and Part II here
6. You Probably Need to Do a Show More Than Once to Make the Most Impact
(you need to be doing the right show though)
It was clear that the sellers who were doing the most business had been doing the show for many years.
(how many NEW accounts they were getting is impossible for me to know though)
I guess it instills buyer confidence to see a seller back at the show - makers wouldn't return if they didn't do well would they?
Well, I'm not so sure about that actually and different sellers have different ideas of what 'doing well' at a show is due to their different expenses, price points, expectations, etc.
I could do a show again if I lost money, but I wouldn't do a show again just to establish myself unless I had alot of confidence in that show or a good reason to stick with it.
(like happy hour in the afternoons - that was kind of nice)
7. You Need to be Thinking Like a Buyer
My lines need some explaining. I have my elevator pitches down by now because it is not immediately apparent when looking at my displays what the hell I am selling.
(although I try my best!)
So, I have to take time talking about my makings. This is a balancing act though, because it is not something all buyers care about. What they really want to hear is how this will sell in their shops and I found the more time I spent talking about their shops -
(this also helped weed out people who were not really buyers and there were alot of those at both shows)
asking them what price points did best for the jewelry that sold well for them, etc - that I connected with them. And that connection is the key to the relationship, I think.
8. In Order For These Shows to Be Worthwhile You Need to Get Reorders
If these shops are all one time orders then this is alot of work for not a lot of money, especially when you factor in airfare, hotel rooms, display, shipping and food
(I admit we ate pretty darn well because after standing in the booth all day I was starving by dinner and felt deserving of something especially yummy)
so, you need to be supplying your stores with the materials they need to sell your stuff - how will the stores display it, what kind of materials can you give them to help them sell it? I gave all shops clipboards with the type of display info their customers need to see to buy.
No one around me had any huge orders - no one got "discovered".
(and if you are doing a show hoping to be 'discovered', well, you could be very disappointed, most of the buyers walking these shows were mom and pop stores and being discovered is kind of like being rescued - it can happen, but we'd better know how to swim just in case it doesn't)
<--- this was a nice place to go at the end of the day I have to admit - trying to get hubs to throw something like this together on our roof
9. It is Very Hard to Look Dynamic and Approachable While Doing Nothing
Wholesale shows are not like retail shows - they don't have the same kind of energy; there is alot of downtime. It doesn't come in huge chunks, usually, although the first and last couple hours were killers.
You are like the goalie who has to be totally alert even while the game is on the other side of the field - it is hard.
(luckily my almost-OCD gives me things to do at times like this that help keep me on my toes - like count earrings in the booth across from me - 47 pairs btw)
10. Niche Products May Need Niche Shows
Shows are expensive (the least expensive part is often the booth fee) and there are many ways to develop wholesale relationships - more about this in my next series on wholesale selling - without exhibiting at them.
If your product has a very tight niche your challenge may be to find shows your target shops might frequent and they may not be general handmade wholesale shows.
Hope this series has been helpful to someone- I'll write more on this experience in a few weeks when I have a better grip on the outcome. I did get some sales reps which was a primary goal for me, so I'll also post on how all of that works out, too!
