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Keep Your Customer in Mind

Lesson 25 from: Secrets of Selling at Craft Fairs: How to Get In, Make Sales, and Grow Your Business

Nicole Stevenson

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Lesson Info

25. Keep Your Customer in Mind

Lessons

Class Trailer

DAY 1

1

Craft Shows Should be a Part of Your Business

13:22
2

Introduction: How to Have a Successful Craft Show Experience

20:42
3

Why You Should Be Doing Craft Shows

20:23
4

Is Your Business Ready for a Craft Show?

25:33
5

Now is the Time for Craft Shows

05:24
6

Get Your Product Ready

30:22
7

Branding Your Business

19:52

Lesson Info

Keep Your Customer in Mind

We just talked about booths, merchandising, and now we're going to talk about the customer experience so there's my little illustration of a crash. Oh, and when you're thinking about being the booth there, it's just I mean, if you've been to a craft show before chances you have, you know what? It's like rows and rows and rows and rows and rows of booth, especially if you're in a big show. I remember the first time I attended a really big show that I wasn't actually selling at, and I was lost. I could remember where I was I was trying remember I needed to I wanted to buy this thing I was trying to find find my way back to it. I couldn't. So you really you really want to stand out with your booth, but also with the personality of your booth, the actual the you part of it. So you want teo, you know, everybody's like super sense overload eyes, ear smells, everything, feelings. You know, all of that and you want teo, have your booth be a comfortable place for those customers to hang out and...

your personality is part of that. Just remember, I was at this show, I just remember this and I was in there and somebody had perfume and I just felt attacked by them you know, like, oh, these perfumes, that a lot, but if you're not used to it, but it and I just, like, could not wait to get out of there, and I had actually wanted to buy tow by what? And I no longer wanted to sew, you wantto make that genuine connection with your customers that we were talking about, so that you can turn those one timers into regulars that are going to be with you for years and years and years as your you grow and your business grows in your line grows, they are growing with you, and they're perhaps the people that are offering that feedback and helping shape you're lying, like what lisa was talking about about, you know, uh, being inspired to do a men's line after hearing that from her customers and what happened to me being inspired to do a kid's line after hearing that from my customers, so our customers are there to tell us what they need. We just have to listen, uh, you don't want to let all that preparation you did goto waste, you know, that we've worked so hard and our, you know, section like we're kind of running through the show now we're getting to the after show party, all that work you've done on your display and the timeline and the checklists and all of the marketing the show you don't want that to go to waste when the customer actually gets to your booth and talks to you and then you ruin it all right if you want it we want that to be that's the part you you've kind of been planning for this moment you know it's I don't know I keep thinking about dates but it's like that first date it's like you're getting ready you're picking you off and you do everything and then you walk in you're like hey you know like oh are you walking in here like hey, I just want to let you know I'm a super good catch and let me tell you all about myself you know I'm a scorpio I'm this I'm that I am totally what you know you wantto you want to let them get to know you uh create that authentic relationship that I keep talking about and talking about it talking about. So when we were talking about you know, our booth kind of the last thing we talked about is making that space making that space for your customer and you really don't want to forget about your customer even your weird customer that I do this one that's in a tube top it is kind of like weird, androgynous and stuff do you want to forget about any of your customers so let's talk about how to create ah customer friendly booth where your customer is going to be really comfortable you want to do what we talked about earlier where you have that room for them to stay just shop you know, a lot of times were thinking about our booth and we're like okay, I have ten by ten okay, this table is four feet this table of six feet this table is this where where are you going to be? I see that a lot with booth there's nowhere for that first understand and then they end up standing like outside of their booth, you know, blocking their stuff and also it's very intimidating you don't want to walk up to a booth really somebody standing there hey how's it going? We're not at a carnival right now, so you make sure that space for you and you know, if it's if it's going to be a busier show where you need an assistant like one of these larger jury chose that we're talking about, there needs to be placed for a place for your assistant as well and thinking about your customers they're not all going to be, you know, skinny little like hipster girls and leg tight skinny jeans, you know you're going to have bigger girls like me that are taller and whose heads cannot be hitting things you know you're going to have people coming in and wheelchairs going people coming in with strollers you're going to have people who had twins that are coming in with double strollers you know? So if you're ill is like this if you have a walk in booth you know you are isolating yourself from your customers you know if you have your table you you keep that in mind too uh and you want that traffic flow to be open and inviting you don't want to put something like let's just say that you have a you know, walk small strip tow walk through in your booth and you have your sale been right there and then everybody's bending down you know, getting the celibate and blocking the way or you have something where there's a lot of stuff right there and there's no way for people to get around you know, it's a big bummer I don't know if you've ever had somebody with a stroller block your you know they're right at the entrance there looking at that first thing in their block and they're blocking your booth and nobody and you see people because we're attracted to to what other people are interested in so everybody's trying to get in but that's the moment that nobody can get in and because it's being blocks you've got this great attention a tractor and nobody nothing to do with that attention uh and then music. This is like a personal thing. A lot of shows have music sometimes you're away from the music. If you play music, I keep mine like neutral on low like I make a craft show mix that you know there's no eminem lose yourself on it there's no like crazy, you know heavy metal head banger stuff on it it's like kind of neutral happy it's probably sunny outside and we feel like shopping kind of music, not elevator music per se it's still, you want to keep it on brand with your brand because you want to be attracting those customers and then you want to consider visibility. We talked about that with our sign ege you know, having it up. Hi. This is tina produce who always have that small four by six booth but does just a greatjob with branding and with side and her sight and in the back you can see an apple there and you can see her sign itches hung is hyung from above and even hurt had not blocking it. So she's standing up her customers were standing up. You can still see her sign is you're walking up and then we talked about this a bit about multiple priceless so if you're gonna have your, uh away love that's it that's new if you're going tohave you know your price is your prices here and then having you know, a price list here and then we talked about it with fatty's booth of you know, doing those the wooden pieces on the right in the left side of her booth and like having a priceless they're having like the little block ones they're just making it, making it really clear and not not having your customer feel intimidated people are scared to talk to you believe it or not, they're scared asked for a price because asking for a price is like, oh, if I ask how much it is and I can't afford it then I don't buy it they're going to know that I am poor, you know, if they don't know, I can't afford it they're going to know it's not in my budget and you also want to keep it fresh, which we talked about when you know lisa really knows this because she does of, you know, market that's every week, you know, you get those same people over and over and when I talked about my flea market experience and I learned okay got a counter free range is booth display got to put doesn't mean I'm repainting all of my stuff means I'm putting new stuff in the front I'm moving this over here maybe I'm changing out you know, my pictures that thought he was gonna have for her sign itch of her lifestyle shots, uh, and I mean, you can see this wonder here it works perfect for her and her brand because she does little crow, she'd, uh, ornaments so holiday times she has hurt, has her trees and has him hanging there, it really makes you know, immediately, I know what this is. I know how it would look, you know, is it if this is for me, I'm into it and if it's not, I know I'm not because it's very, very clear, and then, while you're at the show, pay attention to how your customers are interacting with your booth, you know, use that time that first hour when it's like you know, you're not really doing too much, you know, it's kind of like that slow our depending on the show or maybe it's the last hour and watch how they're interacting with your booth. Watch what they're what they pick up, watch what they hesitate on, watch what they're drawn to see which props they pick up on, like, think about buying, and then, you know, you're constantly adjusting that booth and thinking about it.

Class Materials

Free Downloads

Craft Show Secrets Syllabus.pdf

Bonus with Purchase

Craft Show Readiness Checklist
Craft Show Timeline Checklist
Profit and Loss Worksheet With Examples
Packing Checklist
Craft Show List
Benefits and Goals Worksheet
Branding Worksheet
Post Craft Show Checklist
Craft Show Application Checklist
Brand Mood Board Exercise

Ratings and Reviews

user-1b0a09
 

It was an awesome experience. I learned so much from Nicole. She is entertaining and so knowledgeable that I feel I left the show with soooooo much info. I loved being in the studio audience, I met so many great people, crafters and new friends I feel we all became one big support for each other. I am putting to good use everything I learned. I look forward to coming back to Creative Live for another learning experience. Craft Show Secrets taught me all the ins/outs of craft shows ...I'm excited for my next craft show. Time to Create!!!

Lisa Jones
 

Great Class! Full of practical information + tools about how to REALLY succeed doing shows. I have attended many a craft show and found an enormous amount of useful tips. I especially loved the bonus material! Thank you Nicole and Creative Live for keeping it real + FUN!!

a Creativelive Student
 

I've been growing my business successfully online for the last six years, but hadn't shown my work in person for a decade. As a refresher, I took Nicole's craft show class to be sure that I made the most of the time I would have in front of my customers. Because of the preparedness and mindset that I gained from Nicole's teaching, my show was a huge success. My interactions with the customers, producers, and other vendors were genuine and joyful, building a stronger foundation for future business and relationships. This course took the worry and stress off my shoulders so I could enjoy the opportunity that I had. Thanks, Nicole! Tamara Kraft Pithitude

Student Work

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