There's a lot of chatter on-line about the new ACRE-Las Vegas show May 2 through May 4. Wholesalecrafts.com, the show organizer, has dedicated a discussion forum specifically for the show, and it's buzzin', people.
For many of the exhibitors, this will be their very first wholesale show. I remember how overwhelming my first wholesale show was, and I sympathize.
That feeling--being in overdrive to get your booth, display, signage and product ready for the show--never really goes away, though. We constantly tweak and finesse and improve and edit, striving to present a picture of perfect professionalism for our buyers.
What I'd like to remind you of today is, the process is a two-way street.
We're trying to look competent, reliable and like we know what we're doing. Be sure to vet your BUYERS for the same.
There are all kinds of "buyers" at a wholesale show.
Some have well-established businesses. They know what they want and they know what they need. Some are looking for new artists. Some are looking for new work from old artists ("old" as in relationship-wise, not age-wise.)
Some have been open awhile, but their store is changing. The predicted clientele is actually very different in their buying habits. The owners are learning what sells and what doesn't, and often that doesn't exactly correspond to what they LIKE and DON'T like.
Some buyers haven't opened their stores yet. This is their first-ever buying trip, and boy are they excited! They're like kids in a candy store with a store budget.
Some buyers don't even have stores. This is not necessarily bad. They may be buyers for a catalog company. Or an on-line e-store. Or they do corporate gifts and incentives.
Some aren't even real buyers. Or they are art consultants/agents. Or they are interior decorators, looking for artists they can work with for future projects. They may be editors of magazines, or free-lance writers looking for a story. They could be personal shoppers who snuck into the show on a friend's store credentials.
Some of them are sellers. They are with other shows hoping to get you intereted in THEIR show. Or they sell displays, or fixtures, or jewelry supplies.
Many shows require different kinds of attendees to wear different kinds or colors of badges. But even then, it can be confusing to sort out who's who, who's worth your time and who isn't.
How do you find out?
Ask questions.
Ask LOTS of questions.
In the end, the answers you gather will not only help you find out who your real buyers are, it will help you prioritize your follow-up. This is important because often as many sales are made AFTER the show as AT the show itself.
Knowing who your buyers are, what they're looking for, why they are attracted to your work, understanding their needs and their timetable, can increase your chances of nailing that final sale.
In fact, you can spend almost as much time asking your buyers about their venues, as they talk about your work.
Here are some tips to help you gather as much information as you can in those precious few moments with buyers.
1) Ask them what brought them into your booth. Did the work excite them because it's similar to what they carry? Or different? And are they looking for "similar" or "different"?
2) Ask them if the price points work for them. If the LOVE the work, but can't afford to carry it, then you're wasting your time and theirs. It's not a deal breaker, it's just a heart-breaker to spend 20 minutes with a buyer only to have them sigh and say, "Well, it's just beautiful but your least expensive piece retails at $100 and our highest price point is $50. Good luck at the show!"
If they even THINK they could work with your prices, green light!
3) Ask them about their location, the size and layout of the store, their clientele. If they have very little wall space, your big wall pieces won't be able to fit in their store.
4) Ask them about their schedule. Stores in tourist areas have distinct busy times and slow times. Stores in urban mall areas might have pretty steady traffic, booming at holidays. Some stores even close during very slow seasons--think ocean towns in the winter on the east coast. They're lucky if McDonald's stays open.
5) Ask them what they're looking for at the show. They may be opening a jewelry section in the store. They might be looking for men's gifts, or stuff for teens. Or adding a line of children's clothing. Or incorporating a lighting showroom, and now they need nightlights, switchplates, etc. Oooh! Good time to plug your line of children's accessories, your men's gifts, your cool teen jewelry!
6) Note their level of interest. If they seem reserved or doubtful about your work, put that in your notes. If they are wildly excited, note that. Reserve means you're going to have to work harder to get your foot in the door (if you decide to go that route.) Excitement means they may be willing to try something innovative or unusual in order to get your work to fit in.
7) Find out how they'd like you to follow up. If by e-mail, snail mail, phone call, etc. What other materials would they like to see? Who is the person you should talk to? Put this in your notes, too.
Oh, and find out WHEN they want you to follow up, too. In a month? In the fall? Next year???
8) If you find out, with all these questions, that the person actually doesn't have a store, that they're thinking about starting an on-line gallery because "they don't cost so much" and they've never actually run a business before, and they're going to feature their sister's originally hand-crocheted baby blankets, that still may not be a deal-breaker.
But you will walk away from that encounter with a very good idea of what the potential is for that buyer, and it will give you time to think about whether or not you want to invest any more energy into that lead.
