Stained Glass Marketing

I attend workshops and seminars every month in an effort to learn more about running a business.
The common question I hear most is how can I market my product or service. We often have students who catch the glimpse of how great it is to make glass and start to imagine themselves doing glass work for a living. Some have had the courage to ask how they might be able to make money doing stained glass.
We have repeatedly said they did not know, if they find out, will let us know how? But here are some of the fundamental principles of promotion and marketing of colored glass.

Go to the fair

1. We heard from several people who attend craft fairs would be the best way that we could sell our glass. We were told that the stories of successful glass artists who sell $ 30,000 worth of glass, each year, in just two days!
With success like that, we thought we'd better go to a fair.

2. In September 2005 we went to Swiss days in Midway, Utah with high hopes, but things did not go as planned. We did not quite make up the taxes we paid booth.
What went wrong?

3. To answer, we must consider several factors.

R. As the sellers of gifts in glass, we failed because we did not quite sell the product. Why? Because we did not have gift items small enough to sell. You can not sell what you have.

B. We were focused, as the custom glass artists. We passed the cards and made contacts at the fair. We showed a lot of glass art at the fair and actually managed to do a lot of contacts. Over the next few months we have collected a number of new customers and got to build a lot of custom work as a direct result of the fair.

Conclusion: It was like a failure because we did so little during the show, but we had a great time and met many people who wanted windows, leading to a custom job. In the future we plan to make the gifts more to meet our immediate cash flow and we plan to have the response cards in an effort to reach those who are interested in stained glass to give us some contact information. We offer a free video on CD / DVD as a way to get people to give us their information.
We also decided to participate in smaller boutiques throughout the year, in an attempt to improve what sells and better know what the market will consist of gift.

Find a custom job

4. When Tom Holdman (a local glass artist) decided to become an artist in stained glass, a neighbor suggested that he go to a wealthy neighborhood and go door to door asking if they need windows in their house. He did just that and made a contact with a family who wanted glass and has had some influence with the library board. This has led to a commercial work, which lead to a large amount of advertising.

5. What can we learn from this story? That any friendship or relationship can lead to glass. What we need to do is ask anyone and everyone if they want or need to work in stained glass. Then, we must tenaciously follow-up when someone expresses an interest. Often it is amazing how a simple phone call is charged monthly at the end. There were many of our past customers who have put their project for a year or more. What you want to remember is that the window just wanted to have the design in order to stay in touch. Then I'll think of you when finances lighten. Would not it be sad to have another artist come to build your creation, simply because they do not phone each month?

Sell ​​Cabinet door inserts

6. When a customer asks for inserts in doors, will help the process along if you are ready to ask them the questions that restrict their choices and help you determine what you should do with the doors.
Ask if the doors are new or refurbished. If you can, learn the make and manufacturer, and, especially, are thrown out for inserts, this lets you know if you can come directly to the glass, or if they need to go to your wood worker to have them changed.

7. Help the client get what they want and will save them a lot of time. So, I ask if they want to use clear or frosted glass. What colors are to be introduced and what if it cant go into the design. They want to add lighting to their closets and they intend to spend. Panels will really want to lead or leading side only to be adequate. Finally, what do you want to finish, black, silver, pewter, antique copper or polished copper.

8. But how do we find these customers? We advertise in the yellow pages under cabinet makers equipment and supplies and go to cabinet shops and put the samples in their hands. The best thing to do is provide samples of glass and glass designs that we carry the sample can show their customers. I like to decorate 8 "wide by 10 samples" high because it fits in a box and are easy for the people selling the cabinet to haul around. This is an investment of time, effort and money, which is necessary because the seller does not sell to me if you think windows when they meet with clients.

Educating people on Stained Glass

9. Occasionally, in the past, we complain and complain about the lack of understanding that the public had of what was good windows and how it improves the environment. Then one day the light came on and we realized that it was our task to educate the public. We knew that the best customers for custom glass were those who had tried it and discovered it was not so easy to build glass. They had a higher appreciation for the value of work.
As artists, not only have to raise the awareness of our art, we must teach the complexities and subtleties of our art. If you do not see their strengths, who will?

10. We found that one way to educate the community was to hold free or low cost seminars and workshops. This leads to many opportunities to share your industry knowledge and technical glass. It also serves to increase the level of consciousness of the community of glass around them.

11. You know, you start looking for a leather sofa, or buy one and everywhere you look, you can find leather sofas. Then there is a brand of running shoes that are comfortable and suddenly notice that "everyone" is wearing this brand of shoes. Your level of consciousness was raised and once that has been raised, there will never be the same.
This is what you want to happen with the community regarding windows is concerned.

12. We also found that the decorators and designers, who often offer their customers the subtitles should be taught art, stained glass windows. They often do not know the finishes available or what the difference between the method of lead and copper foil were.

13. So we have prepared presentations and training material for them, so you can have for their customers. But we made sure that they have been exposed to all the materials so that they were informed when they presented them to their customers.

14. Finally, promote your art in stained glass is all the movement. You've got to prove that you are not dead. And you do, attending fairs and boutiques so you can read the pulse of your market. And you stay in touch with those you meet. He was married relationships. We spend time talking with friends and former clients, ask them to not only lead but also to get their feelings glass. And you promote specific products that you specialize in, as before.

And finally, remember that you are a cheerleader for your industry and it does not matter if you provide a free workshop that results in someone getting excited glass and go to the competition. What goes around, comes around.

If you're out there promoting windows, so will the competition and you will find that there really is no competition in this field. That there is much work to go around. Many people want and need stained glass windows in their lives, they just do not know it yet. So go out there and find them! ......