If first you don't succeed.....

My open house on Sunday was a success! I did not have as many people show up as I had hoped for, however everyone who did bought something so it turned into a profitable day. Yesterday, as I was reading some blogs of other artists and designers, I discovered some have not been as lucky with their Christmas craft shows and open house events, and I know how discouraging that can be. Lets face it, I am sure that every artist and crafter out there has had at least one "dud" show.....I know I have! It is so discouraging, when you put your heart and soul into something, all the anticipation and hard work and expense that goes into your craft and then no one buys your things! Sometimes you feel like giving up. The important thing is to NOT give up! Try to analyze why this event did not work for you this time, and turn it around for the next show. Here are some things you may want to look at, if you had an unsuccessful show:

1. Was it the right venue...did your product fit in well with the show, as far as price, and the type of customer that the event attracted? (Who is your target market?)
2.Is your product priced right? Now that doesn't mean priced too low...people will pay for quality work. Don't undercut your prices.
3. Are your designs fresh, unique, and up to date with the trends? If you sell jewelry, how do you set yourself apart from the other jewelry sellers?
4. Is your display table or booth interesting? Do you have your items displayed on different levels, a flat display is boring! Does your display compliment your merchandise? Do you have good lighting? You need to invest a substantial amount of time getting your display right!
5.How much advertising was done? Send out flyers in the mail or email, to all your clients, neighbours, friends and tell them when and where your show is.
6. If you are having a sale in your home, what can you do to bring people to your house? I offered a discount coupon to all my customers on my mailing list, and a free pair of earrings to the first 10 customers that came to my open house. It was a small cost to me, but really paid off when everyone who came out purchased.
7.Build towards the next sale by having a book for customers to leave their name and contact information, so that you can let them know when you have new items, sales, shows etc. Hand out your business cards.
8. Network with fellow artists, to find out about other local art shows , and which ones are worth getting involved in.
9.Keep smiling, and keep faith.and hope you have better luck next time...no one said this was easy!!! Pin It