How to get more people to my booth

[Melharma]

Hi, I have been doing craft shows for about 6 months now (doing pretty much every one that I think will be good, 1-3 per month) and my results have not been very great. I know that after a while i will start to know which shows will be good for me and not but even the shows I do "well" at, I don't do that well, maybe 1 or 2x the buy in.

I notice that a lot of people don't even stop by my booth, they sort of glance over and then keep walking. I do have a banner that hangs on my tables that says "Handmade soaps, bath and body". Of the people that do stop by, a good percent of them buy and of those who don't buy I see the twinkle in their eye when they smell and look and try out some products, so these reasons lead me to believe I have a good products but I'm just not understanding why I don't have the results.

I have snapped a few pics at the show I did last weekend, I basically had one 6 foot table and a rack with shelves right to the side of it. I was wondering if you can give me some tips or look at my display and see if you can suggest anything. In this show last weekend I did have a red table cloth, I normally have a simple white one but I thought I would try the red. I have a lot of different product and mostly what you see is the samples (everything is labeled with a sticker, tester or smell me, something like that) for everyone to smell and try, the stock I keep in drawers under the table.



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[dieSpinne]

I am relatively new to the Soap field, but have been vending crafts for years.
One thing I would like to share is that red is very attention grabbing (thus the sidelong glances), but is often perceived by shoppers as an aggressive color; your base-cloth is very very RED!!!

If you have someone doing the shows with you, take a short break and wander the show... see who is doing well and ask yourself some important questions:
What is different between their booth and yours?
What is different between their product and yours? (I mean this in terms of presentation... even if they are selling a somewhat different product, this can apply.)

If there are more than one successful vendor at the show, ask yourself what they have in common that is different than what you do.

Remember that it is your job to adapt to the market, not the other way around. Arbitrary things, like perceptions of what is aggressive versus what is pleasant or prevailing prosperity of the area, will change and you need to change with them. Some things will be constants, though, and it is also your job to figure out those things and incorporate them into your marketing.

Good luck with the craft shows and keep plugging away. It gets better as you do.

 

[Rosiegirl]

For me, I like to be able to pick up the product I want to buy when I'm ready to purchase. I've never been fond of having to ask for the product. I want to see what I'm buying. Especially soap. I also like to see lots of stock out. This may be just b me but it perceives you're expecting to b busy. & I can't stress enough I want to pick my own. Weather it b to pick the best one or most nicely wrapped, the fullest bottle, not sure why, but I want to make the choice myself.
Your stand just needs some tweeking. I agree with the red tablecloth its very red. R u able to put soaps out on a stand or in basket or something.
Good on u for getting out there & having a go.
HTH & its meant in the nicest possible way.

 

[Sunny]

I agree, I always want to see lots of stuff. I don't want to see one of each thing. I want to see lots of each thing. I don't want to feel like I'm just getting the leftovers of what you made and that's why there's one or two out there.

I would maybe invest in some displays to put things on instead of just having them sit on the table, and also a new tablecloth.

 

[dieSpinne]

One other thing I noticed.

You say you snapped these pics....
Who is the person behind the table?

Awkward truth time
This person needs to smile more.
I dunno if it is the end of the day, or just having a rough day or what.
It may even be that they don't like having their pic taken and so they are not smiling just in the pictures... that is also possible.
One of the things that will drive customers away fast is a negative, sharkish, bored or worried facial expression.
/Awkward truth time

You want them to approach? Make it look like engaging you is going to be pleasant, or even fun. Contrary to popular belief, product doesn't sell itself until AFTER they have tried it... to get there, you have to get them to try it first...

 

[judymoody]

A couple of things:

First, your products look pretty, colorful, and inviting.

Most of what I'm going to say has already been said.

Second, the red cloth also jumped out at me. I'd go for something warmer - forest green, navy, maybe even a dusty pink, or just plain natural or ivory.

I also think a narrower table might be helpful. I know you want to display all of your product but this table seems quite deep and puts the seller at a remove from the customer.

I also think that more product displayed would be better. Maybe get some baskets and heap your lotions into them so the buyer gets an impression of abundance.

There's always the free sample lure - maybe if you have some small soap ends to give away?

 

[soapbuddy]

If that's you that's sitting behind the table, you have your hands crossed. That's an invisible signal (body language) that says stay away. Stand up, say hello to everyone that passes by, offer small free samples, comment on people's clothing or hair or shoes or their handsome animals (if they are allowed). Get them into a conversation with you. Talk about the benefits of your products. Smile!

 

[Melharma]

If that's you that's sitting behind the table, you have your hands crossed. That's an invisible signal (body language) that says stay away. Stand up, say hello to everyone that passes by, offer small free samples, comment on people's clothing or hair or shoes or their handsome animals (if they are allowed). Get them into a conversation with you. Talk about the benefits of your products. Smile!

That's my mom who came to sit with me for a little bit. I'm usually the one to talk to people and am usually always standing up with good energy. I wonder tho if people see her they are a bit "put off" by her lack of positive energy. I was going to ask her not to come to the show next weekend to see if there is any noticeable differences. Thanks for the insight!! I guess a picture really tells the truth.

 

[Rosiegirl]

I must say I like my family to stay away when I'm selling. Especially my mum. It sounds harsh but I think she does put people off a little...god bless her she's a slightly grumpy english woman.
I prefer to b on the ball & not distracted by people who just don't need to b there.

 

[Woodi]

Your products look lovely. I have sold for 10 years and get a LOT of people stopping by my booth, and sales are always good. So if you care to read this, here are some things I've learned over the years, and which are my 'rules for myself':

* Put out a LOT of product, make it look inviting to touch. I worked at a health food store for awhile, and their mandate was to make things look abundant, so keep the shelves FULL, almost to overflowing at all times (think: horn of plenty).
* Never sit behind my displays, walk around, keep replacing stuff, moving it around (not obsessively, but a bit). Visit other booths, chat cheerfully.
* Look happy and approachable at all times. Never, ever read a book.
* Narrow tables are better. And if you can have two, put them at right angles to one another so customers can browse around them without bumping into you or other customers.
* Colors beautiful but more subdued (except for product). This includes what I'm wearing. Black to me is a bit off-putting. I know it's a very business-like color nowadays, but to me it speaks of funerals.
* Customers like to browse without being watched too carefully. So I usually smile, try to appear friendly and available, but give them privacy to browse. (difficult in a really small venue).

I'll go see if I can dig out a few pics for you.

 

[Woodi]

These cheap shelves from IKEA, now fallen apart after 10 years of shows, worked so very well. My hubby also made the soap trays, also very good. You can get the instructions for making them on his soapmaker site.

You can see the 90 degree angling from above, here.

This was an autumn studio tour in my home, with a guest jeweller who also did very well in the 3 days.

Autumn studio tours do very well in this area, where people drive out from the city, to see where and how artists and craftspeople live. I recommend finding one, if you can.

For the first five years, I was a guest at other artisans' homes or studios. Then for two years, I opened my own home "studio" (my livingroom). Having people traffic through your house is a scary experience, and I only did this twice....more on that later if you're interested.

 

[NurturedBellyDoula]

I've never done soap yet ( I will soon ...) but I do do a lot of vending with my other business and with work. The red cloth has to go. There's also a lot going on in your table..maybe separating by sections. Put your banner in the front of the table or hang it in the back in the wall.

Also, make sure to stand up. Usually that welcomes people more and feel like they can approach you. You're sitting down with your hands crossed and kind of look mad. That's not welcoming.. There should always be someone standing. If not, lean to your table with a smile and hand out business cards.

hope this helps..

Angela

 

[honor435]

gosh I have done shows almost every weekend this nov, dec, I learned alot, in fact some of the customers gave some advice

this is what I learned:

1. dont look bored, ever
2. dont sit, stand and look ready to talk, answer questions, dont read( I was next to a booth where both the sellers were reading their kindles, they didnt do so well)
3. dress nice, apperance does matter
4. offer samples, believe it or not people take that sample and go to the restroom and try it.
5. anything to get people talking, then you can talk about your product.
6, have lots of product, some out of wrap so they can see, touch it.

some shows are just not good, no matter what you do

 

[Tabitha]

If that's you that's sitting behind the table, you have your hands crossed. That's an invisible signal (body language) that says stay away. Stand up, say hello to everyone that passes by, offer small free samples, comment on people's clothing or hair or shoes or their handsome animals (if they are allowed). Get them into a conversation with you. Talk about the benefits of your products. Smile!

Ditto!

 

[BakingNana]

Everyone is dead on with their advice. Over the course of the past year we've made every one of these things priority thanks to the good advice of people on the forum, and our sales this fall were 12 times higher than last year. Your booth should look like a well-stocked store. The black shelving unit is pretty, but free standing things like this have one drawback - people don't like to stoop or get down to see the bottom shelves. What you have on the shelves looks scattered, not orderly and abundant.

If your mom is a lot of help to you otherwise, maybe she can be "educated" as to how to interact at shows? You'll know if she'd be able to change or not...some people are just NOT suited to interacting with customers. My husband is not one of them. He's at the opposite end of the spectrum. Sometimes I have to reign him in!

One other thing. If you do not take credit cards, consider it. Our largest sales by far are by credit card. Sad fact is, people spend more when they can charge it. You'll have to assess your market places to see if it would benefit you.

Let us know how it goes, and good luck!

 

[semplice]

Lots of great, constructive criticism here. I can definitely use the suggestions as well as the author!