The very first craft show I sold at was in a small community league hall with less than 20 vendors. Craft fairs were fairly new and indie at that time. Although people showed up, it wasn’t exactly a buzzing scene. So it made my lack of conversation/selling skills even more apparent and awkward….
I have a confession… I love reading YELP and GOOGLE reviews. Especially the bad ones. I’m not really sure why. I’ll spend several minutes scrolling through strangers’ opinions of a business, even if I never plan on being a customer of theirs. At the risk of sounding like an online lurker, let’s say it’s…
Selling your products wholesale to retailers can be a great revenue stream…if you’ve priced your products properly. Selling wholesale often means bigger orders with less effort. Instead of having to sell 50 items to 50 different customers, you can sell 50 items to a retailer in one transaction. Of course, profit margins are…
Asking for the sale is not as awkward as it sounds. The sales technique isn’t about coming right out and saying “will you please buy?”, but rather, asking questions that help a shopper make a decision to buy. If they’re not interested in buying, they’ll simply let you know. But if they’re on a…
Relating your craft show booth or table to a store window is a good way to look at your space from a different perspective and ensure you have elements that will catch the eye. Although you may only have a few feet, you also want to think of your table or booth like the inside…
Asking what one should wear to a craft fair is sort of like asking “what should I wear to work?” The answer would depend greatly on the type of work, the environment and who you interact with in a day. There isn’t a straightforward answer to “what do people wear to craft fairs?” because it…
Who doesn’t want to sell more handmade products? Of course, that’s what every handmade business owner is after. But there’s a common misconception when it comes to sales. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from business owners when wondering why they don’t sell more handmade products: People love my work, but they’re…
There’s a lot that goes into defining and communicating your brand; first you must know what your USP (unique selling position) is, then you must be able to sum up the vibe of your brand and then you must determine how you’ll communicate that vibe. Your brand should come through in even the…
Most handmade business owners don’t check or follow the legal steps they must take when they start selling their crafts. It begins as a hobby, sewing bags, making some jewelry, knitting a few scarves, etc. and then the idea comes along that money can be made selling these crafts. The crafter signs up…
Every handmade vendor wants to know what the hot items are to sell at craft shows each year. There are so many factors that affect which booth is the busiest and there’s no guarantee an item will be a hot seller at every event. But, vendors can follow trends, put their spin on them and be…