Business Matters - What's in a name: Primary reason to buy

For today's naming post, I'd like to tell you about one piece that I sold that I think sold mainly due to the name and not necessarily the design.

It is a sweet story. Earlier this year I heard from guy in Australia who wanted to buy the piece "anyone can fall in love". He asked if I had any available and would I be able to express ship them to Oz. I told him I could make one for him and send it over in a couple of days. We actually had quite a few emails back and forth re. the size of the piece, the gender of the piece, the different options for mailing to Australia etc etc. He was very friendly and we chatted easily by email......so one day when I was about to mail it off, I asked:


"So is the recipient already in love with you?"

Yes - a little bold, but I did say he didn't have to answer and I was just curious....

He responded straight away and said I was welcome to ask and he understood my curiosity. He then went on to tell me that he was fairly certain that they had fallen for each other but neither of them had said it yet. He felt they hadn't said "the words" because he was shortly leaving to go traveling for a few years - plans he had made before they met....

He was to leave soon and it was her birthday coming up - so he wanted to give her "a final special something to remember us by" and the necklace would do the speaking for him. It seemed like it didn't feel right to part having verbally expressed what he felt - but the sentiment of "anyone can fall" in love, expressed it instead.

Not sure where the guy is now - but I hope he is enjoying his traveling and not missing his "friend" too much. And I hope my necklace said the unspoken. And yes, I did include the name of the piece in the gift box. Good luck A.

Who said selling online is impersonal! I love these types of connections with my customers. But it all came about through the name.

Do you have any good naming stories to share? Are you having trouble naming a piece. Let's try figuring some out......

Business Matters - What's in a name: Full-time or part-time name?

Last week I mentioned why I thought names for pieces you create are so important. If you want to sell online, every piece really needs a name but I wonder how many of you just give your pieces part-time names?

While you may list the name online, do you also show the name of the piece when you do a show or when your pieces are in a gallery? When the piece is being seen "live" do you take it's name away and leave it untitled?

I think a lot of people do and something is then lost. Maybe it's just the logistics of having these small printed names on display with your art and ensuring they won't blow away - but I encourage you to make your names full-time.

I don't do many shows but when I do, watching people react to the name of a piece is great. They come up and look at the jewelry, but then they notice the words! And then they try to put it all together and see why I named it that way. Then they smile and start talking to me.

So then what about when people buy pieces from you? Do you include a little card with the name of the piece on it? I didn't used to, but I found people would request that I did this. They are buying because the piece and the sentiment behind it means something to them - so why not remind them of it's name as it's all part of it. I don't send names with all my pieces but for those that are more meaningful, I do - like "you are the missing piece" or "special delivery".

A fellow metal clay artist friend Sue McNenly has found a way to name her pieces that always means the name is "full-time". She's just started framing her pieces and the title then is written on the mat. The two of us find we have lots in common in our styles and backgrounds and decided recently that we were twins separated at birth. You'll see the similarity in her work and their names!

Here's the first one: Be Home for Dinner


And Picture Day

"Picture day" was a traumatic day once a year for Sue when she was a little girl. It was the time when she and her sisters would have their "proper" picture taken and meant they had to sleep with hard rollers in their hair the night before!!!!

To see more of her work, go to her blog or website.

So tell us all. Are you a part-time namer or a full-time namer? More on this subject next Wednesday.

If you would like me to feature your work in this series of "naming", please let me know. I'd be happy to show how you approach this.