What would happen if you sat on your butt and asked your girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse to bring you whatever you desired, while you flipped through the tv stations? I’m sure it would last a day and then you’d get silence when you rang your little bell. Yet on the other spectrum, if you rushed around doing for everyone without asking for help in return, what would happen? The people you’re working hard to help will settle into this treatment and you will not honor your own needs.
Well, business works the same way. Marketing is built around relationships; healthy relationships. Not only do you want to help others with an open heart but you must honor yourself and your needs. When you give selflessly without asking for anything in return; give, smile and let go, you will find that people will return the favor, happily. Please also know that you have to ASK to receive. As my ex-husband would say to me, “I can’t read your mind; you have to TELL me what you need.” The worst you’ll hear is “no” and then you can determine how you want to handle that particular relationship.
Selling is strengthened by building a relationship with stores. When you’re working with a retailer, especially a new one, it’s VERY important to keep the relationship going by GIVING! Tell them how you are going to help them. Let them know that you are their partner and that their success with your work is your success, as well. You may say, “Duh, Andrea” but there are a lot of artists who sell their work and disappear. They don’t keep in touch with their stores and offer their assistance in various ways. However, just like when you begin a dating relationship, you aren’t going to bombard them with communication – just “tap them on the shoulder” every once in a while. Keep in eye out for how much hand holding and communication they need and remember to honor your own time. If, after a time, you feel that the relationship isn’t working for you, you can walk away. There will be other sale venues that will better suit you. I promise.
Relationships are tricky but they work best when you go in with a very thoughtful, giving perspective while at the same time telling them your needs and knowing when to walk away if the relationship isn’t working for you.
How do you keep in contact with your retailers? What resources do you use to support them to sell your work more easily? Tips? Experiences? Leave them here!
You may also like:
Five Important Things to Know Before Doing a Store Show
Are You Selling To The Right People?
Who is Your Customer, Who Are You?
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Open Studio ~ Creative Mentoring!
This ties in fabulously with a lesson I learned this week. I was extremely excited to place my items in a certain shop. So excited that when I was asked to do a custom piece for one of the shop’s customers I agreed – even though it was not really my style of art. As it turns out, the scale of my piece was not acceptable to the customer. So I wasted time, money, and resources on a piece that was not of any use at the end of the day. Had I trusted my instincts and politely declined the custom work, I wouldn’t have put myself through the stress. Don’t, get me wrong. I think it is good practice to stretch your boundaries a bit and grow from it. But those first instincts are usually worth listening to.
Yikes, sorry about that. I’m not sure if the shop owner does other special orders with other vendors but she/he should have had requirements in place to protect both her vendor AND her customer. It doesn’t bode well for the retailer that one of her vendors wasted their time and money with no compensation. HOWEVER, the responsibility lies with the vendor/creative, ultimately, to honor themselves and set requirements for orders and special orders. If the client or retailer won’t comply with your terms and negotiations break down, well at least you know before you begin working and can decide how to handle that particular relationship. You don’t have to decline special orders. All you have to do is have guidelines in place and make the retailers aware of them so they can pass them along to their customers. Look at this experience this way too: Now you have a brand new piece to sell in one of your Holiday Shows or online!