Craft shows & introversion

[Stace41971]

We got out first craft show under out belt...I purposely started out with a show that was in its first year so we didn't become overwhelmed with OUR first show. It was OK, there were maybe 50 people that went through and we had 10 sales. I made my booth fee back, which was my only real goal for my very first fair, and we got an idea of some things we could do better, and what kinds of soaps are going to sell best for us (funny that the soap I sell the most of to my family is one that I didn't sell ANY of at the fair! People want smelly soaps..not unscented). I came home and slept for 10 straight hours...trying to "regroup" from being in a social situation where I was surrounded by people. So, my question is, how do introverts do it? I can't be the only introverted soap maker here. My husband comes with me, he's much more of an extrovert and will talk with anyone..he LOVES craft fairs. We are signed up for another fair the beginning of November, this one, more established. I suppose practice and getting out there and just doing it will help, but are there any tricks or things that any of you do that help with the anxiety that can happen before shows...?? or anything that helps you to "recover" ? I'm hoping Ill just get over it lol.

 

[Neve]

Introvert here. I'm over markets, I just don't do well at them. I'm sick of doing so much work and only making back my booth fee. I'm going to find another way to sell soap/prints/stuff I make.

I have found that some people will talk to you for half an hour and not buy anything, and this more than anything really saps my energy. The people that buy don't talk to me first, they just pick it up and hand over money. So I stay pretty quiet now. I have no advice for you, sorry! Other than hey let your husband do all the talking!

 

[sugar_soap]

Hi there,

I'm probably the most anti-social person I know and not at all confident in front of people. That said I have been working in sales for the past 10 years or so (electrical stuff not soaps etc) and get by pretty well. I remember my first couple of years - I was like a rabbit in front a pair of headlights. Now I just take care to explain in detail about the product and sometimes make a couple of jokes (depending on the client). IMO this works well because clients are basically more interested in the product they're about to purchase than chit-chatting so explaining pros and cons would help fill in that void

Having said all that, if I were you I'd play my ace card and just invite hubby along for all fairs

 

[lenarenee]

Stace, that is a sweet photo of your first event! Your situation reminds me of a friend who is married to a minister and has to spend a lot of time on weekends being social. She'll sleep 12 - 20 hours sometimes in order to recover!

I am also an introvert, but I don't need sleep to recover... I need space.
Would it be helpful to you, if you were able to take a break during the craft show...leave for an hour, have lunch in the car or under a shady tree? Even having one of those tall Chinese screens to "hide" behind for a few minutes while your husband holds down the fort?

I do think that time and experience will help; once you've done a few shows and develop a rhythm, I think they will be less wearing on you. Plus, you'll gain more confidence in handling customer questions and comments, and you'll develop some practiced and comfortable responses to them, which will help conserve your energy.

But good for you for doing this!

 

[gaerwen]

ugh, introvert here also. I love and hate the markets. I find that having a table near someone I know helps, then I can escape to "pee" or grab coffee or whatever. I also wrap soap will sitting there so I am busy with my hands as that seems to make me less focused on the horrible volumes of people. lol. Its hard, but its possible. Take some me time before you go, and absolutely after as well. Keep your answers polite, happy and to the point, people like to hang out a great smelling booth. Loads of them go to socialize maybe not really to buy.

 

[DeeAnna]

As one introvert to another, shows and fairs are hard for me to do too.

Experience helps -- just DO it, but start with small, short shows that are likely to make you feel happy and successful. Set realistic goals for the experience as well, as you did with your one-day show.

Just living life helps too. As we get more life experience, we often become more tolerant of things that originally cause anxiety. You might take on tasks other than fairs that give you small doses of life experience dealing with the public -- giving a talk to children or at church, teaching a class about something you love to do, etc.

Work on keeping a healthy perspective about yourself and others. A bit of good advice given to me years ago -- don't compare your insides with other people's outsides. A person that looks calm, collected, polished, and poised might feel like a basket case inside. If I keep this in mind, helps me understand that MANY people feel like I do, so I don't feel as alone or overwhelmed.

Recognize and meet the introvert's need to take frequent, short breaks to get a breath of "alone time". Just a few minutes of solitude every hour or two is incredibly helpful. My hubby is an extrovert, and he often covers for me at the booth when I wander around the show for a bit to catch my mental breath.

Avoid taking on too much too fast or too soon. Learn what your limits are for energy, enthusiasm, extroverting, living out of a suitcase, or whatever. It's fine to take on a challenge and stretch yourself, but you don't need to be a superhero. After a longer show (2+ days), even my dear husband has hit his limit for dealing with people, and that makes me feel better!

 

[shunt2011]

As one introvert to another, shows and fairs are hard for me to do too.

Experience helps -- just DO it, but start with small, short shows that are likely to make you feel happy and successful. Set realistic goals for the experience as well, as you did with your one-day show.

Just living life helps too. As we get more life experience, we often become more tolerant of things that originally cause anxiety. You might take on tasks other than fairs that give you small doses of life experience dealing with the public -- giving a talk to children or at church, teaching a class about something you love to do, etc.

Work on keeping a healthy perspective about yourself and others. A bit of good advice given to me years ago -- don't compare your insides with other people's outsides. A person that looks calm, collected, polished, and poised might feel like a basket case inside. If I keep this in mind, helps me understand that MANY people feel like I do, so I don't feel as alone or overwhelmed.

Recognize and meet the introvert's need to take frequent, short breaks to get a breath of "alone time". Just a few minutes of solitude every hour or two is incredibly helpful. My hubby is an extrovert, and he often covers for me at the booth when I wander around the show for a bit to catch my mental breath.

Avoid taking on too much too fast or too soon. Learn what your limits are for energy, enthusiasm, extroverting, living out of a suitcase, or whatever. It's fine to take on a challenge and stretch yourself, but you don't need to be a superhero. After a longer show (2+ days), even my dear husband has hit his limit for dealing with people, and that makes me feel better!

This exactly. You will also find that you get more comfortable the more you do them. Just believe in your products and smile. You'll do just fine.

 

[SplendorSoaps]

It's interesting that people want to buy the "smelly" soaps. My family has specifically requested soaps with little or no fragrance, or maybe just a little bit of EO. I read on another blog (http://lionandrosesoap.blogspot.com/) that she found the same thing when she started selling at farmer's markets. Apparently people are really drawn to the scents!

Great job getting "out there" and selling your soaps! You mentioned that your husband came along with you. If he's an introvert too, maybe you guys could trade off on booth time? Maybe take half an hour by yourself while your husband has some alone time, then trade off.

 

[Stace41971]

Thanks everyone! I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing then and hope my "deer in headlight" look goes away lol. My husband tells me once I'm there and talking with people I do great...i guess I'm just super critical because I know how I feel on the inside and Im afraid that it's showing on the outside as well.
I just found out that there is an experienced soap maker just over the hill from me (In VT that usually means within 20 miles lol) and now Im paranoid that Ill be stepping on toes if I apply at fairs that she's attending. We have a similar style. Is there an unwritten rule about such things or do you all just leave it up to the fair officials to sort that stuff out? My husband says "Just go! A little competition is healthy!"...my introvertness is saying "she was there first...don't create waves..someone might notice!" LOL

 

[goji_fries]

Mega-introvert here. I'm proud of you guys. Good luck to you Stace and all the others that replied.

 

[snappyllama]

I don't sell, but a coworker helped me out conquering public speaking jitters. She told me to "Act As If". Since I wanted to appear poised and confident speaking in front of hundreds of people, I should become an actor - pretend to be that person instead of the one that wanted to sprint out of the room. Focusing on the character helped me forget about all the people staring at me.

She said I only needed to keep up the act until I got to the portion that I was passionate about. Past the initial hurdle, my enthusiasm for the topic would carry me to the end.

It worked for me... I was able to enthrall a whole bunch of people with EDI standards for electric meter reads in a post-desegregation environment. Well, enthrall might be too strong a description, but I didn't throw up!

Good luck!

 

[DeeAnna]

"...My husband tells me once I'm there and talking with people I do great...i guess I'm just super critical because I know how I feel on the inside and Im afraid that it's showing on the outside as well...."

Oh, I know what you mean. I had to take a speech class as an undergrad and it was HORRIBLE! We were given an assignment to do a speech that had to last a whole THREE MINUTES and we were going to get VIDEOTAPED and I wondered before my first speech if I would EVER live down the SHAME of being a TERRIBLE speaker. I rehearsed my lines over and over and when the time came to give the speech, I thought was a miserable failure.

And then I watched the video of that speech. I squirmed with misery and anxiety the first time I watched. I was so self conscious because I related every boo boo on the video with my recollection of my emotions at the time.

And then I watched it again and got an epiphany. I thought, "Huh, if I watch myself as if the speaker is a complete stranger ... Well, heck, she's not so bad!" The pause where I'd forgotten my rehearsed line ... was just was a simple pause on the video. The point where I garbled my words and felt this huge stab of anxiety ... was on the video just a minor verbal fumble that people do all the time.

This experience (and the other equally as horrible, nerve wracking, awkward speeches I had to prepare and present the rest of the semester!) reassured me that my "mistakes" were not nearly as horrible to the outside world as they sometimes seem to me on the inside.

What an eye-opener for me....

 

[SassyKat6181]

I was at a fair yesterday and there were two other soapers there. I was the only one with goats milk soap though. The majority of vendors were types of jewelry

 

[goji_fries]

I was at a fair yesterday and there were two other soapers there. I was the only one with goats milk soap though. The majority of vendors were types of jewelry

Do you use canned or real GM? Where do you get bulk GM?

 

[snappyllama]

They sell goat's milk at my local grocery store, King Scoopers. It's a Kroger-owned store if you have any of their other brands nearby.

 

[SassyKat6181]

Sorry - duplicate post

 

[SassyKat6181]

Do you use canned or real GM? Where do you get bulk GM?

I have dairy goats. It doesn't get any fresher than that! It's actually how I got into making soap & lotion. I had so much milk I had to figure out what to do with it

 

[bumblewood]

I have dealt with very serious anxiety my entire life, so I totally understand where you're coming from! I was so nervous at my first show I nearly puked in the parking lot and I shook like a leaf for the first 30 minutes. And that was even with my sister there as support. I do love selling though, even if it means being in public and *gasp* talking to people, so I have adopted the "fake it til you make it" mentality as well. If I can *pretend* I'm not afraid and that I'm totally a pro, then eventually I'll get there. I'm still nervous before every single show, but all my friends that come to see me tell me I'm a natural at being a saleswoman, and I haven't died yet, so I'm still doing alright! Practice does make perfect, and having a second person there in case I need to step out is crucial for me since a lot of my anxiety comes from the feeling of being trapped. If I have a back up then just knowing I can walk away for a bit, even if I don't actually do it, really helps to calm me down and keep me going. You'll be great, don't give up! I am doing much better now gearing up for my 8th show than I was for my first.

 

[pamielynn]

Super introvert/people hater here Experience has been the best teacher for me. Doesn't completely quell the anxiety, but it helps. The best thing I have done for myself was to get into a weekly market. I am now comfortable being there as I see many of the same customers during a month.

I still get all wound up - talking to fast and carrying on a conversation that should have ended 15 minutes ago - but I work on it every week. Learning not to take everything SO seriously is the super hardest thing for me. I hate "doing it wrong". I have yet to branch out of my comfort zone and do a big show in a new place. This is my goal for 2015. There is a 3 day show in Cowboys Stadium every Christmas and I WILL do it next year even if I have to take a Valium to do it

Now - if I can just learn to stop gesticulating with my hands so much.........

AND - big congrats on your first show!!!

 

[pamielynn]

Looking at these replies and my own, I realized that becoming a "professional" soapmaker has taught me many things and pushed me to do things I never thought I could do. Patience and being out among the people are at the top. Soapmaking/selling is not just a hobby or profession: it's the new life coach