# Women's Business Expo



## Guest (Jan 31, 2008)

I have been invited to a women's business expo. I get a table and can either sell products or just provide information on my company.

I am really looking to push my business forward, so I have a marketing consultant working with me, and she got me in. She created a wonderful product list for me and changed some of the names of my soaps.

Soooo, how much product should I take with me? The expo is about three hours long so I don't want to get stuck with an overabundance of inventory.

I was thinking taking two different soap scents, and taking orders for anything more. 

Any thoughts?


----------



## Lane (Jan 31, 2008)

Taking orders is a great idea, but you miss out on those buyers who want something neat and small to take home! Plus, if it is specifically a women's business expo, you will already be surrounded by a crowd of people who support or are interested in what ya do! I'd say bring more than what you might need. 

Look at what you have at home already. Make all those "end pieces" nice looking and give them away as samples! (My ends always end up a little smaller than a regular bar so I slice them into thirds and tie little bows around them with a little piece of paper that says the scent and my website/e-mail addy.) 

If you take orders and you have to make the soap....wait, do you CP, MP, or rebatch?? If you CP it is going to be four weeks before they can get what they want!

Congrats on the expo and you'll have to take lots of pictures for us!


----------



## Tabitha (Jan 31, 2008)

Take every last possible item that will fit in your vehicle. You want the impulse buyers. I wouldn't bother to order something. I would want it then, I also would not want to pay for shipping.


----------



## WilsonFamilyPicnic (Jan 31, 2008)

Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents about trade shows which is "BUYER BEWARE!"  :evil:  meaning, know what the show is like before you fork out big bucks for a booth...

i did something called "the women's show" this past fall for my massage business thinking, oh, great! marketing to all women! well, unfortunately the demographic was not how it was portrayed. It was made to seem like there would be 10,000 women waiting to buy my products and services....i think, 10,000 was the average age of the attendees. but seriously, they were all very, very elderly (canes and walkers, not active older adults) and the ones who were not very elderly were not part of an income bracket with lots of expendable income. i didn't see any handmade soap there, but if there had been i am guessing it woul have sounded something like "$3.00 for a bar of soap!?!? I can go on down to the Wal-mart and get 12 bars for a buck!". 

so, that was a very expensive mistake for me and i just don't want to see it happen to other people! Not trying to scare you I promise!

and i second the suggestion, take more than you think you migt need! (that philosophy is however, why i still have about 700 brochures in my livng room!)

GOOD LUCK!!!


----------



## Lane (Jan 31, 2008)

WilsonFamilyPicnic said:
			
		

> i still have about 700 brochures in my living room!)


 Brochures... I have always wanted to get those printed up...


----------



## WilsonFamilyPicnic (Jan 31, 2008)

that's why we invested in a color laser printer....stick to black and white though! color is waaaay too expensive!


----------



## pepperi27 (Feb 1, 2008)

Lane said:
			
		

> WilsonFamilyPicnic said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Check out vistaprint.com for brochures I get mine for free and only pay for picture uploading.


----------



## Lane (Feb 1, 2008)

pepperi27 said:
			
		

> Lane said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I LOVE vistaprint, but they havent had free brochurse forever now.


----------



## breathenatural (Feb 3, 2008)

I just did off my own brochure and then take it to get copies made- hard to say how many of those you will need. 

I also do soap samples at shows and hand out with my brochure. 

I would take as much product as you can...you just never know!  Think positive!

Jill


----------



## lollil (Jul 15, 2008)

We have done several womens expo's now and finally we decided next year " no more".  It just seemed like the women wanted anything and everything they could get free and nothing else.  We sold a few things and got a few customers from the expo's but not enough to justify the $200.00 booth fee + plus your time.


----------

