How to invite vendors to your event

Hello Polite Readers!

Well, if this keeps up I might be able to go back to weekly updates! This week's request comes courtesy of one of my Etsy friends who received a vague and possibly misleading event invitation. She handled it herself because she's a pro, but she also thought it would make a great topic for this blog. So first we'll briefly cover how to respond to unsolicited invites and then we'll talk about how to write an invitation that vendors will want to accept!

First of all, I feel a bit iffy about using Etsy to invite vendors to shows. I generally distrust such invites and think they're probably against Etsy's TOS. On the other hand it seems to be becoming a normal way to do things and some vendors do seem to appreciate being contacted directly by a show that they might not otherwise do well at. I have two methods of dealing with unwanted invites. If the show holds absolutely no interest for me, I ignore the message. If it's a show that I don't want to vend at but may want to attend, or if the invite comes from someone I might otherwise want to work with in the future, I send a polite "Thank you for the invite but I'm not interested at this time."

Now, event promoters, what can you do to make your invitation appealing?

1. Personalize the message. I don't want to think that you've sent the same message to every single Etsy seller in Tucson. I want to be greeted personally and I want to know why you're inviting me to vend at your event.

2. Provide pertinent details. I don't need to know everything about your event, but there are a few things I do want to know before I make a decision:
Where?
When?
What?
How do I get more information?

3. Be honest about the size and scope of your event. You may have big plans, but if it's your first year you're probably going to have to start small. Even if you're an established event, you might still be low-key. Please don't try to convince me that your local convention has almost as big of a draw as San Diego Comic Con.

4. Sell me on the event. Don't just say "It's going to be awesome!" Give me something specific to be excited about. For instance "This year our guest of honor is Matt Smith" or "Our art festival is a juried event that only allows handmade items."

5. Be professional. Use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. You can have a friendly tone and inject some personality into it, but you're still trying to do business with me so act like a pro.

6. Be realistic. I am not going to travel halfway across the country for a first-year convention. I am not going to spend $500 for a table at an art fair I've never heard of. If, for instance, you're inviting vendors to a small faerie festival, try to only invite people from your state and neighboring states. Don't send an invite to every single person who paints faeries, even if your event is in Canada and they live in Australia.

If I receive an invitation that fails to meet most of these criteria, I am not going to respond positively and I'm not going to think of recommending it to my fellow vendors or attending it for fun.

Have something you'd like to add? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Have a sticky situation of your own you'd like help with? Send it to Politelyworded@gmail.com and you could be featured in a future column.

Thanks... I guess?

Hello Polite Readers!

This week's column is very special, because I have an actual letter to respond to, rather than a quest to address a broader topic! Oh happy day! My Etsy teammate Melissa of Rainwater Studios sent me this message:

 Hey AJ ~

Thanks for taking this on! I haven't responded because I wasn't sure what to say, I've never gotten a message like that before.
Here is the convo that this person sent to me, I love how she threw in the "special discount" to Etsy owners. ;D

Listing: www.etsy.com/listing/108663962/inspirations-of-marrakech-ooak-turquoise

Hey Melissa!
These earrings are gorgeous. FYI the completely correct description would be verdigris patina - versus turquoise patina.
I found your item in a treasury that featured one of my items as well.
I am favorite-ing your item.
this means it will show up on my fb.
good luck!
If you ever want any of my items, I will give a fellow etsy shop owner a discount.
.

Thanks again AJ,

Faery wishes,
-Melisssa

Around this time is when I realize I should have come up with a catchy moniker for myself, like Dear Abby or Dear Prudence or Dear Sugar, but you know, I already have a real name and a stage name, do I need a third identity? AJ it is.

So, this letter represents a very special sort of message which Melissa says that she gets as many as four times a week, and has seen others complaining about on the forums. It's the "Sales pitch masquerading as a compliment." But this one has a very special twist -- advice on how to improve her listing!

The only thing worse than unasked for advice is bad advice. Melissa knows what she wanted to say. She wanted to say turquoise patina. I think we can all agree that verdigris patina is actually a little redundant. Verdigris is a type of patina. It would be like saying copper metal or bread food.

I've already responded to Melissa privately because I didn't want her to have to wait all week to respond. This is what I said to her:

So, you're well within your rights to just. not. respond. But if you want to sweetly acknowledge her note and politely let her know that you do actually know how to use your words, I'd recommend something to the point,

Hi!

Thank you for your note. I'm glad you like the earrings, I think they're just gorgeous and I was happy to see them included in that treasury.

While I appreciate your concern about my item description, I really do mean 'turquoise patina.' I find that most people associate verdigris with the lovely green color of aged copper, whereas these earrings have a definite turquoise blue hue that is really unusual and beautiful. I wanted to play that up.

Have a nice day!

Note that I did not address her offer of a discount, because it's just so beyond ridiculous. Much like traditional etiquette suggests that everyone politely ignores a belch at dinner, my brand of Etsy etiquette politely ignores silly spamming.

This whole message has an odd note of self-congratulations. "Look at me, I am smarter than you, I am politely telling you how to write your description. I was so kind as to add your item to my favorites so that all of my FB friends will see it! I am so invested in your success, all because you were lucky enough to be in the same treasury as me!" She lays it on a bit thick. Believe me, if I sent a convo like that every time I added something to my favorites, I wouldn't have time to write this blog.

Of course, it's really just a way to advertise yourself by trying to skirt around the Etsy rules. Oh no, it's not an unsolicited advertisement! I'm telling her how much I like her item! I'm helping her with her description! I just happened to mention that I give discounts to Etsy shop owners (ie, most of the Etsy population), and if she happens to buy something because of that, well, that clearly was not my intention! I was just being friendly.

If you're an Etsy seller and you're reading this, here's my advice to you. Don't do this. Just don't. Remember that time is money, and the time that you spend sending personalized "Oh, I like your item! Like me too!" messages could be spent creating new things. In the meantime, invest in some cheap advertising on Facebook or Project Wonderful or by sponsoring a blog. You'll reach more than one person at a time and you won't look like a pedant for correcting someone's actually accurate description.

That's all for this week. Remember that you can E-Mail Me if you would like your own Politely Worded reply to a ridiculous message.

Those Pushy Etsy Sellers

Hello Polite Readers! Since I just started this blog, I haven't received any letters yet. Instead I'm going to craft a Politely Worded Reply based on a conversation that some friends were having earlier this week.

If you shop on Etsy, this has probably happened to you. You're browsing around, and something catches your eye so you give it a heart. The next thing you know, you have a convo from the seller thanking you for favoriting their item, offering you a coupon code, and telling you all about their layaway plan! Wow, talk about pushy!

Now, I get it. It's a hard world out there on Etsy. We all want to find our niche, get a following, and become Etsy's next "Quit Your Dayjob" success story. All it takes is that one loyal customer who is going to blog about it, causing dozens of their followers to flock to your store and then tell all of their friends. All you need to do to win them over is be so friendly, and give them a 20% off coupon for their first purchase, and surely they'll be hooked for life.

The problem is, it comes across as a little desperate. First, it assumes that you even wanted to buy their item. Maybe you didn't. Maybe you use your favorites as a wish list for your family (it works!). Maybe its a "someday" item. Maybe you only hearted it because it fits the theme of the treasury you're going to make next week. If hearts equaled intent to purchase, I wouldn't have time to write this blog post because I'd be too busy restocking my store.

But most importantly, this practice directly violates Etsy's Terms of Service, and nothing annoys me more than someone breaking the rules for personal gain, especially when it basically amounts to spam.

Sadly, this is a case where it's probably best to say nothing. I'll elaborate more on that in a bit. First, let's get polite! Here is what I would love to say to this sort of seller.

Hello Seller!

I see you noticed that I favorited your item. It's quite nice and I think you do great work. I had even hoped to buy from you someday, maybe even this exact item. But that was before you violated Etsy's terms of service! Did you know that the rules state clearly 'If someone hearts your shop/item to mark it as a Favorite, that is not an invitation to send a Conversation to that person.'? It's almost like they had you in mind! I do appreciate the offer of layaway and a coupon code. If you have a special for first-time shoppers, that should probably go in your Policies or your Shop Announcement!

I hope you have a lovely day, and I do wish you the best with your business, but this message has turned me off from shopping with you.

Maybe the snark is a little heavy for the initial post on my Politely Worded blog, but I just can't help myself. Spammers deserve a little snark.

Why shouldn't you actually send this to the next person who sends you an unsolicited convo? Quite simply, it will probably be a waste of your time. People rarely respond well to this sort of correction. I can practically guarantee you they'd respond along the lines that they were "Just trying to help" and they will probably call you mean.

But just between you and me? You should totally report them to Etsy for abusing the Conversation system. There are plenty of hard-working sellers who do their best to earn customers without spamming, and if you can remove the rule-breaking competition, good for you.

Remember that you can E-mail Me if you'd like your own Politely Worded reply, and come back next Sunday for another column!