Crafters who sell at craft fairs and markets inevitably need to interact with prospective customers. Selling in person is definitely different from selling online where you don’t get to meet your customers in person. Engaging with your customers is very important. Here are my reasons why. These are my personal opinions and they may not apply to your particular situation. Hopefully, this article will give you some fresh ideas and perspectives that you can apply to your own selling.

• Greeting your customers that arrive at your booth makes them feel welcomed.

• Greeting a customer as they walk by often is the reason for them stopping to look at your booth. The more people that stop at your booth, the more chance for a sale.

• Greeting customers with a nice smile and friendly face will make them feel like briefing and shopping.

• Being preoccupied with your phone or being disengaged sends the message that you don’t care about your customers or your products.

• Talking to your customers might give the impression that you are more trust-worthy. It shows a little of your personality. It shows that you have a passion for what you do and make.

• I was once next to another vendor who wasn’t making any sales. He sat in the back of his booth. He told me he was a shy person. I told him to move his sign out more and to step in the front of his booth. Sure enough, he started making some sales.

• When customers look at a certain product you can tell them a little about that product. This gives them more information about it. You can sell it by telling the benefits of your special product that they may not know otherwise. This will make them more likely to purchase that product.

• Customers may ask a question about a product. When you provide a descriptive and passionate answer this can make them more likely to purchase from you.

• Customers often ask if I have a certain type of product. If I don’t have it, I offer to make a custom piece for them to pick up at a later time. This can help you to make additional sales. If you didn’t bother to talk to them you would have lost out on that sale.

• Being approachable to a customer encourages them to talk to you. Many times, they start telling me what they are looking for. Then I direct them to one or more of my products. This creates more sales.

• People like to shop in person because they get to meet the maker. They get to meet you in person. Many times, I get asked if I made all of the things at my booth and I answer, “yes” and they are so amazed. I really am amazed that they are amazed. But I think it is something special to purchase something handmade from the person who made it. Interacting with your customer makes in-person shopping an authentic experience for the customer.

• Meeting and interacting with you, as the maker often-times creates repeat customers. Statistics from my credit card reader company showed that 69% of the customers who paid via credit card were returning customers. This shows the importance of customer engagement. You can truly leave a lasting impression on your customers by engaging and interacting with them. Best wishes!