I need to take time to read it soon........
As an Artist or Crafter, you will only get out what you put in. These days you even have to put in more to get out the same as yesteryear. So, if you want to make MORE money in this field, you need to increase the amount of WORK you do AND the QUALITY of it, anything else is fantasy. Smarts and planning will help, but hands down you will need to find a way to make MUCH MORE PRODUCT for MUCH LESS MONEY AND TIME and have it be of HIGHER QUALITY than before.
You will not get rich with a few dozen items on your single table at a show close to home. You won't either with a thousand less costly but nicer items in 2 booths, acting like a salesperson, at what you researched to be the best show in the state on that day, but you're bound to fare better.
Keys to Success: Preparation, Research, Learning, Planning, and Execution. ( and printing this...)
Think BIG! - You will unlikely see much more, let alone many times, your current yearly profit unless you do more, better shows AND sell more at each AND make more profit on each item AND sell more items per sale.
Start By:
1. Review your suppliers and sources. If you are buying thousands of dollars of anything, make sure you are getting the best possible price, find out what is necessary to qualify for discounts. Shop around with new suppliers, prices are never stable and there are almost always deals to be found or made.
2. Find a way to produce more for less cost to you in less time. Then, stock, carry, and DISPLAY more inventory.
3. Book larger, better shows, and ask more for your quality products at them. The top customers are still to be had and still travel in packs!
4. Create a Customer Base - Start a customer/mailing list! Send them announcements of shows you are doing near them and include a few repeat-customer specials with each mailing.
Tips for Crafters to Increase their Profits and Total Revenue:
Create a Customer Base - then repeatedly market and sell to it. Include a re-order form in every bag!
Start a Mailing List - collect names at shows and market to it! Send special offers, coupons, hot specials, upcoming show locations, etc.! Include a few repeat-customer specials, engendering customer loyalty!
Home Gift Parties - Customers throw home parties where you show your wares to their friends and the host gets a discount on your items based on total orders placed at the party.
Create a Distribution Chain!
Crafter / Artist Representatives - They are out there! They take on multiple artists as clients, then market your products to stores, large and small.
Craft malls, crafter collectives, galleries
Approach stores, gift shops, etc. and ask them to carry your local, hand-made product. - It may take time to find even one, but then you have more opportunities for sales even on weekends with no shows!
Trade table space with other Artists - if you make purses, match up with some purse accessories - straps, charms
Sales Force - Get helpers so you can do more shows or target more stores. If your time is best spent creating, you should pawn off some sales activities to those that are experts in sales.
Seek out wholesale opportunities
Place flyers about such in every sale bag
Actively contact and visit any possible gift shops, boutiques, etc.
Do Wholesale Shows, Crafter Clearance and Cash & Carry Markets
Offer drop shipping
QVC & Wholesale Buyers - if you can produce many identical es quickly and cheaply, ask for a sitting with any large store's buyer!
Web Store - create one today! 24/7 sales opportunities. Hassle-free order taking. Customer expected.
Seek Out Unique Selling Opportunities that Others are Passing Up!
Fund Raisers - Send letters to local organizations offering your goods for use in their fund raiser. Offer reduced price so they can mark up enough.
Local Business Professionals - as gifts to clients - local made crafts or art makes a great client gift and usually is cheaper than a fruit box!
Corporate Vendor Shows - some promoters arrange these, other large corporate buildings or hospitals will arrange themselves for a local crafter to set up in the lobby, hallway, etc. for a few hours during lunch. Etc. Call companies and ask if you can sell there! Often, there is no spot fee even, but you might be asked to reduce your prices slightly as a courtesy to the employees.
Coupons! - It's hard to pass up a discount! Give a coupon to each purchaser enabling them or anyone in their party they give it to to get some thing for 20% less, etc.
Offer to take special orders �€“ for an additional fee since it does take more time
Create an Online Store, it never closes & your repeats can always find it!
Contact local interior designers as a possible supplier of even custom pieces
Colleges / Universities �€“ Contact them. Most let vendors setup any in-school weekday near the cafeteria, bookstore, or common area
Offer wholesale to other vendors, stores, gift shops, boutiques, etc.
Offer wholesale hand-made components to other artists and crafters. Parts that most buy...
Booth Presence, Salesmanship Skills �€“ Turning a Looker into a Customer
Encourage and direct their envisioning the use of your product. Ask them where they would wear it, where they would place it, etc.
Get an item into their hand! Encourage touching - have items displayed in a pick-upable way and even directly hand items to customers if they ask anything about one, even only the price.
Ask for the sale �€“ Ask 'Would you like this in a box?'
Market the hand-made aspect of your product
Don't hover, or be perched too close to customers; add a barrier and distance between where you sit and where the customer walks. You should pop out into the booth if they do ask for help or if they appear to be of the friendly nature where it might even be expected by them. But remember, no customer will ever not come in your booth because you are not on top of them as soon as you see them; however, there are MANY customers will NOT even look at your booth or items as they pass if you are standing center booth, eying all passers and shoppers!
Do NOT ask if they need help!!!! Do NOT tell them to let you know if they do need help. They already understand this and most do not appreciate such remarks. If you must say something more than 'Hello!' like 'I have those colors in all sizes under the table, let me know if you like one'.
Learn to read body language and you WILL sell more of your work!!! - Only smile or say hello at the most until the customer says anything other than a hello greeting response!!!
Crossed Arms - they feel they need to protect themselves from you
Hands in Pockets or Behind Back - they do not want to be seen as potential buyer yet and do not need help as they are 'just browsing'
Eye Contact Avoidance - they do not want to acknowledge that you see them and now need to say hi
Smile - they only want to smile, not say hello or hear how you as the booth owner could help them
Torso facing direction - if they are pointing away from you as you talk, they signaling their intention to run at first opportunity
Shoulders Hunched, head Down - they want to keep to themselves
Disarm the husband - Often his pushing makes or takes the sale. He pushes her on with 'why don't you pick out something for...' or he pushes her on to further their booth march. Often occupying HIM with chit chat, questions, plain old BS, etc. will make the sale. He might simply not urge here to leave the booth by his non-attending to her, but there are many times that after the game of 'so where are you from', and others that he will not only approve of her pick-out but even suggests she buy MORE with a 'why don't you pick out a matching... too?'
Encourage touch and try on! - Feature SEVERAL prominent mirrors. Don't have items behind
glass! Too neat of a display and some folks will fear touching, slightly shopped is best!
Image, Appearance, and Branding.
Improve your display and thereby image. You should look presentable too. Appearance is the name of the game here folks.
Make Clear that your Items are Hand-Made by YOU ( IF they Are...) This MUST include a SIGN, a PHOTO ALBUM of your shop, and your VERBALLY STATING it to customers you do talk to as in 'we do make everything ourselves, so I can answer anything' . Everyone with such a sign and album has told me it DOES INCREASE SALES. It has also been said that product price tags that say 'HAND-MADE By ...' increase sales and even that folks will then later seek out your name if they see the tag - branding!.
Evaluate and Refine your Business
Determine Profitability of each Product: Profit = Number Sold x ( Price Per Unit - Supplies Cost & Time Cost Per Unit ) - Incidental Business Expenses
4 methods exist to maximize profit:
Sell More Units, Sell Same Units for a Higher Price, Produce Units at a Lower Cost, Reduce incidental business costs and Sell more Units without increasing them
Determine How much Profit you make on each Item Type per year
Drop your least profitable products
Duplicate and develop your most profitable products into More lines and types.
Make a High-end line of your most profitable products
Product Diversity, Quality, etc.
BE NECESSARY! - do you have 'functional', necessary items, that folks buy anyway? Repeatedly or even regularly?? Do you offer easy reorder, contact, and 'find us again at shows' methods?
Sell something Different or at least Better; stand out! State on a sign why yours is better. People love to be informed and have a better product that they understand and can relate the superiorities of.
Keep up with fads, and colors; also your own sales trends! Photograph old best seller designs
Adjust your product line and prices. Drop your least profitable items after calculating profit on each multiplied by the number sold per year, then diversify and improve upon the types of items you made the most on. Any items that sold faster than you could stock a few, should be raised in price!
A product for every price should be your goal. If you don't have an expensive item, you can't sell an expensive item.
Packaging - Offer some units in a new types of packaging and see how it affects sales! Folks love gift boxes, little jars, anything they think they can re-use.... especially for gift packaging/wrapping.
Improve your Product Line
LISTEN to your customer. What they say they would like, what they ask if you have, can do....
Ask for more Ideas if they start by offering one and they seem knowledgeable and grounded.
Carry Seasonal Items
Diversify and carry more of your top sellers
Make some practical items that customers need and buy anyway
Design Products TO Sell. Increase their Perceived Value. Market their benefits, not features.
Add Value
Watch and record color selections, styles, etc. Make more variations on those that SELL.
Keep consistent in style and colors so customers can collect and match.
Always offer FRESH designs!
Watch what sells. Watch what the competition is doing and what is working for them. Learn rom others. Talk to other vendors at shows.
Adjust your product line and prices. Drop your least profitable items after calculating profit on each multiplied by the number sold per year, then diversify and improve upon the types of items you made the most on. Any items that sold faster than you could stock a few, should be raised in price!
A product for every price should be your goal. If you don't have an expensive item, you can't sell an expensive item.
Do More, Better Shows - Show & Event Selection
Raise your show standards and drop the lowest quarter or so of your shows and try new ones.
Shows that cost more, if long running, often cost more for a reason.... Try a few 'better' shows.
Raise your show standards and drop the lowest quarter or so of your shows and try new ones each year.
Ask vendors where they do well and ask customers where they go that they think are great shows! Often customers will ask, 'do you do ...?' This is their telling you that '....' is possibly another great show in that area. Ask them more about it! Write the info about it down and then investigate further!
Ask More Questions of Promoters whose shows you are considering.
Make a Question Sheet and print it up to fill out while on the phone with each promoter asking for an application. You can save a whole wasted day at most bad shows by asking all promoters the critical questions.
What percent of vendors return each year and what % are first time exhibitors?
How many years has the show been running? Has attendance in recent years gone up, same, or down?
What was last years attendance, year before? Weather each?
What is your spot price & how much do average vendors make at your show in total sales?
Average product price at show. Door admission cost? Has it gone up in the last 3 years?
What % of exhibitors have more than one booth?
Do you allow non-hand made?
Do you and have you removed merchants with non-approved products?
Do you Jury? What is your process? What percent of Applicants are accepted?
Do you limit by category? How many categories do you recognize for that purpose. How many in my category? What other types of products in my category?
What is the avg vendor quality? Are you flea market, crafts, art and craft, fine art, etc.
What % of crafters are mom and pop operations and what % are full time professional crafters?
Advertising? How many newspapers? How far in advance? Street signs? $ spent on ads?
General Advice To Increase Sales
Quantity & prices Vs. show prices and your options
Consider that you might be ready for the next level of show where you may pay more for a booth, but where you will have many more people make purchases and where you can ask a higher price per work, and receive it with smiles!
Clearly post Prices; sometimes the same item with a higher price actually sell BETTER! Also, all shows are NOT the same, prices should not be either.
Charge tax as added, not included. Add tax onto even dollar priced items. $5 sells as well as $4.95. Since you must pay the sales tax anyway, you might as well not have it come out of your product price and your profit.
Make Larger Sales to each Customer
Offer multiple item discount specials. 3 for ...
Add TAGS to all items with you contact info. It may be gifted and you have more sales opportunities if the recipient know who made it.
Turn more Passer-bys and Lookers into Customers
Add Lead in items, Loss Leaders, etc. In stores these are the cheap ones in main walkways that get you into the isle of higher cost ones.
A Sandwich Board style price board has been said to improve sales.
Price tags should be one each item. Signs near groups of items.
A Workshop Photo Album and posted Sign stating you make everything improves sales.
Quickly get rid of lookers that want your attention but not your items. Spend time on others!
Make sales calls. Contact past large $ or custom order customers. Let them know of shows near them.
Improve your appearance and that of your booth and product packaging.
Accept Credit Cards and have a sign stating an at least $25 minimum charge.
Get out of your chair and re-arrange your booth from the customer side whenever no one is in booth. Make out to be a shopper yourself!!! People are MUCH more likely to look if others are looking (you) and there is no salesperson to watch them browse.
Display and Carry More Inventory
Get better racks that show more at once. Make them if necessary.
Take 2 spots instead of one. The extra room allows you to display much more and gives a larger distance between you and the customer so you are not looming over them as often happens in a single spot booth.
If you put out one of an item it will go unnoticed. You need a whole rack or booth of an item type before it often takes off.
Make Products Faster with Less Effort
Learn or Invent new Production Techniques
Make Jigs, Tools, Masks, Templates, etc. - Create your own tools, devices, jigs, clamps, patterns, templates, etc. to help you do your repetitive work faster and more accurately. Have someone help you construct it once you conceive of it, heck it might be sold online already as a tool of your trade!
Work in Assembly Line Fashion - Produce more efficiently - Reduce the time needed to produce a unit. Your production time is your most valuable! Make it more productive. If you make 10 items at once, but finish them in later stages differently as appropriate, your time for each will be much reduced that if you had only made one. As artists we must maintain uniqueness, but to compete with bulk crap from china, we must also ourselves produce in bulk - but with quality. There will always be a market for true one-of-a-kinds, but even then, other supplies and prep steps can be production lined so you do many items at each stage on many at a time rather that each item all the way through at a time. As craftsmen we have the obligation to be resourceful and fruitful, productive manufacturers of the goods we are experts at producing. From those that much is given, much is expected in return.
Subordinate idiot prep work, clean up, shopping, ordering, etc.
Keep up with industry techniques, tools, knowledge, alternate supplies, etc.
Buy the Right Tools.
Set Production Goals, then work to meet them
Find the bottle-necks in production and concentrate improvements there
Set a Work Rhythm. Then gradually increase it.
Make multiple items at once if normally one. Make 50 if normally 10.
Experiment with new production methods and designs. Tinker, Play, and have Fun! Consider that changing an existing design in some small way may not affect sales and might half your production time for it.
Lower Your Costs
Make components you currently buy already fabricated
Re-evaluate suppliers of most costly supplies. You might find a new better deal that saves you 75% of something that is 80% of your total cost if you order 2 months worth of raw material at once. Any money saved is FREE profit!
Sell or Re-use 'waste'.
Order More Supplies at Once. Large suppliers will save you multiple times off craft stores. Then Ordering thousands of dollars at once will often save up to 50% of even already wholesale supply costs. Review your suppliers and sources. If you are buying thousands of dollars of anything, make sure you are getting the largest volume discount available, find out what is necessary to qualify for more.
Shop around for new possible suppliers each year! Prices are never stable and there are almost always deals to find. Buy surplus, with friends in group-buys, only when on sale, off-season, in-person to reduce defective/damaged supplies that otherwise are a loss, etc. |
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