Comments on: Craft Fairs: Making a Great 1st Impression

By: Judi

Judi — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:55:17 +0000

I have sold at Craft Shows and Fairs for a long time and I agree with you 100%. Way too many people (especially when not selling that day) are sour and not friendly and it drives customers away.
The other big gripe of mine is eating at your booth. If at all possible find another place to eat your lunch.
Even with two people in the booth, as soon as you take one bite of food, someone will have a question and then you have to put it all down and try to swallow fast. (usually the question is for you, and not the other person!)
Water and soda in the booth is okay if it is away from the main tables.
Another thing is to smile, smile, smile, and mean it!
One more….Don’t gossip with the other person in your booth. Keep it business as much as you can.

By: Nicolette Tallmadge

Nicolette Tallmadge — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:45:31 +0000

Another thing to remember is not to stick yourself into a corner to read a book, smoke a cigarette, or otherwise not paying attention to whoever walks by or walks into your booth. It just makes you look unfriendly. Always be doing something, restocking, cleaning, writing notes, something active so that you look busy, but not too busy if the customer has a question.

And remain standing for as long as you’re able. I’ve found that it really freaks people out when I get out of my chair when they enter my booth. They’ll either say “Oh, don’t get up, I’m just looking”, or they’ll back out of my booth. If you remain standing, it’s an easy matter to go over and calmly greet the customer without making it look let you’re making a great effort. Plus, it’s a great all day calorie burner!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:50:37 +0000

This is wonderful! I know so many people getting ready for their 1st craft fair. I’ll be linking.

By: Carrie Sommer

Carrie Sommer — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:57:22 +0000

Always say ‘hello’ to customers! This seems like a no-brainer, but I’ve seen so many vendors ignore their customers because they don’t want to bother them.

I usually greet everyone with ‘Hi, how are you?’ and let them browse. If they linger, I might add, ‘let me know if you have any questions.’ The key is to not jump them, but let them know you’re available and approachable.