This post is a collection of my thoughts for a panel I'm doing with another author next year. I figured I might as well share them here to have them all in once place and for those of you who aren't nearby that might attend the panel.
I recently tabled at a comic con where I did fairly well. Fairly well = on par with last year's sales at the same event. I always strive for an increase in sales, but the current economy is such that maintaining a sales number is considered a win.
One of the tables across from me did not do well. At all. The disparity in sales prodded me to collecting my thoughts on the matter in the hopes of helping my follow artists in improving their selling experiences.
Let's start by putting this in perspective. We both had the same size booth in the same aisle with the same amount of foot traffic. I ran my booth solo, meaning I was out of my booth for bathroom breaks and missed 2 hours of the 3 days of open vendor floor time due to arriving at the last minute (oops, bad planning on my part) and doing a panel during vendor hours. The other artist was there the whole time and had a booth buddy so they could give each other breaks. This is, admittedly, ideal, yet I run solo 80% of the time. Because.
We were selling generally similar professional-looking products with clearly marked pricing. We both had art prints, stickers, and books (comics vs. novels). We are both the creators of our work, selling our own products.
Yet, somehow in those 3 days, (for the sake of making this easy math), let's say I made $1000. They made $10.
Why? How?
Reason #1 I had a live chicken on my table (One of my books is about said chicken). "OMG is that a chicken?" You might think this means instant sales, but it doesn't. 80% of people who stop for the chicken do not buy anything. But here's the thing, THEY STOP.
The most valuable thing you can add to your sales tactics is a reason for people to stop. Sure, we all hope that the obvious reason is the awesome thing we are selling. But when you're at a busy event, there's a whole lot to look at and everything is a distraction from your table. Find your own distraction. Be the distraction. Ideally, without pissing off your booth neighbors.
If you don't have a chicken (and I hope you don't, because that's my thing), there are many things you can do. One of my author friends hands out odd tidbits on a business card. Werewolf haiku? "I'm sorry, what?" See, they stopped.
Prior to having a chicken, I used, "Would you like a free short story?" Initially, this was a 1/3 sheet of paper folded over with a cover image and a 100 word story. Eventually I switched it up a condensed version of the story on the back of a bookmark, with my marketing stuff on the other side. In the end, after publishing enough books that I needed both sides of my bookmark, I got rid of the short story and went with, "Would you like a free bookmark?"
Are you going to hand out business cards or bookmarks to people who are going to just toss them? Yep. But if you get a percentage of them to stop for the few seconds it takes to make a connection long enough to be able to toss out your one line product pitch, a percentage of those will buy something. The trick is finding your thing that you can afford to give away.
Your reason to stop doesn't have to be a sticker, or story, or bookmark. Maybe you've got a cool cosplay. Maybe it's a eye catching outfit, a funny hat, or a prop that relates to your genre or book. How about an intriguing line on a banner behind you? I've had people stop because they read 'too much alcohol' on my series banner. My tag line is also fairly successful: Science fiction, Fantasy, Horror...and Chickens. "Umm what? Explain."
It could be none of those things. You know what's free? See #2
Reason #2 Talk to people. Say hello. Notice what they bought and ask them about it. Compliment their shirt/cosplay/any item of clothing/jewelry/hair. Ask a question: Do you like to read? Are you a fan of __? Anything. Start a conversation. Get them to slow down and actually look at you and your wares. Obviously, you can't initiate the same conversation with everyone, but aim for shoppers that look promising. Watch for eye contact, for a flicker of interest in your wares, anyone who is openly into the event - meaning they're not mid-conversation with someone, look petrified you'll talk to them, or have their focus stuck on their phone.
Being sociable is not everyone's thing. I get it. I'm only a people person at shows. But you HAVE to turn it on. Think of yourself as a character playing a role if you have to. But for the love of all that's holy, do not sit silently behind your table looking pissed at the world. Got resting grump face? Don't rest. You're there to sell. Selling is hard. It takes effort. It is exhausting, especially for introverts. But you put your heart and soul into creating your thing. You want to share it with the world. Get people to stop for two seconds an actually look at your table. You owe it to yourself to make the effort to be sociable for the time you paid to be there to sell your thing. Do we hope the thing we're there to sell will sell itself? Sure, but... (see #3)
Reason #3 All your products are flat on your table, making it super easy to pay no attention to them. Get your products in front of people's eyes. People DO judge a book by the cover, but it's more likely they'll see that cover if your book is vertical. Do you need an expensive book rack? No, but they do help - as long as you get one that allows for your covers not to be half-hidden behind one another. You can use a cheapo picture/plate easel. For no cost, you can even use a stack of your books to hold up the one vertical display copy.
If you have stickers or prints, wire grids with a few clips are your answer. Tape art to your banner. Hang it from a bar. Get things vertical. Does everything need to be? No. Go to a show and see what tables grab your attention, consider why that is. There is often a mix of vertical and horizonal display items. What you don't want to do is... (see #4)
Reason #4 Your table is too damn busy. You want whatever you're selling to stand out. Don't make your art compete with a busy table covering. I prefer plain black. That said, I do have a table banner that has simple patterns on it that goes under my book racks. These are subtle images from the backgrounds of a few of my book covers. I've seen some beautiful eye catching shimmery or theme print fabrics (that look like scales, armor, or feathers). Let your art take center stage. If your wares are busy, displaying them on a busy table covering makes eyeballs want to veer away.
Will some people veer away no matter what? Yep. You can't win them all. Some people are terrified of chickens. They're not a fan of werewolves or haiku. They don't read comics or science fiction or whatever your genre is. They don't follow the anime that your artwork features. Not everyone is your customer. But some of them are. You just need to get them to slow down and take a look at what you're offering long enough to figure out if they are a fit for what you're selling. Even they they aren't your people, they may know someone who loves your thing and maybe they'll pass on your business card. But you'll never know if you don't get them to stop.
In my ten years of selling at in-person events of all kinds, I can say:
10% of the attendees are just there for something to do. For exercise. To chat with their friend. To have somewhere to wander while taking their kid for a ride in the stroller. They want to get their steps in while they're face is glued to their phone. These people will likely only look at a small fraction of the booths and be too busy to bother engaging with you. I'm constantly amazed by the number of people who don't even SEE the live chicken sitting on my table until someone points it out. While you should always smile and be ready, the odds are, you won't waste your energy on these people. They are not really there to buy anything.
10% of attendees will actually peruse every single booth in search of 'the one thing' they must have. Whatever that might be. They will listen to you and smile and nod, but unless you have their one thing (and these quiet, secretive folks often don't even know what their looking for until they see it), they'll move on. Don't be discouraged by the treasure seekers.
30% of the people are there with their families. They are there for entertainment for the whole family. The odds you can get one of them to slow down with the one thing one of them loves are not zero, but they are also not high because they are moving as a chaotic pack. If you can snag a whole family of readers or fan of your thing, then you're likely to get a sale. See also, "I need to go find my parent and see if they'll buy this for me." Again, not a no, but you're going to have to pitch twice to get that sale.
The other 50% are your probable customers. They are there with money they saved for the purpose of spending it there on the things they love. Learn to spot these people. They wear clothes related to your thing. They might look a certain way that puts them in your demographic. Learn what your demographic is. There are always outliers to that, but it will help to know when to really put your efforts into a sale vs. saving your energy and going with the soft pitch instead.
Should you be standing or sitting? Many events will provide a folding chair. They are miserable to plant yourself in for a weekend. These chairs also make customers loom over you. Standing can feel aggressive to customers, like you're ready to pounce. A tall chair is ideal. It puts you nearer eye level while sitting and they are far more comfortable than folding chairs. There are folding lawn chairs with side tables (which take up considerable space) or a directors chair. Either is a great option for comfort and facing your customers at a friendly height. Taller chairs also allow you to see further down the aisle, especially if you're in a space where your fellow vendors have a lot of tall table displays. It puts you above your own table displays if you've gone vertical. It also gives you a longer reach for pointing to items on your table.
You are paying for a table to be able to sell your art. You're also there to have a good time. Look like you're having a good time.
Having a good time might mean sketching if you're an artist. That is doing something active in your booth that may get attention. If you're an artist that makes things, maybe you're painting a figurine or stringing beads or making buttons - people like to see how your product is made. Do remember to look up and smile at people when they are approaching your table, or have your booth buddy do that if you're wrapped up in creating. If you're a writer, it might mean you have a book or a laptop with you. Be careful not get all wrapped up in your fictional escape from peopling and forget why you're there. I find it's best to save this distraction for when the traffic slows. Writing is not something people get into watching you do in person. It just makes you look like you'd rather not be there (which, while this might be true, is not good for sales).
If you have a table buddy or you've (hopefully) made friends with your booth neighbor(s), be conscious of the passing traffic and pay attention to them and why you're there. Getting wrapped up in too much conversation can lead to lost sales. People may also be hesitant to interrupt you to ask a question if you're busy talking. Be sociable with your neighbors and assistants, but available for your customers. This might mean you drop a conversation mid-sentence to pitch to a customer. It's totally fine. We all do it and we're used to picking back up once the customer leaves the area. Customers get first priority.
Networking
Use slow foot traffic times to chat with your booth neighbors. Look at their displays. Listen to their pitches. If they have items that relate to yours, ask what shows they do and how sales are. Learn from each other. Follow each other on social media. Be friendly. You'll likely see each other again and having a familiar face to chat with or cover your booth while you run for food or the bathroom is a great asset.
Don't be high pressure. Be friendly. Be engaging. Be proud of your wares.
If you do those four simple things, the odds of sales are in your favor.
