"Selling" Yourself

I hear a lot of you talk about how you sell your self to your clients. I am wondering if you would mind sharing your spills. I live in a smaller, very family oriented, community. Yet, they do not seem to see the value of face painting at all. There are 2 other professional painters with in about 70 miles of me and we all have packages starting at around $50. I know it is way low compared to what some of you charge but people seem to scoff at that price as it is. I have spoken one of the other painters and she gets the same reaction. I need help selling my self I am just not sure what to say or how to go about it.

Michelle, I'm from a larger area, but I too hate having to sell myself. I have gotten to the point now that I encourage clients to get online and look at my work right then and there when they are on the phone with me. To be honest, it has made it a thousand time easier. Then when I start talking about safe high quality paints and insurance and licensing, they seem to care a little more. Unfortunately, I have found that there is very little concern about safety and much more concern about what their friends will be getting out of their party. If they see your photos and are blown away by them, they feel their friends will feel the same way. This is why I tell upcoming artists that the most important thing they can do is invest time and energy into creating a nice portfolio. And don't be hard on yourself with your portfolio. The majority of your clients have never seen Yolanda or Alex or Nix and their work so they will think yours is the best in the world. I competed at FABAIC for the first time this year and a photographer I worked closely with was absolutely shocked that I didn't place. He went as far as to say he thought the competition was rigged. I on the other hand was able to see my work and know it was no where near winning quality and I was ok with that because I know I'm not on the same level as a lot of other painters. I do the best I can do and people seem to be satisfied. But all of that to say this... let your work sell itself.

I am only a novice in the world of face painting, but I have a fairly lengthy career in advertising and sales, and I suppose I could offer a few tips from that perspective. They aren't going to be in any particular order, but I hope they help anyone who hasn't had this sort of experience.

1. Don't be afraid to sell yourself. Figure out what you do well and focus on it... and then when someone visits your website or makes an enquiry, don't be shy to tell them. Afterall, if you don't believe in what you do, why should anyone else?

2. Know your market... who buys your service? Think in terms of demographics, do some research... look at your market and break it down into three or four key segments. Maybe even host a survey via facebook of your friends - They'll probably be happy to help, and you can call them your focus group. Anyway, once you know who buys, you must find out "what do they want?" Hopefully you asked this question in your survey. Tell them, in your own words, how you are going to deliver exactly what they are looking for. Talk directly to them, not at them. And try and use less 'we' and more 'you' in your copy.

3. Sell the sizzle not the sausage - I have no idea where this one came from, but basically you have to understand what motivates your buyer. What will your artwork/service do for people? How will it make them feel? Will it make life easier/happier/better? Use words and images that reflect this idea.

4. Know your point of difference and competitive advantage (from your competitors) and put a value on it

5. Social media - it's word of mouth gone wild. Let it work for you. Network with other small businesses in your area, community groups, news outlets, etc. Cross promote each other and you'll find new fans coming out of the woodwork... as well as the opportunity to quote for business.

6. Have a simple, clear and consistent message - in everything you do.

7. When promoting or advertising your business, you should also keep your look consistent. You may need to change it over time, but this will be your public image or brand, so people should be able to learn to recognise it quickly.

8. Have a plan... know where you are and where you want to be, then break it down into steps to see how you'll get there

9. Take away the fear of the purchase... eg. offer a professional service guarantee. It's unlikely you'll never need to use it... but you may like to make it conditional on you being unable to take steps to remedy the situation.

10. Do a SWOT analysis. This point should probably have been further up, but as I didn't really plan this mini-essay on marketing, it's all a bit haphazard. But all businesses should take a look at their competitors and contemporaries. What are the successful ones doing well, what are some of the mistakes out there? Copy what works, and avoid what doesn't.

11. Confidence is the key. Confidence and understanding your market.

That was awesome Trinkie, and I completely agree. Knowing your market and playing to them is the biggest key.

What is SWOT?

SWOT =
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

I can't believe I'm going to even attempt to add to that very thorough list.
.... and this may not help you at all but I have found calling what I do 'face art' instead of face painting helped people understand what I do is taking face painting to a new level. All of my clients appreciate that I am an artist and what I do is art, if they are a new client and do not understand this - I kindly explain it to them.... if you want to see an example of this look in the 'where's the beef?" section for my "Strange festival situation" post. I posted my reply to someone who was trying to talk me down in prices.

I'm assuming without going and looking that you have things written on your website like - " we only use the BEST products money can buy and offer only the BEST designs....." or " We guarantee to wow your family and friends"...... or " Cheap face painting is never good, and good face painting is never cheap"...... or " Your child is as precious to us as they are to you, we know you would only want the best for your child and you have found the best in the business!"..... something that makes them think - " You get what you pay for".
In Australia we have an epidemic of people thinking face painting should be free ... or only a couple of bucks.... I have been working very hard for the last year to change this mentality.... and I do believe it's working... slowly but surely Australians are getting exposed to what decent face painting is and have started to reject the cheap crap. It is starting to get to the point where having a face painter at a party is the norm... ! YAY!
Stick in there - you are selling a fantastic service at a really great rate, they will get it eventually.