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Hi there.
Speaker:I see that you made it over to the new tips
Speaker:and talk portion of the podcast.
Speaker:These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and
Speaker:things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.
Speaker:I know it felt like it might never happen,
Speaker:but shows are back.
Speaker:Now I get that.
Speaker:Not everybody can do that yet,
Speaker:but it's happening.
Speaker:I think of it.
Speaker:Like we've all been stuck in a bird cage and now
Speaker:finally the door has been opened and we can fly out
Speaker:to freedom.
Speaker:This is actually going to be a two part series.
Speaker:So the first one right now is going to be how
Speaker:to select the shows that you should be in.
Speaker:And then how do you determine whether they were successful or
Speaker:not next week?
Speaker:We're going to be talking about the struggles and then how
Speaker:do you resolve them?
Speaker:What are the solutions today we're diving into?
Speaker:How do you select a show and how do you know
Speaker:if the results were right,
Speaker:so that you should do the show again,
Speaker:all of that I'm hearing from so many of you that
Speaker:your out at shows,
Speaker:and even if you were marginally doing shows up until this
Speaker:point, because we were social distancing,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:kind of limited with what we can do with shows.
Speaker:Things are opening up again.
Speaker:And, Oh my gosh,
Speaker:what a breath of fresh air.
Speaker:We're talking about this a lot over in the breeze,
Speaker:my Facebook group and people have been asking,
Speaker:well, what type of shows should I attend?
Speaker:How do I know which show to select all of that?
Speaker:I have five different ways.
Speaker:You can decide whether a show could be right for you.
Speaker:Let me clarify this by saying,
Speaker:I'm not talking about wholesale shows to where you're wanting to
Speaker:get placement in retail shops,
Speaker:talking specifically about you direct to the consumer shows,
Speaker:okay, we can be talking about craft shows.
Speaker:They can also be called church bazaars,
Speaker:farmer's market,
Speaker:all of that.
Speaker:How do you determine which ones to go to where you
Speaker:shouldn't invest your time and your money,
Speaker:and then how do you make sure that you're getting results
Speaker:or you judge,
Speaker:whether you should go back and try that show again.
Speaker:The very first thing to look at is who's going to
Speaker:be walking the show and are they your customer?
Speaker:So many of you sell to a local audience.
Speaker:These craft shows are right up your alley because you're selling
Speaker:to a community.
Speaker:Who's going to be buying from you on a regular basis.
Speaker:Anyway, maybe predominantly women with children,
Speaker:all of that is that the audience that's going to be
Speaker:walking the show.
Speaker:And I say that because sometimes let's say you go to
Speaker:a County fair.
Speaker:You're thinking of analyzing and doing a show with a County
Speaker:fair. Well,
Speaker:who's going to that show.
Speaker:That's probably more families.
Speaker:Women are bringing their husbands and their kids,
Speaker:and it's a whole day out Saturday afternoon type thing,
Speaker:possibly a more of a local arc show might be more
Speaker:girlfriends going together.
Speaker:If there's an element to any of these shows that is
Speaker:involving music,
Speaker:a band stand,
Speaker:then maybe it's more couples who are dating.
Speaker:So try and see if you can figure out who the
Speaker:people are going to be,
Speaker:who are going to be walking that show.
Speaker:And if they are your potential customer,
Speaker:then that is a check Mark in the right box that
Speaker:this is a show you should be considering.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So first thing are the people who are attending the show,
Speaker:your potential customer.
Speaker:Second thing I would look at is who is the one
Speaker:who's putting on the show,
Speaker:who is the organizer.
Speaker:If they've been doing these shows for a long time,
Speaker:then that also slants everything in the favor of that.
Speaker:This should be a show that you should be considering.
Speaker:Not that you're going to discount any shows that are from
Speaker:brand new organizers,
Speaker:but the thing to consider is the experience that they have
Speaker:in putting on these shows.
Speaker:And then also,
Speaker:how are they going to be promoting the show?
Speaker:Do they just put it up and hope that people come
Speaker:in the case of a farmer's market?
Speaker:Many times this is a weekly show that's going to run
Speaker:for months or possibly a monthly show,
Speaker:weekly or monthly.
Speaker:That's going to run all the way from whatever your season
Speaker:is. So here in Chicago,
Speaker:usually our farmer's markets run from,
Speaker:I'm going to say the middle of may until the end
Speaker:of September or something like that.
Speaker:So if it's a regular consistent show and they're promoting that
Speaker:show regularly,
Speaker:then you're going to get the advantage of that.
Speaker:And it integrates into their schedule because if,
Speaker:especially if it's weekly,
Speaker:then they're going to think,
Speaker:Oh, every Wednesday morning,
Speaker:I'm going to go and get my fresh produce and my
Speaker:fresh flowers and some candles or whatever else at the farmer's
Speaker:market. Okay.
Speaker:So that's another way to think about and analyze whether this
Speaker:is a show you would want to go to another great
Speaker:way to find out how shows are being put on how
Speaker:well they're being promoted organization of a show is by talking
Speaker:to other vendors who are there either at the show with
Speaker:you at the time,
Speaker:or have already done the show in prior years.
Speaker:So reaching out to other people who have participated and getting
Speaker:some feedback from them is always helpful.
Speaker:Another thing to consider is the time of year,
Speaker:if you are a knitter and all you sell are wool,
Speaker:hats and scarves and mittens spring show may not be appropriate
Speaker:for you,
Speaker:but end of the summer early fall show and obviously into
Speaker:the holidays would be perfect.
Speaker:Absolutely perfect for you.
Speaker:Of course,
Speaker:given that example that I just gave,
Speaker:if you only sell things that are for winter,
Speaker:is there some,
Speaker:a spinoff of a product that would be good for the
Speaker:spring because you're losing out on a whole half a year.
Speaker:If you only have products that are good for winter time,
Speaker:right? So is the time of year appropriate and the location.
Speaker:And the reason I say location is specifically how difficult is
Speaker:it for people to get there if people are spending a
Speaker:Saturday afternoon,
Speaker:but they have to park three miles away from where a
Speaker:show is because there simply isn't any parking.
Speaker:Yes, that speaks to the popularity of the show.
Speaker:And that could be good,
Speaker:but if it's not,
Speaker:because there are so many people coming to the show,
Speaker:they're just as inadequate parking,
Speaker:then people might not come.
Speaker:So how accessible is the show based on parking,
Speaker:whether it's right downtown community,
Speaker:where people can see it,
Speaker:the ease of accessibility is also going to relate to how
Speaker:many people are actually going to attend the show.
Speaker:And then the final thing of course is price.
Speaker:And I really want you to be careful in terms of
Speaker:rejecting a show,
Speaker:just because it's really expensive,
Speaker:because think about it.
Speaker:If it costs you let's say $400 to be at a
Speaker:show, but you're going to make $2,000
Speaker:then potentially the show was worth it.
Speaker:And what if you make $5,000
Speaker:that might be better than a show that only costs you
Speaker:a hundred dollars to attend and you didn't make a single
Speaker:sale. So don't automatically discount the initial price of a show,
Speaker:go through and look at these other things that I was
Speaker:just talking about first,
Speaker:before you decide yes or no to a show.
Speaker:So let me summarize the overall areas that you should be
Speaker:looking at when you're considering a face-to-face craft show to decide
Speaker:whether you want to participate,
Speaker:who is attending the show and are they your audience?
Speaker:What's the reputation of the organizer?
Speaker:Have they been in business for a while or do they
Speaker:have a good reputation in terms of being organized and promoting
Speaker:the show,
Speaker:talk to some other vendors to see what their experience has
Speaker:been at the show?
Speaker:Is it the right time of year for you with the
Speaker:product that you sell?
Speaker:How about the location?
Speaker:Is it easily accessible and in a traffic pattern where people
Speaker:will naturally walk through because sometimes you attract people just organically
Speaker:and some people will just happen upon the show because they're
Speaker:in the area.
Speaker:And then finally the price type with the price at the
Speaker:very end specifically,
Speaker:because I don't want that to be the first thing where
Speaker:you totally decide,
Speaker:Nope, this.
Speaker:So isn't for me,
Speaker:it's too expensive.
Speaker:Okay. Now I want to get into the Results of the
Speaker:show and how you determine whether the show was successful or
Speaker:not. And teaser,
Speaker:it's not all about just how many sales you made at
Speaker:the show.
Speaker:How do you judge then whether the show is a success
Speaker:or not.
Speaker:And I have to tell you,
Speaker:after you've analyzed and gone through my checklist and actually entered
Speaker:a show,
Speaker:you've set yourself up in the best light that you possibly
Speaker:can for our show.
Speaker:Now, at the end,
Speaker:was it a success?
Speaker:You always Have to test shows.
Speaker:Okay. And I say that because I've heard some people saying,
Speaker:you know what?
Speaker:Someone called me up.
Speaker:They told me I should do this show just because there's
Speaker:a lot of traffic.
Speaker:They thought it would be really interesting.
Speaker:And there wasn't anybody in my category at the show.
Speaker:And they said,
Speaker:it's really not.
Speaker:What I would think would be a great show for me,
Speaker:but then they go and it's fabulous.
Speaker:So that's where I say the Results you have to test
Speaker:a show.
Speaker:The other thing is be careful when you're analyzing your results.
Speaker:If all of a sudden the sky opened up and you
Speaker:had thunder enlightening for four hours of a five-hour show,
Speaker:gosh, that wasn't something that you could do anything about,
Speaker:but it clearly would affect the traffic going through the show.
Speaker:So you can't automatically then say that the show didn't work
Speaker:because you didn't really get a chance to give the show
Speaker:the best test that it possibly could.
Speaker:So the first thing is be careful when you are testing
Speaker:that you take into account any parameters that didn't allow it
Speaker:to be a fair test.
Speaker:The second thing when you're judging success of the show is
Speaker:not just to do each show once.
Speaker:If you do your local craft show and there may be
Speaker:doing three or four shows over the course of the year,
Speaker:you were seeing the traffic in the show,
Speaker:they look to be your customer.
Speaker:You felt like it was organized.
Speaker:Well, they promoted well,
Speaker:and you got,
Speaker:let's say you broke.
Speaker:Even. I would do that show again.
Speaker:When people start seeing you over and over again,
Speaker:show after show after show,
Speaker:they become more comfortable with you.
Speaker:You start developing relationships with people who are coming to the
Speaker:booth and your sales will start growing over time.
Speaker:If it's the right show for you.
Speaker:So don't test a show one time and decide,
Speaker:Nope, this show doesn't work for me.
Speaker:Also along those same lines,
Speaker:don't just do one craft show.
Speaker:Let's say you have miserable Results.
Speaker:And then say,
Speaker:craft shows overall as an entire category,
Speaker:don't work for you.
Speaker:Maybe you misread the audience and it wasn't the appropriate audience.
Speaker:Or maybe as I was just talking about,
Speaker:there was a weather situation.
Speaker:You need to do several shows before you can decide whether
Speaker:they are the right thing to be putting into your product
Speaker:mix or not.
Speaker:And I would suggest to everybody,
Speaker:if you have a handmade product and you're just starting,
Speaker:they are absolutely the best place to start when you're trying
Speaker:out your product.
Speaker:And you're seeing if there's a market.
Speaker:And why do I say that?
Speaker:It leads to my next point here about whether the show
Speaker:was successful or not.
Speaker:What do you learn from people who are coming up to
Speaker:your table?
Speaker:What if they're looking at products and they just can't make
Speaker:a decision,
Speaker:so they walk away,
Speaker:huh? Maybe I have too many options.
Speaker:I'm confusing people.
Speaker:And I need to limit my options next time and see
Speaker:if that works better.
Speaker:You've gotten great market information for yourself.
Speaker:What if people come and they are asking for something different
Speaker:than you had,
Speaker:like they're saying,
Speaker:well, do you have this in a different size?
Speaker:Or do they have this in different colors?
Speaker:You're getting new research in about your product.
Speaker:So this is a huge opportunity for you to learn more
Speaker:about the receptiveness of your product.
Speaker:So just those learnings alone are so valuable and worth.
Speaker:Some of the entrance costs.
Speaker:Let's say you just broke even on a show.
Speaker:If you captured so much more information from the show about
Speaker:your product and things that you can adjust to make it
Speaker:better for next time,
Speaker:that's in the plus column of a successful show as well.
Speaker:Another thing is leads.
Speaker:Maybe you had a number of people coming up and taking
Speaker:interest in your product.
Speaker:And you had,
Speaker:if you follow what I suggest some way to capture their
Speaker:email addresses,
Speaker:maybe you did a sweepstakes or some type of a giveaway
Speaker:so that they put their email into a bucket.
Speaker:Still. It shows a lot of times we're doing this physical.
Speaker:It might be a QR code.
Speaker:You're now with the pandemic.
Speaker:A lot of people are doing more touchless still at the
Speaker:shows. So maybe you do a QR code scan to enter
Speaker:into a raffle,
Speaker:but you've collected some type of an email address or something
Speaker:where they are now a prospect of yours that you can
Speaker:talk to later.
Speaker:You can suggest that they follow you on social media so
Speaker:that when you're doing your next show,
Speaker:they know you're going to be there.
Speaker:They can come find you relationship building.
Speaker:So what type of leads are you getting from these shows?
Speaker:If you're getting a lot of really good qualified leads and
Speaker:not so many sales that still in the plus category,
Speaker:the other thing I would look at is how much traffic
Speaker:is actually walking the show.
Speaker:Are you seeing that there are a lot of people coming
Speaker:by or are they just dribbling and traveling in that also
Speaker:speaks to how well the show was promoted.
Speaker:If it was a good time of year,
Speaker:if it's a good location,
Speaker:it's kind of validation of what you were thinking about when
Speaker:you were analyzing the show before you came in.
Speaker:And finally the most obvious.
Speaker:And again,
Speaker:I put this down at the bottom.
Speaker:Not because it's not important,
Speaker:but because I don't want it to be the very first
Speaker:thing that you look at,
Speaker:of course it always is,
Speaker:but I want you to consider other things.
Speaker:And that is overall sales.
Speaker:I would say that a show where you don't even break,
Speaker:even, especially if you're just starting out or you just break,
Speaker:even still could be a successful show.
Speaker:If you have made contact with people,
Speaker:learn some other things about your products and maybe it's the
Speaker:way you were displaying things.
Speaker:Maybe people were confused.
Speaker:They kept asking you the price of things.
Speaker:So, you know,
Speaker:now, Oh,
Speaker:I either need to put prices on all my products or
Speaker:I need to have some type of banner or a sign
Speaker:that says what my products cost,
Speaker:where there a lot of people who were interested in buying,
Speaker:but your checkout process was just so long that people started
Speaker:walking away because they didn't have time to wait.
Speaker:Or they got pulled away because their child got into something
Speaker:that was running off to another booth or something.
Speaker:Do you need to speed up your checkout process?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:things like that you learn.
Speaker:So that could also have affected sales,
Speaker:even though people were interested in buying.
Speaker:They did.
Speaker:So when you,
Speaker:you think of your overall sales,
Speaker:I want you to think of the experience in total and
Speaker:analyze it in that manner.
Speaker:So again,
Speaker:the summary in terms of judging the success.
Speaker:So the show is as follows.
Speaker:Make sure you just don't do one show and just say,
Speaker:okay, craft shows don't work for me.
Speaker:Make sure that you do several shows.
Speaker:And if a show looked like it was marginal,
Speaker:do it a second time because people get to know you
Speaker:and will have seen you and you'll be building credibility.
Speaker:So don't just judge based on one show,
Speaker:how was the traffic in the show?
Speaker:Were there a lot of people coming through plus traffic equals
Speaker:opportunity if they weren't you're right audience.
Speaker:And there are a lot of people passing by then it's
Speaker:your responsibility to attract them into your booth,
Speaker:by how you show up as a person,
Speaker:by how your booth is displayed by the experience people get
Speaker:at the booth,
Speaker:all of those things.
Speaker:What types of observations did you have from customers?
Speaker:Are there things that you should tweak so that the next
Speaker:show you can really land it because you've learned so much
Speaker:more. Have you gotten a lot of leads?
Speaker:Let's say you,
Speaker:the show broke even,
Speaker:but you got 50 new leads of people who were really
Speaker:interested in your product.
Speaker:They just didn't buy it.
Speaker:Maybe they're going to buy for the holidays.
Speaker:Okay? These are all people then that you can be marketing
Speaker:to moving forward.
Speaker:These are 50 more people who,
Speaker:if you wouldn't have done that show,
Speaker:you never would have been able to stay in communication with
Speaker:moving forward.
Speaker:And finally then of course,
Speaker:overall the sales.
Speaker:So how did your sales do the best shows obviously are,
Speaker:I'm going to say,
Speaker:I'd love to see you double at least your show investment.
Speaker:If you can do more,
Speaker:obviously better,
Speaker:the more,
Speaker:the better,
Speaker:and some people,
Speaker:10 times their shows.
Speaker:But a lot of these people who are doing that have
Speaker:done what I've just said,
Speaker:they've analyzed and they're going to the right shows first.
Speaker:And then they're observing what's going on in the shows.
Speaker:How can they make it better and better and better and
Speaker:better. So these people who are getting these really great results
Speaker:have been doing this for a while.
Speaker:They are craft show experts.
Speaker:If you will.
Speaker:I think there is nothing like in-person shows because of the
Speaker:feedback that you're getting,
Speaker:because you're right together with each other,
Speaker:because you can talk individually to people's interests and needs.
Speaker:You can direct them to the right product.
Speaker:You start building a relationship with them.
Speaker:You can make sure that you get their email if they
Speaker:don't purchase right away so that you'll be able to communicate
Speaker:with them further.
Speaker:You can ask them to follow you on social.
Speaker:So they'll know the shows that you're going to be at
Speaker:in the future.
Speaker:All of those things make for the best opportunity for you
Speaker:to connect and grow your customer base.
Speaker:And of course get sales so exciting that we're back out,
Speaker:live again,
Speaker:being able to be around people again,
Speaker:and being able to capture all that face-to-face shows are able
Speaker:to provide for us.
Speaker:Go out,
Speaker:look and see what shows are available in your community.
Speaker:Run them through my little test list here of whether they're
Speaker:a good show for you or not.
Speaker:And if you do go to these shows,
Speaker:then circle back and analyze those results and do that actually
Speaker:right after you've done the show,
Speaker:because if you're doing a couple of shows,
Speaker:you might forget like our memories fade as time goes on.
Speaker:So do it right after that show has taken place,
Speaker:make some notes for yourself of what was good about the
Speaker:show. What was maybe not as good about the show that
Speaker:you could control and that you couldn't control.
Speaker:I E whether right,
Speaker:so that you then can go back.
Speaker:If a show annualizes comes back the next year,
Speaker:you can determine whether you should do it or not based
Speaker:on what you remember and learned when you access your notes
Speaker:from the prior year.
Speaker:Next week is going to be part two of the craft
Speaker:show convo.
Speaker:And we're going to talk about the struggles and then the
Speaker:solutions to those struggles for craft shows.
Speaker:So you'll be able to take these two together and make
Speaker:the craft shows all that they can possibly be for you.
Speaker:I can't wait to hear that you're out there and all
Speaker:the success you have at your next craft show.
Speaker:That's a wrap going to get to the point kind of
Speaker:girl. And this is what you can expect from these quick
Speaker:midweek sessions.
Speaker:Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream of
Speaker:yours. Share your handmade products with us.
Speaker:We want them,
