Watch Your Details And Watch Your Manners At Craft Shows!
Selling at craft shows, can be fun, profitable and a great experience... as long as you pay attention to details...
If you take care of details, then you will do well.. Selling at craft shows, is like having a live version of your business card on display. I have been in many craft shows and have been witness to the most amazing "faux pas" you can imagine!..
You have worked all year, putting your heart and soul into your arts and crafts. Now its your turn to shine!.. You want to promote your products.. so make sure you display them in a creative way, don't overcrowd your table, make your product "customer friendly".. let them get close and have a good look, and you need to be available!..
Do NOT be sitting behind your table reading the latest romance novel (I see this all the time!) and make sure you make arrangements to have a friend or craft partner or your family relieve you for bathroom breaks, and especially LUNCH breaks!.. There is nothing worse, than having potential customers around your booth, trying to ask you questions, while you are munching away on a monster cheeseburger!.. remember what image you are trying to portray.. look alive, look interested!.
Set up your area or booth, so that it invites potential customers off the path they are all shuffling along on.. you need to make the stop, look, and enter your area, where you can show off your crafts, smile and be proud of them!.. Most craft shows give you an area and one table, but you can get more tables on request.. if you can, then set one table at the back of your area, and 2 up the sides, this creates a "store" area, for all of your displays, and you stand on the edge, so as to give them lots of room, rather than just the one table with you sitting behind it, people tend to keep shuffling along the path and just glimpse, after all these shows have loads of vendors and there is a lot to take in. Quite often people are just overwhelmed, and its nice to get off of the path, have some of your best pieces near the path, that will make them stop and take a look.
Make sure you have a spot at one end of the table for brochures, business cards, and special order forms if you do custom work, or ballots for draws, or a signup form for your newsletters, keep them all neat and tidy at all times, and do explain your work, or what you can do for custom work..
Dress neatly, smile and do not be eating while talking to your customers.. There is a fine line between not bothering your customer and scaring them off!.. don't worry, if you have faith in yourself and your products, then you will shine!... have fun!
If you take care of details, then you will do well.. Selling at craft shows, is like having a live version of your business card on display. I have been in many craft shows and have been witness to the most amazing "faux pas" you can imagine!..
You have worked all year, putting your heart and soul into your arts and crafts. Now its your turn to shine!.. You want to promote your products.. so make sure you display them in a creative way, don't overcrowd your table, make your product "customer friendly".. let them get close and have a good look, and you need to be available!..
Do NOT be sitting behind your table reading the latest romance novel (I see this all the time!) and make sure you make arrangements to have a friend or craft partner or your family relieve you for bathroom breaks, and especially LUNCH breaks!.. There is nothing worse, than having potential customers around your booth, trying to ask you questions, while you are munching away on a monster cheeseburger!.. remember what image you are trying to portray.. look alive, look interested!.
Set up your area or booth, so that it invites potential customers off the path they are all shuffling along on.. you need to make the stop, look, and enter your area, where you can show off your crafts, smile and be proud of them!.. Most craft shows give you an area and one table, but you can get more tables on request.. if you can, then set one table at the back of your area, and 2 up the sides, this creates a "store" area, for all of your displays, and you stand on the edge, so as to give them lots of room, rather than just the one table with you sitting behind it, people tend to keep shuffling along the path and just glimpse, after all these shows have loads of vendors and there is a lot to take in. Quite often people are just overwhelmed, and its nice to get off of the path, have some of your best pieces near the path, that will make them stop and take a look.
Make sure you have a spot at one end of the table for brochures, business cards, and special order forms if you do custom work, or ballots for draws, or a signup form for your newsletters, keep them all neat and tidy at all times, and do explain your work, or what you can do for custom work..
Dress neatly, smile and do not be eating while talking to your customers.. There is a fine line between not bothering your customer and scaring them off!.. don't worry, if you have faith in yourself and your products, then you will shine!... have fun!