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Every show we have at least a half a dozen people ask us for 'buy sell' kinds of jewelry pieces.  This week my favorite question was:  My mother went to Israel 30 years ago and bought me this star  with the word chai (life on it).  She got the large one, I got the medium one and my cousin got the small one.,    I lost it and I always go to these art shows hoping I will find this exact piece of jewelry.  Do you have it?

Kick me before sarcasm rolls off my tongue.  I politely said that the person who designed those pieces 30 years ago would not be happy to know that I, or someone else, had copied that design.  So, no, we don't have that design but we have 15 other designs that you may like.

No, she said, I've looked 30 years for this design and this is the design I want.

Or, last week the lady said:  My x-boyfriend gave me a star with a horseshoe on it.  When I broke up 25 years ago, I gave him back the pendant.  I always loved that pendant.  Do you have it?

We don't have it - perhaps you might cookie horseshoe, star and pendant and find it that way.  No, she said - she would keep on looking.  When we got to the room that night, I googled horseshoe, star, pendant and up popped a piece.  i don't know if this is 'the one' but it was easy to find.

We're not gong to have 'plain stars' that can be purchased on the internet.  Pieces are designed by me.  I want people to 'step out of the box' and look beyond that plain star ... alas, those who say - cute, interesting, nice, very interesting, very nice, different ... just don't get it.  

On the other hand, a blog was written about a new piece - Tikva - Star of Hope..

http://sherylaronson.blogspot.com/2012/06/hope.html

Although I don't have a lot of vending/exhibiting experience under my belt, I was amazed when a "seasoned" exhibitor stopped at my booth at the recent Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival and lamated that he wasn't selling anything and people just seemed to pass by his booth. He couldn't figure out what was wrong. I told him I would have to get back to him on that one as I needed some time to gather my thoughts. Actually, I didn't want to hurt his feelings or make him angry with my response so I was just buying time.

Before I give the response I gave him, let me supplement it by saying that I am an extremely observational person and can watch people interaction at events, art fairs, craft fairs, shows, etc. During my perusals of various booths, exhibitors and/or vendors I would watch how they interacted with people, what those who were successful did, other than having top-notch wares to offer, and what they did not do.

That being said, I finally responded to the questioning exhibitor and told him what I had noticed and how that might be a reason for "no" sales. 1) he was either reading a book, 2) texting, 3) watching his small portable TV, 4) not at his booth at all and 5) did not interact with people any any form. I gently told him that people like to be noticed. Even if they don't stop at your booth, at least say hello, hope you're enjoying the show/event, or, if you have a basket filled with treats, "I have chocolate to give you energy to see the rest of the show." Reading, texting, watching TV, not being at your booth, or have someone relieving you so you can go eat, use the facilities, etc., or not interacting with the public gives them the impression you really don't care whether or not you sell anything. He was surprised at my information and informed me that unless people are going to "buy" he's not going to waste his time.  My response was that if you don't get them to "stop," even if it's just to acknowledge your hello, you won't know if they're going to buy or not. Granted not everyone who stops at a booth is going to buy, but if you can get them to stop and look, not pressure them into a sale, ask how they are enjoying the show, etc. you may just get a sale out of it.

I acknowledged everyone that went by and even looked my way and managed to sell either my photography or my book to 4 out of 10 that came by. Now that's not record breaking by any means, but I did get sales and ended up having a very good show result. For me, taking an interest in the people seemed to make them feel important, and they seemed to appreciate the hospitality. If they didn't buy anything and just looked and chatted with me a while, I would thank them for stopping by and direct them to a booth that I thought might have what they were looking for.

The gentleman didn't agree with me, which is fine, and proceeded to keep doing what he was doing, and that was ignoring potential customers. Unless someone picked up an item, he would not even acknowledge their presence at his booth. He did very poorly at the show this year, I am sorry to say. Other vendors that I have become friends with over the years have told me that the energy and positive attitude I project is catchy and they have tried some different approaches this year and have done well.

Just had to proffer my two cents on the "why aren't I selling" question that I see pop up from time to time. You can have the perfect location, fantastic wares and perfect weather, but if you don't acknowledge/interact with potential customers, you could end up with an extremely poor result for all your hard work.

40 Questions Blog Series Question #38 – How can customers find me?

   Do you find yourself saying... I apply and sell at art fairs. I have a website. I have a Facebook page, use Twitter and even have my own blog. Perhaps you're just starting to do your own podcast ... Your name is out there, but how are people able to find you? What's the secret? The answer might surprise you!

    Question #38 How can customers find me?

   The answer is so basic and so simple that people miss it all the time. The answer is you must find them, NOT wait for them to find you. Not only that, you have to make that active choice to WANT to find customers. So, how can one do this? First, start small and know your customer base. By this I mean, look at what you do and who will most likely buy what you make and target those groups of people. Find all you can about who, in your area, works in your medium, contact your friends and family members (both close and distant ones) and let them know what you've been up to. Don't sell to them (they may not want to buy right off the bat), but share a bit about yourself to open the door for communication. This can be as simple as striking up a conversation at a check out line in a grocery store or with a barista at a coffee shop (complimenting a person on their earrings say if you are a jewelry maker). Find and contact old and distant friends and relatives via facebook, for example. Don't just click the invite button, but engage them by adding a small note saying how you are happy to find them and WANT to learn more about them and catch up. You will constantly find friends from high school, college, doctor's office assistance, teachers, places where you worked, friends of the family, old neighbors, childhood friends and pen-pals... see where I am going? There is a reason why the newest norm to stay in touch with people is via social networks – I do recommend Facebook and Twitter – is because it is easy, instant and millions upon millions use both social network formats.

   Now, fast forward a few days or weeks and start looking up organizations, places of businesses, etc. and think outside the box. Think about where you buy your supplies, join t.v. shows groups that your typical customers would watch, mommy or retiree groups, chamber of commerce or SBA groups, local fiber art, photography, or other guilds, museums, boutique shops or galleries you would like to get your work in (learn about their customers and what their hot sellers helps too), art festival Facebook pages, county or even state wide organizations too... Note: don't just join or follow these people and organizations and forget about them - participate in them and often. Start with 5 and like or share people's posts, comment on a topic posted and give your expert opinion on the topics, invite new followers to be fans of other interests you have too. Don't forget to add good quality content from time to time too like a video you like on YouTube that pertains to your medium. Utilize monthly newsletters or weekly email blasts, send out daily tweets or facebook postings on anything and everything new that is related to your business.   For example, when I take a new product photo I announce it on every social network I use and ask followers to see that photo via my website. Another idea is doing a count down each day leading up to your up and coming art fair each time providing an interesting fact about that show. There are plenty of social network help sites offering more info if you are seeking other ideas.

  While social networking is big, you really can't forget the people you see face to face like with church members, co-workers, PTA members, neighbors, hair salon specialists, waiters, parties, seminars (like that in the picture of a social evening at the 2009 CODA conference in AK) ... Simply having a business card with at least 3 ways people can contact and find you is another way to reach out to people that you physically come in contact on a daily business. This can drive traffic to your website, capture info for newsletters, or even drive folks to your social network outlets. To get these ideas to work, YOU have to actually implement them. No one else can nor will do it for your, but you. The best news of all is once you start doing it – it is FUN and FREE! Connecting with just a few people will ignite a spark and introduce you to even more people to want to not just get to know, but they in turn will want to get to know you too. My challenge to you... What, right now, is working for you to attract new customers or fans to your craft business or art? Share it via this blog by using the comment button Thanks in advance to all and be sure to tune in to the last 2 questions of this blog series coming up in February! Michelle Sholund – www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com, www.bythebaybotanicals.weebly.com,

I am sure those of you reading this are either a Gen X or Y or knowsomeone who is through family relation, friends or workingrelationships. Most don't understand Gen X and Y's or have a hardtime relating to them. There is no denying though, they are a forceto be reckoned with when it comes to shopping. I have been reading agreat book called Gen Y Buy and it is a most fascinating read. Ifyou are curious about what direction today's society is heading,especially when it comes to retail and shopping, do check out thebook. This leads to Question 15 and want to touch on it because GenX and Y's do have a huge influence on how art fairs are run and howwe can learn from them when it comes to managing our own artbusinesses.

Question 15 – How have Gen X and Y's affect how people shop at art fairs?(How can we capture their attention too?)

Instead of going into depth about the “nature and behavior” of Gen X andY's, as I am a Gen X myself, I am going to highlight some key pointsthat I feel best answers Question 15.

1. Full Steam Ahead. We can thank the today's generation for pushingartists to create new pieces of art. With Gen X and Y's drive forseeking new and improved stuff, this carries over to their parentsand even grandparents especially when it comes to technology, homeimprovement, and decorating one's apartment or home, or evenvacation home. It isn't enough to offer one size 2D art, but postcards, note cards, even coffee table books are just one of ahundreds of examples that can be attributed to today's youngergeneration need for variety.

2. Credit Cards. If it weren't for credit cards our sales at art fairsconsiderably lower than what they are today. It is not the norm anymore to carry cash with a few exceptions. When it comes to artfairs, it is now more important that ever to accept credit cardsbecause show patrons expect it. The benefits of bringing in moresales far outweighs the minimal monthly fees or possibility ofrunning into a declined card.

3. Computers and The World Wide Web. Computers are here to stay and since theybecame mainstream, it has opened many doors for artists. Someexamples range from digital art mediums, email – an instant formof communication, social networks to keep in touch with customers orpromote ourselves at upcoming art shows, software for trackingsales, access to better raw material suppliers, to the NEW businesscard – personal art business websites. The value computers haveis immeasurable and if you don't agree, try living without one for24 hours, on a work day.

4. Word of Mouth. Granted word of mouth advertising is nothing new.However, Gen X's and Y's have taken it to an all new level. All ittakes is one Gen Yer to fall in love with something that they haveto take a photo of it and show their friends or blog about it.Within minutes that thing the Gen Y loves is now apart of a viralword of mouth advertising campaign to her friends and family. Themore art fairs and artists harness this power of free advertisingthrough social networks and other word of mouth advertising, theeasier it is to attract new customers and art fair patrons.

5. Developing Personal Relationships. There is a strong desire for those whoappreciate art, with the help of Gen X and Ys, to want to learneverything they can about art. Due to art funding in schools havingbeen cut and combining that the desire of being connected topeople, there is more of a push for artists to be more willing toeducated and entertain show patrons. Don't confuse this withcarnival type of entertainment. What I am merely saying is thepressure is now on for artists to shine revealing theirhumble/personal side, through humor or through demonstrations, aswell as uncovering the veil of what it is like to be an artist. Theone on one experience can be long lasting and turn a looker into abuyer once they learn more about you, and vice versa, and your art.

6. Charity and Causes. Charities such as breast cancer awareness, HurricaneKatrina Relief organizations and the local Humane Society are alwayslooking for donations and volunteers. Helping those who seekassistance makes us feel good about ourselves, and this plays a bigpart in building Gen X and Y's self esteem, often being the drivingforce behind these organizations. Their desire spills onto theirfriends and family members trickling into the art fair world. Thishas crept into art fairs because patrons are more likely to attend ashow knowing if there is a discount off admission if a personbrings in canned goods to support a food drive, for example. Someartists are even support their own choice of charitable organizationby donating part of their sales to that organization. This is a winwin for everyone.

I can go on and on about this topic, but to keep these blog posts “quick”I don't have all day. While there are issues artists have when itcomes to hiring Gen X and Ys and how to make items that appeal moreto them, I am hoping towards the end of this blog series I can tacklethis questions. If any of this interests you there is moreinformation in books, magazines, and other resources. Did I missanything you think is worth sharing – let us know and use thecomment button. Next I will be review the past 15 questions and thentackle the question, what does it mean when a customers says “___”? Have a great weekend !

- Michelle Sholund, www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com. Check out my craft business' website –www.bythebaybotanicals.com.

I think I beat the topic of product development to the death. So lets moveonto a topic that is more lively: customer service. I don't thinkthere is a time we don't talk about customer service – good or bad.However, have you ever really thought about what customer serviceis all about and how it impacts craft artists who sell at shows?Well, now is the time.

Question #13 What is Customer Service?

How would you define “customer service”? Think about all of yourretail and restaurant experiences. A simple definition might be theattention and activity that is intended to ensure thatcustomers receive the goods and services they desire to satisfy theirneeds or wants in the most effective and efficient manner possible . However is it really that cut and dry? When you see a sales personcommunicate with a customer there is one thing that is clear –customer service is all about language, both body language as well asverbal communication. The way you stand, the tone of your voice,your facial expressions and energy level all plays into itty bittycues that signal to customers what a pleasant place to shop and wantto come back again. Don't forget that customers judge you and yourbusiness based on how you carry yourself when interacting withcustomers, its just human nature.

Although most people think of customer service as what happens during a sale,but really customer service occurs before and after the sale too.From the greeting, to interacting with the customer in identifyingtheir needs, to packaging their purchase and asking if they wouldlike to be on your mailing list before they leave is all apart ofcustomer service. It is essential to recognize that withoutcustomers we have no business. The sooner craft artists realizethis, the easier it is to transition oneself from being an artist whocreates great work to a sales person who can also sell your own worktoo. It is also important to ask yourself if you think you wouldmake a great sales person. Sales people should be bubbly, open,outgoing, helpful, insightful, and enthusiastic. If you don't seeyourself as a sales person, then you will need to hire someone orrecruit friends or family members who exhibit these qualities.

The topic of customer service is a big one, and since this is a “quickcraft artist tips” blog, I intend to devote a great deal of timeto the topic with this blog series. I'll be answering questionssuch as what do customers want, how have Gen X and Y'ers affected theway people shop, why do some customers buy while others don't, doeswhat customer say mean more than one thing, what are some tips ondelivering good customer service, and much more. If you have everwondered why sales are lacking, you can't afford to miss the nextseveral posts as it will shed light on how to improve your customerrelations skills to increase profits. Michelle,www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com

New
Blog Series: Forty Questions - Identifying problems and issues and
tips on solving them.