HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY PREPARE FOR A TRUNK SHOW > by Janina R. Williams
As
a designer, you may be presented with many opportunities, but consider
yourself lucky if you are ever given the chance to participate in a trunk
show. A trunk show is just as it sounds. It is when a designer brings
a trunk filled with their most recent creations to a retail venue such
as a shop or boutique to be presented for purchase. This can be both a
rewarding and scary endeavor, rewarding, because you can show and sell
your newest merchandise directly to the public and scary because you don't
know how your work may be perceived. However, many of your fears will
be alleviated if you follow these surefire techniques.
First,
you will need to work out the details of your trunk show such as the date,
time and location with the shop owner. Then, you will need to think about
marketing your show. The shop or boutique owner may publicize your trunk
show in a number of ways. They may place an advertisement in the newspaper,
or post information on their web site, but whatever they do, it is imperative
that you do a bit of the work yourself. Sending out a mass e-mail to your
friends and family informing them about your upcoming trunk show will
be an incredible benefit to you as you can ask them to forward it onto
their friends and so on. To give you an extra edge on marketing your show,
post your upcoming trunk show information on as many message boards and
web sites that you can think of. Don't be afraid to get creative. Make
flyers and put them up around you neighborhood. It is important that you
get the word out any way you can, because the more people that know, the
more money you can potentially make.
Here
is an excellent way to draw the public to your show: place some of your
items on sale or offer other incentives such as a raffle or a giveaway.
If you decide to offer a sale - pick a few pieces, cross out the original
price with a red ink pen and write the new amount below. This is a great
way to hype up the crowd because new customers love deals. In many cases,
you may be able to sell off those pieces first. If you decide to engage
in a raffle, you can charge a few dollars per ticket. This is an exciting
and entertaining way to sell your work, plus I've never met a person that
didn't like to win free goods. If you're not into raffles, then maybe
you should offer up one of your pieces as a giveaway? Make sure that you
get everybody's information including their e-mail address so that you
have an instant mailing list filled with potential customers. Afterwards,
e-mail everybody that came to your trunk show thanking them for their
presence. This is a good marketing strategy, as it is personal. Many people
love personalized service because it makes them feel special and this
small gesture may be something they remember in the future, especially
when they are ready to purchase your types of goods.
An
extremely important subject that many people feel uncomfortable discussing,
is the distribution of monies with the retail shop or boutique owner.
It is imperative that you work out the percentage split before you show.
If you can, get everything about the show in writing. This is to protect
both you and the owner of the retail shop. You may be able to negotiate
a better deal for yourself if you take over the marketing aspect of your
show or if you are definitive about the number of sales you will receive.
To make sure that your work will be perceived in the best possible light,
it is important to take some time to prepare. Marking all of your pieces
with display cards, hanging tags or stickers will make things easier for
you because everything will be organized and there won't be any discrepancies
about price for your customers. According to Barbara Brabec, the author
of Homemade Money, "one of the best ways to get higher prices for
handcrafted merchandise and gift packages is the inclusion of a hanging
tag. While hang tags cost only pennies, they send an automatic signal
to consumers that a product is special and thus worth more."
It
is also important that you gather all of your packaging materials together.
This means boxes, business cards, bags, and stringing materials if needed.
You do not want to be caught without the materials to pack your goods,
as it is construed as unprofessional. It is important that you discuss
whose responsibility it is to get the packaging materials together. Does
the responsibility lie with the retail shop owner or yourself? The retail
owner may be more than willing to offer you their packaging or wrapping
services. Make sure this worked out before the date of your trunk show.
Always
attempt to create a display that is both friendly and inviting. Remember,
you are trying to attract the public to your work. Design a display with
flavor. Use color, or textiles that tell your buyers about the type of
designer you are.
One
of the most important aspects of having a successful trunk show is drawing
a decent amount of customers. An easy way to draw a crowd to your event
is to offer free food or drinks. It's easy. Just serve a pitcher of Sangria,
or veggies and pita; small cakes even. You won't believe the number of
people that show up. Having food and drinks creates a party atmosphere
and is a guarantee that people will show.
Also,
m ake sure you are engaging and approachable at your trunk show. Customers
are not only drawn to well-made products, but they are also drawn to persons
with enthusiastic dispositions. This translates to money in your pocket
as potential customers buy from those they like.
Finally,
it's important that you remember why you are having a trunk show in the
first place. Remember, you are there to sell, sell, sell. Having a trunk
show is a great way to expose your business to new and budding clients,
while making a few bucks for your pocket.
The
bottom line is that having trunk show can mean lots of extra exposure
for your businesses. In order to make it an absolute success, you must
be able to communicate with not only the retail shop or boutique owner,
but also with prospective customers or clients. So what are you waiting
for? Isn't it time that you got to work?
References:
Brabec,
Barbara. Homemade Money. Ohio: Betterway Books, 1994.
Published
on associatedcontent.com: How to Successfully Prepare for a Trunk Show
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