There are quite a few passages that really resonated with me as an artisan. I will bold them below and once again, so sorry for the lack of page numbers.
He starts talking about a local farm market (I think) and mentions that Each week the stallholders show up and hope. Each week when an artisan attends a craft show we are doing the same thing, hoping: We show up and hope the weather is good, we hope the crowds turn out, we hope we have a good location. We hope that we are selling something someone may want.
Without having a story attached to our work, having something beyond the item that attaches you, our customer, to us in a meaningful way, then the internet will win. Online you can buy things when you want it, when you need it, not when you see it at a craft show.
Our story is our mission statement. Your mission statement should be something you live every day, on purpose. Are you actually on a mission or are you just assaying you are?- For me this is very true about the recent move for all products to be “green washed”. They are just saying they are on a mission. Customers will eventually see through to the truth. I have so many problems when I read the (now almost cliche) story. "I started making x natural product because I had a baby and couldn't find anything in the marketplace that suited my needs". Really? Today with the number of shows, a thriving Soapmakers Guild, Etsy, and Whole Foods you couldn't find ANYTHING that worked for you. You decided to take time away from your newborn and start a company? I mean if it is true, great. But really? The easy, believable spin, would be to mention that you are a localvore, that you try and buy your food and as much of other stuff as you can made within 100 miles of your house. There wasn't anyone LOCAL who could provide you with what you want, so you did it yourself. That I can swallow. That is a story that reflects your passion, your life.
The earring maker knows who his customers are and what makes them tick before he sets up his stall and he creates things just for them. Maybe he also knows that understanding your customers is a better strategy than hoping.- taking feedback, taking ideas, listening to their needs and wants and using that as a basis for our creations is the only way to go. That is one thing that can keep us as artisans ahead of the mass market. We can listen to each individual customer, we can make what they ask for, we can listen for trends and react quicker. We are leaner, meaner, businesses and not taking advantage of that is the biggest mistake we can make. Even if you don't take special orders, you can still listen to the needs and wants of your customers.
Just showing up,
unlocking the door, and putting on the conference or giving the lecture is no
longer good enough. Access is no longer the point. This is why shows need
to offer more than just access to the artisans. They need to help us connect. They need to offer demonstrations, or talks. Music, food, ambiance. The shows that are dying just open thir doors and let in the customers. The ones that are thriving have made the show an experience that is greater than the sum of its parts.
So how does this help me? It helps me recognize that my story is special. It reminds me I need to tell my story to anyone who will listen. It helps me choose shows in the future and drop shows as they are lagging. It teaches me that right now, shows and the web site are working hand in hand. That I need to work on both equally to build the business, not just rely on one or the other. And above all, it teaches me to LISTEN to my customers (both realized and potential) and to figure out how to incorporate what they want into who I am and what I offer. It is a symbiotic relationship.
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