Rule # 1: Know Your Customer: They Are A Person Too

As an emerging artist, one of the first lessons that my artist community buddies have impressed upon me is to get to know your customer. This includes way more than putting a name to a face. It means to really invest the time in order to know the person behind that "customers face". I'm not talking about just the person that is willing to hand you over their disposal $$$ for your art, but the nuances that make them an individual personality. I have to admit, this has not yet become my best strength.

I have always been blessed with the ability "to never meet a stranger". As a result, as a former middle school teacher, I always made it my goal to learn the names of each of my new 120 students within the first week of school. Most years I could celebrate about a 90% + success rate knowing either a first name, a last name, or an already assigned nickname. This came from a never ending barrage of asking their names over-and-over again, in every setting of the the school day. While this technique proved benificial to me in my former life, it has not translated as well to my art career.

In the art world I have to be more intentional about getting information about my customer in the "short windows" afforded me. In the beginning, my opportunities are brief; a 1-2 minute discussion as they enter my booth for the first time, a 5 minute continuation as they return to make a purchase, an encounter at the snack bar, or, if I'm really fortunate, a return to my next show. Each of these encounters are brief, so I must value them each as an opportunity.

I'm not afraid (or embarrased) to re-ask their names, as I did as a teacher, but I need to be equipped with questions that will enable me to obtain more information than a name. What do they do professionally? Where do they call home? How did they become interested in collecting your style of art? What are their spouse & family members names (if they are in the booth with them)? and etc. All such inquiries enable me to build repoire with my customer, letting them know that I value them as a person, rather than just a potential customer.

Find new ways to gather this type of information and use it to develop your customer base. Keep a notebook at shows and jot down information that you garner from these brief encounters, start a data base and update it with additional information as you obtain it, talk to other artists that may have relationship with your customer, and learn from other collectors that may know the customer (collectors typically travel in close circles with other collectors to the same shows).

In an artcle by Harvey MacKay, 66 Things You Should Know About Your Customer, MacKay discusses his business philosophy about the importance of knowing your consumer. He so feels the need to know his customers on a personal level, that he demands everyone on his sales staff to use the 66 Questions, as 66 Questions a prerequistite for gathering information before being assigned to a client. I know the amount of information may seem overwhelming, but, anything you learn about a customer will enable you to build your relationship. Knowing them as a person becomes more valuable, than knowing them as a customer.

Timing Is Everything

As I adjust to the preparations necessary to begin and maintain a blog, I ran across an article by author Jason Keith, that I found quite interesting. I think the information presented may be beneficial to others. The article looks at the share patterns & trends of a wide range of blogs and has determined the best times of the day to submit your posts. I am hopeful that whether you are new to the blog-game (like me) or a seasoned blogging vet, you might find this article informative & somehow useful to your efforts in finding, "feeding", and keeping your blogging audience.

Lessons Learned

One of the lessons I am learning as I try to better my craft as a contemporary folk artist, is that there is a never ending need to continue being educated. Not the type of "schoolin'" that puts you back into a formal classroom, but the type that comes from a run-in with "the-school-of-hard-knocks". No matter if you are the graduate of a noted fine arts college, or the self-taught artist who learned from watching grandpaw, it is always necessary to be on a never ending quest for new knowledge.

I have been astounded (and at times overwhelmed) by the amount of time and effort that must be invested into making art. There are many hats that must be worn. Each requiring skills that can only be learned by experiencing them; researcher, secretary, custodian, buyer, marketing director, advertising executive, salesman, writer, photographer, packer, unpacker, and merchandiser... just to name a few.

The only life experience I can compare the whirlwind I have encountered in the past 48 months, was when I stepped into my first classroom as a middle school teacher. All of the coursework that 4 + years of college taught me, in no way prepared me for what I would experience in that first year of teaching. I had no idea the many roles I would be expected to fill. Each day was different, bringing with it, it's own new challenges. Eventually, as I became more comfortable with all the hats I was being asked to wear, I grew as a teacher.

This same passion that I had as a young emerging teacher is the same passion that I must now rely on as an emerging folk artist. I must take the challenges that each day presents, and learn from them. In other words, I have to be willing to "take the next step".

Lesson learned: Nothing of value comes without a price.

I, Too, Could Have Used Some Elves 

I now know why Santa needs his elves. There comes a time when a fellow just can’t do anymore on his own. Well, I probably could have done more, but time management isn’t one of my greatest strengths. Trainer, the train from the Isle of the Misfit Toys … check. Identity Crisis, my reindeer wearing the green… I mean the blue… I meant the red nose, well not so much. And my sister-in-law's orange tabby cat … does it count if I got started before Christmas? If you haven’t already discovered, my 2012 has begun by trying to bring to a close 2011.

As this new year gets under way, I can only hope that it will bring as much excitement as did 2011. As I continue to grow as an artist, I have come to understand the importance of better learning my craft. This pursuit entails experimenting with new techniques, reading & researching, networking with other artists, and the endless task of discovering new ways to introduce my work to potential buyers.

I’m not a big believer in New Year’s resolutions, so I won’t bore you with a list of things I’m hoping to accomplish or avoid in 2012. I do, however, recognize the importance of being a better planner, finding ways to be more efficient with my time, and the need for setting achievable goals for myself as an artist. My desire is to take my current energy & passion and channel it in a productive way. Who knows, maybe if I remain focused this year, I really could look at acquiring an elf. Heaven knows I really could use that extra set of hands around the studio!

Miss Tina is wowing us with her technical expertise. She is showing us how to create a blog. Isn't she doing a wonderful job???

Hello from Richmond