what did you actually say when you walked in? I croaked out something about the lighting and fled
Ok so I finally worked up the nerve to walk into a small local gallery last month, the one by the library that I've driven past for years. I had three pieces in the car. Did not bring them in. Instead I stood there for ten minutes pretending to look at a ceramics display and then when the owner came over I said, and I quote, "your lighting is really nice in here." That's it. That was my pitch. Then I bought a $12 card and left.
So I want to know: what do you actually SAY? Like the first sentence out of your mouth when you walk in cold. I clearly need a script because my brain goes blank and I start complimenting light fixtures.
If you've done it successfully, give me the real words. And if you bombed it, tell me that too, it'll make me feel better 🙂
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honestly the lighting line is fine, it's the walking out with the pieces still in the car that got you. the gallery owner doesn't need a pitch, they need to see the work. so next time: bring one piece in, just one, and put it on the counter and say "I make these, can I show you one?" that's the whole script. no speech. the object does the talking and you stand there sweating quietly, which is fine.
I did this exact thing for months by the way. drove around with a box in the boot like a weirdo. what finally worked was going in on a slow weekday morning when there's nobody and the owner is bored and actually wants someone to talk to. market energy, not gallery-opening energy.
the one piece thing is right but honestly even one is too many for the first visit. i brought one my first time, handed it over, and then stood there while she turned it around and i swear i heard every single flaw in the glaze out loud, like my own voice narrating them in my head. she said "nice weight" and i almost cried.
the slow weekday morning part is the real tip though. tuesday before lunch, owner alone, nobody performing. they're bored and you're the most interesting thing that's happened all week. that's the whole advantage and you can't buy it on a saturday.
"nice weight" is genuinely the funniest and most devastating thing I've ever heard. I would have absolutely died on the spot. And yeah, that's exactly my fear, that once it's in her hands I'll just narrate every mistake out loud like a golf commentator.
Tuesday before lunch. I can actually do that, I have a weird amount of leave built up from last year. Never even thought about weekdays, I always assumed you had to catch them when they're "open for business" on a Saturday like it's a job interview. Bored owner sounds way better than performing owner.
Did you ever bring the same piece back, or was that a one and done thing and you started fresh next time?
The box in the boot for months thing made me feel so much better, not gonna lie. And "the object does the talking" is exactly what I keep getting wrong. I think I've been treating it like I need to convince her with words, when really I just need to get the thing out of the towel.
The slow weekday morning tip is smart. I always seem to do this on a Saturday when it's busy and I can tell myself she's too slammed to talk to me. Easy excuse. Was it nerves the first time you actually put one on the counter, or did it get easier once you had it in your hands?