[Clayart] ego vs promotion/long

[Ann B. Potter]

Mel,

Your post gave me more hope and a clearer plan then anything I ever heard
in a class or read in a book. Thank you so much for starting clayart and
keeping it going you are wonderful.

Ann

On Tue, Sep 24, 2019 at 5:29 PM mel jacobson <melpots at mail.com> wrote:

> as a working potter, artist, whatever, you are the only one
> in most cases to promote your work.  it is essential.
> how you do it, says everything about you.
>
> neighbors and friends help at times, and of course
> relatives...but in the long run, it is up to you.
>
> if you are doing honest promotion, say....speaking about
> pottery at a flower club, or local city hall class...it is
> worth a great deal.  i have done plenty of them.  you have
> a very open audience. captured.  i usually give away a nice
> vase as a gift.  they all write down melpots.com
>
> i give a very nice platter every year for the empty bowls auction.
> they love it.  and lots of people see that platter...`oh, that is mel,
> he used to teach at the high school...nice, he is still working...we
> should go out and see him.  they do, they buy a $100 worth.
>
> i have worked with the empty bowls folks and i make a series of very
> nice pots that we give to the huge donors...like $25,000 worth of bread.
> they get a lovely tea pot.  what do you give rich people...a toaster?
> no, a nice piece of hand made craft. we all win.
>
> so much about promotion is public interest stuff. low key...volunteer
> sort of thing.  it works like a miracle.  you sell yourself as an honest
> hard working potter, crafts-person.  made in minnesota, by hand.
>
> just this past year i talked to a senior cabin attendant on a delta flight.
> it turns out she lives near me...and building a house.  guess what?...she
> has
> purchased about $400 in pots and now wants a big 7 foot painting. nice.
> (i gave her my email on a scrap of paper...she wrote. nice)
>
> of course many of you have heard my story about the 50 mile circle.
> i live within a circle of over a million people...some should want my pots.
> i work only that circle...folks in chicago do not buy from me.  i collect
> every
> address i can get my hands on. tear off that upper address on an old
> check..and
> keep track of every sale. get the address. build a data base. work it hard.
> it works.  of course this is real business.  not romantic thoughts that i
> will
> be discovered. i want to be discovered by one potential customer at a time.
>
> i sell at home. it works.  i send out about 800 post cards for every sale.
> first class. black and white, simple instructions, when, where, what. big
> mj logo on both sides.  keep the data base clean. they just show up and
> clean
> me out. they love my home and studio.  they want a piece of me. i give it
> up
> freely.  i complete orders. i run a small business.
> anyone can do it.  you just have to try.
> mel
>
> website: www.melpots.com
>
>
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