Now that you have opened your exciting and fabulous handbag business, you need to figure out the best ways to attract customers. After all, you know how terrific your bags are, but not too many other people know – yet. You can spend a lot of money on advertising, or you can read through our tips below and plan wisely and accordingly, getting the most bang for your buck.
Try to get featured in blogs. There are tons of blogs geared toward fashionable women that are always looking for new products and businesses to talk about. Many of them will gladly feature your product – for something in return. Most will want a modest fee, but some will do it if you write them a free blog entry or offer a sample to readers. Offering a free sample giveaway to get a free mention is a great and cheap way to get readers talking.
Scout out forums. There are many forums for fashionable women online, for every city, county state, etc, and for all sorts of niches, such working women, college students, stay at home moms, etc. Check daily or weekly for questions about handbags and answer them! Become the expert on t he site. See if there are rules about advertising on the forums. Some may offer paid advertising opportunities for not that much money that can get your business in bold for readers to see.
Tell everyone you know about your business. Word of mouth is often a key method, if not the key method, for spreading information about your business. Your friends have other friends, etc. also, if customers are happy and feel they've gotten a good deal, they will be happy to tell their friends. And if they have gorgeous new bags, their friends will ask.
Do purse parties. The way this works, in short, is that you find a hostess who is willing to host a party in her home. You can offer her an incentive, such as a free bag. She invites 20-25 friends and provides light refreshments. You show your wares, about 24 at the party, and they buy. Be sure to give out your card to everyone there and hook someone for the next party. Read here for more information.
Set up link exchanges. This way, you promote someone else's business on your web site and vice versa. You can set up a page called "resources" or "Recommended sites" and insert the links on this page.
Or choose an affiliate program. This is where people promote your site and get paid a commission for sales generated through their leads. You offer them links and/or banners that lead to your site and are tracked. If this results in a sale, the affiliate site gets a commission. This way you pay advertising fees, but only when you make a sale.
Post news about your business on Facebook and Twitter or other social networking sites. Make sure to tell your customers about your pages so they can check in and hear what's going on. Also be sure to update your pages often and offer promotions and deals.

6. Failure to keep up with changing trends. You may have a solid concept at the outset, but current market trends are always changing. If you don’t keep up with them you risk losing your customers to other companies that are more current than you are. Beware, there are always new companies just like yours looking to enter t he market and take away some of your share.
7. Not user friendly. Your concept may be terrific, and you may even have a product that meets a real need. But your customers have to enjoy going to your store. Sure, there will be some people who don’t care. But plenty of people do. And with fierce competition in most sectors, you need to gain your edge wherever you can. Let the customers feel good shopping at your store; give them the best customer service that you can. Make it easy for them to find what they need; and they will appreciate it and come back.
8. They don’t employ customer feedback. Your customers are your best weapon. They will tell you want they want liberally. Use this information to tailor your business to meet their needs. This can be as simple as instituting some of their ideas into your daily business doings, or as complex as changing your core business philosophies to fill an empty niche.
9. They don’t seize opportunities. Some companies are too timid to venture outside of their four foot space. But business, as life, is full of ups, downs, and curves. Even more conservative people need to learn how to recognize when opportunities arise and grab them; if they don’t, someone else will.
10. They are not filling a need. Even a great concept, with fantastic marketing and planning, won’t succeed if it is not filling a current need. If people don’t need your product, chances are that not too many people will buy it. Do good research and make sure that there is a real, unmet need before you decide on your business idea; and make sure the field is not flooded and that the need is truly unmet.
At dropship Deals, we make it easy for you to succeed. We help you plan out your business and supply all the resources you need to get off the ground and move forward. You provide a small capital investment, and we guide you toward the right image, with all the marketing and customer support necessary to acquire and retain your customer base. We provide extensive training and resources to help you reach your goals. Browse our thousands of products that are constantly updated and ready for you to list on your site. Find out more about our customized plans and see which one is right for you.

Lots of planning goes into opening up a business. It’s what you do beforehand that often dictates success or failure. And once things are live, maintenance is vital and your business may need to change along with clientele and general climate. Here are some things to keep in mind to ensure that your business is able to keep up with the vicissitudes of life and society and not fall into the chamber of static and statistics.
1. Not enough planning. There are so many different decisions that go into creating a business. Where will it be? Brick and mortar or online? How much money will you need? What are all your expenses? Will they grow as the business grows? And on and on. If these issues are not addressed before you begin, you may find yourself stuck along the way with no solutions to go forward. Better to push off opening and be ready to handle whatever comes your way.
2. Not realistic about capital investment. Opening a large scale retail operation with a store front, cashiers, and inventory will require a lot more up front capital than a consulting business run from home. Be realistic about what you need to start the company and keep it going, or you may find yourself out of fuel just when you need it most. Don’t cut corners when figuring out your costs. If you can’t afford to open the business and you decide to anyway, you are dooming yourself to failure.
3. Not creating an image. “Differentiation” has been thrown around a lot, but it really is an important point in distinguishing yourself from the myriad of businesses that are already out on the market. Why should customers choose you over someone else? Make sure there is a reason. Sometimes the image itself is enough of a differentiation tool to mark your business and make it stand out.
4. Not enough marketing. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to spend a whole lot of money advertising and developing a huge plan, but you should be prepared to set aside enough of your budget toward this end to truly achieve your goals; another route would be to spend time developing a plan that utilizes as much free publicity and advertising as possible. This requires less money but more planning. In any case, don’t expect customers to just show up.
5. Failing to keep up with the customers. Try to get customers to give you as much information as you need in order to keep them aware of your business. Offer an incentive for them to give their information even if they don’t buy anything, such as a free prize for signing up to your email list. Make sure to keep in weekly or monthly contact; offer coupons and savings, let them know when things go on sale, or just keep them up to date about store news.

Angelina Jolie, the proud mommy of 6, still finds time to dress like a celebrity. Here, in all black, she exudes subtle style, especially with that large Gucci tote. (Pic from bagthatstyle.com)

TO get the look, check out the Inspired by Gucci - Lexington Hysteria Tote, Large. Patent with silver tone hardware, double handles, zip-top closure, metal crest detail, side ties, inside zip, cell phone pouch, and pockets. Wholesale price of $23, msrp $52.

And here is the lovely Jennifer Lopez, always perfectly stylish, carrying a beautiful Valentino bow clutch. A little on the wild side, but if anyone can carry if off, it’s J.Lo. (pic from bagthatstyle.com)

Get a similarly stylish look with the Inspired by VALENTINO - Nuage Bow Tote. It has special details and a laminated, leather look. Top handles. Bow detail on side. The wholesale price is only $26 with an msrp of $59.

Here, Jessica Simpson, a paparazzi fave, is sporting a classic Louis Vuitton bag. Another classic that will be in style forever. (Pic from People.com)

Get this style with the Inspired by L.V - Fashion Top Zip Large Shopper. This Fashion Bag has a fabulous design, with a top zipper closure, Silver Tone Hardware, inner side zipper and two open pockets for cell phones and other accessories. Fully lined interior. The wholesale price is $25, with an msrp of $57.

We all want to look beautiful and glamorous. We take the time to put together outfits that are perfectly coordinated, along with the right shoes and accessories. So of course, we need the right handbags to pull the look together.
Where do we get our inspiration? One way is to see what handbags celebrities are sporting. Often they get a first peek at what the designers are showing, and a lot of them have a great sense of fashion and style, which is of course why we love to see what they wear. (Okay, and a lot of them have stylists who do it for them, but who cares? They still look fantastic!)
So season after season, for better or for worse, we follow the celebrities to see what we should be wearing now as well.
What’s new this season?
Lauren Conrad is seen here carrying a classic Chanel luxury handbag (pic from celebrityinspirations.com) this is of course a timeless favorite that will never go out of style, in timeless, basic black.
To get this look without spending big bucks, try the Inspired by CHANEL - fashion Cheiri Top Zipper Shopper. It has a single carrying strap, zippered top opening and simulated leather construction. It features a zippered back pocket and fully lined interior that includes an inside zippered pocket and cell phone pouch. The wholesale price is only $25, with an msrp of $57.