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]]>I get the same questions over and over, but this happens much more often when I do a show, not so much in my inbox. I’ve even considered hanging an FAQ in my booth, but I don’t know if such a thing would go over well! Any suggestions for handling this in person? When you answer the same questions for the 50th time in a day, it’s difficult to NOT sound rehearsed or like a recording!
Julie’s right. Different factors must be considered when you are confronted with questions in a face-to-face conversation rather than receiving them in an email. It’s a lot harder to duck out of a dialogue in your artist booth or at an opening! And you probably don’t want to.
The short of it is that you should answer everything you can–even if you have to do it 50 times a day. (I know Julie knows this which is why she’s been answering them to this point.) While some questions may seem silly or annoying, it’s important to remember that the people that enter your booth are doing so for the first time. You’re the store owner who has to sell the “merchandise.” You smile, take a deep breath, and pretend like it’s the first time you’ve heard the question. Because that’s what store owners do.
If you look exasperated or bored, you’ll lose a potential sale. I know you know this, but it’s important to remind yourself that you always have to be “on” when you’re the artist AND the salesperson.
Having said all of this, there will be moments when you don’t have time to respond to questions. Someone else wants to talk with you and you can’t afford having your time monopolized. There are two things you can do in these situations. (Note: These are options of last resort. Your goal should always be to engage people in conversation!)
1. Create a handout that answers your most frequently asked questions. You can make copies to pass out or have a few laminated copies that are reused in your both. I imagine you want both. If someone wants to keep a handout that has your name and contact information on it, you want to oblige! (And you must have all of your contact info on there.)
You could hang such an FAQ in your booth, but it’s a little friendlier to hand it out when asked. It’s good customer service and, frankly, people don’t often read things just because they’re posted.
2. Respond politely, “I get that question a lot! And because I’m always busy in my booth, I wonder if it would be okay to email you my thoughts about it?” You could also respond to it on your blog or send them something in regular mail–whatever seems most comfortable. Bottom line, you get their contact information and, voilà!, you have set yourself up for a follow-up contact. This is why option #2 is my personal favorite. It’s another chance to put your name in front of someone.
If you’re interested this subject, there’s a whole chapter on following up with potential customers in my book, I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion.
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]]>The post Use Questioning Strategies to Engage Your Viewers appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>She had a dilemma: How to respond to questions about her process. Not only was she not quite ready to share her process, she also wanted people to be interested in the work beyond the surface.
Everyone seemed focused on the surface and how she got it to look that way. How was she supposed to respond without responding?
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| Katherine Allen, Chinook. Textile, 58 x 18 inches.©The Artist |
I shared with my client a technique we used in museum education: questioning strategies.
Questioning strategies can help you engage your viewers on a much deeper level. They teach your viewer how to look at your art and form opinions.
When done right, questioning strategies also validate those opinions.
Remember that most people don’t know how to look at and talk about art. Using questioning strategies, you can make people feel more comfortable.
The more comfortable they are, the more time they will spend time with you and your art.
To apply the questioning strategies technique, the only rules are that the questions (1) require more than a Yes or No answer and (2) do not have a right or wrong answer.
Oh, yes, here’s one more rule: You, as the questioner, must be willing to accept and embrace the opinions in the responses.
I thought questioning strategies would work for my client’s situation because I don’t believe it’s really the surface of her art that people are interested in.
I think they are trying to start a conversation about the art, and asking how it’s done is their best entrée. That is what they can physically see. I think asking “How did you do that?” is an invitation for further dialog.
This is how my client and I role-played her situation. Pay close attention to the open-ended questions and keep in mind that the viewer is most often a non-artist.
Viewer: How did you do that?
Artist: I assume you’re talking about the surface. What do you find interesting about the surface?
Viewer: It’s just so different. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Artist: What’s different about it?
Viewer: It’s got texture–different from most paintings. It’s kind of glowing from within.
Artist: How did it make you feel?
Viewer: It feels very earthy, yet it’s mysterious. There’s something very spiritual about it.
Artist: You nailed it! That’s exactly how I want you to feel. It is mysterious. In my talk, you heard about my spiritual experience, and now you’re having one of your own. I want you to hold onto that feeling and explore it even further. The mysterious qualities and any divine connection you sense would disappear if I told you exactly how it was done.
Viewer: But I really want to know how you did it.
Artist: I’m sorry I can’t share that with you. I have to keep some of my secrets to myself, and I prefer that other people have the same experience with my art that you just had. Nothing is a higher compliment.
See how easy that was? You ask open-ended questions (three in this case) to engage the viewer, validate his or her experience regardless of what it is, and find a graceful and truthful way to answer any questions as you would like without upsetting anyone.
Related: See the full chapter on speaking I’d Rather Be in the Studio.
KNOW THIS———-~> Questioning strategies can engage and empower your viewers.
THINK ABOUT THIS—~> When could you use questioning strategies?
DO THIS————~> Use questioning strategies to engage your viewers. Here are some to start you off:
What do you see in it?
How did it make you feel?
How does the size affect you? What if it were smaller or larger?
What colors do you see? Look closer. Identify them all.
Do the colors evoke a certain mood?
Does it bring back a memory?
Does it make you think of something else?
Postscript: My client emailed me after her talk. She did indeed use questioning strategies, but she added a twist.
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