10.31.08
Festival Days
My booth at the Sweet Owen Festival in front of the courthouse on the square.
It’s the season soapers both love and hate … that wonderful time of fall festivals. Between now and through the holiday season, we hope to make up for all the markets we’ve missed, all the mistakes we made in taking a chance on a new venue, and all the just plain ole lousy sales days.
On the good side, we know that the season is winding down, and we’re all pretty tired of having no weekends and little free time. On the not-so-good side, we’re already tired but are making a major push to attend and set up for a flurry of festivals and holiday bazaars.
Recently, we held the Sweet Owen Festival here in Owenton, just outside my soap studio window, actually. It was a lot of fun. For a small town, we really turn out in numbers. The Sweet Owen Festival gets bigger every year, with more vendors, food and music. People come and spend the entire day, walking around the square, perusing the displays of vendors, loading up on food, chatting with neighbors, and listening to the sounds of plenty of local musicians. Dancing in front of the courthouse adds to the festivities. There’s even a little soap sold on that day!
I really enjoy the Sweet Owen Festival. It’s a time when friends and neighbors, young and old, get a chance to lay aside work and daily cares and relax with each other. And it reminds me that I’m very happy to be an accepted part of this community and this event. It’s a chance to give something back to my community, and I’m happy about that.
Crowds at the Sweet Owen Festival. Plus you can see Anna’s EsSCENTials studio windows…second floor of the brick building in the background!
Here’s my friend and mail carrier, Wanda, tripping the light fantastic on the courthouse walk with good, down-home music in the background.
A sales philosophy
Years ago, after listening painfully to the woeful tales of another (name withheld) crafter who constantly bemoaned the fact that his sales were never good enough and the community didn’t support him in the manner to which he felt entitled, I took a private vow. The vow was that if I ever felt frustrated because my customers, friends and neighbors were somehow at fault for not improving my financial position, I would quit. If I ever got to the point of feeling “entitled” to sales and measuring success in terms of financial growth only, I would definitely quit.
That vow has probably changed the way I do business, but in a way I feel comfortable with. When I attend a market or festival, my attitude is that I believe I have a special product that will provide solid benefits to the users, and I appreciate the cost for that product is higher than commercial soap. I hope to make a positive difference in the health and well-being of my customers. But I am not in business to pressure people to buy soap from me until they feel it is worth it for them. It’s been a slower way to build a customer base, but I have to say it’s more satisfying and also I have some loyal customers.
I have friends who want to help me sell soap at tables and booths, and I’m very selective about who I invite to do so. One friend does very well and understands my philosophy. But occasionally I’ve had people who delighted in selling soap, even to the point of using semi-hard-sell tactics. I probably go too far in the other direction, but it really bothers me to see this near arm-twisting sales technique happen at my table.
To follow this method of sales, I have to support myself doing other work, and it makes for some long days. But given the choices, I am sticking with this one. It’s satisfying and I think I’ll look back on it and be glad I did.
Sharon