November 10, 2019November 10, 2019 by admin

Conversing with my customers

It’s been a few months since my last post, and it was a post about my first customer outside of the US. The “demand” for my ceramic balloons have been growing a little bit, slowly but surely, inside the US as well as outside. I am proud to share that I have shipped some balloons to Australia – which is very far away from the US, I just brought the first few pieces home – Vietnam, soon I will ship one piece to the UK, and few other to Canada.

Within the US, I also have some interesting conversations with new customers. Many of my customers are moms-to-be, young ladies who are expecting their first child in the next few months, and I feel honored being someone with whom these young ladies share their wish for their kids’ space with. Most of them want one or few pieces to decorate their nursery room. At first I was surprised by how early moms-to-be start planning for their nursery (usually 6 months in advance). But the more I think about it – the more it makes sense to me, and the more I like this approach. Ten years ago I was a wedding planner – it also took me a while to get used to the fact that brides-to-be can spend 12-18 months to plan their weddings. Now – as an artist who will contribute (a little bit) into a woman’s next big milestone after her wedding – having a child, I could have thought six months may not be enough. But in fact, this time frame is ideal for my ceramic balloon production since I am less under pressure of time, and so is my customer.

A nursery room setup where my ceramic balloons were used - picture from one of my customers — A nursery room setup where my ceramic balloons were used – picture from one of my customers

Out of all the colors that I’ve made for all customers (not just moms-to-be) – baby blue is the second most popular color – after red. This is a challenge for me because baby blue (aka powder blue) is not the easiest color to work with. Personally, I like deep, rich colors better; so although I never failed to deliver any baby blue request and I am also getting better with it, I still often suggest my customers to try new, less common colors like royal blue or navy blue.

A mix of different blue ceramic balloons is also an option

Some customers have designers or decorators to work on their nursery rooms, some other come up with their own ideas. I enjoy having conversations with my customers, sharing my recommendation whenever they ask me how I would hang the balloons. Some customers immediately took my suggestion, some mixed with their ideas and the outcome turn out surprisingly interesting. I am usually happy enough that my customers trust me to make the artwork, it makes me even happier to know they trust my recommendations on how to integrate the piece into the space (which probably makes sense because I am the one who creates them). In some rare cases, after long conversations – sometimes over weeks – I seemed to “sell” the work even better when the customer said “the balloons will be the focal point of that space” – making me excited and also a bit more pressured to make the balloons as special as I could. (Not that I am complaining – it is a good pressure to have!)

All in all, I feel grateful and enjoy working with every customer. Each of them has her own dream and it is a privilege to share and to contribute to making their dreams come true. 🥰