Part 2 Selling Wholesale
to Galleries, Gift Shops and other Retail Locations
It’s a real compliment
to any artist when a buyer recognizes your hard work, professionalism and
creative flare and shows interest in selling your unique creations in their
retail store or on their website. But to be successful, you have to be prepared
to sell your hand-crafted wares at wholesale prices. Due to the increasing cost
of buying and getting materials, plus the time consuming task of producing hand-made
goods, making money while selling wholesale is challenging at best. But, if
you’re a savvy business minded artist, you can do it.
Selling wholesale has its advantages.
1 Create a buzz. The absolute best endorsement any
artistic career can hope for is a third party recommendation. You can go on
about your awards all day long, but you’ll never really be taken seriously as
an artist. Now in contrast, have someone else say you’re a great up-and-coming
star and suddenly everyone is attracted to your work. People start to pay
attention; they take notice and show more interest in your artwork. When a gallery
owner dedicates valuable shelf space (or wall space) to display your work they’re
telling their customers, loud and clear, that they believe in you. They admire
your talent and would be honored to have your work in their own personal
collection. It’s a huge complement; you can’t buy that kind of advertising.
2 Cash flow. Galleries and gift shops buy in multiples,
often purchasing items by the dozen, which increases your sales. They also tend
to carry a variety of different pieces from the same artist. They group the
items together in their store to make a greater visual impact that’ll entice
their customers to buy. Once a gallery commits to carrying an artist’s series they
stick with it. (Provided you deliver what was promised on time and on budget,
of course.) And therefore, you can expect repeat orders on a regular basis.
And, when you come out with something new, it’s likely they’ll want to
inventory that as well. Once you establish a relationship with a gallery or
gift store buyer, you can count on more consistent cash flow. You can take that
to the bank.
3 Work in series. A series is a group of companion pieces
that share a similar theme. A good series has items that are sold at several
different price points. The larger items draw attention to the series, while
the smaller items make up the bulk of the sales. The advantages to working in in
series are numerous. The most obvious, it simplifies production and therefor
reduces the cost of making your handmade products. For the buyer, it
streamlines ordering and simplifies merchandising efforts. For the customer, it
builds trust in the artist by showing confidence in your own unique style, long
term commitment to the craft and consistency when it comes to construction.
4 Point of sale charm. You’ve heard the phrase, the whole package. I refer to it here as
the extra steps you take to make your artwork retail ready so it stands out
from the rest of the clutter. Point of
sale refers to prominent places in a retail space where high volume items
are displayed such as the end caps of isles, or on/near the sales counter. These
products are merchandised/marketed to make them hard to resist. The goal it to increase
spontaneous sales. These products are presented in such a way that they look
complete: ready to use, ready to display, or ready to give as a gift. There are
several inexpensive ways to boost the salability and also increase the
perceived value of your work. (See my last post for more info on perceived
value.)
Add packaging.
A ribbon tied cellophane bag is great way to add charm to bottle stoppers or
ornaments. A box makes a candle or small dish more appealing. Include a romance
card. This is the Hallmark card version of an artist bio. It’s a romanticized
description of the artist and artistic process and possibly the artist’s creative
vision. It should be disgustingly mushy. It gives the potential buyer insight
into the charmed life we artists live. If you’re not good at BS-ing, trade a
piece of art with someone who is. C’mon we all know a person who can really,
really fluff things. Maybe they write real-estate descriptions. You know, they
write cozy, fixer upper when what
they really mean is rundown, money-pit.
Years ago, I
overheard a friend talking about an artist. I thought wow, that sounds like a
really accomplished artist. I was impressed. Then the friend pointed to me! Yikes!
I looked behind me to see who she was talking about. No one was there. To this
day, I don’t think I live up to her exuberant description of me, but I keep
trying.
She wrote my
first bio over 25 years ago and I continue to use her opening paragraph today.
My Bio Opening
Lisa Vogt is an award winning artist.
She became interested in glass while pursuing an education in fine art. For
Lisa, working in glass allows her to draw upon her fine arts background and own
sense of style, drama and whimsy. She combines a historic medium with innovative
glass
techniques, for limitless design possibilities.
Here's my Romance
Card, also written by a friend
Lisa
Vogt
Lisa Vogt finds peace in the quiet moments she enjoys surrounded by the
beauty of nature. Located in a pastoral setting in sunny Florida, her
private studio is nestled beneath century old Live Oak trees. While
tending to the fourteen kilns of her studio, Lisa is often interrupted by
the sight of spotted fawns drinking from the bird bath in her garden or the
sounds of wild turkey preening through the palmettos. Themes of nature and
her personal interests of gardening and cooking are often woven into the fabric
of her work. For more than 25 years, Lisa has been expanding her body of
work in glass art.
Her
home and studio are located north of Tampa Bay in Wesley Chapel, Florida, where
she resides with her husband and daughter.
www.LisaVogt.net
Can’t you just
see me skipping around my studio in a hoop skirt singing, Over the Rainbow?
5 Pricing. The reality is, when buyers bring your
work into their gallery or shop they’re advertising you. They dedicate valuable retail and website space to display
your hand-crafted wares. They handle and inventory your babies like any other
product. And so, they have to make money on the sale of every item, including
your pride and joy. When pricing your work, keep in mind the wholesale price
will be more than doubled to cover the replacement cost, shipping, handling, marketing
and overhead (rent, payroll, utilities… the cost of doing business).
A $3.00 or $4.00
item may retail for $9.95. An $11.00-dollar item may retail for $24.95. A
$16.00-dolalr item may retail for $36.00. A $500.00 item may retail for
$1,200.00.
Don’t be
discouraged by small ticket items; they add up. A $3.00-dollar item will be
sold by the dozen making the sale $36.00. And it’s unlikely the buyer would
bring in a single item. They either like your stuff or they don’t. It’s likely
they will order 4 dozen, $3.00 items boosting the sale to $144.00. Do that with
several galleries and you’re in the money.
Unlike retail
customers, wholesale buyers aren’t moved to purchase by a popular price point.
Instead, their focus is on the wholesale prices as it compares to the perceived
value of the artwork. Can they reasonably, more than double their money, and
make sales? It’s your job as the supplier, to make sure they can!
You are business partners, give them the
tools to SELL!
You’ll do well
to consider the gallery or gift
store your business partner. Make every effort to give them the tools to sell
your art. Voluntarily supply an artist bio, high quality images of your
artwork, care / cleaning instructions for your work, display guidelines if
applicable, assembly instructions if appropriate etc. Offer whatever you can
think of to set yourself apart from all of the other outstanding artists they
represent. If you’re an easy to work with professional, they’re more likely to favor
your pieces next time they have shelves to fill.
Good luck!
Lisa
New Webinar!
Creative Slumping with Lisa Vogt
Next week! August 30, 2016, September 1,
2016
Join me for
this new webinar and learn how thinking outside-the-box and using readymade
molds in new ways, offers numerous and exciting opportunities to produce unique
forms.
Register here
NOW Registering!
Hands-on, 4-Day, Glass Fusing Workshop
Advanced
Glass Fusing with Lisa Vogt
October
18-21, 2016
Personalized Instruction, 4-Day,
Hands-on Workshop
Lisa’s Private Studio, Wesley Chapel, FL
Seats
are limited. Register today.
This
is my last hands-on workshop for 2016!
Check out the video here
