Hi there,
Speaker:it's Sue and thanks for joining me for Tips and Talk
Speaker:Day. These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions
Speaker:and things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small
Speaker:business. If you'd like to submit a topic,
Speaker:DM e over on Instagram at Gift Biz Unwrapped.
Speaker:We've covered so many facets of a handmade product business over
Speaker:the course of the years and today is no exception.
Speaker:We've talked about how to start and grow your business stories
Speaker:from many of you who have done just that.
Speaker:How to choose and use social media sites,
Speaker:build your website.
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:there is just so much information here for you,
Speaker:but not necessarily at your fingertips.
Speaker:So I've made a tool for you that categorizes by topic
Speaker:the episodes of this podcast,
Speaker:but only the ones that stay relevant over time because yes,
Speaker:let's face it,
Speaker:there are past shows that just don't work anymore for us
Speaker:today. The world is changing so fast,
Speaker:right? You can use this tool to zero in on whatever
Speaker:topic you need at the moment.
Speaker:Do you wanna hear from others in your specific industry?
Speaker:How about details on Pinterest or setting up an email strategy?
Speaker:You can now easily find the right episodes and create your
Speaker:priority listening roster.
Speaker:Consider this your Gift Biz resource center at a glance.
Speaker:It's a Google Sheet best viewable on your computer versus your
Speaker:phone. Make sure to look on the bottom where there are
Speaker:five separate sections for easy topic reference,
Speaker:kind of like chapters of a book.
Speaker:It makes finding the shows to help you with what you're
Speaker:working on right now.
Speaker:So much easier to access this free resource,
Speaker:go to gift biz unwrapped.com/topics
Speaker:Being likable.
Speaker:Sometimes that's all you need to make a sale,
Speaker:and if you describe yourself as an introvert,
Speaker:this is a reason to push past this self-limiting label because
Speaker:you have no chance of being likable if someone doesn't have
Speaker:the ability to get to know you.
Speaker:Being likable plays particularly well when you're out at in-person events.
Speaker:Who do you think gets more sales?
Speaker:The woman who sits in a chair staring at her phone
Speaker:while people are looking at her items,
Speaker:or the woman who's actively engaging in conversation,
Speaker:laughing, questioning,
Speaker:and sharing with booth guests.
Speaker:Do you know that 95% of buying decisions are made based
Speaker:on emotion?
Speaker:Neuroscience confirms it.
Speaker:Given this,
Speaker:why do we focus so much on talking about all the
Speaker:specifics of our products?
Speaker:If we haven't even been asked,
Speaker:why not just be friendly and welcoming when you meet someone
Speaker:in your booth for the first time?
Speaker:That takes a lot of the pressure off,
Speaker:doesn't it?
Speaker:Keep in mind that going to craft shows is a form
Speaker:of entertainment for those attending.
Speaker:Yes, they come to buy,
Speaker:but they also come to enjoy an afternoon with a friend
Speaker:or use an outside fair as a chance to get into
Speaker:the community and walk with their dog,
Speaker:meeting up with people along the way.
Speaker:It's an entire experience and looking at all the booths with
Speaker:all the interesting products is one part of it.
Speaker:Of course,
Speaker:as an exhibitor,
Speaker:you're single focused on what you're doing there,
Speaker:but it's not the same for those that you're hoping will
Speaker:be interested and want to buy your products.
Speaker:A while back,
Speaker:I was at a county holiday fair with my friend Barb.
Speaker:We were Searchie out gifts to complete our Christmas list,
Speaker:but also it was just a fun way to spend a
Speaker:Saturday together.
Speaker:We had lots of time to talk in our hour car
Speaker:ride each way.
Speaker:We enjoyed lunch at the fair,
Speaker:eating all sorts of yummy things,
Speaker:definitely outside the healthy list,
Speaker:and we enjoyed seeing all the crafts and making decisions together
Speaker:about what we'd buy even after the event.
Speaker:We'd referenced back to our time there and the products that
Speaker:we got because a lot of them for gifts for ourselves
Speaker:too. We often forget as vendors about the purpose of this
Speaker:show from our visitor's perspective,
Speaker:but here's where the likability factor can work in your favor.
Speaker:I'll use this show I just told you about as an
Speaker:example because it's at this show where I met Sheena,
Speaker:Barbara and I were walking up and down the aisles enjoying
Speaker:all that the show had to offer when we ran into
Speaker:a bright,
Speaker:colorful display with a vibrant,
Speaker:smiling, good natured woman right in front,
Speaker:energetically interacting with people as they walked by.
Speaker:Not too overwhelming,
Speaker:but just right.
Speaker:Of course,
Speaker:we had to stop.
Speaker:Sheena was a joy to talk to,
Speaker:which led to learning about her products and of course,
Speaker:buying many bath bombs and now my favorite of hers sugar
Speaker:scrubs. Mind you,
Speaker:I didn't come to the show with the idea of buying
Speaker:bath bombs even during the purchase.
Speaker:I wasn't exactly sure who they'd before I bought because of
Speaker:the emotion created at Sheena's booth.
Speaker:You guessed it.
Speaker:Sheena was likable and I was more than happy to support
Speaker:her. It was clear she had a loyal following too,
Speaker:as she said hi to current customers by name and welcomed
Speaker:them into her area,
Speaker:each one restocking their supply and enjoying their friendly banter back
Speaker:and forth.
Speaker:I can say I've joined the fan club.
Speaker:I love Sheena and speak of her regularly and about her
Speaker:products to others.
Speaker:If you were to peek under my sink right now,
Speaker:you'd find a stack of six or seven jars ready and
Speaker:waiting because I can never be out of her sugar scrubs
Speaker:ever. This doesn't mean that I don't use other's pampering products
Speaker:as well.
Speaker:I'm loyal to Cherita from DOA Naturals too.
Speaker:Her body sprays and sugar scrubs are completely different from Sheena's
Speaker:and they're a regular part of my lineup.
Speaker:Sharita's in business with her sisters.
Speaker:It's a family endeavor,
Speaker:and going into their booth is like one big party.
Speaker:I'm welcomed with smiles and hugs and gosh,
Speaker:I'd love to hang out there with them all day.
Speaker:Likability overload at its best.
Speaker:All they're doing is being natural and themselves.
Speaker:I told Cherita once that I'd like to get all of
Speaker:us together and just hang out at someone's house sometime.
Speaker:That's how fun they are.
Speaker:It's the vibe and spirit behind the business that is taking
Speaker:them far.
Speaker:Now, you don't need to be a vibrant personality like Sheena
Speaker:and Cherita are,
Speaker:but be yourself.
Speaker:Be likable,
Speaker:be friendly,
Speaker:be approachable,
Speaker:and just let people in to get to know you.
Speaker:The real you.
Speaker:No need for acting or facades,
Speaker:that's all it takes.
Speaker:I say all like it's easy.
Speaker:I know you know how much energy it takes to be
Speaker:on all day at shows.
Speaker:I personally love it.
Speaker:Shows are my very favorite part of my business.
Speaker:Being with you in person is the best way to bond
Speaker:and develop relationships and friendships,
Speaker:and that's how I feel about my clients and customers.
Speaker:I know best we're friends.
Speaker:Maybe that's a better way to put it,
Speaker:because to be friends,
Speaker:you have to like that person,
Speaker:so think of it that way.
Speaker:Interact with people,
Speaker:not as customers or potential buyers,
Speaker:but as someone you are developing a friendship with,
Speaker:let your personality shine through because that's what turns on the
Speaker:likability switch.
Speaker:That's a wrap.
Speaker:I'm a get to the point kind of girl,
Speaker:and this is what you can expect from these quick midweek
Speaker:sessions. Now it's your turn.
Speaker:Go out and fulfill that dream of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.
Speaker:We want them and they bring us both.