When it comes to selling merch and music at live shows, do you get "freaked out" to even mention your merch table from the stage?
You know, a quick little 👋 toward that dark, back corner where you stealthily setup your merch table hoping no one would catch you in the act.
You bury the lead and then, on with the show.
Are you scared that if you have the "audacity to try to sell something" that people will think you've got an ego the size of Texas...?
Hey, I get it. We're musicians. None of us went to "selling school".
We definitely couldn't cut it in Glengary Glen Ross (who would want to??)
Selling is not a skill that comes naturally. So how can you be expected to just start doing it once you start performing?
The good news is, you don't have to!
You don't need to learn to sell. You do, however, need to learn how to do marketing.
Because marketing makes sales easy.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Before we can get into the nitty-gritty strategies of how to sell merch and music without feeling “sales-y,” and the important role of marketing in setting up the sale, I first need to quash a few myths that might be keeping you from selling at shows.
Myth #1: When fans buy from you, they are doing you a favor
Your audience wants what you have. With this idea firmly implanted in your brain, it will be much easier for you to talk about what you have to offer.
Buying something from your merch table gives fans a tangible way to thank you for the experience you just gave them. Don’t rob them of the positive experience of reciprocity.
Here's your mindset shift: Selling is serving.
Myth #2: To sell more, you need to learn the “tricks of the trade”
To make sales, you don’t need to be a good salesperson.
I hear a collective sigh of relief from the musician community!
That’s right. You don’t need to take classes about selling or learn some fancy sales scripts.
But, you do need to learn to be a good marketer.
Now that you’ve cleared your mind of those pesky myths that were probably limiting your ability to sell at shows, let’s talk about marketing.
Good Marketing Makes Sales Easy
The sales conversation starts WAY before your potential buyers visit your merch table. When it comes to selling, marketing actually does the lion’s share of the heavy lifting.
Marketing might sound like something you need to study in school or read a stack of books to master, but at its core, marketing is nothing more than educating people toward a buying decision through demonstration and stories.
Marketing Is Edu-tainment
Good marketing starts with a solidly entertaining and/or moving performance. That is a given. If you aren’t putting on a good show or don’t have stellar music, no amount of marketing can overcome that.
Good marketing connects the dots between your music, your performance and the sale. It involves consciously leaving clues, like breadcrumbs, that lead concert-goers from the great music and experience of your show right to the merch table.
These clues can be as simple as:
- mentioning your song titles and what album they are on
- holding your CD up on stage
- wearing your merch on stage
- pointing out fans wearing your merch
- giving merch or music away during a set
- any other creative ways that fit naturally into your show.
The key is that it needs to be subtle. It’s a mention...not an advertisement.
Make a concerted effort to build these little marketing moments into your show in a way that fits your personality or that of your band.
You’ll find people will have already sold themselves on buying from you before the closing song.
Invite Your Fans Into The Story
You’ve probably heard about “the power of the story” to engage your audience. It is an essential element of successful stage performing. Telling stories and creating experiences is what will make your fans want to continue that relationship by buying something.
While performing, tell the audience how a certain song came about, what inspired it and give a story they can relate to. Be sure to mention what CD the song is on so the audience can make a mental note to get that CD at your merch table.
If you’ve pulled them into the story, they will want to stay connected to the narrative by purchasing the song.
Often, the most compelling story of all is YOUR story. Your audience truly wants to know the artist behind the music, so be vulnerable and authentic about your life while on stage.
The most common reason someone will want to buy your merch is so that they can help sustain you and your music. Tell them what it means when they buy a CD or t-shirt - how it helps you continue to create great music, focus on writing and recording, and tour more often.
If you’ve brought them into your personal and artist story, they’ll naturally want to invest in you.
It’s OK To Assume
Here’s a big mindset shift - start with the assumption that your audience wants to purchase something from you. This shifts you from the position of salesperson to that of a guide.
If they’ve already decided that they want to buy from you, all you are doing is giving them the information they need to complete the transaction..
In the past, you may have been nervous about mentioning your albums and merch table several times during a show. It might have felt repetitive and sales-y, but, I promise, it didn’t feel that way to the audience.
Their attention is often divided between you and everything going on around them. Chances are, they’ll only hear 50% of your stage banter, so numerous friendly reminders are appreciated.
Practice inserting reminders casually into your show: point out band members or fans wearing your merch, hold up your album when you play a popular song from the record, you can even point them in the general direction of your merch table so they know where to go after the performance.
Take The Friction Out Of Selling
There are so many small tweaks you can make to remove the friction at the point of sale:
- Enlist a helper at the merch table to move the line faster so you can talk to fans.
- Have a clean, organized merch display - i.e shirt sizes in order, CDs in rows, etc.
- Display large, clear signage with pricing for all items and bundles.
- Use round numbers for your pricing, preferably in increments of $5.
- Offer bundles i.e. CD plus T-shirt or a bundle of your full CD catalog for a discount, ready made gift baskets or boxes filled with music and merch, etc.
- Don’t forget upcoming holidays and have gifts wrapped appropriately - i.e. Mother’s day, Christmas, etc.
- Use a graduated discount strategy - i.e. 1 for $15, 2 for $25, 3 for $35, to make it easier for them to buy more.
On Wednesday we'll talk about how to make online sales less scary 🎃 and maybe even fun!
Always in your corner,
Bree Noble