Picture the scene - there you are at a craft show - nice day, plenty of people about - all your things beautifully displayed - lots of people stop at your stall - they ask questions - you can tell they like your work - so how come you're not selling?
The problem is almost certainly your quality. It's not that there's anything wrong with your quality - quite the opposite - you're a highly skilled scroller and it shows. You've made things with care - beautiful things. Of course they do cost a bit but they're well worth the money and everyone says so...
 ...but the truth is that the majority of people don't have a lot of money on them when they go to a craft show. As many as 50% "just popped in". They love your work but they're not going to pay $30 or $40 - not today. That's why you need what we call a "Guilt Buy".
You see they really would like to buy something from you. If they've spoken to you they'll go away feeling slightly guilty that they didn't buy something - but nothing in the world is going to make them part with $30 today. So if you're smart you'll sell them something for $3 - or $4 - and it will have a label on the back so they can contact you later, or look at your website.
The good news is that a good Guilt Buy is realy easy to make. The examples I've given here are a bookmark or a fridge magnet - just the sort of thing that people like to buy, or to give as small gifts - and as a result you get an added bonus - your work is constantly in front of more potential customers!
 To make bookmarks all you need to do is cut out a selection of letter shapes and stick them to thin strips of wood. To make fridge magnets it's just the same but you need to find a supplier of magnets - any craft shop should have them. You can use a few different species of wood to add variety, paint or stain some, whatever you like. They'll appeal to lots of people simply because they'll be able to pick out their own initial - or a friends.
Of course you don't have to stop there. You could get a bit more advanced and put small segmentation pieces on a bookmark or fridge magnet - try to choose a popular subject like cats, dogs, pigs, owls, bears or elephants, something people collect, that way you won't have to make too many different sorts. You could design something from scratch or maybe use a simplified version of plans you already have - the possibilities are endless.
Remember, the benefit isn't just in making the sale - it's in getting your work in front of people once the show is over.
|
