Sunday, December 16, 2012

Tips for a Successful Scentsy Booth

Any successful event begins with planning, planning and more planning.   Anticipating your customers needs and understanding in advance how you can meet those needs is crucial!

The typical bazaar, home show or trade show shopper is out to seek information for the most part.  I would go as far as saying the only venue in which a shopper comes to "buy" is a bazaar.  This means that as sales people we must prepare for this and be able to turn those shoppers into buyers.  From my experience of trade shows large and small, I have put together a few tips and suggestions for a successful (by which I mean profitable) Scentsy booth. 

Literature - Without a Call to Action or Reward, there is NO REVENUE!!

Lets start where we left off.  Don't plan to give a catalog to everyone that stops by.  Definitely give them to buyers and those that really express interest in ordering.  I believe a qualified recipient of my catalog is someone who spent time discussing the product with me, but they were possibly indecisive over warmers that I had and preferred to order.  So I arm them with a catalog and an expectation and reward for following it.  This reward of course cannot be advertised, but can be at your discretion based on what you believe that buyers potential sale might be and also what their reach to promote the brand to others who might buy could be. 

Booth Placement - Its all about location, location, location!

Booth placement is critical.  You don't want to be the first thing they see, as they won't want to spend all their money right off the bat unless they only came specifically to see you.  You also don't want to be in the very back of the show where, they might not ever come or if they do they might be broke by the time they get there.  When selecting placement I look at a couple things:
  • The flow of the show: Where are people coming in, what general direction will they walk.  Is the show setup in a way that guides people through or do they have an option to go in several directions?  Pick a central location within this thought process. 
  • Other vendors: Now you are probably thinking, "Why do I care what other people are showing/selling?" Competition is the biggest, maybe you want to be next to a candle vendor because you want to get that audience and you feel you can sell them that Scentsy is a better and safer product.....WHICH IT IS!!!  Also, you want to use other vendors that are not similar to you, but have some sort of pull in their booth that will naturally create more flow past your booth.  
  • Food/Restrooms/Drinks: This is a personal choice, but I would give anything to be close to a bar if there is one at your event.  Why? They have lines, and where there are lines there are bored people with wandering eyes and a desire to be entertained!
Product - Anticipating the buyers desires.

Lets move to something you can control.  Its sometimes difficult to anticipate your buyers and what they might want, but at the best of your abilities...you have to!  When thinking about product, think about the season, are people buying holiday scents, gifts, etc.  I also like to have those expectations and the very next season's.  I do this for anticipation.  One, I feel I can sell the buyer that is already purchasing this seasons product to try one or several of next seasons.  Two, I know if its there they will take it.  Three, if they take it I know my name is going to be associated with a scent and a memory which is the most powerful association we have as humans.  I also love to have samples of this seasons and the next scents so if the buyer likes it but is not convinced to buy I can be the hero and say, "Here, let me give you a sample to try, then you can give me a call if you decide you would like it later."  Everybody loves FREE ITEMS, and if they like it they won't refuse it!

In terms of warmers, this is still a learning curve for me.  It usually seems someone wants what I don't have or already sold out of.  My suggestion here is take what you like because its easy to speak about what you like.  Take the suggestion from our workstation and last months trending sales to gather insight from what others liked and purchased and take anything new.  Buyers in all markets want what is new, rare and trending.

Working the booth - THE MOST CRITICAL PART OF YOUR INVESTMENT!

Working the booth and its presence is the most critical part of every investment you have made to be there.  Here are a few of my tips, most you will find are common sense of any sales person.
  • Be Presentable: Dress the part! You have Scentsy gear, wear it.  This can be a sweatshirt and jeans or I prefer my Scentsy T-Shirt, Jeans and Heels.  Whatever it is, wear it.  You are the Scentsy brand and as a representative of such a cool, trendy and home type product you should be cool, trendy and inviting.  You want to host a party?  You must be someone they would invite in their home and want to be around their family and friends.
  • Be Approachable: Extroverts will have not issues here other than maybe learning to tone down your presence a bit. :) Introverts must break out of that shell. Don't hide behind your table, come out and speak to people.  Have a conversation, start talking to them not about sales, sales, sales but ask how their day is going, comment on their child's outfit, if you notice they are fashionable or carry an expensive bag, comment on it.  Just be approachable and inviting so they want to stay and have a conversation with you.  I commonly have shoppers leave without buying and say to me, "I really enjoyed talking to you".  You know what I did there?  I made a contact, one who would consider calling me because they liked speaking to me and I made an impression on them.
  • Be Understanding: If a shopper is dealing with their children, don't interrupt.  Wait and be understanding.  If they have an incoming phone call, wait and be understanding.  If they have a friend come by and see them and stop to say hello, don't walk away just wait and be understanding.  My rule of anyone in my booth whether my team or my teenage daughter is don't be pushy, rude or stand off-ish.  Without that customer we are nothing in this business.  And, after all business is all about relationships.
I hope you find these tips helpful in your next Scentsy show!  If you are considering joining Scentsy and doing shows as a way to drive your business I encourage it and say you are doing yourself a huge favor by researching and learning all you can to begin with.  I would love to have you on my team!

To learn more about Scentsy and the opportunities it can bring you, visit my website at http://srevans.scentsy.us/Join 

5 comments:

  1. This is a rather comprehensive and useful list of the do's and dont's not just in managing a Scentsy booth, but in exhibiting in trade shows as well. I think one of the most important considerations, as well, is how you would handle shipping your stock or your booth items to an event. Without managing your shipping better, you might have a hard time tracking down your items and how they are handled to prevent any mishaps or damages.

    Legacy

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    1. Thank you for the comment Renea, glad my post helped you.

      Usually I brought materials for a show in myself, which had its own set of challenges and potential dangers...

      But, you are 100% correct, if you are attending a larger show where you must ship in your boxes for setup ahead of time to either a shipping site or the show directly you need to be conscious of several things.

      - Tracking numbers on all boxes and keep a copy of the shipping paperwork for yourself. Makes it easier to track down if you have copies of everything handy.
      - Clearly label the boxes or trunks. Marking them with your logo or your name that matches the booth name/number helps the boxes be easily identified. A good samaritan might relocate a box to your booth vs return to shipping if they get it on mistake if its easy for them to identify.
      - Have a backup plan. Even the most executed of shows and no matter how prepared you might be, you should always have a plan B. Things happen.

      Good luck ladies.

      Sarah Evans
      http://srevans.scentsy.us

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  2. Thank you very informative on all aspects of having a successful Scentsy booth at any level!

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  3. I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post. รับทำบูธ

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