Booth Appearance/Product Display/Signage

TIPS FOR BEING A SUCCESSFUL FARMERS’ MARKET VENDOR

Booth Appearance/Product Display/Signage Have a neat, attractive, and uncluttered and inviting table display. Keep your table well stocked, but strategically leave a couple empty spaces here and there. Potential customers will assume you have sold some items and they are not your first or only customer of the day There are two secrets to a good display: abundance and neatness. Display your products so that they are easy for customers to reach. Be sure that your prices are clearly visible and that you display the forms of payment you accept. Do you need shelter for your booth? A pop-up tent can protect product quality and provide customer comfort while defining your selling area. Remember that most farmers markets are held rain or shine. Keep in mind that signs can provide information to help you sell, add color to your booth, and brand your items. Use “price signs” in close proximity to the product. Having to ask about prices sometimes discourages customers from buying. You can also offer added details about product using “product information signs”. Your business name is a big part of your product identity and should be emphasized using “brand signs”. It is also important to realize that you and your staff are a part of your display. Consider wearing “like” colors and possibly name tags.

Flexibility/Adaptability/Preparedness Be aware of what is in your control and what is not and adjust accordingly. For example, we cannot control the weather (hot, cold, windy, rainy etc…), other major events going on in the area, summer vacations, graduation, back to school nights, weddings and any other activities customers might be involved in. It is a fact that these types of events will affect sales for the week. It is important to plan accordingly.

Attendance/Consistency Remember that your consistency at the market is very important. Customers depend on you being at the market week after week. They need to see you as often as possible. If you are not scheduled to attend a market on a specific week, let the customers know when you will be back. Remember markets are open rain or shine. If a customer comes to the market on a rainy day, they expect you to be there as well. You might consider offering small discounts to customers on inclement weather days so they are encouraged to come regardless of the weather conditions.

Customer Service/Staffing Booth Make the customers you have count. Try to remember your regular customer’s names, being remembered makes people feel good. Making eye contact is the best way to welcome customers. Smile, speak clearly and loud enough to be heard, you only have one chance to make a first impression on someone. Be knowledgeable about your product and more than willing to further explain benefits and/or answer customer’s questions. Be sure to say “thank you”. Customers like to know you appreciate their business. Make sure the people on your staff are aware of the rules and your expectations at the market as they are the face of your product. Their ability to connect with customers is just as important as yours. They should be friendly, courteous, helpful, and knowledgeable.

Etiquette Remember do not smoke at your table or in immediate market area. Leave pets at home. Keep in mind that you and your staff’s attire is a part of the visual effect of the display. All attention should be directed toward the customer; your attention to cell phones, lap tops, and other mobile devices makes the customer feel unimportant. Do not complain to customers or other vendors. If you have a question or concern, please bring it to the market Manager who will likely be more than willing to work with you.

Communication/Marketing Promote yourself and your product. Utilize/hand out business cards, product info flyers, and free samples (if applicable). Offer special promotions each week to encourage repeat business. One of the considerable advantages of selling at farmers markets is that you don’t have to do any advertising or worry about publicity because the farmers market, as a whole, handles that aspect. However, do consider other affordable and relatively easy ways to promote your business beyond the market for example, building a website, Tweet, or post to Facebook/Instagram or other social media platforms to increase traffic to your booth during slow times or while other staff are assisting customers. Collect customer e-mail addresses to create a mailing list for future customer contact about new products/promotions.

Networking Support other vendors. Try to shop at each other’s tables periodically. Leave out items you have purchased to promote your fellow vendors. Have a general knowledge of what is available at the market and who the vendors are.

Tracking & Evaluating Results Success as a farmers market seller takes time. Establishing your business, your products, and yourself in a market cannot be accomplished overnight. Tracking your costs and sales by product at every market provides invaluable information that can inform your decisions about what you sell and how you set your prices. Keep records of how much product you brought to the market, how much you sold, what your unit price was for each product, how much inventory you had remaining, and notes about circumstances that affected sales.