Summer Sales

By Shawna Kulpa

For some folks, summertime means lazy days at the beach. For many studio jewelers, however, it means long, hot weekends spent manning booths and selling their goods at summer art fairs. Show veterans recently shared advice on the Orchid forum (ganoksin.com/orchid) to help those new to the show circuit better plan for this summer pastime.

• With summer comes heat that can make even the busiest, most successful outdoor show feel unbearable. Beat the heat by bringing along an extra cooler filled with ice. “Whenever you or your feet get hot or tired, stick them in [the cooler] one at a time,” suggests Sessin Durgham of Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “Your feet are like a car radiator and will cool your engine right down.”

• If you’re not comfortable selling, bring along a friend who is. Not everyone is cut out to be in sales, and the problem can be compounded at an outdoor show if you’re alone. When Janet Kofoed of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, does street shows, she brings along her best friend, who loves selling. “I call her my secret weapon,” says Kofoed. “She can brag about how beautiful my work is and leave the explanations and technical questions to me.” Plus, it always helps to have another person to keep an eye on things.

• Don’t close the sale before it’s even begun. “If somebody compliments your work, never say thank you,” advises Karen Christians of Waltham, Massachusetts. “‘Thank you’ closes the deal and stops it cold, so the only time I say thank you is when I take their credit card.” In lieu of thank you, veteran sellers will often respond by commenting directly on the item being discussed, sometimes mentioning the inspiration for the piece.

• Don’t take it personally. Getting to interact one-on-one with customers can be great, but it can also be disheartening if they walk away without buying. Or worse, make disparaging remarks about your work. “When that customer (I get one at every show) says or mutters the thing that makes you grind your teeth, don’t let it get to you,” says Sam Kaffine of Sterling Bliss LLC. “Comments reflect on the person making them, not in any way on you. So just smile and think to yourself, ‘That’s okay, it wouldn’t have been right for you anyway.’”