Marketing your Artwork
By Emory Mclaughlin
All rights reserved Copyright 2009
How you think about and describe your work will influence how others think about you and your work. Woodturning is a passion of mine. I love creating beautiful pieces of artwork. I am probably best known for the pens I make. When I describe them to people I call them either fine writing instruments or fine writing pens. I will talk about how they look and feel in your hand and how they glide across the paper. I never mention the word “kit” for the parts. I will talk about how I buy the components used to complete a pen. I describe my self as a pen maker and not a pen turner. Each describes what I do but the former sounds better then the later. For the most part we are trying to get people to spend money on something we have created. We need to get them to perceive value for the writing instrument they are looking at. If you can get it into their hand and have them try writing with it your chances of making a sale have vastly improved.
Explaining how I make these Fine Writing Instruments.
Make sure and explain how the pens are made. I will tell how I select the wood if I get it from a special source. My Koa Wood I get directly from a sawmill in Hawaii, My Camphor I get from a wood supplier directly here in Florida. My Florida supplier reclaims wood that would normally either get burned or made into mulch. I turn my pens on a Lathe using hand tools so each one is slightly different. Sanding is an 8-step process to go all the way through the different grits of sandpaper. Again this step is also done by hand. I make sure and talk about the beauty of the wood and how each piece is unique.
Giving the gift of art
When I give one of my pens to someone I make sure they know that I made this pen for them. The discussion goes something like I went out into the studio (not garage) the other day to make this pen for you. I thought you would like the grain or color of this wood. Your pen takes a (Brand) of refill as I am showing them how to change out the refill. Make sure and put a pen in their hand. Have some paper handy so they can try writing with their pen.
Selling yourself.
As an artist, people are curious about you as well. You are part of the product and part of the performance. Everything you create has a little of you in it, If you can get people interested in you and what you are doing you will make more sales. I tell people my story as we talk. I am a stay at home dad. I work in my studio a couple hours a day while my kids are playing. I teach nationally and have had several articles published. I have sold my work in 5 different countries and Texas. This is all true and I have the articles in a binder in case they are interested.
Conclusion
Getting a pen in the hands of a potential customer in important. Telling the story of how the pen was made and then how you got into pen making is important. Try to get them talking or thinking how the pen would feel or look in their hands is very important. You need to get them thinking about ownership. Don’t be afraid to ask for a sale. Thing like can I wrap that up for you or do you just want to carry it home. How did you want to pay for that. Cash, check or charge.
