for ways to promote ourselves and always watch out for those trying to take advantage of us. After Susie and I became business partners, we really started to see that being the nice guy doesn't guarantee you'll come in last. Being kind to someone just opens door after door for you in your business and your life. Owning a cloth diapering business, or another natural parenting business is completely different than any other business out there. It started out of the care and compassion for something or someone besides ourselves. Keeping that the focus is a wonderful way to do business! You may not end up a millionaire and you may not be the most popular diaper business out there. What you will end up with are customers who love doing business with you, who recommend you above anyone else and you may just end up with a new best friend!
It was definitely a risk. Sending a diaper off to someone who claimed they were sewing their own and just wanted to make sure theirs was right. She DID say she had no intentions of going into business for herself, but still the warning emails came. "Don't do it, she's just trying to steal your design...I wouldn't do that, she just going to tear it apart and use your pattern..." Wonder how this will play out, she thought?
1 year later, Diaper Decisions opened for business! How does this connect?
Susie was the diaper maker, Melissa was the first time diaper seamstress. Although it might have gone the other way, it did not. I decided I really loved cloth diapering, but not sewing them...and had Susie sew a whole stash for me! She also put me in touch with another one of her favorite diaper Moms, Shannon of Green Acre Designs, who also ended up contributing to the diaper stash at my home. How did all this happen? Susie showed me kindness, without taking the time to worry about the what-ifs.
Susie, who is co-owner of Cloth-Diaper-Biz, rarely talks about her own diaper business Lucy Luvs, but it has grown it by leaps and bounds with one quality...kindness. She emailed once and said it's amazing how people miss the marketing opportunities available by just being the "nice guy." She has done hundreds of dollars in business in the past two months just by showing people kindness. A lone post about someone wanting to trade diapers for a sling or diaper bag went unnoticed on one of the diaper message boards. Susie answered it. Did she need a sling or a diaper bag? No, not really, but she did want to see this person switch cloth and agreed to trade items. The trade gal cleaned out her seconds and then had her parents purchase $100 worth of items FOR her from the store!
Locally, Susie has converted 5 people in the past 5 months. She did it neither by nagging, or bragging. She just walks the talk. Her daughter always wears a cloth diaper in public and people ask questions about the "cute diaper cover." Most of her new customers have had the same first reaction "ewwww...not me!" But as they see her again, and again, cloth starts looking a little better each time. After all, if she's still using cloth, it can't be THAT bad? Susie answers questions with a smile and with the compassion she knows she must have when people first start noticing cloth for the first time!
You can't fake kindness. You can't fake loving to cloth diaper. And you can't fake understanding apprehension about using cloth diapers. It has to come naturally. You can't just want the sale; you have to believe that cloth is a really good option for babies and parents, no matter what the circumstances. And this doesn't mean lowering your prices so they can buy a whole stash from you. It starts by telling them how YOU started: How YOU afforded it, got used to cleaning them, started using cloth on the go.
Being a woman in today's society, and especially being a business owner, we tend to think we must always look for ways to promote ourselves and always watch out for those trying to take advantage of us. After Susie and I became business partners, we really started to see that being the nice guy doesn't guarantee you'll come in last. Being kind to someone just opens door after door for you in your business and your life. Owning a cloth diapering business, or another natural parenting business is completely different than any other business out there. It started out of the care and compassion for something or someone besides ourselves. Keeping that the focus is a wonderful way to do business! You may not end up a millionaire and you may not be the most popular diaper business out there. What you will end up with are customers who love doing business with you, who recommend you above anyone else and you may just end up with a new best friend!
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