At Craft Fairs business, Getting to the show and setting up is only half the battle. There’s so much more involved in making this show your best show.
We should first tell you that, unless absolutely unavoidable, you should never take on selling at a craft show by yourself. While shows can be exciting and profitable, they can also be physically and emotionally exhausting.
That’s why it’s important to bring along someone to help you work the booth and deal with customers. This will also give you a chance to get up and go to the bathroom and grab a hotdog or something to drink without losing sales.
Ask a friend or family member to go with you. Most will be willing – especially if they share the same love of handcrafted items that you do. Don’t make them pay for anything – if at all possible. That’s just one perk. Perhaps you can offer them a percentage of the profits for those who are reluctant to help you out.
If you decide to go it alone, realize that your booth will be unmanned for a certain amount of time. If you must walk away – even for a short time, try to get one of the neighboring booths to help you out. And, by all means, offer the same back to them.
Probably the first thing you should upon arrival and completion of set-up is to walk the show. See what other vendors are offering and what they are charging. Ask them about their work, introduce yourself as a fellow craftsperson, and take an interest in their booth.
This is a perfect time to take note of how their booths are set up, note what they are doing to attract customers, and mimic their demeanor if it seems like it would help you sell yourself. Consider what they’ve done and how they’ve done it – especially if they’re selling something similar to what you have available yourself.
There are two things that vendors at craft shows do that could hinder sales. Because your booth space is your showroom, you need to project a professional image. That includes curbing certain behaviors.
Many craft shows these days ban smoking while in attendance – both by vendors and attendees. Even if smoking isn’t banned, it’s a really bad idea to smoke while in your booth space, especially if you are selling clothing or items where the smoke smell might linger.
Since it’s not advisable to attend a craft show to sell your product alone, tell your partner you are taking a break, and walk away from your booth – far away. Smoking can run off potential buyers quicker than body odor!
Though much less likely to offend than smoking, eating while in your booth is also a chancy behavior. You really should avoid eating in front of customers. When you are engaging in behaviors like eating, it seems to customers that you are not really interested in selling your crafts and they will simply walk away.
Greet everyone who stops by to look, but don’t be pushy. Be friendly, but don’t feel you have to sell your crafts unless what you’ve made has a unique feature that isn’t readily visible. Being pushy can drive away a potential customer quite quickly.
At the very least, make sure your display table is clean and attractive and that your products are well displayed with prices clearly marked. Some people string lights in their booths and display color photos of their work to spice things up a bit. Still, others will play some type of music that can relax a customer and make them more apt to buy.
You’re a crafter, so take this opportunity to build your inventory. There will possibly be a lot of downtimes while you’re at the show, so bring along your supplies and continue making your crafts while you’re selling.
People like to see a craftsperson creating artwork in his booth, not just selling it. While this isn’t always possible, it’s a crowd-pleasing idea that works well for jewelry makers, woodworkers, quilters and other craftspeople. Show customers that you know what you are doing and that you love it enough to continue even when you could be relaxing.
Making crafts while in your booth serves a dual purpose: you show them you love your work, but you are also building your inventory. In fact, how much inventory to bring along to a show is probably the biggest question for new crafters.
We hope you enjoy this full craft fair guide to sell your crafts at craft fairs, this is the Part Eight, find the full parts here:
