Just back from a very interesting information session hosted by BrisStyle. The talented Trish of Trishalan Designs and Sophie of Strat Designs spoke on the subject dear to many of our BrisStyle hearts - Markets 101. Both speakers are BrisStyle members with years of experience selling their handmade items at a variety of venues.
Trish spoke about the practicalities of going to the markets eg; the importance of picking the right market for your product range; the essentials for a succesful day ie a good quality tent with sides and weights; and much much more.....
I have sold at a lot of markets over time - on and off since 1996 - so I know a bit about market practicalities and use this "know how" now to make getting to market and packing up a lot easier and more streamlined. It was great to get Trish's insights about this plus also the list of the all-important items to take to a market.
Sophie spoke about selling at markets eg., customer service basics - smile, know your product; how to engage with customers; let your personality shine through; and more...
Making sales is the crucial part of the markets. I love what I do. I love going to markets to meet people, get feedback for my products and enjoy the atmosphere of being in a creative/sales environment. Making sales is important to me as those sales allow me to keep doing what I love to do. Designing and creating handmade, often one-of-a-kind products. There is always something extra to be gained to make the business of selling easier, smoother, better.
What a great session and thank you to Trish and Sophie for sharing their knoweldge and wisdom. Thank you to BrisStyle for organising it!
I hear another session is planned for next month - Marketing and Branding. I hope to be there and report here on that session.
