Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Justin Hilts on June 27, 2016 at 7:41pm

Thanks, I can build a good website (that's what I want to school for) but I have never written well so that's where I always hit a snag.

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Permalink Reply by JL on June 28, 2016 at 12:31am

Well you seem to be serious about making some money with this, so I'll give you some frank feedback from a marketing/customer point of view.

On the FOR SALE tab you have links for "guitars I have for sale",  BUT the links take the customer to your etsy page where you say 'pick a box and I'll build it" .  You have just disappointed a potential sale.

Consider breaking that into 2 sections:

1) Ready to ship with links to your etsy page with completed guitars that are actually completed and ready to ship as soon as payment clears.

2) Build to order where you let the customer select options such as the box, scale length, desired tuning (GDG, DAD, GGB, etc), fretted or not, with appropriate fees for each upgrade option selected.

On the home tab you say "At this point in time all my builds are fretless, but just because it is fretless does not mean you can only use a slide, the action on each guitar is low enough for slide or fretless finger play." 

Never talk down your products.  it comes across as being either not competent as a builder or that you have not seriously invested in the needed tools and supplies to do the business right. 

Change it to read "Hiltsbilt Cigar Box Guitars come with the action set so that they are suitable for playing with a slide and for fretless fingering."  and as soon as possible do what you need to do to be able to offer fretted instruments as a build to order option (with appropriate charge for the option).

I hope this didn't come across too mean, I would really like to see this succeed for you.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Hilts on June 29, 2016 at 11:16am

Thinks for all the input guys and I have made the changes :)

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Permalink Reply by Justin Hilts on June 29, 2016 at 11:57am

It's a WordPress site, but I use adobe dreamweaver to edit the code and change the look.

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Permalink Reply by Blues Frog on June 29, 2016 at 3:01pm

Nice lookin site. The previous builds look sweet.

I hope you get the response you're looking for and sell a lot.

Maybe some sound biytes from the guitars.....

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on June 30, 2016 at 5:32am

Nice job on the site and guitars and some sound advice from the replies too!

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Permalink Reply by JL on July 1, 2016 at 2:16am

*Thumbs-Up-Emoji*

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Permalink Reply by Grandpa on July 1, 2016 at 5:29am

Justin, your builds look outstanding.I am proud of the many cbg's I have built, but I hope you will feel the compliment when I tell you that I am going to step up my next stuff by incorporating some of your style. "Imitation is the highest form of praise" really means you have better ideas than I do. Hope you won't mind if I do some imitatin'. Great looking website. Damn near want too buy one myself.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Hilts on July 1, 2016 at 6:18am

Cool man, glad you like them, and you an barrow all the ideas you want.

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