Business Basics

Use business cards efficiently

A business card is the most inexpensive means of advertising available. Pass them out freely.

Your business card should tell what kind of business you are in. If your company name does not describe your craft, such as Smith Studio, add a tag line. Putting “Maker of Fine Furniture” or “Hand-woven Textiles” on your card will tell more about your business than just the company name.

I’ve never been a fan of photos on business cards until I saw the card of artist James Bajari. Bajari uses a very tasteful photo of himself seated to the right of a small grouping of his woodcarvings. The photo covers the entire card and the color of the paper shows through as the color of the type on the card. Bajari uses the tag line “Wildlife Sculpture” and under his name is the word Artist. It’s pretty clear what Bajari does for a living.

Carry your business card in a place that is easily accessible, like a pocket. The pocket style name badge holder used by many craft shows is also a perfect place to stash some cards.

For wholesale shows, place your cards near your business area so that a potential buyer has to ask for a card.

Jot down notes on the back of the business cards you collect. Note on each card the name and date of the event where you met this person, the objects that drew their attention, and any promises you made, like mailing a brochure.

Creating and using a press kit

Retail and wholesale shows are excellent venues for distributing information about your work to the press. Trade magazines and consumer decorating magazines regularly cover these events looking for emerging trends. Local news media also often cover these events, particularly retail shows. It’s always a good idea to have your work represented in a show’s pressroom, because that’s the first stop editors make when they visit the show.

The basic components of a press kit are a fact sheet, company history, press release and photographs. You can customize the kit by adding your brochure and price list or other items of interest. Visit the pressroom of a major show to see examples of press kits.

Photographs will increase your chances of getting press coverage. For newspapers, a black and white photo may serve the purpose. For magazines, use a 35mm slide or large format transparency. Replace more expensive color images with a color photocopy or black and white print. Attach a note explaining that the original photo is available on request.

Newspapers covering a craft fair are often looking for “action” images. Have some photos taken of you at work in your studio.

Put all the components together in an 8.5x11-inch pocket folder. Be as creative as you wish on the cover as long as you leave room to include the show name, your company name and booth number.

There are many gift and specialty publications that may be interested in your story. Go to the reference desk at your library and ask for the most recent copy of Bacon’s Directory. Bacon’s is a listing of business, trade, professional and consumer publications in the United States and Canada.

Send your kit to all newspapers that are local to the show. Ask the show promoter for a list.

Place several copies of your kit in the show’s press center and visit it periodically during the show to restock. Be sure to retrieve any remaining kits at the close of the show. Keep several copies in your booth. You never know when the press may stop by.

Design order forms that work for you

If you enter your orders on a computer, arrange the entry screen in the same order in which items appear on your printed order form to speed up data entry.

When you design your own order forms, you may want to photocopy a small quantity and test them at a few shows. Are there things that you repeatedly write in by hand? Can a check-off box speed up order writing? Talk to a trusted buyer and find out how the form works on their end.

To estimate how many order forms to take to a wholesale show, first add up the number of hours the show is open and multiply by the number of days of the show. Then subtract an estimated amount of time spent out of the booth for meals, restroom visits, “sanity breaks” and networking. Convert these hours into minutes.

Let’s say it takes you 15 minutes on average to explain your art, give your sales pitch and write an order. Divide 15 minutes into the number of minutes you calculated for the show minus your personal time. The answer is the number of full presentations you can make during the show and the number of forms you should bring. Add a handful of extra forms for safety sake.