I am an introvert by nature. A huge one! In fact, I often dont even like being with people. I'd much rather spend times with my dogs. But yet, I find myself in this business of art festivals, where being an introvert is basically your ticket home with zero sales. I work hard every single second at festivals so that no one person (not patrons or other artists) knows that I am anything but a person who loves people. That is why I was so shocked that this past weekend I had not one, not two, not three, but FOUR people come BACK to my booth to tell me thank you for being so kind, friendly, or patient. One man told me that he hoped I had a wonderful show and that he would see me there again next year as I was one of the only artists who was nice to him. He even said that a lot of artists ignored him, and a few even acted like he was a burden to them by being in their tent and asking questions about their art. One man was not 100% mentally there, and I could tell he didn't have money to buy anything, but man you better believe he called every person he knew and told them about "this awesome girl with amazing artwork you gotta check out!" (his words, not mine) Even though I knew he wouldnt be a sale, what did it hurt by me making an effort to be kind? Nothin!
People!!! Come on! Where is the kindness? Where is love and compassion? The patrons are the ones allowing you to continue doing something that you love to do. Keeping you out of a droning 8-5 job that you hate. We need these people! And they need us to make them feel a connection and bring a spark of something to them! If I, the introvert that I am, gets FOUR people to make an effort to thank me for being nice, I know there is a serious problem.
And no, 3 out of 4 of those people didnt buy anything this time. And the one who did, just bought a small print (probably just b/c I didn't make him feel like a half rate person). But you know, they signed up for my mailing list and liked me on Facebook. And they will remember me for a good reason. And maybe next time, they will buy something. But even if they don't, I made them feel good, and isn't that most important?
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This thread is very eye opening. I can relate to it so much. I have known to be a bit 'moody' but Im working on keeping my sarcastic side to a minimum at the shows. At times it can be a great challenge for me but Im working on it.
I do feel many artists are not known to be that great with people skills (which might be why they turn to art in the first place--to get AWAY from humans!) but luckily I used to perform on stage for a living so I have a bit of an 'actress' in me and can 'perform'/sell my art quite well when Im in a groove.
This past show (which was the longest Ive ever done--- a long 18 days!) I had a few down days where I just couldnt seem to muster up any energy to interact with customers. To be honest I was SPENT and burned out after day 6, Luckily I took a few days off after that (I sent my BF in). Behind each booth there was a great curtain setup, so I basically stayed BEHIND my curtain (like the wizard of oz.hehe) when I would feel my moodiness take over. It worked quite well because I had a work table set up behind the curtain where I could work on sculpting some new small pieces and listen to my music. I could peak out the curtain and I would come out if it looked as though someone was really interested in the art. Ironically, one day I was SOO CHEERFUl and optimistic and bubbly that a few people actually came back and said "You were so upbeat we wanted to be art from you!'. Crazy:) I said 'You should have seen me yesterday. I was quite the blob!'. My sarcastic side does work with many of my customers because my art is on the comical/humorous side anyway.
The good news is that I ended up with an overall amazing show, inspite of my few less than cheerful days. Im thankful! I do agree that staying as cheeful and UPBEAT as possible really does help your sales.
As artists we should not forget that our works and words can touch and transform lives in unimaginable ways. Generosity of Spirit,Compasion and our Creativity are Keys to unlocking the Door of the Mystery Of Life...allowing us to enter and experience New and Wonderful Worlds.
Wow Ann, that is quite a story for your first festival! If it were me, I probably would not have had nearly the positive you have! You're probably right about your "non-booth" keeping people away. They probably just walked right on to the next booth. I'm sure as you go along you'll sort of get into a groove of what works for you. It probably takes a good 10 shows before you really start getting into the groove and comfortable. Back to the being friendly part of the post, I think its easier to be nicer to people than it is to sit there for 8-12 hours brooding or even just ignoring people. That just zaps me and makes me miserable. The day is a better day when you're happy, even if you have to force yourself to be happy. I'm glad you were able to find the positive side of the situation. Better luck with your next show (get some reeeeeeally good weights)!
I try and greet and be friendly to everyone - I enjoy it, they enjoy it and if they didn't buy anything, perhaps they will remember me down the line when they're looking for something or tell someone else about me. Word of mouth is the best sales builder!
I find my biggest hurdle to doing this though, particularly at a smaller, quieter show, is getting other stallholders who wish to come and chat to stop talking and leave when a customer enters my booth space so that I can switch my focus completely. They tend to hang around and continue talking even when I say excuse me and turn away, they stay and wait for the customer to leave! Whilst I like companionship from other stallholders, many don't realise that its not just a social event.
Thanks for the advice, Britt & Karole! My first show was the Ocean View Art Show (NOT Art and Crafts Show!), on the Chesapeake Bay in Norfolk VA. I thought this would be a good first show for me because it's local and somewhat laid-back. I had been a patron of the show and sorta new what to expect.
I had bought a new tent and various display racks. The night before the show, a big wind came up and demolished my tent, as well as several others (bent and broken poles, etc.... NOT salvagable). So I did the show out in the open, in between others' tents. I think this dissuaded visitors from my non-booth! Hardly anyone made eye contact with me, even if I spoke to them.
To speak to your view about compassion and relating kindly to everyone, whether a buyer or not, Britt, I had out cookies and water, and was encouraging even a homeless guy to help himself freely. Because I enjoy people, I enjoyed the show, even though my visitors were scarce.
(On the positive side, I counted 15 friends who visited the show simply because I asked them to. That show of support meant a lot to me! And I got to know several of the exhibitors around me, learned a lot and made some new friends.)
Ann
Good answer!! Yes, sometimes it can be tough to judge your audience. I usually make Eye contact first- I use that as my cue...often I can tell, in very little time, how to approach a person by how they react to my direct eye contact. Shy people tend to avoid a direct gaze- these people I greet with a quick smile, a quiet Hello, and an invitation to feel free to use the mirror for trying on something. More extroverted people will meet my gaze, nod or smile, and that is my cue to be my usual extroverted self, introduce myself, shake a hand( this is usually the men!), and offer to answer their questions, etc. It's a balancing act...but the good news, it will come with experience! A person's body language can give YOU lots of cue's on how to approach them.
Congrats on your first show Ann! Where was it?
I try to treat people how I like to be treated when I patron art shows. When someone comes in, I smile and either just say hi, or "let me know if you have any questions". I have textured acrylic paintings and people are always very curious about the process, so about half the time they ask questions, which then of course opens the door to talking to them a little bit more.
I know my clientele, so if someone looks like they might turn into a buyer and has been looking around but hasnt asked any questions, I let them know they can feel free to touch the artwork and check out the different textures.
I know there are people cringing right now that I DARE tell people they can TOUCH a painting! But they are acrylic and triple varnished. Unless someone stabs it, they wont hurt it. And if they are psycho enough to stab my paintings they would do that without my permission to touch. And I like my artwork to be interactive and fun even if it isnt normally something you would think of as interactive.
Anyway, that seems to really hook people and then they will start asking questions which then allows me to become more proactive in my selling.
So my suggestion is always be available and polite/nice, find your clientele, and find a way to draw those people in. Of course you'll have the surprise buyers, but knowing who you'll have the greatest odds to make a sale with is key. Otherwise you'll exhaust youself trying to get everyone to buy.
But be nice to everyone b/c that is just being a good person ;)
Great blog post, Britt! I think we should be kind to everyone because it's the right thing to do, not just to encourage sales ( as some who commented seem to indicate).
I read a blog post several weeks ago, in which the author complained about people who entered their booth, made conversation, and acted interested-- then left without purchasing. So, the next art show I attended as a patron, I avoided going into the booths (I just looked from a distance) so that no one would get their hopes up or be disappointed.
Then I remembered that as an actress, in order to keep myself motivated and positive, I focused on the statistic that says that on average, you go on 20 auditions before you get one part. So, if I got turned down for a part, that only meant that I was closer to the part I would get. So, maybe 20 people enter your booth and act really interested for every one that actually buys. So, you want people to enter your booth, whether they buy or not, because then the statistics are in your favor of eventually selling.
I have a slightly different problem, though. I am a new artist, and just finished my first show. I am naturally extroverted, but was afraid to talk with people who came by, because I was afraid that they would feel like I was "collaring" them and putting pressure on them to buy. I want to be nice just to be nice. I want to sell to those who want to buy. Britt, how do I do that without putting anyone on the spot?
Thanks Karole, I 110% agree with you!
Sorry about the double post...internet issues here!!
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