No matter where you live, no matter what you make, somewhere, SOMEWHERE in your community is an opportunity to sell your work.
I might not have been able to make that statement even five years ago, because though the internet was a big place then, not everyone had computer access. Today, the internet is an even bigger place, and computers are almost as commonplace as TVs. In some communities, computers OUTNUMBER TVs.
So we have venues such as selling to friends and family, selling to your co-workers, selling to other people's co-workers; selling at local craft fair (from the modest church bazaars to the finest established juried craft fairs); selling from your home such as an open house or open studio; selling to local stores, selling at home parties, selling at regional or national craft shows, selling at wholesale shows. And now we add the internet and all its venues--auction sites such as Ebay, Etsy, on-line stores, on-line wholesale markets like Wholesalecrafts.com, etc.
Not all of these opportunities will work for you. But every time you attempt to sell your work, whether you succeed or fail, you will learn something new--about your product, about your potential customers, and about yourself.
Some of the lessons learned will be helpful. You will learn what your strongest designs are. You will learn what else is out there, and how your work measures up.
Some will be hard to interpret--for example, some people will not buy your work if it is too expensive, and some people will not buy it if it is too cheap.
And you will learn what it is you have to learn next. I learned quickly I am not a natural-born salesperson.
Now I will let you in on a little secret:
Most people AREN'T "natural-born salespeople".
In fact, I bet many craftspeople and artists who are successful selling their work will tell you they had to work just as hard to perfect their marketing and selling skills as they did their craft skills, if not harder.
Salesmanship is a skill just like playing the piano. No one is born knowing how to play the piano. (No, not even Mozart. He was really GOOD at it, but his father taught him.) You can learn how to sell, too. It may come easily to you or it may take a little more practice and determination. But you CAN learn this skill.
And you must.
I urge you to learn how to sell your work, no matter where, when or how you plan to sell it. Because it will all start out by selling your work to SOMEBODY--whether it's online, to a store, at a home party or at a show. SOMEBODY has to be sold on your work even before they sell it FOR you, whether you sell wholesale to a store, through a sales rep or to a mail order catalog company.
An excellent way to improve your selling skills is to note what happens when someone successfully sells YOU something. The next time you are interacting with a salesperson, whether it's in a shoe store, a restaurant, a craft fair or even buying over the phone, pay attention to the dynamics.
Note when you are engaged in the process, and why. Note when you are turned off to the process--and why.
Let's take telemarketers. Why do we hate them so much?
Because they are trying to engage us when we are not ready to listen. They invade our space, interupt what we are doing, and not listening to US when we say we are not interested.
Their mission is to convince us there is a need they can fill when we have not given them permission to do so.
On the other hand, think about the last time a salesperson got you really excited about some item you were looking at. You may find it's because they made themselves available to you, but left you to shop til you needed them. They listen to your needs or questions, and respond thoughtfully. They connect with you. They care whether you are happy with your purchase, and they reassure you if you have any concerns.
Part of this is personality, to be sure, but a lot of it is understanding the dynamics of the sales process. And Bruce Baker understands the sales process like nobody's business.
Check out Bruce's website at http://www.bbakerinc.com/ for his CD on selling. For under $15 you can gain an excellent education that will dramatically improve your selling skills. If you ever have a chance to attend one of his seminars, get thee hence. Not only is Bruce an engaging and entertaining speaker, he gives sound advice on selling and offers concrete examples of his methods. I go hear Bruce every chance I get, because I always learn something new. And I listen to his CDs before every show, to brush up on my skills and fine-tune my presentation.
Over the next few days, we'll look at other things you'll learn through selling your work. And I'll take a sample product and walk you through brainstorming potential venues for selling it. I can share tips to help you get through the scariest selling experience of all--walking into a store with your precious work and hoping the owner will be willing to sell it for you.
But if fear of selling your work is holding you back, rest assured that the most important thing you will learn is not to be so afraid anymore.
