[Jewelry making - Article 00413] - Re: [Orchid] First Art show experience

[Karen Trimble Shell]

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Hi group,

    With respect to recent posts about what people say at shows, how
    some folks keep saying the darnedest things, how uneducated we think
    they are, and the nerve of them to ask for a discount, here are my
    twenty cents worth....... I really think a lot of people just don't
    know how to start a dialogue with us. Think of what you say when you
    walk into a new shop, a booth at a show, a gallery opening, an
    artist's studio. Are we all so smart that we know how everything is
    made, how someone came up with a certain idea, what motivated a
    particular combination of colors or techniques? Do we all think
    before we open our mouths every time? I'd sure like to know the
    perfect opening line every time. I'm sure we have all felt irritated
    at what we think are silly if not stupid questions, but gosh isn't
    this a way to politely encourage a conversation with a potential
    buyer? Often I read articles how people feel the computer age has
    taken the "personal" out of commerce. Well, it's our duty to speak,
    inform, engage, react, educate and enjoy the trade. Please, why the
    defensiveness! And offensiveness. Do we want to sit idly by and have
    hundreds of silent people come into our stores, booths, co-ops and
    the like, or do we want customers and relationships! My favorite one
    of all times is a guy who came in my store and promptly told me that
    all his friends shopped here, therefore he deserves a discount. I
    kindly asked "well, what would make you happy"? I thought he's faint!
    He fumbled around for quite awhile and said gee five or ten percent
    would be great. I had to chuckle to myself cause I was thinking he's
    gonna ask for the moon! I replied ten percent it is! I learned a
    gigantic lesson from that encounter. We really ultimately have the
    control of our transactions. We can say no, I'm sorry I can't do
    that, or we can say yes, and be happy with the sale, bottom line. The
    interior design ladies who got into the show without the "right
    stuff"......... Do you want the sale, or is it a big can of worms?
    Only you can know, and only you can treat these gals like potential
    customers and speak to them like such, or decline the sale. Growing a
    business is more than making great jewelry, and there is no room for
    assumptions no matter how long you've been at it. I'm still learning
    in my thirty fifth year in business. I truly love reading all the
    posts every morning but today I felt like I had witnessed a little
    too much customer bashing. At the end of the day, we're ALL customers
    and wouldn't it be great if we all took the time to really talk to
    each other? 

Karen,
who does not mean this as a personal attack on anyone and
who is never at a loss for words......
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