MichelleOH Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 UPDATE: I just wanted to let you all know that I decided to do this show! It is in 2 weeks. I'm also doing a 2 day show this weekend. I'll report back and let you know how it went. Wish me luck:cheesy2:I have been invited to do a holiday boutique. I was contacted by the women's club here in town wanting me to participate. It is a 3 day event and there are approx. 16 vendors in this old victorian house. The chairperson told me approx. 1100 people attend. My dilemma...it cost $150.00!!! I'm not sure if I can make that back. My average price of a product is about $8.00 or so. i would be taking my B&B products and candles. One thing I have heard is that they put a lot of the "newbie" vendors upstairs and in the past a lot of vendors that were upstairs didn't get a lot of business. A lot of the women that come are older and can't climb stairs or what not. I don't know what to do because it is local and I could get my name out there. Anyone have any comments or thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainmadness Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Have you done any Christmas shows before? Do you know how much that you bring in?Christmas shows are good for most. I just signed up for a 2 day show and the table fee was also $150.00. I did a total of $1200.00 that weekend last year. If nothing else, you can think of it as advertising. If you are upstairs one thing that you might do is place a bar of soap in the downstairs bathroom on the sink with your business card taped above it... state that they can find more of these pampering products upstairs.... that seems to work well too. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sallykate Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Well, I think you have to weigh it and see if it is worth your a. time and b. money...selling alot of product is not necessarily more productive than making some excellent contacts and receiving great exposure. One of those contacts may end up making you 10X as much as you might sell at one event.Does the opportunity you are contemplating offer you good exposure? Possible repeat business? 150.00 might considered be an investment from you into your business. However, if you are simply "filling a spot" in the attic where no one will see you... then maybe it is not a lucrative opportunity. Unfortunately only you know the answers to the questions and then again maybe you are not in a position to know for sure. I would say this, if you are not in a position to make very many sales and are not sure if you will at LEAST get some great exposure, then maybe you should sit this one out. It sounds to me like there will be some "money" walking through that event, you might be surprised at just how well you do. Tis the season and people buy at this time of year!SO I have not helped you at all, probably confused you even more! Sorry. LOL But best of luck on your decision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sallykate Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 If you are upstairs one thing that you might do is place a bar of soap in the downstairs bathroom on the sink with your business card taped above it... state that they can find more of these pampering products upstairs.... that seems to work well too. HTH.I love it! A woman after my own heart!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainmadness Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Awww thanks! It really does work though. I was crammed up in a corner once with being new to the particular show. I did that with the soap in the bathroom.... I would say that 70% of the people at my table started the conversation by saying... I used your soap in the bathroom.....It is a great way to sell without being pushy. I do not do pushy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleOH Posted August 18, 2005 Author Share Posted August 18, 2005 Awww thanks! It really does work though. I was crammed up in a corner once with being new to the particular show. I did that with the soap in the bathroom.... I would say that 70% of the people at my table started the conversation by saying... I used your soap in the bathroom.....It is a great way to sell without being pushy. I do not do pushy.I think that is a fabulous idea. I want to do this show for primarily for exposure. And I know sales will happen. I think I might just bite my wallet and do it! I'm already doing 4 other shows this fall. Thanks for both of your inputs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Another thing you could do, if you do the show, is get the word out there you'll be there either through circulars or a small ad in the paper etc. Maybe mention this ad and get x-amount off of your purchase or something like that, but be sure to mention where your booth will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sallykate Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Awww thanks! It really does work though. I was crammed up in a corner once with being new to the particular show. I did that with the soap in the bathroom.... I would say that 70% of the people at my table started the conversation by saying... I used your soap in the bathroom.....It is a great way to sell without being pushy. I do not do pushy.You GO girl!! You will succeed in this busines, I'm sure of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharyl55 Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Could you contact the woman's club to verify whether you'll be upstairs or not? If you are maybe you could ask to have a sign at the foot of the stairs saying you are up there and maybe a small display of your products. Then the customer would know it was worth the trip upstairs. Are any of the other 16 vendors candles and B&B people? If you are the only one that could be a real boost for you in sales and exposure. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleOH Posted August 19, 2005 Author Share Posted August 19, 2005 Could you contact the woman's club to verify whether you'll be upstairs or not? If you are maybe you could ask to have a sign at the foot of the stairs saying you are up there and maybe a small display of your products. Then the customer would know it was worth the trip upstairs. Are any of the other 16 vendors candles and B&B people? If you are the only one that could be a real boost for you in sales and exposure. Good luckI have spoken with the chairperson several times and was almost tempted to ask her if I could have a downstairs(main level) spot. She told me they were limiting "alike" vendors. She said last year they had too many jewelry vendors. She seems to really want me there so maybe I could use that to my advantage a little bit:wink2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebcandles Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 I think you should go for it. Remember, THEY contacted YOU. That means something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebcandles Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Forgot to mention....$150.00 for 3 days is not a bad price. Its an AWESOME price. You can send out an email invitation to all the people in your address book to let them know you are going to be there. Tell them you will give them a FREE gift with every purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa_1 Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 You'll never know how good the show might be for you unless you try If you can afford the booth fee and have enough stock to take to make it worth your while, it might be a great opportunity for you. You mentioned that they often put the "newbie" vendors upstairs - even if that happened - you can advertise where your booth will be located prior to the event - and if the show went well, next year you wouldn't be a "newbie vendor" for the show and would be in line for a prime spot! Doing the show may put you into contact with customers who will be repeat buyers; you will have the opportunity to network with other vendors to find out about other show opportunities in your area and you will be getting your product out there where the public can purchase it!Good luck! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sockmonkey Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 I think you should go for it. Remember, THEY contacted YOU. That means something!I think you should go for it. Remember, THEY contacted YOU. That means something!It means they want $150 to help pay for their event. I don't mean any disrespect, perhaps they are being very selective with who they are inviting to participate, and they truly love your products, but they're also putting this event on to raise money for themselves or some charity. If $150 is a lot of money for you, and you want a spot downstairs, by all means ask to be downstairs. Better yet, demand it. If they say yes, fantastic. If they say no, well, I kind of get the impression that you already think being upstairs might be a mistake. Do you think it would be wiser to place a $150 ad, or 2 $75 ads in a newspaper for your products, which potentially several thousands could see, vs. 1100 people (not even allowing for the people who will never make it upstairs) over a 3 day period?Is there anything else going on at the same time, or other nearby businesses that could draw more people in? A three day event that only brings in 1100 people and costs $150 doesn't sound like a real good investment. What kind of promotion is being done for it, and will you specifially be included in it?Don't be shy about asking for things, you're running a business and you're in it to make money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrealh1975 Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 One thing I can think of is while you're setting up see what vendors are downstairs. There may be one or two that may sell some kind of candle holders. Ask if you can leave a few of your candles with them as part of their display. When someone comes to that table and asks about the actual candle, they can refer them to you!! HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniedb Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Michelle, I think that you have every right to push for a downstairs spot. At the very least, I think that you should certainly ASK where you'll be located. That will probably ease your mind a lot when it comes to making the decision. Let us know what you decide to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleOH Posted September 27, 2005 Author Share Posted September 27, 2005 Updated first post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.