How to Create a Planner Product That Sells | Step 3: Production & Fulfillment
Welcome to the last post in my three-part series, How to Create a Planner That Sells!
✓ Post #1: Development & Design
✓ Post #2: Finding a Printer & Sampling
Post #3: Production & Fulfillment
Look at you turning your planner dreams into a reality! You now know what you want to create, you know who it’s for, and you know where you will have it manufactured—but the journey is not over quite yet, my friends! You still need to get your beautiful planner product into the hands of your customers! But how? What exactly does this process involve?
I am going to answer those questions in depth below, but let me remind you that I have over twenty years of experience designing planners and managing the overseas production of them. My team and I here at Copper Bottom Design Co. would love nothing more than to work with you every step of the way in helping you realize all of your planner product dreams! Click here to learn more!
PRODUCTION
Well, to be fair, that should read While Your Planners Are In Production. . . .
Because I’m not actually going to talk about the production process, but rather what you should be doing while your planners are in production. The production process can take about a month and I don’t want you sitting idle during that time because . . .
. . . this is the perfect time to prepare for the launch of your planners! If you’ve been slacking on building your audience, now is the time to kick things into high gear! If you suddenly feel overwhelmed by the reality of it all, let me break it down. As I said, the production process takes about a month, so keep that in mind. Determine what your launch date will be, if you haven’t already, and know that it’s wise to start generating major buzz around your planner product 1-2 weeks before your launch. Create a timeline to keep yourself on track—and sane.
And then get out there and build excitement about your planner! You can use the samples you received from your printer for marketing. Fill out sample pages to show your planner in use, create case studies on how different people can benefit from your planner’s features — like how a stay-at-home mom would use your planner vs a college student.
This type of content is gold to your audience.
Launch prep aside, this is also the time to decide how you’ll fulfill all of the orders that will be pouring in.
FULFILLMENT
Here’s where I’ll bridge the gap between your planner product being manufactured and getting into the hands of your customers.
There are 3 options when it comes to fulfilling orders for your planner product:
01 | Have your printer fulfill orders for you.
This is what will happen when you choose a print-on-demand service. This, of course, is the easiest option. But print-on-demand is not right for everyone. I explained this in more detail in my last post, Finding a Printer & Sampling.
02 | Hire a fulfillment warehouse.
This option can be pricey, but you won’t regret it. You’ll want to contact a few places for quotes before going this route. There are two that I regularly work with for my clients and I love them: Givington’s and Source4.
03 | Fulfill orders yourself.
This is the most popular option for those just starting out.
If you choose to fulfill orders yourself, you’ll need a place to store your products. Most people use the garage or basement of their home, or office space if they’re lucky to have it. BUT keep in mind that you need the location to be dry. Any moisture will warp the pages of your planner or other paper products. Have you ever gotten your favorite beach read wet? The pages of the book bend and never become straight again! You’ll want to avoid this at all costs.
If you don’t trust that your garage or basement—or room in your home, or office—are dry enough to store this precious bounty, then you’ll need to rent a climate controlled storage unit.
PACKAGING
Boxes: As far as packaging goes, your best bet may be to order boxes from Uline. They offer a variety of sizes and bulk pricing.
Custom Labels: Sticker Mule is a great option for getting labels printed with your logo. A little customization goes a long way!
ADDITIONAL TIPS
Batch your shipping days. Consider shipping orders once or twice a week. This way you can power through orders all at once and then put everything away again so your house or office doesn’t look like a mess all the time.
If you do this, be sure to let your customers know when your shipping days are. You’re not Amazon, after all, so orders received [date & time] will be fulfilled and shipped within a certain window. Be clear. Set expectations. This will eliminate a flood of customer service questions.Invite friends and family over to help you. Give each person a specific job to help things run smoothly. Order pizza and make it fun!
Let’s recap . . .
✓ Post #1: Development & Design
✓ Post #2: Finding a Printer & Sampling
✓ Post #3: Production & Fulfillment
The only thing left to add?
You’ve got this!
I am so excited for you and your planner journey!
In addition to all of the vendor resources I mentioned in this post, I have 6 free downloads to help you get started on your planner journey.
Feeling ready to move production overseas?
I created a streamlined checklist so you know exactly what you need to do before making the leap to overseas manufacturing . . . and it’s available now at the link below.