This was the first of three winter-season Howard Alan shows in Delray, an Atlantic coast community just north of tony Boca Raton. HA will be back for two days right after Christmas (Dec. 26-27), in Boca on January 8-9, and back in Delray the following weekend (Jan. 15-16). Patty Narozny's HotWorks show comes in to Boca the following weekend. Allan is bringing a craft show to Delray in mid-February. Then there's a breather before the well-known, locally-run Delray Affair show on April 16-17.
Attendance was pretty good at this show. The streets were active, if not packed...and people even came back out on the street several times after Sunday squalls moved through the area (which shows me that they're interested in being there, not just trying to find a way to pass the time).
Which led to an increasingly common dilemma: Visitors were unfailingly pleasant and appreciative, but there didn't seem to be much energy around actually buying anything--particularly at moderate and high price points. Artists with large canvases and few or no reproductions were having a tough time. I had several customers offering to pay cash for small ($20) prints, but when I managed to offer them add-on sales that boosted the tab to $40 or $50, they switched to credit cards. I didn't have any cash customers at all until mid-day on Sunday.
One of the most common questions I fielded was: "Are you coming back for ?" And for most of the weekend, I responded the way I always have: I took their question at face value and talked with them about my schedule, or asked them which show they were planning on. But sometime Sunday morning, as I pondered that question, I thought of Einstein's quote: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
So I paused, smiled, and responded: "Honestly, I'll make the decision on that show based on the results of this one. And right now, I'm very much on the fence. So how can I help you today?" Two minutes later, the customer walked out with a decent-sized print. And later that afternoon, a similar response kept the customer engaged, and eventually netted a sale of two large canvases that saved the weekend for me.
The lesson for me is: When we artists are presenting work to under-funded customers in overworked markets, we need to think not just about the quality of our art, our display, and our email marketing, but also about how we respond to questions we've heard a thousand times before.
So, some points to ponder:
What kind of questions do YOU hear that cause you to go on "autopilot", like I did?
And what can you do or say differently in order to create opportunities to buy today?
Comments
Not that I have a corner on great answers to these questions, but since you asked... ;-)
1) That's an open invitation to recite the highlights of my bio, which I post in the front of the booth (and which mentions other services I render, such as teaching and workshops)
2) I don't get this question, exactly, since I'm a photographer. Depending on the customer, I may joke, "about 1/1600 second. Getting 'em to pose by throwing birdseed is the tough part." That opens up an opportunity for a longer conversation...I'll usually follow up by asking: "I've got stories on all of 'em...which one would you like to start with?" (They'll usually pick the one that first caught their eye.)
3. I struggled with this one a long time...still do, sometimes. But my most effective answer is something along the lines of: "Sure! . And I'm happy for your business any way you want to give it to me. . But I can offer you a better deal here at the show than on my website. Would you like to know why?" And then I explain that the prints at the show are matted in acid-free materials, and they're ready to frame. Whereas on the web, they get only the print, and they have to do the matting themselves, plus pay for the shipping, plus they're not signed by me.
Usually that's enough for the customer to tell me the reason they're opting for the business card (they're moving, it's a gift for a relative, etc., etc.). In which case, I can talk with them about their new home (and get their email address for a followup email) or I can offer a gift certificate, etc., etc.) . OR, the customer decides, at least, to engage with me right now.
How long have you been doing this??
How long does it take you to make each piece of art?
Do you have a website and/or business card?
Before I answer these Id love to know what YOUR responses to these questions would be.
:)
Michelle
Some artists were concerned that the promotion would cheapen the show. Others (like myself) were concerned that a coupon-wielding customer would either insist on a half-off deal on some other artwork in the booth, or that they'd start talking about the deal in front of other buyers, who would want a 50% discount, too.
As far as I was concerned personally, none of those things happened. In fact, only one visitor mentioned the promotion to me, and had no issue when I showed her the eligible artwork and it wasn't what she wanted.
Do I think "groupons" have value? Sure! But my sense is that they're more appropriate for commodity purchases...which flies in the face of the personal, one-of-a-kind buying experience that art shows represent. So I don't think they're a good fit.
Logistically, the staff was a little late getting the signs distributed on Saturday morning. I hope that if they do this kind of promotion again, they'll have everything organized so that they can hand out the materials, including a written explanation of how the process works from the artists' perspective, at artist check-in.
* "Upsizing" a selection: Sometimes it's as simple as holding their selection up to the next-larger size and asking them where they're going to display it.
* Add-on sales: Often a customer will look at several prints before handing me their selection. If I see them glance back at the browse bins as I begin to write up their order, I'll casually offer a small discount on anything else they would like. The best time to sell a customer something is while they're already buying from you.
I'll elaborate on these ideas in a future post.