Illustrations by Joe Rocco

Imagine that you are visiting a local craft show. You’re not intending to buy anything, but you do have money to spend if something strikes your fancy.

In the first booth you come to, the craftsperson is hidden away in the back corner, hunched over a book, and barely looks up as you glance through his wares. In another, the craftsperson is complaining loudly to her neighbor about the lousy show, acknowledging you with only a grumpy “Good day.” In the next, the craftsperson tries to smile at you through a mouthful of meatball sub. In the last, the craftsperson is standing near the front, greets you with a warm smile and offers an introduction, then invites you to take your time browsing through his display cases. Although he doesn’t hover, when you pause to admire a particular piece, he’s there to tell you about the unique gem it contains.

Who do you think kept the customer in the booth long enough to make a sale?

Jewelry designing may be all about creativity, but jewelry sales are all about attitude. “Personality sells,” says Cindy Edelstein, of the Jewelers Resource Bureau in Pelham Manor, New York. “Buyers have a lot of choices, and all things being equal, people will gravitate to the nicest person selling [what they want].”

And in the end, it’s how well you sell that determines whether your jewelry-making business becomes a success. “Selling your work is almost as important as making your work,” says JoAnn Brown, director of the American Craft Council’s craft shows. “That’s something most artists overlook. It’s not their favorite thing to do. They’re by nature creative and imaginative and excited about their own work, so they tend to think it sells itself. That’s just not true.”

Successful selling artists have engaging personalities, notes Brown. “They talk, they’re friendly, they laugh,” she says. “I don’t know anyone who sells successfully and who does not present themselves as well as their work.”

Presenting yourself well means greeting the world outside your booth with a smile — even when you don’t particularly feel like smiling. “Sometimes artists come to shows as though it’s just a day out. You have to realize this is hard work and the circumstances require behavior that you might not be thrilled about,” says Brown. “You cannot expect normal circumstances, and you can’t be grumpy about it. You may be hungry, busy, not busy, and bored, or you may not have the best weather, but whatever it is, you have to be mentally prepared to meet those challenges before you decide to do a show.”

While nothing can guarantee that every show will be a runaway success, the following tips can help you present your best face to potential buyers — the essential first step in boosting your show sales.

• Get some sleep.

There are never enough hours in the day, and it’s the rare artist indeed who has never pulled late night after late night trying to stockpile enough inventory for a show. But those efforts can backfire if they cause you to start out on a road trip already sleep deprived.

“I’ve seen booths where the exhibitor has this glazed look on their face because they’re tired,” says Mary Strope, manager of crafts marketing for George Little Management, a producer of gift shows. “Then a buyer walks in and their sales presentation comes out sounding like a speech — very boring, and very monotone.” Not the type of energetic sales effort likely to draw a buyer in and make the sale.

“A lot of people are really driven, and they figure they can finish just one more thing,” says Bruce Baker, a jeweler and lecturer on selling techniques for craftspeople. “But I think it’s better in general to arrive with two less pieces than to arrive with your butt dragging.”

• Dress for success.

Clothes may not make the craftsman, but they can influence how customers react to him. “Being a funky, way-out strange person helps make the sale at a public show, since the public has an opinion of artists that they’re wacky, eccentric, and different,” says Strope. “But at a trade show you want to be a professional, and you want to dress in a professional manner. You don’t necessarily have to be in a business suit, but you do want to be dressed in a nice, coordinated outfit with your hair combed. You want to be dressed like you’re ready to do business.”

Whatever clothing you choose, be certain it’s clean and wrinkle-free. And no matter how busy or tired you are, be sure to find time to shower and comb your hair. “It’s not like you have to wear a tie and jacket, but you should look nice, neat, and presentable,” says Linda Post, of Paradise City Arts Festival, which produces several high-end craft shows each year. “If your physical appearance is off-putting, that isn’t good for sales.”

• Leave the book in your room.

It’s always tempting to alleviate the boredom of a slow show by reading a book, but the distraction can cost you sales. “You tend to miss customers if there is no eye contact,” says Post. “Customers may want to ask you a question, but they feel like they’re interrupting you. The reason for this sort of show is to create an interaction between the customer and the artist. That’s not something that happens in galleries and shops, and it’s only fostered when the artist cares to talk to the customers. Even if you haven’t made a sale in a few hours, that doesn’t mean the next person walking by isn’t the one who’s going to spend $3,000 in your booth.”

• Stand, don’t sit.

Sure, it means long days on your feet, but standing allows you to make better eye contact, and thus better connections, with potential customers. “When you’re just sitting in a booth, what you are saying is ‘I’m not selling anything. No one wants this stuff. I’m tired, hungry, bored.’” says Baker. “If someone enters your booth and you’re just sitting there, you’re a gargoyle. As soon as you step out of that role and say anything, the person says, ‘Oh, don’t bother, I’m just browsing.’”

If you are physically unable to stay on your feet, choose a high stool, rather than a standard chair, so you’re at eye level with customers walking by. “That way you’re high, and you’re on a par with customers,” says Edelstein.

• Don’t hover.

While being attentive to customers is important, it’s equally important to avoid hovering over them. “You don’t want to be like a vulture,” says Strope. “You want to let the buyer come into the booth and look around. One of the things you can do is simply to walk up and say ‘Hi, my name is . . . If you have any questions, let me know.’ Then back off and let them look around the booth. I’ve been in someone’s booth and they immediately pounced on me: it’s like the sales calls you get on the phone. You’re waiting for them to take a breath so you can get away.”

Ideally, you should make a casual approach, introduce yourself, and then retreat to some type of manufactured busy-ness. “When a person enters a booth, they should have a few seconds to arrive before you’re on them,” says Baker. “Then you need to greet them quickly, with meaningful dialog, and then you have to go away. You want to advance and retreat, because if you don’t back off, you put pressure on them.”

If you have a difficult time making that initial approach, try having an opening line ready. “Some designers get over their shyness by having a piece of jewelry that’s interesting to explain,” says Edelstein. “If you have one incredibly special piece or special stone, you can use that as your hook for every interaction. You can say to the customer, ‘Did you ever see a Mali garnet?’ or ‘Did you ever see mokume gane?’ That way you’ve interested them without trying to sell them.”

• Look busy, even if you’re not.

One way to avoid hovering is to keep busy — even if that means cleaning the glass on your display cases over and over again.

“Pressure can be subtle,” notes Baker. “A person standing there with their arms crossed is applying pressure. The message is ‘Will you buy something?’ For that reason, the person who knows how to sell is always busy doing nothing. They’re dusting, polishing, pricing. As long as you’re doing that, there’s no pressure. And when you’re cleaning glass, people will come up and say, ‘What a beautiful necklace,’ and you can say, ‘That’s a tourmaline I bought in Tucson from a Brazilian miner,’ [to start a conversation].”

• Consider bringing help.

It’s expensive to bring along an assistant, and especially if you’re just starting out, it may not be in your budget. But before you rule out hiring help, consider what sales you might be losing. “If a customer is waiting, you need help, because you’re losing sales,” says Baker. “People at a show won’t wait long. People don’t shop [alone] at craft shows, so their companion is always pulling them on. If someone isn’t there to wait on them, the person will stand around for a minute, then they feel the need to move on.” It’s not expensive to hire help if that $100-a-day salesperson puts $1,000 a day in the cash box, he points out.

You should also consider bringing help along if you’re the shy type and aren’t comfortable approaching potential buyers. “If an artist feels really uncomfortable and timid and doesn’t like the public setting, they certainly should have someone in their booth with them who doesn’t feel the same way,” says Brown. “They can at least serve as the engaging salesperson. If the person trying to buy the work has a particular question, that assistant can turn to the artist and say, ‘This person would like to know what type of wood this is and where it comes from.’ Then the artist can answer the question.”

• Don’t make snap judgements.

It’s all too easy to mentally brush off a booth browser because he or she doesn’t look like the sort that can afford your pieces, but those snap judgements can lead to lost sales. “There are lot of wealthy people and serious collectors who don’t dress or look as if they are,” says Post. Although you do need to concentrate your efforts on customers that seem serious, you should make that decision based on their actions and attitudes, not on their appearances.

• If you can, avoid eating in your booth.

“Everyone appreciates you have to eat, but [when you do it in the booth], people get the message you’re on your lunch hour,” says Edelstein. “The last thing you want to do is make people feel like they’re interrupting you. You don’t want to risk people saying, ‘I’ll come back later.’” If there are two of you staffing your booth, take turns eating lunch out of the booth. If you’re doing the show alone, investigate the possibility of hiring a booth sitter, or ask a neighboring craftsperson to watch your booth.

Of course, there will be times when eating in your booth is the only option. “You may have to eat in your booth if you don’t have someone to look after your booth,” concedes Brown. “But do it as discreetly as possible. It may be good idea to eat a big breakfast before you go, and then have snacks to get you through the day.”

• Wait until you get home to grouse.

“Sometimes things go wrong at shows,” says Strope. “Maybe you didn’t understand where your booth was located, or you got to a show and it wasn’t what you thought it would be like. Maybe you shipped your goods and they didn’t arrive on time. You have to accept all that as a part of life. I’ve seen craftspeople complaining loudly and vehemently to anyone who would listen, including buyers. That’s such a no-no. You don’t want to air your dirty laundry in front of buyers.”

Such griping will scare off customers, who aren’t likely to hang around to look at your products if they have to listen to you complain the whole time. “Customers don’t come to hear people bitch,” says Baker, who illustrates this point with a story about an exhibitor who spent most of the day complaining about the slow show. After spending several minutes grousing to a customer that she hadn’t made a sale all day, the customer turned to her, said, ‘It’s not my fault,’ and left the booth — taking with her the exhibitor’s chance of her first sale of the day.

Everybody has bad days, and no one manages to be cheerful all the time. But if you make a conscious effort to cultivate a positive attitude and develop your sales technique, you’re likely to find it pays off in higher craft show sales. And that’s the kind of result that can make any craftsperson smile.

Good relations with show promoters are almost as important as good relations with potential customers. After all, the show promoters are the people you'll need to turn to if you have a problem with your booth, and even the most overworked, harried show promoter will be far more likely to go the extra mile for you if you've been pleasant to them. Promoters are human too, although that can be difficult to remember when you're tired, cranky, and the show hasn't lived up to your expectations. But while there's no rule that says you have to be nice, making an effort to address problems calmly and rationally - instead of screaming and shouting the way you may want to ó is far more likely to get you the results you want. “I don't think I've ever come across a problem that we weren't able to work around,” says Linda Post, of the Paradise City Arts Festival. “If they have a problem with the space, or they can't fit their booth into the space, we always manage to work it out. There's always a way to make it work, if we just put our heads together.” You also have to keep your cool even if you're disappointed by the way booth space has been allocated. If you don't know why you've been assigned a particular booth, ask the producer to explain to you the process used. Listen carefully, and then discuss your concerns calmly. Threatening to pull out or accusing the promoter of playing favorites or taking bribes is sure to backfire. Although most shows have policies in place allocating space according to seniority or other clearly identified criteria, there are always last-minute cancellations or other events that could work in your favor - unless you've earned a reputation for being unpleasant to work with. “If [booth assignment] goes by seniority, there are a lot of people with the same seniority [as you],” says Cindy Edelstein, of the Jewelers Resource Bureau. “A pleasant personality gets you to the top of your class instead of the last of your class.” Show promoters also appreciate exhibitors who don't call them in unless the problem really does need their attention. “If there's something you can settle by yourself or with you neighbor, don't bring the promoter into it,” pleads Post. “If you think you have a lot of things to do setting up a booth, just think of the zillion details a promoter has to attend to. It's like running a wedding for 250 couples at the same time and place. The details can get a little overwhelming sometimes, and the last thing a promoter likes to be bothered with are little incidental things that can easily be remedied by the artists themselves.” Promoters usually emphasize that good exhibitors do their homework, including reading the show manual and studying the show floor plan long before they walk through the doors. Promoters try to answer the most frequently asked questions in these materials. If questions or problems remain, you can address them with the promoter before the show opens - and before the hectic pace of set-up day leaves both of you exhausted and cranky. Finally, show promoters all appreciate an exhibitor who offers praise when praise is due. “We always hear from people who have problems,” says Mary Strope, of George Little Management. “We don't often hear from the people who have had a great show. And it's nice when someone says, 'I had a great show, thank you.'” -SW

Judy Bettencourt's Oya O earrings of 18K and 22K gold with tourmaline. Photo courtesy J. Bettencourt Designs. Bettencourt has exhibited her jewelry at the ACC Craft Show in Baltimore.