Hi everyone. This post is kind of an answer to my own question I posted back in November. I had just done a show and was wondering why so many people were stopping, complementing my work, asking about it, and then just walking away without buying. There were some key factors playing into the low sales, the main one I think being that it was a new show and they did very little advertising. It was a slow, quiet show. That was on me for not investigating the show before-hand. It was a fundraiser, though, and our booth fees went to a good cause. I read all the responses to my previous post and have thought a lot about it. I enjoy doing the shows. I am a very social person, but I am a stay at home mom and also do all my creating from home. It can be pretty lonely and isolating at times (and absolutely lovely the rest of the time!). So the occasional shows I do are something I look forward to. They push me to finish any unfinished projects and get things organized. I don't want to stop doing the shows, but need to find other ways to make them productive than only selling. It seems to me that a majority of craft show customers are actually crafters themselves. So they are sometimes just coming to the shows for inspiration (which is just fine, we all need to feel inspired). The compliments are genuine, but sometimes they really would rather know how you made that than to actually purchase. They might want to make one, too. So, if you have a product that you don't mind sharing the instructions for, post them on your website or blog right before the show. Then, at the show if someone is only interested to know how it was done, you can direct them to your site. It will up your traffic, and might even lead to a sale, or at least a share, a like, a pin, or a new follower. Don't forget to add a link to your Etsy shop! You could also add a donate button to your page. I've donated to bloggers whose info I really enjoyed. I also follow a blogger who says he makes quite a bit of money from the donations. It's a win-win situation. Sharing your craftiness is always appreciated, and so are new followers. I don't think I would do this with an extremely unique idea for a product that you are actively trying to sell. But one thing people were loving at my booth were Christmas cards that I had made. I wouldn't mind sharing the instructions for my painting technique, so the next show I do I will try this out and see how it works. You could also offer to teach a class. Anyone have any other ideas for making the shows more profitable even if you don't make as many sales as you would have liked?
