When I joined as a direct sales consultant for a line of skincare products a few years ago, I became a “fair-junky”. I literally felt high when I watched hundreds of event-goers check out my products and booth.
Speaking of my booth, I would often spend hours picking out perfect fonts for my sales fliers and adorning my skin-care bottles with raffia and decorative baskets. It was adorable. You could easily mistake my booth for a miniature high-end spa.
Despite my efforts, I spent far more on the booth fee (and decorative accessories) than I’d earned in sales. I’d convinced myself that it was just bad timing. I tried it again a few weeks later. I kept the pretty raffia bows, decorative baskets and I threw in free hand massages for good measure. By the end of the day, my hands were cramped and I still lost money.
I didn’t figure out what I was doing wrong until I attended a craft show with my sister-in-law. I walked by a booth that I thought was visually quite boring. As I looked at the products, the vendor asked me how I was enjoying the fair. Suddenly, I was telling her about my kids, my job and my weekend plans. Within moments I was writing her a check for a homemade candle (that I didn’t even need).
While it may seem simplistic, one of the keys to a successful fair is to make casual conversation with the passerbys. My booth was stunning, yet as I sat in my matching wicker chair, I expected that people would read my pretty signs and automatically purchase products. That didn’t happen. They may have been interested, yet I simply wasn’t approachable.
I lost a lot of money at my first two events and thankfully, I learned my lesson before losing more. The solution is quite simple. Stand up! I don’t even bring chairs to events anymore. While my feet may be hurting at the end of the day, my bank account isn’t.
Standing up was the easy part. Starting conversation is a bit harder. Believe it or not I am a fairly shy person when I am forced to talk vs. type. I actually rehearsed several conversation starters that I could use at my shows. These included things like…”what do you think of the fair thus far?” “How is the weather outside?” Once you start a genuine, “non-salesy” conversation with someone, it is quite natural for them to start asking you questions about your products, your business, etc..
Anyone in direct sales knows that the key to a successful business is to book parties. Once I started making these subtle changes at fairs and expos, I booked dozens of parties and made contacts that continue to purchase products from me years later.
I will be offering additional tips for successful fairs and expos in future posts, but in the meantime, share your success stories with us in the comments section and visit these related links for more information.
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