Last week sometime, as I was walking the dogs (or rodents, as Billie affectionately calls them), I kept getting a whiff of sour milk…or something else equally unpleasant. It actually took a few days, but I finally realized that the awful smell was coming from one of both of the dog leashes, which had apparently gotten wet in the rain and maybe not quite stored properly (retractable leash seemed to be the primary culprit). Anyhow, despite a good soak with OxiClean, the stench remained and last night I finally decided to just purchase new ones rather than try to do anything more with the smelly awful leashes that made me want to just let the dogs run wild around the neighborhood (which my neighbors may have had a problem with….and there’s that whole creek flooding that might have E. Coli thing, so it seemed a bad idea).

Anyway, my first thought was the trusty old stalwart: Amazon. And then I realized I would rather support an individual or maybe just a smaller company. I went searching for some eco-friendly options without much luck but then headed over to Etsy for some homemade goodness.

There are a LOT of people selling on Etsy. Many times, it’s difficult to distinguish who you should purchase from. I often will use their search options to find someone more local but there’s not always someone with what I want.  Last night’s tactic relied on the visuals. And the seller that ultimately got my business? She not only had multiple pictures of the product that weren’t underexposed or otherwise unattractive, but she had some with her adorable long-haired chihuahua. And Bagels, the chihuahua, happens to look very similar to Smidgen, my papillon (aside from coloring), and so I was hooked.

Two leashes purchased because I connected with the seller through her images. In a world where a lot of connections are made online or electronically, it’s important to find ways to connect with your buyers, clients, etc. Lots of people can do the same thing, and you may not even be able to differentiate your skills. So how do you connect on a more emotional level that will bring in more customers?

Oh, and here are a few of her pictures. Please check her out on Etsy!

Images are copyright BoogieGear on Etsy!