What To Do If You’re Not Getting Black Friday Sales In Your Art Business

The holidays are coming and the mass sales have begun. As a business owner of any kind, sometimes you can’t help but be pulled to participate in the “Black Friday Sales Event”. You take the time to craft out the perfect offer, select the perfect items you predict people will like, then nervously create the content letting people know and cross your fingers that the order notifications start coming in.

However, sometimes the day(s) come and there are no order notifications, there is no one jumping on your offer, and no “sold out” signs going up on your website. You sit and refresh your email inbox hoping there was a technical malfunction as you see sale after sale happening with thousands of big-name retailers around the world. “What is going on?!” starts popping up in your mind and then you start internalizing that it must be you, your art must not be good enough even for super low prices, and may even think of quitting.

Sound familiar?

Well, instead of boxing up your art supplies, instead of closing up shop, and instead of quitting your all time dream of having a successful business selling your handmade work, consider this instead…

What if it was actually a good sign that people weren’t buying your work on sale?

What if your ideal customer sees your work as too valuable to be marked that low and they feel like, if they buy it on sale, it’s less valuable that way?

What if your ideal customer doesn’t value super low prices like the masses but prefers to pay full price because they feel like it will be more special for them that way?

I’ve had two handmade businesses now and I’ll let you in on a little secret… neither of them have done well around Black Friday. I’ve offered the discounts, I’ve created the bundle offers, I’ve done all the things but, more often than not, I either get a one-off sale from a customer who buys my absolutely lowest priced item or I get people reaching out asking for my highest priced item with no discount!

I’ll let you in on another secret… people value themselves more when they pay more. Yes, it’s good and smart to save on every day items; yes, it’s good to be financially responsible with your money; but, for one-off purchases on items that are unique just for the person buying them, people want to feel special that they purchased something a little more expensive. They want to feel like they pampered themselves with something truly valuable. They want to associate this beautiful thing with a higher price tag because every time they use it or wear it or see it, it will remind them of how they invested in themselves and it will make them feel special.

I see it as a compliment now when my “sales” days don’t go well. I used to feel like I wasn’t good enough as an artist and maker, but now having seen that my real ideal customers reach out to me to pay full price, no matter when it is, I now feel more empowered and happy when I don’t get Black Friday Deals.

When you’re crafting your ideal customer in your mind, asking yourself what kind of person they are, what they value, and what their spending habits are, it’s worth it to make them a step above the rest. Make your ideal customer a person who will buy your product no matter what the price is. Make your ideal customer a person who would prefer to buy from your newest collection at full price instead of a person who was always fishing for your biggest sale item.

So, if you’re not getting Black Friday (or Cyber Monday) sales, internalize it as your work is too good, not too bad. As an artist, you create one of a kind things, not mass produced “stuff” that falls into the lowest price game because it’s made with cheap material in ways that really even shouldn’t be legal. Lift your chin up, beautiful artist and creator, and know that your work is better than Black Friday. Go create your next big thing so your ideal customer can find you and pay full price.

Want more helpful tips on how to identify your ideal customer and increase your online sales? Join my Artisan Coaching Studio monthly membership or invest in my Full Course Training and get lifetime access!

Until next time… happy creating <3