Dino P Delellis Travel

There is no proper business without the proper trading and the proper people to market it to. Oftentimes, great ideas are thrown in to the slump because of failed marketing and for other reasons as well. It is not sometimes with the proprietor or the entrepreneur but also with the market itself. Why, is there something wrong with the market?

Of course, half of the business depends upon the customer. Upon the market itself. It sometimes is not in your power to manipulate the market, but you sure can manipulate your business to fit your market.

The most common fault most businesses experience is that they do not determine the market type that they are in right now. Often, it’s a dive to the unknown, with you not knowing what you’re position in the market is. You need determination of self, determination of others and determination of what the current market situation is.

Market situation being the current condition and situation of the customers. This includes certain demands, dislikes, wants and needs of the customers. It is your company, your job, to fulfill those demands and needs. Certainly, include wants in there too. Because you have to set it into the folks out there that they need you, not the other way around.

Check the age group, the demography, everything that can influence the buyer’s taste and judgments. Certainly a teen customer would generally be more liberated in spending rather than a tight-middle-aged earner, right? Work this knowledge to your advantage.

Now here comes the nitty gritty, the actual math. Numbers do not lie, as far as most of us are concerned. So if you want to justify the price that you have in mind, you have to have the numbers and the figures to back your claim and reasoning up.

Ask yourself first, as a customer, how much are you willing to buy your own stuff. This might be an easy question, but you’ll falter when you realize that, in 9 out of 10 cases, you wouldn’t even buy your own product. Why is that? Because you focus on the fact that you see the product as something of your own craft and effort. This usually leads to lack of judgment, insertion of bias and other things.

Anyway, first things first. How much are you willing to sell it? Which, if we reconstruct, how much are you willing to let go? Author here suggests that you go as low as possible, from any choices your mind might think of. This includes the base cost for the materials you used and for how long you worked on it. Only then can you entertain thoughts of placing in additional costs like labor, transports and tax.

When you get the overall sum of everything, find the cost and divide it according to the numbers produced. What you have then, is the base price for your products. The next bit is paying yourself for the labor. Assuming, you employ yourself to make your product. By default, it’s not free. In business, nothing is truly free. Remember that. Stack what you will pay yourself with into the product’s base price.

Take on a customer’s point of view and see if you would buy your own product. If not, the courses of action you will have to take will either have to be to raise the quality and utility of your craft, or to lower the price itself.

Remember, there will be a whole lot of people there aside from you who will be vying for your customer as well, so be on your toes and keep yourself alert and in tip top shape. Keep in mind that all your fellow artists sans competitors will have products equaling or even exceeding the workmanship of your own. Think of ways for your own product to stand out, and by that I don’t mean making your table as gaudy and brash as possible. Advertise, but do it subtly, and do it with consideration. It is also considered rudeness to muscle in on your fellow artist’s space.

Personal appearance. Pay attention to what you wear. It will be the first thing your customer will see on you, hence almost all first impressions usually come from what you are wearing for the occasion. A power suit, for example, would exhibit class and finesse, and oftentimes it would also denote elite-ness and a very expensive atmosphere. A casual jogging outfit, would denote the idea of fitness, and would easily suit a more fitness-themed routine.

The important thing is to dress neatly, appropriately and properly at all times. People come and go, and you have but little time to draw their attention towards you. And by drawing their attention, I mean that in a positive way.

Don’t humiliate yourself of course, other than it would cause them to laugh at you, it would also demean yourself and make you lose more customers (especially those that were planning to take a look at your craft but decided against it because of your little shenanigans).

Sample sizes. Lay out your craft in small, easy to handle and easy to see samples. You don’t have to display the actual things you are going to sell, but just display samples that portray similar quality to your actual product.

It is also helpful if you would sign up for the gallery and the shows mailing lists (a simple drop off of form with your email address and physical address would suffice). These invites would sometimes allow access to private openings, special events and gallery premieres. Gallery mailing lists usually send you special information regarding new shows as well, so it’s not a loss at all for you to sign up to one.

Your local museums, galleries and art centers usually have some sort of club or society within. Inquire inside and meet some of the local enthusiasts in your area. Their expertise and knowledge would greatly help you in sorting out your taste, as well as good company at the night of art gallery openings. These institutions also have their own events that they hold (usually an afternoon lecture of that sort) so if you are the artsy type, you’re sure to not want to miss it!

We also have various national and international art fairs aside from the state levels. These are the big guns, so to speak. Here we see an exhibition like no other, and an audience that is ten times more critical than ever. Here’s your chance to witness the suburban art jungle in action. Observe and witness the splendor of art and action, all in one place.

By and far, if you have frequented a lot of art shows by now, you would be naturally curious and would want to know more about the world of art and art shows. If you don’t want to look clueless in front of your peers in the art show; then be wise and start reading up those infos regarding art and history. There are also a few magazines that you can subscribe to, especially those regarding about art in itself.

Another situation that usually puts a client off (and usually shunning that artist possibly for the rest of their lives) is the ‘high’ sense. Y’know, the I-think-too-high-for-you-to-comprehend. And this side also uses a heavy amount of jargon, with using usually 60 words per sentence when you can just say something like ‘I would like to express my thoughts of a different kind of beauty.’ Simple, and yet colloquially deep, isn’t it?

Because honestly, the situation with number 2 is that customer just nods unsurely, stares at the other works (although more intimidated to ask now) and just politely leaves for another exhibit. You give off the aura that you don’t like them there, if you don’t explain your thoughts clearly. Sure, it sounds nice for your ego, but its money that goes down the drain. And ego doesn’t feed your stomach. Money does. So at the very least, swallow your ego a bit and let the good salesman within you get through.

Treat the customer as a customer, not as an art critic. Sure, it’s usually the collectors that buy the paintings and sculptures; but it’s about 70% of them who buy paintings and sculptures just for the heck of being rich and they just want to put nice things in their houses. Not everyone is well versed in art, and so, keeping them interested means actually letting them relate to your work. If you can’t do that, say goodbye to another sale down the drain. Art is good. It’s beautiful, it is the reason why people buy it. But most don’t want to look too much into art. If you are explaining your pieces, give it the tone of being casual. Like, “hey, this one I made to show people a different side of what reality is like for me.” See, it arouses the curiosity of the general public. You want people to see what you see, and people are mostly interested in viewing things through other people’s eyes; how they see the world, what they are thinking, what is deep inside their thoughts.

In a blatant form, I’d say that art is having people pay to see what you have inside your head. So if you want people to be interested, keep things interesting inside as well. But do well with advertisements, because there is no point to good art, if people do not know about it.

It takes more than mental preparation to stay up and handle a booth in a craft fair. There’s more to it than just guarding the booth all day or looking bored about it. As much as possible, first and foremost, the one who should be guarding the booth is the owner himself. This is most recommended when you are a starter at the field of craft fairs. There’s a reason why, and it will be explained later.

Firstly, if this is your first time, it is rather unwise to try and hand your position out to other people when handling a booth in the craft fair. As the owner, it is your responsibility to carry your booth. Just think of the impression people would have when they know that you, as the proprietor, is not available at the site. As the owner, it is your responsibility to promote your products and your booth.

Primp your booth up appropriately and with simple effects. Avoid being an attention grabber too much, especially if you are not sure of what you’re doing (being a newb if you are one). Observe and learn from other people in the fair as well, especially those that seem to have years of experience behind them. Talk and converse, share ideas and learn from the over all experience.

Have at least someone to watch out for you too. You will have to eat and do your “businesses” sometime during the day, so have someone you trust (be it a family member or a relative) to go and stand post in your booth or table while you do your thing. Have that person also be very familiar with your product or craft in case someone comes along and asks about it while you were away.

Handling a booth will be a very different experience each time, but with each experience, you will find that the job will only get easier and easier. Take notice and you won’t have to have a hard time during the craft fair.

How often do you want attend craft shows? This is the first question that you’ll ask yourself if you want to determine the amount of time that you will spend preparing for it. Some are okay with joining craft shows once in a while, making it a good source of additional income. Others will go all the way and go to every craft show that they could get to. To them, crafts are their livelihood all throughout. Nothing is wrong with either approach.

Here in this article, I will talk about the common problems that you’ll have to think about when attending craft shows as a constant business. There are many things to keep in mind, and many of these will only occur to you if you’ve already had experience in the road. Nevertheless, I will try to impart some of what I’ve learned to you.

First of all, get rid of the belief that you’ll be able to attend a craft show every weekend. There may be a lot of shows in the country over the year, but don’t lead yourself to believe that all of them are worth getting to. Some are just not very nice, and you will only end up losing money if you join them. So choose which craft show you’ll attend wisely.

And then, check if you can really afford doing this as a full-time business. It will only take you a couple of shows to realize that income can get really inconsistent. Besides that, you usually only spend a day or two selling. These are other time constraints to consider. You don’t get paid extra by working on your crafts now, do you?

Always remember to check your crafts stock. If you are capable of filling up your stocks consistently, then you can go to more craft shows. But whatever the case m,ay be; I am yet to see anyone pull off a consistent weekly show. (unless they knew that’s what they were signing up for from the start and have prepared their stocks accordingly) My recommendation is to avoid forcing these things.

As said, respect and service do actually raise the overall value of your goods by a good margin. If there is something that you should remember, is that it is important to interact with your customer with as much enthusiasm with your subject as possible. Being that you are the proprietor and owner of your table or booth, you should be the one who exhibits the most excitement for your product. It’s like giving away your puppies to people whom you know will take care of them well enough.

Make the customer feel important. Prioritize them. Let them know that you, in the least, care about their welfare. If in any case, put their feelings and personalities above yours. The kooky part is that. We, not only have to be sellers, but we also have to function as ego boosters. Let them feel loved, wanted, and important. They will reciprocate and you will get yourself a valued client.

Of course, there is a difference between plain flattery and rotund comments. Sure, you need to be the ego booster, but have the rep to back that up. There’s no point for you to kiss up to the costumer if you are just a fibber, a tall-tale teller, someone who’s not at all that reliable. Reputation can also make or break your career here. Your client’s loyalty, your referrals, the way other customers (specifically the prospecting ones anyway).

Look out for what you wear, because it can also command the aura that you are depicting. If you would compare either a sandal-wearing guy, with sweaty arms and a greased undershirt versus a somewhat-casual guy, with a clean shave and a warm smile, you’ll have an idea who’s going to win in the customer wars.

Every little bit makes as to who you are in the eyes of the customer. It’s not a necessity that you have to wear a suit and tie, but being clean also helps with your reputation.

Nisei, in Nihonggo, means ’second generation’ (’ni’ meaning two, and ’sei’ probably meaning generation). This month-long festival is held usually in August, with the main attractions heralding the first two weekends of the fest. Nisei Week draws the attention and the support of both Japanese and non-Japanese festival goers, due to its grand floats and parades, and the month long activities that soon follow. This 2009, the festival will be celebrating its 69th year.

The festival grounds of the Nisei festival is tremendous. Following the original structure of the Japanese matsuri (or festival), the streets are lined with booths that are filled with food, games, prizes and others. There was once a free-admission carnival and art show, but they were removed, and/or changed. Up 2006, an eating contest consisting of Japanese pot stickers or “gyoza” was added. The attraction was tremendous. Contestants each ate as much as nearing 200 or so.

The Tofu festival of Los Angeles was added. The festival was once a self-standing fest of sorts, but after the greater success of the tofu festival (beer was a factor that helped); it was now a festival that was held after the Nisei month.

They also have the Nikkei games, an open competition for everyone with running, martial arts and exhibitions. The Little Tokyo Anime Festival, another crowd bringer that spawns a massive amount of audience, most usually fans of Japanese animation (Girugamesh, anyone?). Cosplays and booths were comics are sold are usually rampant.

Ondo dancing, were people dance to the tune of a singer (sometimes lyrics being read off a magazine!) happen too. The choreographer has the dancers carry chochin lanterns as they will the night away, dancing in the streets. The audience can dance too, with little supervision as the dance is often times just easy to follow and easy for the bones. (Really!)

Earlier on, we tackled about preparing for a summer festival that is off your locality, one that usually involves a road trip with the family. And these types of trips are the harder ones to pull off, especially if you’re with kids that really are not that good in keeping their tempers in line.

In any case, pacifying them is your best bet. Those little hand held games that they’ve been hankering about ever since Christmas? They’re a good bet in keeping them distracted in the back of your car seat. A pretty much fly investment, in my honest opinion. Because I mean, seriously, not only do those miraculous things keep them quiet, they pretty much keep them occupied until you arrive in the site. Just make a joke that snatchers are out to get their little gadgets if they continue playing while walking, and those things will disappear back into their pockets before a wag of a sheep’s tail.

Fashion accessories also make for a good back up plan. Bandanas, the wide kind, not only do a good job in keeping the sun out of your neck, but when you need to sit in a grassy field, you could remove them, unfold, and voila! Instant grass-seat cover!

Of course, if you need them back just simply fold and tuck in your back pocket (for an easy-no fuss tail light accessory). Caps and shades are also good things to carry in your pocket when facing the harsh sun. Protect your eyes from UV rays, as those nasty things can cause you temporary blindness (and long-term too) if you aren’t careful.

On a tight budget, simply abandoning all thoughts on food is pretty much a financial suicide. Plan it out with your family what they plan to eat, where to go, and what foods are available. Also, go along with the schedule and when to eat. Eating big meals rather than sparsely putting it in your walk schedule is actually a better idea of the two, as the feeling of fullness would fend off any temptation for a quick bite (and we know most festival foods aren’t really that inclined towards promoting better health).