Caribbean Tourist Lessons for us Montanans From Fran Tabor

Caribbean Tourist Lessons for us Montanans

If you are part of the creative community, even your vacations take a different turn. For
instance, this spring my sister announced she and her husband were going to celebrate their 50 th
wedding anniversary by cruising the Bahamas. Would I please join them? Dutch treat, of course.
For you youngsters, Dutch treat means I’m invited as long as I pay my own way. Back in
the 1600’s the Dutch were known to be hard bargainers and cheap. Those habits led to the House
of Orange – the Dutch royal family --- becoming one of the wealthiest on Earth. They probably
own a share of something near you, wherever you are. Back to my story.
The cruise boat stopped at many ports filled with cool shops designed to lighten our bank
accounts. I was eager to buy a souvenir, but I wanted something that could only come from the
islands we visited. That proved difficult.
At the same time, I analyzed how items were sold, what caught peoples eyes and what,
when picked up, was put down again or bought.
The one universal, if it was food or drink, samples sold. As true on a tropical island as in
a COSTCO aisle. After being fed rum cake, I bought three tins.
Anything with a story, sold better than something that just sat there. “The men in this
family have been carving wood for five generations…” made my niece eager to buy a wooden
knife.
Anything that smacked of imported from elsewhere, went unbought, no matter how cute.
Back home in Montana, our tourists are as on the lookout for authentically Montana as I
was for authentically Caribbean. We can slap “Made in Montana” stickers on our products, but
just knowing it’s Montana Made isn’t enough to make the difference.
A personal story made a simple carving go from ‘nice’ to Irresistible.
If you’re in person selling, it’s often difficult to tell your story. Inexpensive bookmarks
can be the free gift that tells your Montana story. Your story can add value to your creations,
just like the wooden knife carver’s story about his great-great grandfather added value.
If you share why you love what you do, then your customers will be taking home more
than your crafted item. They’ll be taking home a bit of love – something the world will always
need a bit more of.