Vendor Fair Prep: Tips for a Successful Event

[JaimeQ]

I will be doing my very first vendor fair soon... any suggestions on how to make it work the best it can would be great... TIA

 

[cathyskitchen]

First of all, do not sit behind your table and wait for people to come to you. Be in front of your table, hand out flyers or mini catalogs and ask people if they're familiar with PC. Strike up a conversation with them and find a common ground. Get their info. if they want a fall catalog and tell them you'll mail it to them (have just one out in page protectors for people to place orders if they want to). Have the knives and cookware (whatever you have!) on display and talk it up for hosting in Aug & Sept - even catalog shows! Talk about holiday shopping from home, etc. Just be out there, be friendly, but don't ATTACK everyone that walks by. Just put a smile on your face, say "Hi"! and you'll do great! Good luck!

 

[chefann]

The recipe cards from supply order are a great hand-out, too. Put your info on them. Then as people walk by, you can ask, "Would you like a free recipe?" Very few people will just walk on by.

 

[Dawn4]

A mistake I made my first fair... I didn't put out anything about the opportunity. I was more concerned with bookings. I did great!! I booked 8 shows right there and a bunch more when I made my calls, but I never even thought to put anything out to try to recruit. Good luck!!! You'll have a lot of fun.

 

[pamperedpals]

I just did a street fair this past weekend and offered a drawing for a free kitchen show and was able to obtain the following results:

14 yeses - one booked at the fair
5 maybes
11 recruit leads
5 yeses
6 maybes

I made follow-up calls on Monday & Tuesday and got a total of 10 bookings and three recruit interviews and I am still making calls.

I do agree that you don't want to sit. As people walked by I asked them if they wanted to enter to win a free cooking show, if they said no I offered a catalog.

Good luck!

 

[Jules711]

Having some cash n carry can really help too, esp if you have any discontinued items (people love what they can't get).Recipe card a definite plus. There are other good flyers. Definitely a drawing and I suggest putting a "do you currently have a consultant" line in there. For me, it doesn't affect the drawing, but it does tell me if they need me. People usually say "well...not really" so that's my cue that I could be the one they think of first.You don't have to bring all of your products, but definitely have enough for them to stop and look at, esp the popular items, fun ones to play with (for some reason the easy adjustable spoons & scoop get a lot of people to stop). Definitely the current/upcoming host special and the current guest special. I personally wouldn't put out the knives (though I'd bring one). I'll just put up an August flyer and point it out.Good luck and have fun with it! Just remember to follow up. It's easy to put it off but to really reap the benefits, you need to call everyone.

 

[JaimeQ]

Thank you all for the great ideas

 

[abrahamlaur]

how do you girls put up the fliers you have?

 

[bethsbiz]

I take a new consultant kit, including the box it came in, and set that up, along with opportunity info. I also take a few bigger pieces that I don't have room for at shows...like a larger piece of cookware, perhaps a simple additions platter, etc. If it is a 2-3 day event, I'll take a baker's rack to display on.

As noted above, always, always be standing and ready to talk. Busy booths encourage others to stop by so talking to a visitor will help bring in more folks.

I suggest having a door prize to give away...but make them walk into your booth area to sign up for it (if this is feasible based on the set-up). When they are signing is a great time to ask if they have been to a show, do they have a favorite product, would they like to host, biz opp?, etc.

When I can, I set my booth up in a U shape, with the open space the area folks would walk into.

If you don't have recipe cards from PC, consider printing a few from the website, stamping your info on them, and then handing those out.

 

[JaimeQ]

I take a new consultant kit, including the box it came in, and set that up, along with opportunity info. I also take a few bigger pieces that I don't have room for at shows...like a larger piece of cookware, perhaps a simple additions platter, etc. If it is a 2-3 day event, I'll take a baker's rack to display on.

As noted above, always, always be standing and ready to talk. Busy booths encourage others to stop by so talking to a visitor will help bring in more folks.

I suggest having a door prize to give away...but make them walk into your booth area to sign up for it (if this is feasible based on the set-up). When they are signing is a great time to ask if they have been to a show, do they have a favorite product, would they like to host, biz opp?, etc.

When I can, I set my booth up in a U shape, with the open space the area folks would walk into.

If you don't have recipe cards from PC, consider printing a few from the website, stamping your info on them, and then handing those out.

How did you get another new consultant kit? Can anyone get another kit? I have some past recipe cards that I plan to use and I also plan to get some of the new ones when I put in my supple order. I'm not exactly sure how it is going to be set up. I am going to me with the lady in charge of getting it together on Thursday... I am also going to be helping get the fair off the ground this go round So I am going to put in my input about the date, I hope that I can get in my sample PK/s before the fair, so that I have some of the new stuff to show off.

 

[JaimeQ]

Does anyone know about getting a second kit?

 

[JaimeQ]

I can't wait!! I am meeting with the lady to start getting the fair ready tomorrow after lunch!! Any advice for putting together a fair would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Cindycooks]

Just chiming in to say that stamping the recipe cards is a great idea. I do that alot. I have some as old as 2 or 3 years but they dont care! They love anything free! I have out the large batter bowl for them to drop the door prize slips into - its cute. And anybody that you speak with and really want to follow up with - jot a little note to yourself on the back of the slip to jog your memory of them such as "lady in the yellow t-shirt with the baby" something like that. It really does help later!

Dont forget bridal registry info too. I have a white basket with the bridal brochures in it along with a whisk with a tulle bow tied around it. It's pretty and gets their attention.

 

[JaimeQ]

First of all, do not sit behind your table and wait for people to come to you. Be in front of your table, hand out flyers or mini catalogs and ask people if they're familiar with PC. Strike up a conversation with them and find a common ground. Get their info. if they want a fall catalog and tell them you'll mail it to them (have just one out in page protectors for people to place orders if they want to). Have the knives and cookware (whatever you have!) on display and talk it up for hosting in Aug & Sept - even catalog shows! Talk about holiday shopping from home, etc. Just be out there, be friendly, but don't ATTACK everyone that walks by. Just put a smile on your face, say "Hi"! and you'll do great! Good luck!

How do you go about putting the catalog in page protectors? Do you have to cut the pages to make them individual pages?

 

[KellyTheChef]

How do you go about putting the catalog in page protectors? Do you have to cut the pages to make them individual pages?

Yep, exactly!

That way, they won't think it's "free" and walk off with it!

 

[amy07]

Recently I had someone tell me that I should stock up on the rubs/seasonings, oils, etc. to sell at craft shows. Is that allowed? I would hate for another consultant to turn me into HO for that!

 

[Cindycooks]

Amy - I posted that question here I think back last fall. We have a Holiday fair here everyyear and a consultant from another cluster beat me too it - no big deal....My question was that I was told that every year she has around $1000 worth of products that she orders at her discount and then sells for retail there - and then takes that money and probably orders more stuff or who knows. Doesnt seem exactly fair but I think I was told it was okay....
Personally I wouldnt have the money to have that much stuff at a vendor fair but the seasonings are a great idea.

Hopefully someone here can answer this for both of us.

 

[chefann]

This is from the Policies and Procedures document:

Personal Inventory
Although it is not required, you may choose to carry a small amount of inventory occasionally when exhibiting at a fair or for other special purposes. Personal inventory orders must be placed separately from any other order, via
paper only.
To order items for personal inventory:
• Use a sales receipt, and write Personal Inventory Order at the top.
• You must order at least six of an item.
• Follow steps from Personal Orders section.
• Because you will be reselling these items, calculate the appropriate sales tax on the total of the retail order BEFORE THE DISCOUNT.
• Determine shipping charges from the individual shipping schedule on the back of the sales receipt.
Please note:
• No commission will be paid on personal inventory purchases.
• Merchandise is nonrefundable, except upon termination of the Consultant Agreement. See your agreement for details.

 

[amy07]

Ann, I do believe that Deb & Greg need to make an "Ask Ann" section!! LOL How in the world do you remember all this stuff?!?!?! I'm so glad you do though!! Thanks!

 

[amy07]

Ann, another question.....if I do order for resale, can I put a lable on them similar to what TS consultants do, "Contact me for re-orders" with my contact info?

 

[JaimeQ]

Ann, I do believe that Deb & Greg need to make an "Ask Ann" section!! LOL How in the world do you remember all this stuff?!?!?! I'm so glad you do though!! Thanks!

I second that one She is very knowledgable!!

 

[chefann]

Aw, you ladies are sweet. Mostly, though, it's just knowing where to find the policies online. And how to use search engines.

Ann, another question.....if I do order for resale, can I put a lable on them similar to what TS consultants do, "Contact me for re-orders" with my contact info?

I don't see why not!

 

[JaimeQ]

i'm trying to figure out if people actually place orders at the vendor fairs? I'm trying to think of incentives to try and get a few orders at the fair i'm going to be doing next month...

What do you yall offer to try and get orders? I was thinking if they place an order that day of $50.00 or more they get a free....(something not sure yet)

I am already going to have a door prize (GC) for the fair (not at my booth, fair is requesting door prizes) and then having something like a "free show" give away to entice people to come to my table.

 

[Cindycooks]

Jaime - here is a flyer from this site. I've used something like this. Get some of those cheap lucite frames from the Dollar Tree. I have this flyer next to the classic batter bowl and a pad of the slips that they fill out at shows. The batter bowl is for them to drop the slips in. You can choose one winner for the gift cert after the show and of course call up everybody else and tell them that they won a free show (you bring the ingredients and mail the invites). I like to have the pad of slips in my apron pocket and greet each guest and ask them if they'd like to win a gift cert - it's important to try to talk to everyone. Use more lucite frames for the flyers we got in our changeover kit of the SS Cookware, Host Rewards etc....

Now to answer your question on selling - since I got off track !! - I dont honestly sell too much at fairs - I did do $300 one time and that was totally unexpected. You can offer this handout (attached also) and change one of the boxes to say "10% off all orders today" or "Free Shipping on orders placed today" or offer an SB. I know when I have had this slip they love it because of the free recipe.

Theres another flyer someplace here offering a deal on the 8" saute pans. I'll try to find it. Its a great idea. You eat some of the cost but will get it back in commission plus the pan-o-rama!