View source for Will Network for Work

==Article Transcript==
On a flight some years ago when I first started out in the retail
caricature business, I recall being pestered to no end about
my job and what I did for a living as I flew back to Georgia
after a holiday break to Nebraska. A guy sitting next to me on the
plane started in about what he did for a living and handed me one of
his business cards and told me to call him about me creating some
artwork for him in that coming year or the next. I must say that at
the time, I was rather put off by such social meetings on airplanes, or
while I’d be at lunch just trying to enjoy a good burger, or while standing
at the then Kinko’s making photo copies. What I would learn from
my older brother, a banker, was that this was a fairly common practice
in the professional world; it was called “networking.”

Fast forward twenty years, and I find myself
networking like crazy to stay busy with
my live party and gift caricature business.
It is very important to make contacts and
get your business card, website, and Facebook
business page out in front of as many
current, past and future clients as possible
to keep our phones ringing and to have our
email mailboxes filled weekly with customers
and/or leads to get jobs.

If your focus is on retail or theme parks
you still can benefit from some networking
tips. If you’re in the live party caricature
arena then it can’t hurt to do some simple
networking. I have met many a caricature
artist who simply hated the idea of selling
themselves to the Joe Plumbers out there.
I certainly was reluctant early on in my
caricature career. Although not the only
place out there, one place to start is at your
local chamber of commerce. Like any type
of advertising you do for your business, the
phonebook listings, internet, postcards,
business cards, etc., there are going to be
some costs involved monetarily. Membership
in a chamber will set you back a few
hundred dollars. This is usually a yearly
renewal to join but what you’ll get is lists
of business groups that meet for breakfast,
lunch, or happy hour and last from 1-1/2
hours on average once a week. You’ll be
listed on the chamber website and in their
newsletters. They also have leads events
and mixers in the evenings where twenty
or more businesses each have tables to
pitch their product or service for 2-3 minutes
at time.

Does it work? Actually, yes! You might be
surprised how easy it is to stand out in a
group, when you consider that you are likely
the ONLY caricature artist within the group or the first time any of the usual crowd of
insurance agents, financial planners, lawyers,
IT companies, sign makers, and window
cleaners have ever learned that live party and
gift caricatures artists exist in their business
area. I attend a midweek lunch leads group.
As most of my party events occur in the evenings
and on weekends, this time slot works
into my schedule quite nicely. At each lunch
I get to pitch a 1-3 minute elevator commercial
about my business and build business
relationships that will generate leads for
them and for myself.

Some call this prospecting. In the past three
years I’ve come up with some basic ways to
get more leads for my caricature business.

Here are my five tips for networking success!

'''1. Write an Elevator Pitch'''<br>
We need to create our 30 second
commercial to quickly introduce ourselves
when we come in contact with Joe
Public. Here is a sample:
I’m Your Name with Your company
name . My clients are typically companies/
people who are (Insert target
prospect here ).
Typically they choose to work with me/us
because (Insert emotion and prob -
lem state ment here ).
For me, my target prospects are hosting
parties that need entertainment or party
favors. And my emotion and problem
statement is that because I like my job, I
can bring enthusiasm and an uplifting attitude
that will put the clients/guests into a
good mood or put a smile on their faces.

Use your elevator pitch whenever someone
asks you about what you do for a
living. I find most folks are very interested
in getting to know more about our line of
business and genuinely want more info
and want to relate to folks who do something
they enjoy for their careers.

'''2. Branding Your Business or Service'''<br>
If you haven’t done so already, start
by creating a logo or self-caricature and
put it on your business card and website.
Having a business card with your self-caricature,
allows you to send a sample of your
work home with the potential clients ASAP!
It should have your URL, phone and email
listed for easy follow up. Branding can be
expanded to gig dress shirts/ball caps and
jacket you wear while you’re on the job or
out marketing it. Another tip I picked up
at leads groups is having a name tag and a
magnetic sign for your vehicle doors.

Since I started wearing my logo on my
shirts and jackets, it is often an ice breaker
for people to ask about my line of work.
And yes, tag lines like “line of work” or
“How’s my drawing,” can be incorporated
into your brand and can be effective in
making a lasting first impression with
potential clients.

'''3. Join Leads Groups and Begin Prospecting'''<br>
Where can you find places to pick
up leads or prospect for future jobs? Some
of the ways to get leads are through your
local chamber of commerce, school functions,
churches, fairs and festivals, word of
mouth, quinceanera expos, mitzvah fests,
wedding shows, pet shows, and party and
industry trade shows.

I have picked up many jobs at events where
I set up and drew free caricatures with my
contact info on the pre-printed paper and
passing out my cards. When you draw
someone or visit with them one-on-one, it
gives you time to tell these potential clients
all about your services. They can see just
how cordial and entertaining you are with
them, and it shows them how you would be
with their colleagues, friends, family and the
guests that would come to their party.

'''4. Join Trade Organizations/Share and or Volunteer Your Artwork with Groups'''<br>
This is an obvious one, but joining ISCA,
and attending the annual ISCA convention
is a great place to get together with
other caricature artists and an opportunity
to network with its members. Starting a
local ISCA chapter or having get-togethers
with artists in your area is another way.
Here in Dallas, a group of caricature artists
started an informal drawing night once a
month. We meet at one another’s homes
or nearby restaurants/pubs to draw, eat,
drink libations, and to network with each
other away from the gig scene. Many art
museums have open houses once a week
or month. Non-profits, junior or small colleges
provide places to share your caricature
art leading to jobs leads. Another
great way to get more work is to connect
with local and nationwide party planners.
ISCA is lucky to have several members
who have websites that you can list with to
get bookings for party and gift caricatures:
The Nose, About Faces Entertainment and
Goofy Faces are excellent planners to connect
with to get more work.

I have participated in elementary, junior
and high school career days over the
years volunteering one day a year, often
resulting in coming back out to earn some
money at school art days that promote the
visual arts and pick up some gift commissions.
All of these avenues provide me a
way to connect with the community and to
—GASP— network for jobs.

'''5. Social Networking'''<br>
Putting an ad in the yellow pages/
telephone book doesn’t hurt, but
nearly ALL of our new and established
clients are finding artists online these
days! Identifying your target audience and
connecting with them means having an
internet presence. A website, blog, ISCA
website profile, a business Facebook page,
Twitter, LinkedIn are all places to put your
focus. Its up to you to promote these sites
and pages in your marketing.

Telling everyone about your social networking
tools while you’re out visiting with other
businesses and when you’re at your gigs,
fairs, and social events can give your service
or party caricatures a boost and keep
everyone excited about your work and jobs
you’re doing each month. Keeping active
with blogs and Facebook posts can keep
other artists and customers culling through
your work to see what is happening and
provides a buzz about your work.

Let’s face it, staying busy is something all
of us need to do to survive as caricature
artists! I hope this article is helpful to
finding at least a few new prospects and
helps generate some new leads for your
caricature business, whether you’re looking
for some extra income or if you make your
full-time living doing caricatures. I know
for myself, I wish I’d started the networking
process 25 years earlier, when that guy first
bugged me on that flight back to Atlanta.
What I’ve learned in the past few years has
really opened up many doors and roads to
more jobs, contacts, and has gotten me to
develop my marketing skills.

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