Tom Banks Putting On A Show

Live demonstration painting is a great way to market yourself, and your business to potential customers. This grass roots approach to marketing has been increas- ingly more popular and effective over the past few years. There’s no better advertising than setting up at a bike rally and painting a Harley live in front of a crowd. When done correctly, it’s entertaining, educational, and a great

way to book future business....you are the star of the show! When done incorrectly, however, people walk right by you without even stopping. I’ve learned the art of dem- onstration painting by performing in front of crowds over 400 times in the past 3 years. I’ve learned what works, what doesn’t work and how to keep them coming back all show long!

The first thing you must determine is what you are rep- resenting. Are you selling yourself as an artist or are you representing and selling a product (paints, airbrushes, stencils, etc)? While this may seem a no-brainer, there is a very different approach for each situation. Most artists find themselves in a situation where they are promoting themselves, and trying to gain exposure for their business, while operating on a shoe string budget. In a situation like this, you want to display your talent and skill level. This type of live painting is going to be slow, meticulous, and appear highly detailed. I will usually work on 1 or 2 panels a week- end during this type of event. I want to make it look hard! This fits the stereotype that most potential customers be- lieve.....that airbrushing takes a high amount of skill, preci- sion, and talent! I set up so that passer bys can have easy access to view my project, and have a chance to chat with me about their own custom paint ideas. One other note....try to paint a panel that corresponds to the event. In other words, try painting bike parts at a bike event, and car parts at an auto event.

Now, when you are trying to sell or represent products, you want to take a completely different approach. You want to demonstrate to the public how easy this particu- lar product makes things! You want to stick with quick, fast, and easy demonstrations. Think about infomercials on TV. You have to talk about the product, and why it makes things so easy that anyone can do it! I will typically paint a panel that will demonstrate 2 or 3 simple tech-

niques. These techniques take about 10 minutes each, so I’m set up with a 30 minute demonstration. I make sure that there’s an area for them to sit and watch, I want to make them comfortable. Make the demo infor- mative, and explain why this product can change their lives! Also, you want to have the product available for the public to purchase while they are still excited about what you’ve shown them. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36