Where do you stand?

[lucyssoap]

For years, we have done a Farmer's Market where all vendors stand behind their tables. When I did a Holiday event a couple years ago in a different venue, I had vendors tell me to never stand behind my table. They recommended being in front where you could more easily be by your customers. Part of me feels that may be intimidating to customers.
Your thoughts?
Thank you! Julie

[SleepyPandaStickers]

I sit behind my table and it's never been an issue. I greet people when they come in and try and gauge whether they are up for more conversation or not. There's a fine line between being pushy and being friendly.

[BohemianHollow]

Behind. Always stand behind your tables. Your customers are there for your products, not you.

It is most definitely intimidating for the sellers to be up front. Think of yourself as the customer. Are you going to walk up to a booth where the seller is right up front, blocking their product, just waiting for you to come over so they can give you a sales pitch? No, most likely you're gonna go to the nice looking booth where the seller is properly placed behind their tables. You don't want your customers feeling that same way about your product, right?

I'm a little different in that I don't use any tables, but I still stand or sit behind my little cash register thing in a corner of my booth. I come out from behind it occasionally to fix a display or to help costumers look for things. In my experience it's much, much better to be behind something and let your customers do their thing. :D

[weekendjewelry1]

Definitely behind the table. It's good to not sit all the time (think of the times you've seen vendors on their phone or even reading a book!). But definitely not in the front where customers might very well feel intimidated, or just don't feel like being put on the spot.

Behind the table, moderately busy-looking, with a friendly comment or three. Then if they *want* to talk, you're engaging them.

[Former_Member]

Really depends on our booth setup at any given show. Sometimes, we have the tables on the outside edges of the space, usually if we're in a corner location. Other times, if we're in an inside space, the tables will be on each side of the space.

If the tables are on the outer edge, we stand behind the tables. If they're on the sides, we stand at the back of our space in a corner. I'll also stand out in our booth to rearrange & tidy up the products. At our last show which was outdoors, we had an empty space next to our space under a tree, so we had some chairs set up there. I alternated with standing under that tree & being in the booth. I'll also sometimes stand at in front of our neighbors booth if they're not talking with customers.

If you do this farmers market every week, best bet would be to try it both ways. Try standing behind your booth one week, then try standing out in front the next, see if it effects sales. Best way to be sure is to try both ways & see which way works the best for you.

[JustMeToo]

If it is not an open concept walk-in booth, definitely stand behind. If you are in front, you can look like you're hovering and waiting to pounce! Customers don't feel that they can browse, at their leisure with you breathing down their neck. Just think about when you are browsing in a store - do you want the saleslady RIGHT THERE IN YOUR FACE?
I've been doing shows for over 40 years and I think the vendors that told you that are WRONG! Keep doing what you're doing.

[Former_Member]

Sit, stand, demo and rest towards the back open area, where I have a table setup for demo.

I greet every person who comes in and if I see them touch I stand and converse.

[TextileTrolley]

Behind...I read something that said always have something in between the seller and the customer, it's less threatening/intimidating for the customer.
I tend not to go into a booth where the seller is greeting people at the front! I hate having to be polite and stand there listening to them go on about their product. If I have a question I'll ask.

[JustMeToo]

Textile Trolley. I agree! I went into a veggie stand once, and the guy was right at the door. He followed me in, and followed me around, telling me how recently this had been picked, and that had been picked, so how fresh it was. I never went back, and it's just down the street. I go to one that's further away where I feel I can breathe, and make my own decisions without feeling coerced, and GO OVER to the guy if I have a question.

[WhimsyBits]

Behind... as a buyer it freaks me out if a seller is hovering near the entrance to their booth.

At my booths I try to put myself behind a table off to the side or back in a corner.

Go to a high end out door art show - we have one in my city and you'll notice that most sellers/artists create a space in the back of their tent where they aren't even visible or they are in the back out of the way somewhere.

[TigersandDragons]

Carol is right on the money.

Think about shopping in stores, there's a reason that the sales person is behind a counter, or a checkout station, and this has been the system for hundreds of years, because it works!

I watched craft booths where the salesperson sits near the front, this spooks customers and many won't even walk in.

If you stand behind the table, you are still facing customers, but you are giving them space. People want space to feel comfortable.

[WhimsyBits]

I have a large show that I've done for the past 3-4 years and it's always my best show (and most expensive) and this past season I was horrified that a seller was a few spots down from me on the other side of the aisle.. he stood out by the entrance of his booth the entire time yelling at people as they walked by. Not in a mean way but like a "oh hey, you totally need one of these!" and it was something you might buy your grandparents. I felt so bad for everyone that walked by him within ear shot.

[Former_Member]

I try to stand behind my table, but I always try to leave a little space to scoot through in case a customer does need help.

As a customer I HATE it if someone hits me with their "hard sales style" and if they don't take the hint, and leave me alone, I won't buy their product even if I really liked it...

[deltamoonsoap]

I think behind is a good place, has always worked for me, I hate to feel like a "vulture" waiting to pounce as soon as they come in, at least that's how I imagine it would be perceived.

There's no harm in trying it out though, you'll never really know for sure until you try it!

[TigersandDragons]

I think the harm is that you will get much less sales.

[2CraftyChix]

My booth is laid out in a u shape with a break at the back for our checkout and a place to stand. We spend a great deal of time interacting with our customers. We do not stand behind any tables. We don't give a hard sell. I may stand at the front of the booth - to the side at times but I am not "hawking" by yelling out at people. I however do talk to people that pass by. I say "hi" to most people that walk by the booth. I pet dogs. I engage in conversations. My business is soft goods - stuff for babies and kids. I can't imagine having a table between my customers and myself.

I have customers that will travel to shows just to buy from me - I have been told this numerous times. People will stop in and show me the new baby that they bought a special quilt from me for (the year prior they were pregnant). They give me the babies to hold. I love the relationship that I have with my customers. Many of them have become friends.

My approach is not for everyone. I have been very successful with how I do things.

[BlueTurtleCrafts]

I'm noodling with my layout for my Nov show - the booth is 8ft deep by 11 wide.

It's not really deep enough to be behind the back table and my display on the tables is really too tall for me to be behind it (shorty!)

So I'm thinking of doing a L on one side and all the way back and having my tall chair and checkout area in the other back corner with another free-standing display at the front of 'my' side. I figure then I can be back out of the way so people won't feel hovered over but I'll still be able to see everything.

It sound's like my set-up will be similar to yours Janice :)
I don't think there is anything wrong with your approach, btw, I think it's more the sellers who put their checkout right at the front (I've even seen some put their big checkout (podium style) right in the middle of the entrance! so you have to scooch around it to get in. I think that looses them a lot of customers - it feels (to me as a buyer) like your invading the sellers place, makes me uncomfortable and I won't usually go in.

And then there's the yellers - ugh - I go waaaay around them :D

[JustMeToo]

Janice. My booth is laid out the same as yours with the checkout in the middle of the back wall. I'm not behind a table, but I am BACK THERE - not hovering over customers. I don't think the table was the issue - I think the back there was the issue, and not right beside your customers, making them feel like they can't browse at their leisure.

[GildedXRoseXStudio]

My display is kind of open and airy, but I do have a table set up at an angle as a "back corner" (not too far back, though!). I kind of hang over there and greet people as they enter my booth. If anyone is browsing near where I am, I back away and let them do their thing. I refuse to sit, though...as much as I'd love to.

[lucyssoap]

Thank you all for taking the time to post your thoughtful replies. I greatly appreciate it! @Mike and Cindy Great suggestion to try both ways but at Farmers Market our only option is to be behind so the middle is open to customers.

[Former_Member]

Julie, at your farmers markets, are you using your own canopy or does the market provide stalls for the vendors?

We've only done craft fairs & festivals up to this point, but we have a couple farmers markets that we've been looking at attending. The ones we're looking at are set up pretty much like a typical outdoor craft fair. All the vendors are in their own 10x10 canopies or 20x10. The only difference I can see is that the focus is on market/produce type products, with some crafters thrown in for good measure.

Since all our products are made from natural oils, butters, botanicals, etc., all the ingredients come from a variety of farms so to speak, so I think we would be a good fit. I've been to some farmers markets where the vendors are in stalls, so their layout options might be more limited. But, for the markets we're looking at, if we're using our own canopy, then our setup will depend on our booth location.

If we're in an inside space, then we'll place our tables on the sides of our booth to allow the customers to walk in. For this type of space, we can't be behind a table because we'd only be able to use 1 table in the front of the booth, with us behind the table. That wouldn't give us enough room to display all our products because our soaps take up an entire table on their own.

https://www.facebook.com/SweetAirSoap/photos/pb.430439667021712.-2207520000.1437843329./923681081030...

If we're at the end of a row or a corner location, then that gives us much more flexibility for our layout. We can still place our tables so customers can walk in. In that case, we'd be standing in the back corner. Or, we can layout the tables in an outside "L" shape, where the tables are on the edge of the aisles, then we'd be standing behind the tables. At our last large indoor show, we had a corner/end of row spot so we did the outside "L" layout:

https://www.facebook.com/SweetAirSoap/photos/pb.430439667021712.-2207520000.1437843329./892541480811...

So for us, it really depends on if we have an inside space or a corner space, as that typically dictates how we're gonna lay out our tables, and then that determines if we'll be standing behind the tables or in a corner at the back of the booth.

[AllisonGlickCeramics]

We prefer behind the table, or beside a display case, about half way back in the booth. I think sitting or standing right at the entrance can discourage browsers from coming in.

[StinsonPaperCompany]

I'm struggling with this as well. When we do the weekly farmers market, I set up three tables in a U and stand or sit behind the back middle table and it works out great. It's a 10 x 10 space and there's plenty of room for multiple people to look. But several of the inside shows I'll be doing this fall are only 5 x 9 and probably won't be on a corner. I want to have more than one table and space for people to come in, so they can look without being pushed along by the crowd. That means an inside L with with a tall chair near one of the front corners. I'm worried that it will intimidate people into not coming in, though.

[TigersandDragons]

Staci, can you put your chair in one of the back corners?

[Former_Member]

I am behind my tables. This way the customer has full access to view and touch any of my products. I do greet them as they walk past, and encourage them to touch my products. Yarn is meant to be touched. And I hand them one of my dryer balls to feel, which prompts them to ask questions.

But, on the other hand, I have a very good friend of mine who stands in the middle of her booth. She sells rescued teddy bears and she is usually holding one.