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  Susan J. Cole July 29, 2012 at 11:51pm

  I'm glad you had success with the "be back" cards.  Congratulations on a good show. 
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  Annette Piper July 29, 2012 at 8:40pm

  Brilliant result Stacey!
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  Stacey Pritchard July 29, 2012 at 7:31pm

  Okay had a great small craft show today. Even with low turn out from threat of rain and a small show to begin with, the venue could not have been better for my work (very artsy community). I have to say kudos on the "I will be back" discount...tried it out, only one person that I handed it to did not come back and only one that came back did not purchase...thanks for the tip!
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  betsi caprara July 26, 2012 at 4:30pm

  I loved reading all of these posts just now. As an art show newbie, I needed to hear ideas. I thought I knew it all, since I have been to so many shows myself as a potential buyer, and have been given many of these lines from artists. I do agree that a pushy seller will turn me off, immediately. I think I have to say that the best one of all was Susan's, the "I'll be back" certificate. If I was a potential buyer and was on the fence about a certain piece, it would definitely be an incentive to help me make up my mind! Kudos to you, Susan!
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  sandhi schimmel gold July 26, 2012 at 3:16pm

  I keep my cards under my desk. I think sometimes people take one "just to be nice" or their kids pick them up, or someone wants to sell me something.

  I tried every line... I have a website but the prices are higher... I have a website but it's not a store-front... I am here right now [with respect to Patti].

  When asked about future shows, I tell them if I know.

  I've also tried the 10% off if you come to the next show [or come back later] and that has worked.

  I will say, I do get sales after the show. And, at some point I wonder why I print the cards if not to promote my work and my site.
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  Deb Burr July 26, 2012 at 2:49pm

  I've enjoyed reading every post.  Thanks for the insights.  I'm a newbie, relatively speaking, to shows, but my thought on cards are that they are a sign that the artist is a professional, just like anyone else in business.  I love the, get out of booth free idea and the 10% off discretionary card.  One of my cards just generated a commissioned piece of pottery that is going to be made to use as a clever proposal of marriage.  The card was given out at a show 2 years ago.  I'm glad that I had business cards.  As far as I know, this is the second time in 5 years that my business card turned into a future sale. 
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  Steve Shay July 26, 2012 at 2:42pm

  I like that "be back" card/coupon idea too. Gonna experiment with that one this weekend. 
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  Sam Hufman July 26, 2012 at 2:32pm

  I'm glad someone posted about using a "Be back" card. Depending on the person, I often write the "Be back" message along with a dlolar amount--$1-2-3 on the back of my business card. Sometimes I specify which item  the discount will be good on. I usually cash in 4-5 of these per show. Customers comment on it from year to year. I have found that the randomness seems to work well.
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  Steve Shay July 26, 2012 at 2:03pm

  One thing that has worked for me in sales jobs (over $2 million in retail clothing sales) and during art fairs is to not bug people at first. I usually say "hello" and that's it. Sometimes I'll just sit in my chair and work on some sketches while people look around. Once they see me go back to what I'm doing, they feel relieved that they can look around freely without me bugging them.  However, I am paying close attention to what they are doing, just not directly. I try not to talk to them again or even look towards them unless they are really deeply looking at a piece, then I'll chime in and say something like "The background was made using 3 layers of paint, a cutout from a vintage magazine, and then I used sandpaper to create texture" or something like that to give them context as to how something was created.  Gives them insight into how a piece was created and adds value to it.  Then I go back to what I was doing if they don't ask additional questions, but they usually do, leading to a conversation and connection. Still, I never push them during the conversation, but I also don't try to get into long conversations either because there are other customers to pay attention to as well. 

  I try not to ask any questions about which piece they might like, or what they are looking for. By doing that, I feel you are A) assuming they like your work and B) that they are looking for something specific. They may not like the work enough to buy it, but want to look at it in detail anyway.  

  I give out cards with my artwork printed on the back because it helps people remember your work. I've had many post-show sales from people that told me the image on the card reminded them that they wanted to possibly buy something from me after the show, and that they just couldn't make a purchase that day for whatever reason. 

  One last thing I've learned is to never judge a book by its cover as far as customers go. Some of the most casually/grubbily dressed people (usually men) that are walking around a show have money and buy artwork.  When it's warm out, guys tend to care less about how they look, but still could have a wad of cash in their pocket.  Everyone is treated the same - nicely. 

  That's what works for me, but it probably wouldn't work for everyone.  I've done about 20 shows have have bought a car from my sales so something is working, luckily.  But I'm definitely not an expert. I'd say try a bunch of sales techniques (including the others posted on this thread) and see what works for you. It can be a fun experiment and helps pass the time.  Maybe try a new one every 2 hours or something.  Make a game of it. Learn from it and go from there. 
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  Stacey Pritchard July 26, 2012 at 1:59pm

  I give a card whenever asked, you never know when they may use it. I also let them know that my newest work is always available at a show first (before on my easy site) and each piece is unique, even if I repeat a design, no two are exactly the same. If they want to visit my site, I encourage them to sign my mailing list to keep up when I post new items. I follow up the next week with a small discount to the website if they do. My favorite approach is to look for ways to connect to the customer themselves, using techniques described in "how to win friends and influence people", I look to develop the relationship with the customer instead of focusing on the sale. For example, I noticed that a woman in my booth was from England, (from her accent) I was immediately able to connect as I had visited a year before. A few laughs later and she was my biggest sale of the day. I have to say though, I will not give an additional discount at the show on an item unless they ask, then I almost always will (not if out of my 10.00 bin).  I just started doing shows this year and thankfully there has only one that sales were really bad. But it was the same for everyone at the show. There was lots of foot traffic but even saying hello to a customer seemed to make them all scurry out of the tents. (even the ice cream guy had to go half off and it was in the high 80's). I was really nervous about "selling and pitching my work". I cannot remember where I read it but I decided to focus on the idea of sharing my work (and telling those nice stories about them) instead of keeping my focus on simply selling. Personally, I am a customer that does not like to be pressured into a purchase, if you start pushing me too hard, chances are I will not buy from you, and I try to respect that for others as well.