Selling hand-crafted items is easy.
Craft shows put your creations in front of customers who are already motivated to buy, have already decided to spend a given amount, and who are interested in the types of merchandise you make. Craft show customers are there as much for the experience as for the merchandise, and will spend their money with the merchant who makes buying easiest. Many craft show customers return year after year to the same event, giving you the opportunity for multiple repeat sales to a hot-to-buy prospect.
Instructions
1. Locations near the food court have constant traffic.
Book shows as far in advance as possible so you have the widest number of possible booth locations. Festival Network Online has an interactive map, which can be searched by state and month, with listings of shows and festivals all over the country. Choose a space near the food court or within 50 yards of restroom facilities, as folks tend to mill about in these areas. Avoid being placed next to performance areas or anywhere that noise levels will prevent you from talking to patrons. Purchase any necessary vendor licenses from the city or county where the festival is located.
2. Make your booth as accessible as possible without creating blind spots. Place your tables in a "C," with your head table as the front and your other two tables butted against it, going down the right and left sides, with you and your booth partner in the center. This allows you to see your entire display at once.
3. Put price tags on every item you have for sale. Many people will walk away if they do not see price tags. Even in areas where people are accustomed to bargaining, such as Arizona, Texas and Florida, you still need a base price from which to begin.
4. Be courteous and upbeat with event staff and neighboring vendors. This includes waiting until a customer has stepped into "your" space before greeting them, not being overly loud or boisterous, and not annoying event patrons into avoiding the path to and from your booth. "Promoters will take your attitude into consideration when booking for next year, and may not tell you of other events if you have made a bad name for yourself," says jewelry vendor and former owner of MadCafe, Rakli Gadjo.
5. Greet every potential customer without being pushy. Craft space is usually the width of your site plus halfway across the aisle or midway. If the patron is more than halfway across the aisle, facing away from you, or looking at merchandise in another booth, wait until the patron or other merchant have stopped talking and the patron takes a step away from the other booth. Losing sales for other vendors is a serious matter.
6. Make it easy to buy from you. Have a credit card machine available and accept all major credit cards. "McDonald's found that the average transaction rose from $4.50 to $7 when customers used plastic instead of cash," reports Seeking Alpha, a website that provides stock market analysis and financial advice.
7. Bring merchandise to eye level.
Display all your merchandise to its best advantage. Create visual cliffs and valleys by draping bright colored satin or black or blue velvet cloth over cake stands, wood blocks, boxes or anything else that will raise your wares to eye level. Hang light strings and have one or more spotlights on notable items.
8. Thank your patrons.
Have bags, boxes, tissue paper and bubble wrap available so patrons can cushion and transport purchases. Thank your patron for buying from you.
9. Have a fishbowl, box or basket on the head table with pens or pencils and contact info sheets, offering a free item as a door prize. Have the winner's photo posted in any local newspapers and in any newsletters about the event. Keep copies of the clippings for display at subsequent shows. Follow up with every person who provides contact information by sending updates at various times of year, letting patrons know where to find you next season and highlighting new items for sale.
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