Happy New Year! It may sound odd to wish this after all of the tragic events that have—and are—happening. Yet, I know there are bright spots and silver linings ahead. I don’t know what they are yet but I know they’re out there, waiting for us to find them. So I like to encourage them to happen when I can. And, I think you have what you need to do this, too.
If you’re looking back on the fall holiday season and it feels like you missed a big opportunity to sell your work, and that there’s nothing you can do about it now, this message is for you. Know that you can look at it differently.
And, that there IS something you can do about it.
I’ve felt the stings of many missed opportunities in the past. Like when I didn’t make any offers for my work during the busy buying season. And when I didn’t follow up with that important museum person who gave me her card. Sheesh, it’s no fun thinking about the missed opportunities.
I share this with you because I want you to know that I get it. It can be painful to feel like you didn’t show up like you wanted. Even if there were valid reasons for it.
After speaking with an artist who felt this way recently, I had an epiphany.
I realized that right now is the best time to do something about it. Right now is the best time to avoid missing out on sales like that again. How?
Plan for it.
One way to plan for it is to take stock of how the fall flew by and where you wished you had taken action. Then create a better plan for yourself right NOW. It’s always better to make notes of the obstacles you ran into right after it happened than trying to remember what went wrong 12 month later.
It might have been that you wanted to set up a shop on your website or Instagram, or that you wanted to do that pop-up. Or that you just couldn’t get the sales email written.
If you’re feeling like you missed out on an important opportunity like selling during a busy gift buying season, here are a few steps you can take now, to set you up for success when this kind of opportunity comes around again.
First ask yourself these questions:
Did you know what you wanted to do? Did you have a clear goal? If not, what would be the main goal for next time?
What were the obstacles or challenges with your goal that you faced?
What worked well?
What didn’t work well?
What would you do differently?
Then, take that information and craft a plan on your calendar to make it easier for you the next time.
For example, if a challenge you faced was that you realized that you were up against a shipping deadline and you didn’t get to promote enough to meet your sales goals, when would be a better time to start promotions this year? This might mean that you start emailing your list and posting to social media beginning in mid-November so all of your sales are done by a safe shipping date for gifts of 12/14.
With this new plan in mind, when do you need to have your work finished and photos taken so you can begin promotions in mid-November? Maybe by 11/1? That then means your October calendar needs to have time set aside for making work and documenting it. --see how backing out a plan for next year’s holiday season can be helpful?
And you can plan this all out NOW before the next holiday season gets hectic. You can even apply this to other gift giving holidays like Mother’s day, Valentines Day, Plaidurday, etc...
“I rocked my holiday sales.”
If this was you, it’s still worth a debrief. How did it go? What worked well? What would you do differently?
Can you take a few notes? It’s sooooo easy to forget what you learned and what to change to improve things when you have to look back on events 12 months in the past. Giving yourself 15 minutes now to review is totally worth the time.
Whether you felt good about your holiday sales or like there were a lot of missed opportunities, can you map out a quick plan that you know is reasonable, doable and more fun for you? This way you can remove the stress and scramble of the season while still hitting your sales goals.
I invite you to actively encourage good events to happen for you this year by planning ahead a little. Maybe you want to plan out a holiday themed notecard set or you want to learn how to take photos of your work that feel exciting. What’s something you’d like to map out now? Let me know in the comments so I can cheer you on with it!
Here’s to encouraging a year that includes many bright spots!
- Kate