Market Stalls & Events - Part 3

My apologies for the delay in posting this but I knew it would be a BIG topic and I needed the time to sit down and do it justice!

Today is the much dreaded, but very important topic.. of what to do when things go wrong!

It's all about perspective!

So you poured your heart and soul into getting ready for the markets and getting stock ready and you feel like all your time and effort was wasted!

Now... first up... before you lament and moan that you had the WORST market EVER! Let us look at a few things from a different perspective to see if it really WAS the worst ever.

The first thing I want to ask is: How many business cards or flyers did you hand out?
As much as we would like markets to be all about a bulging wad of money that we can do snow angels in when we get home, the reality is much different. We need to change our view and see markets as a great source of advertising. We have an opportunity to meet our customers in person, let them touch and feel our products and explain to them why our product is so special. This is SOOOO important as each business card you give out goes home with a potential loyal customer who will fall in love with your brand.

Lots of other things can make us FEEL like it was a bad market day and in fact when we get home and count up our money, sometimes the reality is that it was still a pretty good day. So what is it that can make us think it was the worst day ever?

• Never, ever compare!!! You might be thinking you are having an amazing day till the stallholder next to you tells you how much they sell. Always keep in mind EVERY business is different and it is easy to feel disheartened that they are selling so much and you are not. This can be for many reasons, product difference included.
• Atmosphere - Sometimes things around you on the day can affect how you think you went. It might be cloudy or dusty or you may even be next to the stallholder from hell who wants to whinge about every little thing in their life... including this market! Don't let those things affect how you saw the world that day.
• Baggage - What baggage did you bring with you on the day, were you tired, did you spend the day thinking about how that Uni assignment is not going to write itself, did you wonder if your husband fed and clothed the kids or if they are running around the neighbourhood naked and begging for food? Leave those things at home before you come to market and spend the day thinking about how amazing it is that you get to do this and spend a day doing something that is just for you!

Who's to Blame?!?

OK I am not naive enough to think that you will never have a bad market, in fact I have attended many!
But lets break it down and look at most of the situations that may come up and assess what can or can't be done and who is to blame in each situation.

Blame it on the rain:

By no means am I a Milli Vanilli fan, but I did think this fitted nicely lol!
The weather is one of those things that in reality there is no-one to blame. If it is an outdoor event all you can really do is check the weather forecast in advance and make the decision as it gets closer as to whether you will risk your products or not. Yes, you may have had to pay in advance, however market organisers also have advertising and hire fees to pay and whether or not you attend they still have to pay the bills. So you need to make informed decisions about whether to attend or maybe look for indoor market alternatives.

Very Little Sales:

Now this is the one that cuts the deepest! You pour you heart out into your creations and nothing or very little sells! This can be for a number of reasons.

• The economy - lets be realistic here.... many families are struggling and if you sell a non essential item like jewellery, well the chances are that your sales may have dropped. There is no-one to blame in this situation, except for maybe the politicians and good luck getting a solution there! What you can do to minimise the issue is to create a cheaper range of products or encourage multi-buys eg. buy 1 for '$x', buy 2 for '$y'. If people are still not able to buy, then simply smile, be friendly and talk to them. They may not be able to buy now, but hopefully down the track you will have made such an impression that they will search you out and purchase from you when times are easier.
• An unknown - People have a fear of the unknown and like to fully assess a newcomer (especially in rural areas) before they purchase. In general your first market in a particular area or at a particular market will not usually have great sales. There are exceptions to this, but in general this is what I have found to be true. I always try to attend at least 2 markets before I make a judgement call as to whether a market is viable for me and my products. There is no-one to blame in this situation and all you can do is be extremely friendly and talk to everyone and make sure they know that you are someone that is ready to serve them when they choose.
• Your products - Your products may not be right for the type of clientele at that market or if you sell a seasonal style of product you may have chosen the wrong time of year. For example selling swimwear in winter will probably not get a good result. If you have not made good sales take a quick look at your products and check your prices with friends and family to see if they are reasonable. Did you do your products justice in the way you presented them? Did you have enough stock and enough variety for your customers to choose from? This area relating to products is the one that you have the most control over and you need to constantly assess what reception your products are receiving.
• Lack of stallholder diversity - Unfortunately sometimes you will attend a market where there may seem to be a glut of similar products to your own. A good market organiser will do their best to ensure this does not happen but these things do happen at times. How can you combat this? Ensure you have a point of difference, work out what it is that sets you apart from the similar stalls and work on promoting that to your customers. Present your stall well and provide a display that really draws the eye. Check the 'feedback' section further down on how to address this if you feel this situation may have been prevented by the organiser by either approving less similar products or by not placing you in an area where you are close to competitors.
• Your attitude - I love that old saying of "you catch more flies with honey". How you treat your customers and potential customers will directly affect your sales or follow on business. Customers want to see a happy smiling person and someone that is interested in them as a customer. There is a fine line though, that you do not want to cross... do NOT be one of those sales people that customers fear will crash tackle them in the hope of making a sale!
• Lack of customers - this is one of those hard areas and I will go into that now as the next main area.

Poor Attendance:

Sadly, I have been at markets where you could fire a shotgun across the room and still not hit a customer!
There are a few reasons why this occurs, some of which can be preventable:

• The weather - as stated above, the weather can play a large part in customers not attending. Even with an indoor venue if it is a freezing cold, rainy day then most customers will prefer to sit at home in their pj's by the fire. All you can do is hope the next one is a nice sunny day, grab a hot cuppa tea or coffee from the food vendor and have a fun chat to your fellow stallholders. After all, why waste a perfectly good day out of the house away from the shackles of ironing and cleaning!
• Conflicting Events - Most market organisers will ensure that their event does not clash with any other existing markets in the area prior to working out their dates, however there will be the chance of one-off events every now and again being on the same day. In the case of a new market starting up on conflicting days to other established markets in the area, I would provide feedback to the organisers as they may not be aware of this. This will allow them to look into whether to retain their date or change it. If the one-off event is a large well publicised event there is not much you can do... except try and find out if that event needs stallholders for next year lol.
• Lack of Advertising or Communication - Sometime a market may be poorly advertised and it may not be clear to the public when it is on. I would definitely provide feedback to allow them the opportunity to rectify the situation. Check the feedback section further down on how this can be done.
• People forget - I know this sounds silly, but they really do! The town I live in has a market that has been going for years and years and years..... and yet I still hear people ask in surprise 'when is it held?' or even more often 'oh yeah, I forgot that was on last weekend'! There is only so much that a market provider can do to get people to be aware of the market, sometimes people simply do not get the message, even despite driving past the road signs every month.
• Did you tell people where to find you? - I know this sounds silly, especially in the case of large markets with advertising budgets.... but hear me out. No matter how big an advertising budget a company has, there will always be people that do not see or hear the advertising campaigns. They simply cannot reach everyone, this is why word of mouth is so important in getting things across! If you, and the other stallholders like you, each told 100 people about the market and they all came... how AWESOME would that be! If you don't tell your customers, who are your loyal and repeat clientele, where you will be, it will limit your sales on the day. They are already committed to your product and it is an opportunity to buy from you in person rather than online.  Social media is a great outlet, use it to inform your customers of where to find you. If you get behind the market, your customers will do so also.

Bad Organisation:

(Image of my cufflinks at markets courtesy of Scarlett Studio)

 
The best laid plans may still fail. There may be times where you arrive at a market and the area you thought you were allocated is no longer yours or the space and conditions are different to what you expected. Sometimes this may be due to stallholders pulling out and needing to reshuffle things or because the weather has altered or made muddy areas that are not suitable for access. The best way to avoid this causing too much stress is to always arrive on time and plan for the unexpected. Always ensure you make a list and check it twice so that you do not forget anything vital for the day.

There are times however, when your organisation is not the issue. I have attended markets and turned up on time only to find that the market organiser has not arrived and there is no one there to tell you where to set up. Or I have turned up and there is a volunteer who has no idea what is going on and what should be happening. Sometimes it is just a simple inconvenience and there is not much you can do, but if the organiser has caused something that has made things very stressful then ensure you give them constructive feedback in relation to it.

Rude Customers or Stallholders:

It can be very disheartening, but I have come to expect at least one rude customer at any given market. This may take the form of someone loudly telling their friend that 'I could make that' or any variant including the dreaded I could make it cheaper or better. What is worse is when they don't say it to their friend, but actually tell it to you after you have shown the item to them and described its great features. I know every inch of your body wants to throw the items in their face and yell at them "So make it then!". However simply smile and mutter something polite and move on to other customers that are more worthy of your time.

I have also noticed over the time I have done markets, that some markets will attract what I affectionately call "Market Nutters", these are those people that are somewhat lacking in their social skills, will loudly and inappropriately comment for all to hear and they make you want to sink below your table and hide till they have passed. What makes it worse is that they seem to never miss the market, yet they never seem to buy anything. My strategy has always been to look busy and talk to other customers in my stall or if all else fails... "smile and wave".

As mentioned earlier in this post rude stallholders can also seriously cloud your view of the day. You may also get rude people or stallholders asking you to tell them who your suppliers are, this is something you worked hard on and it can be a kick in the guts to find that someone expects you to tell them so they can make the item themselves. With all of these rude people, do not let them get to you. Repeat the mantra "smile and wave" to yourself and if all else fails imagine yourself to be Rico the penguin and contemplate what weapon of mass destruction you could throw at them.  **Please note: I do not condone ACTUAL physical violence of any kind**

Feedback: What is the best way to give someone bad news?

If you have looked at all the angles and discovered that 'yes' there were some issues with the market that perhaps the organisers should know about or could rectify, then here are some points to keep in mind:

• Take a DEEP breath - Before you rush off into battle with all guns blazing, take time to think about what you are going to say. Never act straight away, but go over in your head how best to address the matter so that your emotions are not running so high and you say something you will regret later.
• "If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all" - I love this saying and it is so important when providing feedback of ANY kind. People are always quick to deliver bad news but can I ask... have you ever told a market organiser what went well and thanked them for a good market? If you do have the intent of saying something negative or constructive, always start with a positive, start with what they did well and then suggest that perhaps this other area may be improved further to meet the high standards they provided in the other areas.
• Stick to the facts - Never add in anything that you yourself did not experience on the day. How can you give them feedback on something that you are passing on second hand. I am sure those people or stallholders that had those issues will pass that on themselves. Only give feedback on what directly affected your or your customers that raised issues with you.
• Think about the person you will be addressing - Always tailor your feedback to suit the person you are delivering it to. If it is a market run by volunteers and retirees (as many are), then cut them a bit of slack as in most cases they are trying to do what is best for you but may not have the resources to do so as effectively as other markets. You wouldn't want someone to swear at YOUR Nanna so treat them with the respect they deserve for giving up their time to try and help you have an avenue to sell.
• Everyone is human - Remember that everyone makes mistakes and no matter how much time the organiser has slaved away on this market there will invariably be something that gets overlooked or crops up unexpectedly on the day. If you are talking to them straight after the market, be aware that they might well be exhausted from a big day too and the last thing they want is confrontation. Tread delicately and wear a reassuring smile.

Now that you have addressed your concerns... go open your cupboard, have a glass of wine, and put the bad day behind you! Think on all the positives that came out of the day and look forward to your next event which will make the bad one seem like a distant memory!

PLEASE NOTE: If a market continues to go in a downward spiral or the organiser is rude or agressive when you politely address your concerns then you may need to weigh up if the market is a viable option for you. There are times when you simply need to cut your losses and look for alternatives that are more suited to you and your products, what works well for one person's products may not suit anothers.

STAY TUNED....

I hope this information has been helpful, stay tuned for the next installment which will be all about "After Market Follow Up".