A Welcoming Table
Building a relationship and a bond with the customer is really important when selling handmade jewelry. When building a relationship or a bond with a customer at an art fair some very simple steps can be taken to help this process. Remember everyone has his or her own style and if you find a system that works for you follow it.
The key part is selling the experience not the piece. That means treat every customer that happens to glance at your shop as a potential no matter the age, gender, or race. I sold a pendant to a 7 year old girl one time and the big reason why I got the sale was because I interacted with her and not her mother. It was just simple things like asking her to try on the piece and telling her how it was made. This is something I do with must potential customers but I bet most other sellers just over looked her. This interaction I had with her had such an impact that she actually came back and bought the piece later in the day.
Now how do you sell the experience? Dress, hygiene and appearance of the seller and the selling area is extremely important. For dress I am not saying you have to wear your Sunday best for the occasion. I also don’t mean something that makes you look attractive or sexy. I would recommend wearing something nicer then what you wear in the studio to do your work in though. Whatever nice clothing you wear the key part is you have to look comfortable in it and inviting.
People need to feel they can talk to you and get to know you without feeling they are intruding. What you wear is important for this. I am not a super trendy person and I would not feel comfortable in a super trendy outfit. But I also feel that some of my customer base, maybe older people, would not trust buying something from a guy in a t-shirt and jeans no matter how cool they are. I usually wear a collared shirt with nice jeans and nice shoes. Now some people do go super trendy and as long as they are comfortable in it I would say go for it.
Hygiene is also very important. As a seller you are going to have lots of short conversations with people that are making quick judgments. These customers can move onto a new table as quickly as they showed up at yours. If they think you are smelly they will not stick around and the potential sale is lost. Take a shower before starting the day and put on extra strong real deodorant. I usually reapply deodorant again a few times especially if the venue is hot or outdoors. This is not the time to be using any kind Tom’s hygiene product.
Example of a Good Table
Appearance of the space is very important. Always have some sort of tablecloth and risers of some kind to give the area some depth. I haven’t bought professional risers yet but books and empty boxes underneath the tablecloth work really well. Just make sure to tape the tablecloth down with duct tape so it won’t slide off. This might have to be redone as the day goes along.
A good looking table will makes the customer feel more welcomed and in a place where they can talk to you. Then adding on top of that someone dressed in something that makes them seem comfortable and inviting will help build this relationship and bond before a word has even been said.
When interaction with the person you don’t want to be like a used car salesmen but you don’t want to be passive either. It’s a thin line between pushy and passive but a good seller has to walk it. I usually wait till someone makes eye contact with the table or me before I say anything. Usually it will be something simple like “try something on” or “play dress up and try this on.”
The Cut Out On the Backside of a Pendat
Once I have someone or group I tell them stories about the pieces they are looking at or the kind of stone it is. If I have a complex cut out underneath a piece I will flip it over and show it to them. I sold a $150 pendant after a young woman saw the cut out underneath it.
The key part about showing pieces and talking about them is not to point out price or push more expensive work. Let the customer learn about pieces without price being a factor and if they really want it they will usually buy it or something else more in their spending zone. If they find something that is cheaper then they thought it should be they will be excited about getting a good deal.
Maintaining this welcoming energy is tiring and hard as the day wears on. Luckily usually most sales happen in the morning so its best to be ready to go early on. Usually during the afternoon there are fewer people at the fair and they tend to be browsers not real buyers. At the same time at some fairs I have gotten a good sale or two at the end of the day so its worth hanging out till the end. If your selling at an outdoor sale one seller told me People will say through one storm, not two. I found this to be true from my own experience.
It is tempting to bring a book or something to do while there is downtime. The thing is if there is downtime it’s a bad art fair. Imagine if you walked into a store and saw the clerk reading a book? Well that is how your customer will feel if they walk up to your table and see you reading a book. The only activity that would be ok would be something like knitting and maybe only then if your selling knitted goods.
As for more in depth issues around displays, pricing, surviving art fairs and debating whether to do an art fair that is for a different post. In summary dress well, be open, have a good looking table and don’t smell if you want to improve your sales at an art fair.
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