How to hit 7-figures selling products available everywhere with Bec Slack from CleverStuff (episode 353)
Bec Slack is the owner of CleverStuff Educational Toys. Founded in 2010 Bec & her husband took over the business in 2015 and are now selling over $1m of toys every year.
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About Bec
Bec was planning her son’s first birthday party when she realized there was a gap in the market when it came to activities you can do at a first birthday celebration.
It was during her research for such activities that she and her husband Nate came across CleverStuff, with the previous owners looking for a change and already wanting to get out of the business.
Bec and Nate, encouraged by their insurance broker who also handles CleverStuff, decided to give it a try and have been on deck since 2015.
About CleverStuff
- Based in Sydney, Australia
- Sells to the Australian market
- Caters to retail customers and also sells to daycares and child care centers
- Uses Shopify
CleverStuff uses the Preorderly app on Shopify for customers who want to preorder items, Contact Pigeon for their email marketing system, and Stamped for customer reviews.
The Team
Bec and Nate take care of the day-to-day tasks of running the business. Bec handles customer service, ordering, and social media, while Nate is in charge of warehousing, packing, and distributing.
They have a marketing team handling SEO and their ads for both Facebook and Google, and they also have a bookkeeper and an accountant.
Every so often, they have people come in to do ad hoc jobs as needed.
What Makes CleverStuff Successful
For Bec, customer service is what spells the difference for CleverStuff and this comes across in various ways.
She and Nate personally handle customer inquiries and concerns, which has given them the chance to get to know their customers and create meaningful connections with them. In turn, their loyal customers have become their ambassadors, promoting CleverStuff through word-of-mouth.
Part of it Bec says is also remaining accountable. Things don’t always go as planned, and it’s important that the business takes accountability and works to fix whatever has gone wrong.
Where Does Better Connection With Customers Happen?
Bec’s advice is to pick a channel that you personally enjoy, engage with your customers on that channel, and be specific in the language and tone of voice you use.
Facebook is Bec’s platform of choice and it’s where CleverStuff has the most followers. Content revolves around parenting and early education, but they also inject some entertainment and value that are still related to their main brand message.
What’s In CleverStuff’s Future?
While the brand’s focus ever since has been on wooden toys, Bec is looking at opportunities to expand to arts and crafts-related products that would mean more entertainment for the children.
They’ve also been investing more in SEO which has made Bec look forward to organic growth.
eCommerce Book Top Tip
- Bec admits not having much time to read but she suggests listening to podcasts such the eCommerce MasterPlan podcast, the Ed Mylett Show , and A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek.
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- For CleverStuff, it’s Facebook but Bec says regardless of the platform you choose, be consistent in speaking to your audience and always check the metrics.
Tool Top Tip
- Canva for product retouching, and an email automation system
Growth Top Tip
- Have patience; there is no such thing as an overnight success. Persist and know your numbers.
Interview Links
Related episodes
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- 242: Think ‘Customer Journey’ first to increase marketing impact with Omnisend’s Rytis Lauris
- 184: Creating a business she loves, and making the customers happy with Roberta of Scrubz Body
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