Surtex is coming. This of course will come as news to you
only if you have been locked in a basement with no access to all the art
licensing hoopla that goes on out there. There is no end to the how-to’s, how I
did its and what you should be doings available for consumption. Some are
actually pretty good, some others, well, maybe doing one show is not enough to
forge an expert…
SO, given that, here are a few extra tidbits they may not
mention:
Don’t clutter up the booth with too many disparate or
confusing images. The purpose of the art on the wall is to STOP someone so that
you can engage them, not to educate them as they walk. You have about 5 seconds
to get their attention before they pass by - think about that when you choose
the wall art. The opposite – a super minimal booth – is also a mistake.
If you are new at licensing your focus at the show should
be building relationships, not selling art. (Unless you sell outright, but
that’s a different model). Ask your attendees lots of questions. You are
interested in learning all you can about what they do, for a couple of reasons.
People love to talk about themselves, and I mean that in a good way, so be
fascinated with what they do and how they do it. Then, and only then, can you
accurately gauge what work of yours may make sense for them. Until you know
them do not ask what they are looking for because they probably don’t
know. Your job is to discover enough information to tell them what they need to
see.
Lock eyes, SMILE and say Hello as people walk by. Write
that on your hand – it’s amazing how many exhibitors sit in the back of their
booth and scowl through the entire show. The attendees have a lot of booths to
choose from and you want them to find yours inviting. Have chairs out front and
keep them open for clients, which may mean shooing the friendly neighbors away
until they get the point. Stand up when you are not with clients – that’s the
show version of “leaning in”.
Always have your one-sheet available, that single sheet
with a few typical designs that tells who you are, what you do and lists your
contact info. Use good design sense when you lay it out (white space is your
friend) and remember you are not trying to sell with it, just making it easy
for them to see what you do and how to get a hold of you. Have them out within
easy reach for those people who do not want to stop and talk, and leave a few
on the counter whenever you are not in the booth, including after hours.
Manage your expectations. There are nearly 300 registered
exhibitors as of this week, and many of them represent more than one artist, some
more than a hundred. Sixteen long rows of booths filled with designs from a
couple of thousand artists, some with decades of experience displaying the best
licensing art in the world. Can you say “intimidating”? Bring your “A” game,
leave the rest at home. Show what you love and love what you’re showing because
you need to exude confidence while you meet, greet, ask questions and build
your contact list. Sales trainers talk about the 100-10-3-1 system, which
basically means for every 100 contacts you make, your art will be actively
reviewed by 10 of them, 3 will be interested and you’ll sign a contract with 1.
Which means you need to get in front of a lot of people to make things happen,
so don’t expect to be coming out of the show with a pile of contracts, that’s
not how it works. Forget that benchmark and work on building future business.
It takes time to penetrate the market. The common wisdom
is that you need to exhibit 2 or 3 times before you see any real results. Of course that translates into 2 or 3 years of significant
investment, but this is a get rich slow scheme, a one licensed product at a
time building process. Make that your goal and you will be a lot happier with
the outcome of the show.
Fantastically great info Jim! I noticed that you didn't post this on linkedin so I'm going to on several groups. This is a MUST read article especially for new exhibitors!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant and ever so true. Thanks so much, Jim, for getting this information out.
ReplyDeleteThe 100-10-3-1 rule hurts so much I had to laugh, but on the bright side, some of the 3's do amount to something over the following quarter or two, perhaps 1 or 2 of the 10's will license over the following year, and then - out of the blue - a year or more later you'll get contacted by one of the 90 you followed up with and thought were hopeless.
And I like to tell myself that it's cumulative, that some of those you met at the show, you will meet again. For many first-time exhibitors, the show is a beginning, a first meeting with people who may become good licensees and good friends. How we wish it would all happen faster and that the length of time, and the odds, between first meeting and first check in the mail would most often be a month and not a year or more.
More reason to exhibit now, to get those relationships started.
Great insights Jim, especially for newbies like me, exhibiting for the first time solo. It's all very interesting and challenging, I am looking forward to the show! Thanks for the great post :).
ReplyDeletealways a great read, Jim.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, great insights, very helpful.
ReplyDeleteThank You for sharing and pointing out that there may not be a lot of contracts signed, but there could be lots of relationships started. Last year was my first year to exhibit and I was so disappointed when I didn't get a contract, but I will be back this year, working on those relationships. So, I will see you there!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you say to artists visiting the Surtex for the first time ?
ReplyDelete