Starting A Soft Plastic Buisness

[Bogbaits]

Mike,I must of missunderstood your post,Yes I gave some baits to family and a few friends but it never got me any sales and it was a very small amount,I thought you meant giving Baits for free samples on a larger scale!

[carolinamike]

prochallenger, I was merely stating that free samples are definitely a part of this industry as a whole. I've never been to a large fishing show where there wasn't as least one or two companies giving samples of their product. Yes these were the larger companies, but even most of your small companies realize that they have a sellable product by having a few friends or family fish with their baits, which are almost never purchased. I myself probably send out over 100 sample packs a year, which truthfully almost never brings me anything back. But every once in awhile it does get me that one customer that spends $15,000 a year with me. So whether I like it or not, samples are a part of this industry as a whole. But for the smaller folks like myself, it's all about finding the niche and figuring out what works best for you. I think we both know this is the nature of the plastic business.

[smallmouthaholic]

You guys make it sound like someone is giving away a substantial amount of product. Sure, I get my share every year of people asking for sponsers for the purpose of recieving free baits with very little in return, but this is not what i'm speaking of. So you have never had a buddy that you give a pack of baits or a couple of baits of a new color or new style just to try out and see how they like it? Come on now, I think everyone that has made baits has done this at sometime or another. We're definatly not talking about giving a load of baits away, but I dont know anyone at sometime or another who hasn't shared some baits with friends at no cost.

Mike ,

         You're generalizing when you state "you guys". which I respectfully take exceoption too. I've stated before,in detail on a prior  thread,I gave away plenty of samples for my 1st couple of years including free shipping for them which is h.d. salt on the wound.One year i gave away 100's of $ worth of samples on a national tornament trail i participated in.( which is still active today) . After meticulously tracking results resulting in sales from this expensive program,an astute businessman soon realizes the  good majority of the gimme crowd( with their hands out and closed wallets) are a absolute waste of time and money. That being said,I still give free samples w/orders and new proto-types to pro-staffers every year and will continue to do so.

 

            I'll make another point w/ the gimme crowd here.  Many of the pro-wanabee,gimme crowd are magazine readers that simply  follow the crowd. They do not have the ability to read between the lines(pro hype) nor think outside of their tunnel vision..Specifically,if the bait isn't in Bassmaster or FLW magazine they assume it's not productive and have this attitude,"send me some samples and I'll evaluate them".Small manufacturers simply can't afford to advertise in these  publications and waste their time w/ the gimme crowd  and their attitude.

 

             Fancy paint jobs and expensive color schemes can be productive w/Suspending jerk-baits/crankbaits but $15.00 spinner baitsand 3 color jig heads are ridiculous I.M.O. and experience. Ironically,the gimme crowd will shellout $25-$45.00 for a mega bass jerk-bait but complain about a $5-8 bag of plastics but  that is the nature of the tounament crowd.I speak from 20+ years of business experience dealing w/them.

 

              Each manufacturer,whether they are  bulk or small scale custom, must find the particular and successful advertising program that works for their specific business model.

 

Edited for spelling

Edited December 5, 2013 by smallmouthaholic

[alsworms]

When I began to make a decent bait, I couldn't wait to get my product out there.  That, of course, meant giving away several samples.  It didn't take long for me to figure out which ones were serious about buying my baits and which ones were in it for the freebies.  My rule of thumb was to make a list of those wanting samples.  I'd give freebies, make a note of the potential customer, and scratch them off the list.  They got freebies one time and one time only!  After that, they paid for the product or moved on to the next sucker.  LOL  Very rarely would someone have the nerve to ask for a second batch of freebies anyway.  Most the time when people were interested in a certain bait/color, I would direct them to my website and tell them my baits start as low as 2.99 per 10-pack, which isn't much of a risk.  If the customer was ever unhappy with a purchase, I would work with them anyway. 

 

Overall, my plastic business would never had been a "business" had it not been for giving product away, and that was back when the competition wasn't nearly what it is today. 

[JJK]

i am some what new to the manufactoring side of the tackle business and have a lot to learn (thats the fun part for me) that being said

i have been in the wholesale and retail side of this industry for 25 plus years and most of u guys are dead on. my most favorite line from the guys that want something for free

is for instance when i am selling product to a dealer some consumer says  DO YOU HAVE ANY FREE SAMPLES . my next line is NO and u should email your portfolio to the manufacters

and thats when i would get a pretty stupid look. 

 

also thanks to all u guys that are willing to share your knowledge thats what makes this industry so great 

[carolinamike]

Smallmouth, you taking exception to my comment is fine with me if that's what you choose to do. But I think in my last post that I clarified my point of view. You yourself just admitted in your last post that you started out by giving baits away, you just made the mistake of giving away too many. Like I stated earlier, I'm not talking about an enormous amount of product, and I was mainly referencing that the giving of samples is a standard practice in this industry, especially with new products, new colors and new companies. Anyone with a little bit of business knowledge and common sense should have sense enough to know not to give away more than they can actually afford, and also to be very cautious and selective in whom they are distributing their baits to. The larger you are, sometimes, the more you find this to be a necessity. In my case, I have private label molds for other companies to market under their names. They're not just supposed to take my word on what the products are, what they look like and feel like, but there is a genuine need for them to actually see and hold the product. This is what I find necessary for my business. Other people may want to go about it in a different direction, this is where they find what works best for them. I merely stated "you guys" so as to not point my opinion towards any one certain person because some folks just like to argue pointlessly. As stated in my last post, each individual has to find their niche and figure out what works best for them.