No photos, please!

Hello Polite Readers!

Well, we're back to talking about business, and today's topic is quite timely for me because I'm writing this before taking off for my biggest vending event of the year! One of my FAETeam mates asked me what to do when someone comes to your booth and starts photographing your work.

This is a pretty big problem in highly competitve, cut-throat arts and crafts. I've seen numerous booths at art festivals and Renaissance Faires with signs requesting no photographs. After all, it's bad enough when someone is closely examining your work to try to figure out how you do it, but even worse when they're taking pictures so they can study it at home and copy it.

You can definitely put up signs, but many people just don't seem to read signs -- or they pretend they didn't see them! So you may sometimes have to stop people. In addition to the copy-cats, if you create wearable art you may have people trying things on and taking photos of themselves in it for a lark, and you'll have to decide if you're OK with that.

If someone is taking photos, all you need to do is smile and say in your best firm-but-polite voice (my favorite kind of voice!), "Please don't photograph my work!" You don't have to offer a reason why, just ask them not to do it. Offering a reason lets them offer up excuses about how they just wanted to show their FB friends, or they're photographing it so they can remember which ones they wanted to buy, etc etc.

Of course, there are times when you'll want to relax your no-photography rules. If someone wants to photograph your booth as a whole for their blog, that's generally OK. Of course if the event promoter loves your work or your display and wants to use it in promotional materials for future events, you should allow that photograph.

Do you have your own sticky customer situation that is making you dread holiday craft shows? Send it to me at Politelyworded@gmail.com and I'll help!

More Copying

Hello Polite Readers!

Today we have a second question from my beadmaking friend. She writes:

I have a person come up to my table at a show, ooh and ahh, and select a large assortment of beads to purchase.  After the money has changed hands, she casually mentions that she loves my beads, but can't afford my prices to include in her "designer" work, so she's going to take the beads she just bought back to a bead maker she knows to have them "re-created" at a lower price.  Since this person obviously doesn't understand the concept of copyright, how would you handle it?

How would I handle it? Well, first I'd look at her like she'd grown a second head (and not in that "Cool, you're Zaphod Beeblebrox" sort of way, but in that "Maybe you should get that looked at" sort of way). This is, after all, the Politely Worded blog, not the Polite Facial Expression blog.

People who are not in the bead or jewelry making world may not realize just how depressingly common it is to have someone buy a sampling of your work and either farm it out to a crafter who's willing to work even cheaper than you, or worse, mail it overseas to be copied in a factory setting. I know numerous artists who have had this done to them, and I can only imagine that it happens in other industries as well.

However, this is the first time I've heard of a customer flat-out admitting that she is going to have your work knocked-off so she can pass the "savings" along to her customers. What gall! As if you would be fine with the fact, as if somehow buying some of your work negates the fact that she'll only be buying from you in the future if you have new designs that she wants her pet beadmaker to copy.

Not only do customers who do this take money from you, but they dilute your brand image. If people who have seen your work in the past see the knock-off beads in her design, they might not realize that they were made by a copycat and think instead that your own quality is slipping and thus stop ordering from you. Not cool.

So what would I do? I would give the customer her money back and take my beads back. Honestly. How can you let her leave your booth with your work, knowing that she's just going to contract someone else to copy it? Hand back her cash, write "Void" across the check, reverse the credit transaction, whatever you need to do, then firmly request that she return your beads and leave your booth. When she asks why, say something like this:

You just admitted that you're going to help another artist steal my designs. You are taking my livelihood, encouraging an undercutting artist, and damaging my brand image. I don't need your money. Please take your business elsewhere.

 Try not to cause a scene, because the other customers at the bead or craft show are not privy to everything that has happened and will just see a vendor yelling at a customer -- yikes! Keep your voice level, your expression firm but not angry. You may end up needing to let her leave with this batch of beads if she kicks up too much fuss and refuses to hand them over, but be sure to make special note of her face and her name so that if she ever returns to your booth, you'll remember not to sell to her. Make sure that any booth help you hire in the future knows her name and that she's not to be sold to.

Once this would-be idea thief has left your booth, calmly spread the word to your other beadmaking friends so they know not to sell to her, either. I wouldn't go around telling every vendor, just the ones you have a good personal relationship with. Of course, if another vendor saw the incident at your booth and asks what happened, you should calmly share the facts with them, too.

You may also want to share this sort of thing on-line, via Facebook or your blog. If you do, I would only outline what happened, and not post her name, as that may result in some nasty e-mails from the customer if it gets back to her. Feel free to provide her name and description privately to those who message you, but don't post it publicly. I've seen that sort of thing get ugly.

Do you have your own customer problems or sticky situations that you need a Politely Worded reply to? Just drop me an e-mail at Politelyworded@gmail.com and I may use it for a future column! And remember, I am now publishing on Wednesday and Sunday as long as my letter volume remains high enough! Thank you all for your questions, comments, and enthusiasm so far.

Copy-Cattery

Hello Polite Readers!

Oh, it's a banner day! I've had so many requests from you all that rather than build a month-long backlog, I've decided to update twice a week as long as I receive enough letters. So please enjoy this first Wednesday edition of Politely Worded!

I've had multiple requests to cover the topic of copy-cats. Here's a specific letter from a friend of mine who makes lampworked glass beads, about a problem she had a few years ago:

I'm at a show and have a newbie set up beside me. She starts quizzing me on general things in bead making, and I answer honestly, trying to help out a new person. She examines everything on my table (I don't think anything of this, back then it was common to do so among glass artists). However, at the next show, I find that this person has the same style of bead (novelties) on her table as the ones I'm making, but poorly done. This continued for all the years I did shows--anything new I came up with, next show it would be reproduced poorly on her table. How would you have handled that?
 

Much like fair pricing, copying is one of those issues that dogs artists all over the world, in all fields. Sometimes it's not a genuine problem. I have seen a lot of artists complain about being copied, when it was actually just a case of simultaneous inspiration by someone who was not aware of the other artist, and meant no harm. But then there are times like this, when you know someone has looked at your work and is suddenly producing copies of it. What do you do?

This is another situation where it is important to be polite but firm. I recommend sending the artist in question an e-mail. You can of course easily get their e-mail address by snagging a business card off of their table at the show, or if you want to be especially sneaky about it, send an accomplice to get it for you.

Stick to just the facts, and not your opinion of her work or the fact that you helped her out. Say something like this:

Hello! I couldn't help but notice when I visited your booth at the Local County Bead Show Thingie that you have begun to copy my work. Your Christmas trees, Easter eggs and Jack-O-Lanterns are the same designs as the ones you were admiring in my booth last month. I understand the desire to break into the novelty bead market, but I need you to stop attempting to duplicate my beads. Focus on your own original designs. Thank you!

If this doesn't work you may need to examine your legal options, but I am in no way qualified to comment on that and in fact there are few things I dislike more than participating in on-line discussions about copyright in the arts and crafts world.

So, what about when you're in a situation where you are not sure that the person deliberately copied you? In that case, you should give them the benefit of the doubt. Contact them, but it treat it like it's clearly an accident. Here's an example:

Hello! I was just browing Etsy when I came across your beautiful necklace. I was surprised because it looks so much like mine! <include link to the necklace in question, preferably on your blog or something other than an Etsy listing so it doesn't look like the advertising spam we all hate so much> I see some differences, so I have a feeling it was a case of simultaneous inspiration! I just wanted to give you a heads-up that I'm going to blog about it, and you might want to do the same, so we can both assure our fans that there's no copying going on. Keep up the great work, I love that green bracelet in your shop!
 

 If it was an accident, you both can share a laugh about how there are only so many ways to combine beads (or design scarves, or choreograph to a specific song, or whatever) and defuse a potentially ugly situation where a well-meaning fan goes on a very public rant accusing the other artist of being a no-good, dirty rotten copycat. If it was on purpose, you've now made it clear that you're aware of this person's existence and that if they copy any more of your work, you'll notice.

One more thing. If you are not the artist being copied, don't take it upon yourself to contact the apparent copier. Instead, contact the original artist (IF you know them) and give them the heads-up. Maybe they already know, and in fact, maybe they gave the person permission to use their design. If not, they'll want to handle it themselves in whatever way they think is best.

Thanks for reading, and remember, if you'd like me to continue updating twice a week you can E-Mail me with your own questions that need a Politely Worded response!