2006-07-10: wanna sell your game?
by Emily
Read this. Alexander wrote up his experiences with sales at Origins on the Forge. This thread is chock full of the best advice on sales I've seen put together.
For anyone going to GenCon to sell their own game or help other folks this is for you.
Especiallyif it's your first time. This will help orient you & give you a head start toward getting your game into people's hands.
Some highlights:
- Spot a punter who is looking to be engaged; not bustling past with a fixed stare, nor talking eagerly to a companion. Sometimes a break in a conversation can be exploited to good effect, but usually it comes across as rude and pushy, and will get you a dirty look or ignored.
- Ask a leading question, or a (borderline) stupid one, like: "Do you play games?", "Do you roleplay?", or "Can I show you some games?". Be very clear that "No" is an acceptable response. If necessary, say so. It is far, far better to let someone go about their mini-gaming business than to spend ten minutes pitching half-a-dozen games to them that they will never buy.
- If you get a bite, reel in a little, by continuing with a leading question: "What are you playing at the moment?", "Why did you stop?", "What kind do you mostly play?", and I had some good results from some people with "What is it that's frustrating you about the game?", mostly when I detected some sighing/angsty vibe from them.
He also includes his capsule pitches for a bunch of indie games, which is critical to get that networking sales action which is the true secret of the success of the Forge booth at GenCon. For every game anyone sells of their own game, 5-10 copies get pitched and sold by somebody else.
2006-07-12 18:07:17 anon.
That's good stuff; I read it closely. I really have no idea what I'm in for at Gen Con.
2006-07-12 18:07:53 anon.
...said Jason M. (sigh)
2006-07-13 13:46:51 Emily
That's a great topic, actually. What is Jason in for at GenCon?
- Huge masses of gamers. Far more than any dozen of us could shake a stick at.
- Waves of people being tossed at him to demo the Roach for. You'll hear "hey, Jason—here's one!" a lot, I feel sure.
- Ridiculously awesome collaborative selling. Get ready to have folks put your game into peoples' hands.
- Some of the best after hours gaming evar. Well, at least, imo.
2006-07-13 14:22:54 Guy Shalev
Booth Babes?
2006-07-13 17:52:02 Emily
Heh, Jasper is the best booth minbo evar.
2006-07-13 23:18:13 Ninja Monkey J
He is. He's really mastered the art of eye contact. Very sexy.
2006-07-14 14:12:27 Emily Care
Eye contact, natch. So funny that we (sometimes) least social or wierdest of folks then have to go out on the con floor and actually talk to people about our games to sell them. : )
But then, that is another part of what's so different about the Forge ethic: engagement, engagement, engagement.
2006-07-20 20:58:09 Iskander
Hey, Emily,
I'm glad you found it useful! I can't wait to catch up with everyone at GenCon.
- Alexander