By Toni Hetrick

Do you set up at local events?  There’s definitely a potential for some great sales, marketing and business growth IF you present yourself correctly.  A professional display is KEY! For most events, you will be confined to a small space.   Many times a 6 or 8ft table is all that you will have. At most you may have a 10x10 space, so summon your inner OCD and find ways to organize/maximize the area that you have.

Let us start with the basics…..

Invest in some quality folding tables.  Most often I use two 6ft tables and one 5ft table.  You can find folding tables at many stores, but if you are an Amazon shopper you can find them here. These may seem expensive at first, but they can take a beating and you’ll use them over and over again.  If I had to guess, I’d estimate that I purchased mine 10 years ago and they are still in perfect working condition. Another plus is that they can always be used for non-business related things too.  Ex: Family Picnics, group gatherings, etc. I have used my tables for so many purposes and since they fold they store rather easily.  

**VERY IMPORTANT TIP FOR BEGINNERS**

Tables most often are not provided.  Make sure you confirm this when booking.  There’s nothing worse than getting to an event and discovering you don’t have something as vital as a table.  Be prepared!

Invest in professional looking table cloths.  There are multiple options out there, such as these.  You can always have them made, or if you sew to make your own.  Whatever you decide to keep in mind you will want to hide the items stored under your table.  It’s also a plus to have something that is easily washable. For years, I went to the cheap/convenient route and purchased disposable ones from Dollar Tree.  Don’t get me wrong, they get the job done, however they are wrinkly from the start and rip very easily. Sometimes convenience takes over and you just go with that option.  Looking back at the money that I spent on those cheap table covers, I could have bought a nice table cloth 5x’s over.

Depending on what you sell, your setup may vary greatly from other businesses.  I carry an array of items, 90% of which is cash & carry. Because of this, the more I have on hand, the more I have available to sell on-site that day.  My tables are usually filled to the max but are organized kind of by categories if you will. An organized table helps attract customer’s eyes. Most people don’t want to have to root through a pile of stuff to see what you have.  Remember this is a reflection of your business. You don’t want people to feel like they are at a yard sale. Also don’t expect that your setup will be exactly the same each and every time. You’ll have to adapt.  Below is a video from a recent holiday event. As you can see I don’t have my fancy tablecloths at this set-up as the tables were provided and they were BIG tables. I adjusted and used my holiday ones.

One thing I have noticed over the years is that people seem intimidated to ask questions, especially about prices.  They will just walk right by if they can’t see prices. Having said that, make sure all your merchandise is priced and that those prices are easily visible.  If you’re selling a product that some may not know exactly what it is just from glancing at it, consider signage that explains what the product is used for. This is a task that you can accomplish easily, quickly and without breaking the bank.  I always have index cards and sharpies with me and will make extra little signs. Ex: Cutting Boards $25. When I implemented this, I could not believe the immediate difference in sales and customer interaction. I noticed customers looking at an item, seemingly interested but then walking away.  I started to verbally tell people what the price of the item was and found that people just naturally assumed that the item was expensive. My sales were increasing by this step, so I decided to take it further and make sure that EVERYTHING had a price tag that was facing outward and/or a sign with the price as well.

Say hello to everyone who enters or approaches your area.  I don’t care for pushy salespersons. Everyone has their own tactics, but I feel simple, polite conversation works wonders for keeping a person in your booth long enough to shop.  This also leaves an impression on your customers. I have found that a simple, “Hello, how are you today?” is more than enough to get a conversation started. You’d more than likely be a return customer to someone who is a delight, right?  I’ve paid a great deal of attention to people as they approach my booth. Most have their eyes down as they approach you. They are glancing down at the table, and I think are avoiding eye contact because they don’t want someone trying to sell them something in an aggressive way.  

Hand out business cards!!!!  This is a HUGE opportunity for you to make a connection.  I make sure that with every sale, a business card goes into their bag.  Anyone with whom I have a conversation with, I ask if I can give them a business card.  I’ve never been told no. With companies like Vistaprint, you can purchase business cards at very inexpensive prices.  Have those marketing materials ready! This is an opportunity to let customers and potential customers know everything and anything you offer.  If your business is anything like mine, I offer such a vast array of services/products that there’s no way for me to showcase all of that on just a 6ft table. 

I hope that these tips helped to some degree. If you have any questions please feel free to comment below. If you liked this post please click on the little heart to show some love. As always, thank you for visiting the website.