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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 bits.
Speaker:Today, we're going to continue our conversation about craft shows and
Speaker:we're going to specifically address the challenges and then the solutions
Speaker:to these challenges of participating in a craft show.
Speaker:I just got back yesterday from Denver,
Speaker:we got a chance to go out and see the kids
Speaker:after eight months from being apart.
Speaker:It was really interesting to me how different Colorado is in
Speaker:terms of being open and available to the way Chicago is
Speaker:no question about it.
Speaker:Craft shows are opening up all across the country and some
Speaker:of them I know never totally shut down,
Speaker:but many of them did.
Speaker:So that's why I decided to do this two part craft
Speaker:show convo on everything about craft shows.
Speaker:Last week,
Speaker:we talked about how do you select the right shows for
Speaker:you? And then now,
Speaker:how do you judge at the end,
Speaker:if it's a show that really reinforced your initial thoughts of
Speaker:attending the show and whether you should repeat it again in
Speaker:the future.
Speaker:Now let's talk about some of the challenges and obstacles and
Speaker:what the solutions are to those for purposes of today,
Speaker:I'm going to break this down into some obstacles or challenges
Speaker:that present themselves before the show.
Speaker:So when you're in that preparation stage,
Speaker:and then also challenges that will come up during the show
Speaker:when you're actually there alive,
Speaker:decided to do three in each category.
Speaker:So three in the prep category three in the,
Speaker:during the show category.
Speaker:And I think these are pretty much the biggest three that
Speaker:you will have.
Speaker:The first thing that I always hear from people when you've
Speaker:decided you're going to do a show is how in the
Speaker:world do you know how much product to make?
Speaker:You don't want to make too much product and spend too
Speaker:much time and have a ton of inventory leftover at the
Speaker:same time.
Speaker:You don't want to run out of inventory,
Speaker:which then means you can't make a potential sale.
Speaker:So where is that sweet spot?
Speaker:How do you know before you enter the show so that
Speaker:you can get that all right?
Speaker:The truth is you have to test it.
Speaker:Once you start doing shows,
Speaker:you're going to have a better gauge as to which products
Speaker:sell the best,
Speaker:which are the most popular,
Speaker:which shows sell the most product.
Speaker:Like you might have one product in your lineup that sells
Speaker:better at a farmer's market,
Speaker:let's say than another one that sells great at a craft
Speaker:show. And so it really has to be time in to
Speaker:really know for sure.
Speaker:However, here are some guidelines as you're considering what products and
Speaker:how many of each you're planning to have in preparation for
Speaker:the show.
Speaker:The very first thing.
Speaker:And I talked about this in the very first tips and
Speaker:talk podcast that I did to,
Speaker:if you go back to the very first one,
Speaker:I think this is about six weeks ago.
Speaker:Now I talk about the biggest mistake people will make.
Speaker:And this does apply to shows too.
Speaker:And that is make sure that you have your booth themed
Speaker:in some way,
Speaker:based on the product that you make.
Speaker:If you are a knitter,
Speaker:you'll have multiple products,
Speaker:but they're all under the theme of Niti or same thing.
Speaker:If you're a Potter,
Speaker:all different designs of pottery that you make,
Speaker:that you can sell.
Speaker:So if you were a knitter and a Potter and you
Speaker:painted, you know,
Speaker:water color,
Speaker:when you have all of that on your table,
Speaker:you think about it.
Speaker:You've neutralized your specialty because there is no specialty,
Speaker:you do too many things.
Speaker:So the first thing is to make sure that you're thinking
Speaker:and staying within a certain product theme,
Speaker:then stay away from feeling like you have to produce every
Speaker:single product in every single size that you make.
Speaker:The better thing to do is go with the ones that
Speaker:are the most popular.
Speaker:Because many times people are just trying you out there identifying
Speaker:and finding you at a show,
Speaker:and they're trying out your product.
Speaker:Let's say you have 20 cents of candles.
Speaker:Maybe you have five or seven of your best sellers.
Speaker:And so you're going deeper in your product line.
Speaker:You're making more of those versus having fewer of every single
Speaker:cent you have that way.
Speaker:You're also not going to sell out of a certain scent
Speaker:and look like you've come to the show,
Speaker:less prepared,
Speaker:okay? Cause you don't have everything.
Speaker:So fewer products deeper within the lines.
Speaker:And then you can have a list on the side of
Speaker:all the different scents that are available,
Speaker:but the ones that this show are this,
Speaker:the other reason you do,
Speaker:this is too many options,
Speaker:confuse customers.
Speaker:They, and so they're sitting and thinking,
Speaker:do I want that pumpkin spice?
Speaker:Or do I want the cherries Jubilee scent?
Speaker:Or maybe I want this one?
Speaker:Or what about this one?
Speaker:Then all of a sudden they get distracted and pulled away
Speaker:and then they purchase nothing.
Speaker:So in answer to how many products do you need to
Speaker:make? You've got to pick a number,
Speaker:right? And pick a strategy based on what I just talked
Speaker:about in terms of how many options having your product be
Speaker:themed, then go a little bit deeper in each of the
Speaker:lines. And then you're going to see how that does for
Speaker:that show.
Speaker:And then each show,
Speaker:as I talked about it in the beginning,
Speaker:you'll get smarter and smarter.
Speaker:Based on your experience,
Speaker:you could ask other people who are in different markets who
Speaker:sell a similar product,
Speaker:how they've prepared,
Speaker:but it doesn't mean that that's the exact same experience.
Speaker:You'll have your market's different.
Speaker:Your product's different,
Speaker:the way you present is different.
Speaker:So you really need to go off of your experience and
Speaker:build upon that.
Speaker:The next big challenge when you're getting ready for a show
Speaker:is what should my booth look like?
Speaker:And the one big thing that I see a lot of
Speaker:people doing,
Speaker:it's actually two sides of the spectrum here with their display.
Speaker:The first is it's just a blank table with their product
Speaker:on it.
Speaker:That looks a little minimal.
Speaker:There's nothing to draw you into the booth.
Speaker:And I'm going to say one of my most favorite booth
Speaker:attractions that I've ever seen was done by Julie and her
Speaker:husband, Julie Skaggs,
Speaker:and her husband of mad Soil test.
Speaker:They use soy candles And at local craft shows now they
Speaker:don't do it at all of the shows that they're in,
Speaker:but when they can,
Speaker:they bring in dry ice,
Speaker:you know how the dry ice smokes all over and the
Speaker:thing that's so cool about it is it totally aligns with
Speaker:their brand.
Speaker:Julia and her husband are science teachers.
Speaker:And so mad scientist,
Speaker:like it all goes into brand,
Speaker:right? Clearly when you're walking down an aisle at a craft
Speaker:show, you have to do a second take,
Speaker:like, what is this about?
Speaker:And then you go into their booth and you learn more
Speaker:about what they do and et cetera,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:So what can you do?
Speaker:That's a little different that can attract people in.
Speaker:And then the second thing that I'll see in terms of,
Speaker:I'm going to say a mistake at the booth is having
Speaker:your method of displaying,
Speaker:grab more attention and outshine the product.
Speaker:You want your product to be the star.
Speaker:It's nice to have displays that enhance and show off your
Speaker:product, but don't let them take over the show.
Speaker:I'm thinking jewelry.
Speaker:I really like when jewelry is displayed on maybe some natural
Speaker:twigs, you know?
Speaker:So, so necklaces are dropping down from little angles of all
Speaker:the different branches.
Speaker:That's a really cool look.
Speaker:I've seen people display things on crates.
Speaker:Now, if you're using something heavier,
Speaker:like a crate,
Speaker:your product should be bigger too.
Speaker:So you're again,
Speaker:not to let the display overwhelm your product.
Speaker:You wouldn't put necklaces on a crate,
Speaker:but maybe pottery because it's balanced out by the weight would
Speaker:be well displayed on a crate or,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:like the Mason jars that are filled with your toffee would
Speaker:look good on crates.
Speaker:So the thing is you don't have to spend a ton
Speaker:of money on your display,
Speaker:but make it interesting unique,
Speaker:have it draw them in another idea would be fabrics.
Speaker:This would work well for Jewelry too.
Speaker:Having fabrics Laid across,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:not just flat,
Speaker:but maybe,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:bunched up a little bit and laid across your table.
Speaker:So be creative,
Speaker:be used.
Speaker:Doesn't have to cost a lot of money Place to go
Speaker:for ideas.
Speaker:Pinterest, just jump in there,
Speaker:search under some keywords.
Speaker:And I bet there'll be a plethora of ideas For you
Speaker:there. Moving on,
Speaker:we're still Talking about displays.
Speaker:The other thing to consider here is you absolutely.
Speaker:And center,
Speaker:want your company name and logo.
Speaker:And the important thing here is make sure that it matches
Speaker:your website or social media platforms.
Speaker:All of that,
Speaker:because if someone leaves the show,
Speaker:you want to make sure that if they go to look
Speaker:for you online,
Speaker:afterwards, that they know they're in the exact right place,
Speaker:because what they saw from your booth is represented in the
Speaker:exact same way.
Speaker:Online consistency is so important and so key.
Speaker:And you know,
Speaker:think about it.
Speaker:You see your logo in your company name all the time.
Speaker:So over and over again,
Speaker:you kind of feel like,
Speaker:well, everyone's already seen it.
Speaker:Lots of people are only meeting you for the first time.
Speaker:So what comes to feel standard and regular and repetitive For
Speaker:you is not for your customers.
Speaker:Another group,
Speaker:Great thing that you could put in your booth is some
Speaker:type of a poster.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:like a nice laminated poster or professionally Made poster,
Speaker:which is a picture of you,
Speaker:But also the story of how you started your business.
Speaker:Everybody wants to know about the maker,
Speaker:the designer behind the product,
Speaker:and this would be a great thing that can capture people's
Speaker:attention. If they're waiting to be able to talk to you,
Speaker:they just want to know a little bit more about you,
Speaker:but it gives them other things that they can interact with
Speaker:at the booth.
Speaker:The other thing that has become very popular,
Speaker:a died off for a while,
Speaker:and now it's back are QR codes.
Speaker:I was mentioning earlier that I just got back from Denver
Speaker:to see the kids.
Speaker:And I'm seeing this at the restaurants,
Speaker:they're all over the places.
Speaker:There's a QR code in the middle of the table and
Speaker:you take a picture of it with your phone and it
Speaker:pops up the menu of The restaurant.
Speaker:You can use the same idea In your booth where a
Speaker:QR code could lead to a YouTube video that you have
Speaker:your website,
Speaker:a price list,
Speaker:perhaps lots of different options again,
Speaker:so that people who are just looking around the booth want
Speaker:to see more things are kind of thinking and just taking
Speaker:some time in your booth,
Speaker:lots of different interactive things that they can do.
Speaker:So these are,
Speaker:again, things that you can prepare as you're getting ready for
Speaker:your booth.
Speaker:The other thing I'm going through,
Speaker:as you're thinking about what your table's going to look like,
Speaker:take your kitchen table or your dining room table.
Speaker:If you know how big your area is going to be,
Speaker:let's say it's an eight foot table and actually lay out
Speaker:the products and see how it's going to look.
Speaker:The one thing you don't want to do is overwhelm your
Speaker:table, like put too much On the table.
Speaker:So that then When people are going and touching and working
Speaker:with your products and looking at them and all of that,
Speaker:that it doesn't continue to be messy because people don't want
Speaker:to approach a messy booth.
Speaker:It just looks like a pile of things all on top
Speaker:of each other.
Speaker:So depending on your product,
Speaker:obviously that's more of an issue.
Speaker:If you sell knitted items or something that's so or prints
Speaker:that are staffed,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:things like that versus maybe jars of toffee by depending on
Speaker:your product.
Speaker:So make sure that your table doesn't look too messy or
Speaker:would have the tendency to get too messy.
Speaker:And then also on the flip side,
Speaker:make sure it doesn't look too sparse.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:you don't want a table with a little bit of product
Speaker:and then a whole bunch of just open table space.
Speaker:So you want to balance all of that out too.
Speaker:You want to make sure that your table allows for interaction.
Speaker:The more that you have a customer interact with your product,
Speaker:the more likely they are to buy,
Speaker:you can hand somebody,
Speaker:your crocheted mittens for them to try on versus just looking
Speaker:at them from afar.
Speaker:Like if you're all product was all behind the,
Speaker:Or just looking at them on yeah.
Speaker:When people are able to interact and touch and feel and
Speaker:try on,
Speaker:and even just jars of,
Speaker:let's say you make jam looking at them and touching them.
Speaker:That is a tactic because the more people interact with them,
Speaker:the more likely they are to buy.
Speaker:The final thing I want to talk about in the preparing
Speaker:category under the display is have some way to collect email
Speaker:addresses for the future.
Speaker:Whether it's some type of a sweepstakes that they enter into
Speaker:for free product.
Speaker:Now I know that costs you money to offer a free
Speaker:product, but it's generating leads for your,
Speaker:for you to be able to market to them later.
Speaker:So some type of a free product sweepstakes where they're giving
Speaker:you their email,
Speaker:or it could be give me your email and I will
Speaker:send you my favorite recipe using my spices,
Speaker:or even care instructions for your product.
Speaker:You can get creative,
Speaker:but something that your potential customer would really want in exchange
Speaker:For an email,
Speaker:you get bonus Points.
Speaker:If you give them something that they would really want,
Speaker:even if they don't buy from you.
Speaker:Because again,
Speaker:they're a prospect they may buy in the future.
Speaker:The thing not to do is to give away something that
Speaker:has no correlation to your product at all.
Speaker:You know how often you'll see sweepstakes for like iPhones,
Speaker:iPads, All of that for you.
Speaker:That's not helpful.
Speaker:Everyone wants a new iPhone or an iPad,
Speaker:right? But will they still want your candles or your jewelry
Speaker:or your knitted shawls.
Speaker:You only want to be attracting the people who genuinely would
Speaker:have an interest in your product.
Speaker:Okay. Also under the display category are samples.
Speaker:Another thing you can do at face-to-face shows that you can't
Speaker:do online.
Speaker:So if you have a product,
Speaker:okay, physical product versus consumable trial sizes of anything that you
Speaker:make, if you can fit this into your production is fabulous.
Speaker:Someone might not want to buy a full size candle,
Speaker:but they would buy little teeny tea lights.
Speaker:So if there's a way to make something that's more of
Speaker:a sample size of your product,
Speaker:that's just like a tester.
Speaker:That would be an interesting concept.
Speaker:And I've seen this done really,
Speaker:really well at craft shows.
Speaker:If you make more upscale,
Speaker:knitted, hats,
Speaker:scarves, mittens,
Speaker:et cetera,
Speaker:is there something light and easy that you could make that
Speaker:could be used during the summer?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:knitted coasters,
Speaker:maybe something that goes on your phone,
Speaker:something that people would buy at the show and is a
Speaker:spinoff of what you normally make.
Speaker:Okay? So those are samples for their consumables.
Speaker:So you make cookies or cakes used to be typical in,
Speaker:I'm going to say the olden days now that you could
Speaker:offer samples to taste pretty much.
Speaker:I think everybody is hands down not doing that right now.
Speaker:It's still a risk.
Speaker:I don't think it's even legal in most of the shows
Speaker:to have a plate of cookie samples or something along those
Speaker:lines. However,
Speaker:if you have a consumable product,
Speaker:let's go back to cookies back at the shop.
Speaker:You could have made small little bite-size cookies and sell them
Speaker:in little already sealed bags for 25 50 cents.
Speaker:If you could make little drop cookies,
Speaker:like I don't know,
Speaker:50 of them,
Speaker:a hundred of them to a tray production wise,
Speaker:I think the numbers could work out.
Speaker:So something to think about also,
Speaker:again, anything where I was talking earlier,
Speaker:where your customers interacting and could purchase many times at craft
Speaker:shows. People want to just buy a snack.
Speaker:As they're walking down the Isles,
Speaker:be the one that sells it to them,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:and then have the larger options also available the family size
Speaker:or the individual,
Speaker:but real take home size also available.
Speaker:Now we're going to talk about the checkout process.
Speaker:This is the third part you want to think through when
Speaker:you're getting started,
Speaker:what your path is for a customer to go through with
Speaker:checkout. What do you do if they give you cash?
Speaker:What that,
Speaker:but people still do.
Speaker:So make sure you have a cash box with enough change
Speaker:dollar bills so that you're ready.
Speaker:If you don't have the exact change that goes back,
Speaker:what happens?
Speaker:You're fumbling.
Speaker:You're trying to find change.
Speaker:Someone else who's working the booth with you is looking in
Speaker:their personal wallet to find change.
Speaker:And it slows the whole process down.
Speaker:And that's what you're trying to prevent.
Speaker:Then also with credit cards,
Speaker:what are you going to do with credit cards?
Speaker:You probably have already thought about that.
Speaker:I use PayPal when I'm out at face-to-face shows,
Speaker:there are a lot of different options.
Speaker:You might be using square,
Speaker:whatever you're using,
Speaker:but this is really important sometimes because these are wifi and
Speaker:data connected.
Speaker:Sometimes in some locations with craft shows,
Speaker:they might Not work.
Speaker:So what's Your fallback option.
Speaker:You have someone there they're ready to take a credit card.
Speaker:It's not going through what are you going to do?
Speaker:Figure all out in advance.
Speaker:So you're not surprised you are prepared and you're ready for
Speaker:whatever is going to come your way.
Speaker:The other part of this is how are you going to
Speaker:package up the product for people to take away?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:what are you wrapped?
Speaker:Do you need to wrap it?
Speaker:What are you including in the bag?
Speaker:You have all of that figured out and tested and working
Speaker:smoothly again.
Speaker:So someone can be done as efficiently as possible.
Speaker:It is a heartbreaker when you have a line of three
Speaker:people wanting to buy,
Speaker:and that third person is like,
Speaker:this is taking way too long,
Speaker:puts the product bathroom walks away.
Speaker:You do not want that happening.
Speaker:These were the three things to think about as you're getting
Speaker:prepared for the show,
Speaker:how much product to make how's the display setup going to
Speaker:look. And then what's the checkout process have all of that
Speaker:thought through.
Speaker:And then once you do,
Speaker:none of these are going to be obstacles because you've pretty
Speaker:much thought of everything.
Speaker:And even if there's something that comes up that you weren't
Speaker:prepared for,
Speaker:it's only one thing.
Speaker:It's not challenge after challenge after challenge.
Speaker:Now I've promised you to keep these tips and talk sessions
Speaker:pretty short.
Speaker:And we're already looking at almost 20 minutes here.
Speaker:So instead of continuing on and talking about the challenges and
Speaker:solutions to those challenges for the portion during the show,
Speaker:I'm going to cut this into two episodes and we will
Speaker:pick up again and talk about during the show challenges next
Speaker:week, that's a wrap.
Speaker:I might 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 go out and fulfill that dream
Speaker:of yours,
Speaker:share your handmade products with us.
