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I believe both the Photographer who sells their artwork at Art fairs or Galleries would find this informative, as well as the art collector.

I think many of us, myself included have had to deal with presentation issues. Just when you think you have decided on the perfect frame/mat combo for your artwork, you find out differently.  

The link below will take you to my "blog list". (minor inconvenience) Simply click on the little grey tab (bottom left) and this directs you to the FULL article :)   thanks for your patience  

http://fineartamerica.com/blogs/addressing-the-needs-of-fine-art-photography-buyers.html

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WOW, thanks for the feedback!

When I posted my blog piece "Why aren't I selling?" I did not expect the response that I received. All I can say is WOW! I just finished reading each and everyone of them and appreciate the various comments, opinions and thoughtful insights that others have on the subject.

Michael R. made the remark "... sold to 4 out of every 10 that stopped by? Really?" To that I have to respond, "Yes, really," however, when I gave that figure, I did not say whether or not the individual had gone by my booth before without purchasing something. This in fact happened several times and a few of the "4 out of 10" came back either the same day or one of the following days of the show to purchase. When they returned they told me they just had to come back because of the amount of energy, the way they were made to feel important, especially when I would excuse myself to answer someone's question, tell that person I would be right with them as soon as I finished with the other person, and then return to talking with them, tell them to enjoy their day even when they didn't buy anything the first time around. I even joked with one person and told them I felt like a used car salesman when I explained about the festival and what we were striving for. The response I received was that I never made the person "feel like" they were being sold a bill of goods.

I have to agree with Michael that if my numbers matched and/or balanced out with the total number of attendees then it would have been a highly profitable venture to say the least. If I HAD sold according to the attendee numbers, I would have been out of stock the first day of the show. LOL. Believe me, I realize just like everyone that sales don't always go by the numbers and in a perfect world we would ALL realize the fruits of our labors. To me, however, building good customer, or potential customer, relationships is extremely important. I did have several people that were pleased that I was still doing the festival as they remembered me from last year (they did not purchase anything from me then), the referrals to other vendors I had given them when they were looking for something specific and directions to various places of interest within Alpena. They even brought others to the Festival this year to meet me and they all purchased something with a promise that they would return again next year.

Word of mouth on the positiveness and/or negativeness of an experience at a show can make or break a show or a vendor. For example, a vendor had a customer complain about a shirt they had purchased last year that was handpainted. The customer even brought the shirt in to show how badly the paint had come off. The vendor looked at the shirt and asked if they had "hand" washed it according to the instructions they received when they purchased the shirt. Even though the customer did not follow the insturctions, the vendor told them he felt bad about the results and gave them two different shirts at no cost to them. The customer was floored by this and even stated that a lot of BIG companies wouldn't do that. He ended up purchasing a stained class and hand carved mirror from this same vendor. When the customer left the show, he stopped at the ticket/information area to tell them that he would definitely be back and bringing others because of the way he was treated months after a prior shows sale by a vendor.

At Festival, even in these tough economic times, we've tried, for the most part, to be very upbeat and positive. We must be doing something right as we will be hosting our 17th year in 2012! The Festival goes out of its way to make sure that the vendors have what they need, when they need it and be as supportative as possible. However, there are a few that no matter what you do, that are not happy but that happens anywhere.

Thanks again for all the wonderful comments and for the food for thought. Mike R, just want you do know I appreciate YOUR comments as well as wasn't picking on you. The numbers and rationale were right on the money, just felt that your comment was a good one to use as an example of how numbers can be tweaked and not really give a good accurate result. May each and everyone of you have a successful show, meet wonderful people and enjoy all the best that life has to offer.

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The start of a sale at any art fair begins with getting customers to notice your booth. What is the best way to attract customers to your booth? Here's just 6 tips that could work for you.1. Flowers. Nice landscaping can go a long way to sell a house. Flowers on a tables in restaurants put people at ease. So why not use flowers to your advantage. Last year I have used 2-4 planters with real planted flowers as anchors for my canopy. The idea came to me as I couldn't stand looking at cinder blocks or milk jugs while I sold at fairs. When I started using the planters - the first thing customers saw "Oh, what beautiful flowers" and came closer to take a look. Guess what happens next - they look in the booth and and enter it. So, perhaps planters aren't for you, what about a simple bud vase with your state flower, rose, wildflowers placed in areas you want to draw people's attention or fake flower garlands draped around an easel of your best 2-D art work?2. Large format photography. Ever find yourself driving and NOT take a second to see what a billboard advertisement was all about? The same idea can be extended to those who walk up and down aisles at fairs. Anything big draws the eye and for artists, this works like a charm especially for those who sell jewelry or anything small in size. For about $20, take a good photo of your best selling piece to a Ritz Camera (or other photo developer) and or get it framed or made into a banner and you are set.3. Good lighting. Remember the saying, "like moths to a flame"? Well good lighting in any show booth will draw customers in like moths to a flame. Darkness, shadows, and dim spaces is a natural deterrent - gets customers thinking about dark alleyways where danger could be around the corner. If people can't SEE what you make and sell, then isn't it only natural to pass one booth up for one that is well lit? Desk lamps, strings of Christmas lights, clip-on display lights, good display lamps, etc. all can work and some work better than others all depending on what you sell. Although some fear the money to fork over for electric, hauling lights and so on is too costly, I can tell you it will at least increase your sales 25-30% if not more - I am one of those who can vouch for this tip .4. Color. Commercial products in today's market place have great bright color branding - Yankee Candle, Victoria's Secret, Coca-cola, etc. I often see "cookie cutter" booths at every show - white canopy, white backdrops, white table coverings... While we can't help that fairs require white canopies and they are so easy to find, something as simple as colored table coverings, flower garlands hiding the legs to a booth, colored curtains/backdrops, simple colored scarves accenting jeweled toned necklaces, painted wooden shelving, and so on all are simple, inexpensive ways to add color to a booth. A splash of color in a sea of white (or black) will surely catch customers eyes as long as it is soft and not too bold.5. Banner. Banners do not have to be big, full of color, or expensive. Office supply stores who have a copy/print area or places online like Vistaprint can help help you make up any kind of banner you want all in the name of getting noticed. Two lines of writing such as your business name and website or tagline can truly make a booth stand out. It has a billboard effect, but also tells customers in a matter of 3 seconds I SELL POTTERY (photography, oil paintings, candles, jewelry...). This will help weed out lookie loos and drive serious shoppers into your booth.6. Demonstrate. Every show I have attended where someone demonstrates how their work is made - it draws a crowd. This idea appeals to the "mob" mentality where if one person stops to watch, others follow suit because they see one or more doing it too that it must be something interesting. Demonstrating is also a simple way to start selling without customers catching on. To show and tell a show patron how pottery is shaped and molded, watching a painter make a blank canvas flow with color, or how the sound of a hammer striking metal to form iron work is something people just don't see every day. Doing so also authenticates your work - they will never question "do you make this or is it handmade"? Can't demonstrate at a show - see point #2 - a large format photograph of you in action working away in your workshop also works just as well.I wanted to add this tip as I have had people asking me this question and recently posted it on my blog. I thought others here may benefit from the knowledge. If you like this post all I ask is to leave a comment on my blog - www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com . I want to encourage everyone though to share their tips. Have you tried any of these tips and they did or didn't work - I (as well as others I am sure) want to hear it. Thanks so much for reading!- Michelle, By the Bay Botanicals, www.bythebaybotanicals.com
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