Presenting Your Work to Retail Accounts

I have been developing new wholesale and consignment retail accounts for my work, and for the Artisans of the South Carolina Cotton Trail, a juried artists’ group I belong to.  Surprisingly, I have been having great success even in this tight economy.

Here are some of my tips and observations on what seems to be working, and what I see some folks doing that I think is not best business practice.

First, realize this IS business – you are a business person, the people you are dealing with are business people.  Even if you are a hobbyist, the minute you try to sell your work you have moved into the business realm.

Dress for success is real – and it matters.  Be clean, be neat, dress so that no one can possibly be offended by your attire – no t-shirts, no skin showing between top and bottom, no underwear showing anywhere, no tears or tatters.  You don’t have to wear a power suit, but you do need to present a clean, professional appearance.  You want them to instinctively treat you as a professionaly, and presenting the proper appearance helps subconsciuosly set the stage for that to happen.

Be prepared.  Do your research before ever officially contacting the gallery or shop.  What do they carry?  Will your work overlap work they already have, or fill a hole in their product line?  Are your prices in line with what they currently sell?  Is their clientele who you envision as your clientele?  If you are looking at consignment, check out their reputation with other artists – do they pay on time?  How easy are they to deal with?  Have they been in business long enough to have a track record?

Then, if you feel your work might be a good fit for them (remember, if they can’t sell it you don’t benefit either!), call or drop by to ask if they would like to set up an appointment to bring your work by for them to look at.  You can have a selection in your car in case they ask to see it right away, but that won’t happen often!  Business people are busy people, and they will want to schedule a time when they can sit down and look at your work without lots of distractions.  I find they often want me to come before they open, when they won’t be dividing their attention between my work and customers.

Once you have your appointment set, make sure you know how to get there if you did this by phone!  Print out a map, be sure to write their contact phone number and name on it, and leave extra time both to get lost and found, and for a pit stop before arriving.

Arrive on time!  Being a few minutes early is ok; being quite early is not.  Being late is not acceptable at all!  If you should run into an unexpected traffic jam, DO call while on the road to say you have had a problem and might be a bit late, and make sure that is ok – they may have other appointments after yours, and you may need to reschedule.

Have your work ready to view.  I have found that using the portable jewelry display trays works very well.  I bought a tray carrier on rolling wheels from Rio Grande, and load my trays in that.  I arrange the work on the trays by price or by stone, depending on what I think would work best for that store.  Then when I get there, and they indicate where they want me to show the work, I can start unloading trays.  The jewelry always moves in transit – not a problem.  Invariably, the store buyer/owner will reach out and start helping me straighten the work….and once they have touched it, they are well on the way to buying it!

Do mention if certain types of pieces are selling very well for you, or if there is a special holiday or event coming up you think certain pieces would sell well for.  I just took work to one of my wholesale accounts, and pointed out pearls for graduation – a very traditional graduation gift.

Have a form ready to fill out with the information on what they choose.  You need to keep track of which accounts took which work, to help you target what you show them the next time.  Plus, for consignment, you need your own record of what they have.  Good consignment galleries will have their own consignment forms, and will give you a copy.  Do NOT assume a gallery has this though – be prepared with your own form!

Wholesale accounts will probably pay you right then.  It is up to you if you are willing to give them terms, such as net 15, or whatever.

Be sure to leave a business card or contact information with them, so they can reach you when they want more jewelry.  I try to check back every 2-4 weeks, and ask how the work is moving, and if they want me to set a time to bring more by.  With my consignment galleries, I will check in once a month, and after 2-3 months if it hasn’t sold I suggest that I take it back and bring fresh work.

If customers come in while you are showing your work be ready to step back, and let the owner take the time they need with their customers; after all, it is their ability to sell that you are interested in!  You do not take priority; the customer is always the priority.

Be sure and thank them, whether they buy anything or not.  Leave on a positive note, so that you have the door open for future possibilities.

As I said, I am a member of a juried artists’ group, and I have found that this is opening doors I am not sure would be open if I were approaching them as an individual artist.  If you are not a member of such a group, you might contact your local or state arts commission about the possibility of starting one.  Any group is only as good as the effort its members put in, but when done right these can be a great support and wonderful marketing tool.

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bethwicker

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