What to Do When the Craft Shows are NOT Going Well

Rain at one of my best shows. Sad face!

What to Do When the Craft Shows are NOT Going Well

Bad show. We have all been there! I don't think it matters how long you have been selling your handmade work, a bad show feels terrible. One slow day at a festival can sometimes have you rethinking your entire path in life! ha.  Especially when you have so much of your hard work, heart, and cash wrapped up in your inventory. It hurts.

But, when you are brand new at doing craft shows, you should expect the first few to be not great. There are many different factors that make a show good or bad for you... and it's not always predictable even when you figure them all out. It will take time and experience to learn, just like any other job. So don't freak out!

Here are a few things to think about when you are having low sales in your booth:

Find the Right Shows

This is actually an ongoing quest forever. But especially in the beginning, it takes some time to figure out what kinds of shows are the best for what you make. I cover this more in depth here: Find Your Shows.

Think about your customers and where they like to shop. For instance, if you have paintings, you might not want to set up at the flea market. There will not be a lot of shoppers looking for fine art, they will be looking for deals. In my book, it's the same thing for a show that is "mixed"- handmade mixed with commercial, direct sales, or imports. They are almost never as good as a juried handmade-only show. When you make everything yourself, it's hard to compete with mass produced work. I want to find the people who prefer quality and don't mind paying a little extra.


Also, when starting out we typically find smaller shows with smaller booth fees. Which makes sense money wise, as well as gaining experience before trying a larger show. But smaller shows usually means smaller crowds, which has to mean smaller sales. It's just math. So do the dinky shows, but don't expect big time sales there.

DON'T Automatically Lower Prices!

This one kills me. Maybe it's just making the transition from consumer mindset to a maker mindset, but I see people do this all the time. They do a few slow shows, they hear a couple people (I guarantee it's not a majority of shoppers) say something about the prices, and that's it. They figure they will never sell anything if they don't lower their prices. Stop!! Go read my post about pricing, and make a formula to make sure your prices are fair. Then stick to them. The only way to lower your prices is to either find cheaper materials or make it faster.

There will always be someone who says the price is too high... what they mean is too high *for them*. Not everyone.

Think about it for a minute. Price is almost never the *leading* factor in deciding to buy something at a craft show. Love is. If they love it they will pay. So now we are back to finding the right shows, where people are shopping for unique wonderful items rather than cheap ones.

Setup at Mom's yard sale. What was I thinking??

Be Unique

I've been seeing a lot of new sellers making almost identical items, then wondering why they aren't selling very well. They will even ask each other what are the best doohickies to make, then they are all making the same stuff. This blows my mind. I guess because I see the whole craft show thing as one giant creativity party, nobody wants to be just like someone else. We are artists!!

People go shopping at a festival because they want to find something new and different. Otherwise they can just go to Target, right?  Plus, there are only so many dollars at a show... if multiple other booths are selling exactly what you make, that money is going to be split between all the booths. If you stand out as different, you are likely to get a bigger share of that money.

Show off your creativity, that's why we do this.

Assess Your Display

How is your display working for you? After every show, think about what worked well and what didn't. Make notes. Were people coming in often? Was it easy for more than one to shop and talk to you? Was it easy for you to reach them and talk? Was there one area that was hard to reach or ignored? Is there signage that could have helped answer common questions?

If people weren't really stopping or coming into your booth, think about why that might be. Usually it's because they didn't see anything that peeked their interest. So make sure it is easy for someone in a crowd to see and understand what you make. Large photos are great for small things like jewelry. Or it can be as simple as adding a tag line to your banner, like "Bohemian Mermaid - hand dyed clothing". So even if they can't see the work, they know what it is.

Definitely make sure your work is visible and fills up your space. Read my prev post on Displays.
 

Engage Your Visitors

Think about how your interactions with customers have been. What's the vibe in your booth? Is it silent and awkward? Or friendly and comfortable? Which kind of booth do you enjoy visiting? This is your store and your space, think about how you would greet someone who came to your home to visit. The best way to keep people shopping is to engage them. Simply saying hello and starting some chitchat does the trick. Even if you are more introverted you can do that!

You don't need a big sales pitch, but you should make them feel at ease and welcome. Comment on the band, ask what they have in their shopping bag, or (best yet) point out information about your work. If they don't seem very chatty themselves, just say something like, "Hello, please let me know if you have any questions, I make everything myself." Then it's up to them, but you have cut the tension and now they can relax and shop. The longer they stay and the more they enjoy talking with you, the higher the chance of a sale. It's that simple.

Packing up in a thunderstorm downpour. Good times!

During the Show

Oh it is SO easy to get into a bad mood when a show isn't going well. Very easy, even for old timers like me. After so many years I have a lot of confidence in my work and how well it sells... but a bad day can still sometimes put me in a funk. Guess what? That will NOT improve sales. Ha. Even if you say nothing, if your vibe is dark and brooding your customers will pick up on that and stay away.

Do whatever you can to keep a good attitude and make the most out of a bad situation. Chat with neighbors about what other shows are happening, go get a beer, dance to the band, text your bff. Whatever it takes to put a smile on your face and possibly sell more today. Take a look at your display and maybe move something around. Possibly put ONE item on sale, or do a buy one get one at a discount. DO NOT go nuts and start discounting everything in a panic (see above), but make today work better for you somehow.

I like to draw in my sketchbook, think of new ideas, plan for my next show. Think beyond this bad day, it's just one day. There is always another show!

Do Not Despair

Bad shows are just a part of this Show Life. We all have them. Especially in the beginning when you are choosing weird dinky events, anything can happen. So don't get too discouraged. As you have more experience, learn and grow... you will get better at finding the right shows for you.