| Been There, Done That | |
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Are You Ready?
In this first section, Preston tries to help the viewer decided if he or she is ready to take the step into working shows. He basically explains that it does take work to have a successful wire business, and this does not happen over night. However, as with any business, the more effort you put into it, the more you will get out of it. At a minimum, he suggests that you work at least three hours a day about three or four days a week in order to become proficient in your wire work.
Different Shows
A review of different types of shows is given from flea markets or outdoor festivals to big shows that could cost as much as $1,000 to enter. He goes over average sales, inventory needed, types of jewelry set up, and the average total sales. Preston has done all the shows he goes over and explains what he found worked and what did not work for him.
Organizing for Shows
You can save a lot of time and energy by being well organized. He strongly suggests using a check list for each show. Also information about transporting your inventory and supplies as well as organizing yourself once your at a show is provided.
Booth & Jewelry Displays
One area I thought was interesting for all jewelry makers who work shows was when Preston talked about booth and jewelry displays. For example, he learned early in his show career that most customers look at items that are about waist level. Anything higher or lower will not be seen as well. He also explains that you can't sell through glass. Most of us use glass cases when working shows to protect our products. It's important to be able to take the items out of the case so that the customer can see it, even touch it.
Pricing
Probably one of the hottest topics for any jewelry maker is pricing. We all see a lot of information about how to price our work, and there probably isn't just one way to do it. As Preston points out, consider the source of your pricing advice. He has worked at selling his wire jewelry full-time and been successful at it. I thought this was an important point. He also cover whether to have price tags or not, discounting jewelry, and custom orders.
Wholesaling
Preston explains that not a lot of wire jewelry artists are successful at working wholesale shows. One of the reasons is because many "wholesale" shows aren't truly "wholesale." He explains the difference and what he had to do to be successful at these kinds of shows.
Sales Tactics
I think the sales part of the video was the strongest part of the whole seminar. I've worked in a variety of retail stores, so I have had training from large corporations on how to sell. Much of what Preston passes on through the seminar was taught to me from these companies. However, he also had some good advice I hadn't heard before and that was more relevant to a show circuit. For many artists, selling and closing sales is the hardest part of the whole show process.
My Conclusion
Each section Preston covers has a lot of detail along with anecdotal examples to help illustrate his points. The retail price of the video seminar, How to Make Money Selling Your Wire Jewelry at Craft and Jewelry Shows, is $179.85, but right now, he is running an introductory special for $97, and the e-booklet is included in this cost. I thought for awhile about if the cost was worth the information provided in the videos. I have seen other seminars about selling your jewelry advertised for more than $100, and that did not include travel expenses. So, the advantage of having videos available to watch and re-watch is a strong one. I also feel that for the targeted audience, wire sculptors who have either no or little experience and want to sell at shows, this video seminar could save them a lot of time and provides a large source of valuable information. You can find out more information about Preston and his videos on is web site.
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