Blog – Tagged "marketing" – The Painted Label

art shows, artist kimberly sumerel, craft shows, customer service, displays, marketing, painting, retail, sales, selling, www.wickedgirldesigns.com - March 24, 2016

At a recent art show I was in, I was asked by a fellow artist and...

At a recent art show I was in, I was asked by a fellow artist and business owner if there was anything they could do to improve sales when it came to presenting and selling their products at outdoor shows and events, and would I be willing to offer my advice? I wanted to say, “How long do you have, because answering that question was going to take a few hours?!” However, after offering my friend a few helpful tips on what I thought needed addressing when it came to the overall presentation of one’s store, I began to look around and it was as clear as day, why some businesses were selling and some were not….it was their “PEOPLE SKILLS!” Sure, they had great products, great prices and a “killer” display, but that wasn’t all! They were smiling and you could tell they genuinely not only loved what they were doing, they valued the customer and welcomed them into their store like they were family! They talked, listened and engaged in conversation with their customers. They talked about their work and shared their passion about their products with everyone.They were not sitting and texting on a cell phone, or chatting with friends who stopped by to monopolize their time and crowd their store, leaving no room for customers to shop, but were acknowledging each and every customer who came into their store whether they bought anything or not.

So many beautiful products for sale, so many talented individuals. They, like myself had worked long hours, sacrificed their time, and spent a lot of money to bring a plethora of artisan created products to the public for sale. But, what I mostly observed of those who seemed to be having much success was, they knew what it took to serve the customer and that was GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE…. WITH A SMILE! I think often sales people do not realize they are not smiling. Yes, we are tired and yes we sometimes have to set up in the rain and drive long hours to some of these events, eat fast food and take pills because our back and feet are killing us, but that does not excuse us from giving 100% customer service with a “SMILE!”

Note: You may have the best product money can buy, and if you are in sales of any kind and have no idea how to smile, my suggestion is invests in a mirror! You will be amazed at how far a smile will go when it comes to being successful in sales.

There are no words to express what it is like for an artisan who...

There are no words to express what it is like for an artisan who feels the desire to try different marketing techniques when it comes to promoting his/her creative works - especially when it comes to loading up a car and heading out to some far away locale to exhibit his/her finest collection of whatevers for the public to “ooh and ahh” over as they contemplate what thingamabob will look good over their whatchamacallit. Most people refer to these marketing ventures as festivals, art shows, fairs, craft events and anything with a “palooza” at the end!

But, no matter where these events occur or what they are called, it is important to understand that the artisan has worked hard to perfect his/her craft in order to bring to the public his/her finest craftsmanship for view. So, when you see him/her, please be nice, be courteous, be complimentary of his/her work and know that it took HER 3 hours to cram all HER crap in HER car so tightly the night before that SHE had to take it all out again because SHE could not find the dog, who was asleep in another part of the house. So, SHE had to take another 3 hours to shove it all back in the car a second time. Oh the joy of being someone who can smile in the face of adversity!

Signed……the Artist! Kimberly Sumerel

Next Show: Mt Dora Florida. Collectibles and Crafts Show Mar 19-20, 2016

Pricing Your Products at Art and Festival Events

One of the easiest ways to lose a sale if you are selling something to the public is to NOT have the price of an item where it can be easily seen by a potential buyer. Customers do not want to shuffle through items of merchandise looking for a price tag, Plus, they do not want to chase down a seller to ask for the price!

I recently went to an outdoor art festival in Florida where I came upon a...

Read more

marketing RSS

At a recent art show I was in, I was asked by a fellow artist and...

There are no words to express what it is like for an artisan who...

Pricing Your Products at Art and Festival Events

Tags

Featured Products